Broomsticks and Coffee

Chapter 3

I just wanted to apologize to her, and I did. What the hell am I still doing here? Yes, it seems Bella is more interesting than I initially thought, and she has more serious problems than the average Muggle, but is it my problem? No. I should have had my coffee and left that café forever. But that's not what I did; instead, I waited another hour and a half until closing time to talk to Bella.

I shouldn't care that she has a vampire ex-boyfriend or that there's a group planning to kill her, but here I am, waiting for answers from this girl I barely know.

"Do you need anything else? We're about to close," Bella said to me five minutes before closing time.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to talk with you. I can wait," I said with a crooked smile, to which she responded by blushing.

"Uh, sure. I'll be free in 15 minutes."

I waited outside the café, leaning against the wall to one side. When she finally came out of the shop, she saw me and smiled. Over her yellow dress, she now had a denim jacket and a small brown crossbody bag.

"Hi," she said as she approached me.

"Would you like to go for a drink or something to eat? Although I doubt you want coffee. We can talk there," I said with a crooked smile. She nodded, and we started walking. I asked her to choose a place she liked, without telling her that the reason was that I knew nothing about Muggle things. While we walked, we didn't talk much, just about superficial things.

She took me to a traditional British pub by the Thames River. When we arrived, she ordered a type of IPA beer and asked me what I wanted. I said the same was fine. I insisted on paying despite her wanting to pay for her part, but she finally gave in. Then we went out to the terrace, where there was a view of the river and also a side view of the Parliament building and the London Eye, typical Muggle tourist attractions.

There, we talked about a bit of everything. She told me more about her life. She told me how she got a scholarship to study in London for a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Linguistics, but she still works part-time at the café to cover her expenses. When she asked me what I do, I vaguely replied that I like sports and would like to make a career out of it.

"I'd like to ask you something; I hope I'm not being intrusive, but it's about the guy who came to the café today." Just by saying that, I noticed Bella became tense and alert. Apparently, a delicate topic.

"What about him?"

"I just wanted to know how you know him," I said, shrugging.

Bella took a moment, looked around as if she were going to find the vampire nearby, before responding calmly and in a whisper, "He's my ex-boyfriend. Edward. We met in Forks in high school, but it didn't work out."

She's known him since school, so at least two or three years. Did she notice he hasn't changed in that time?

"And how well do you know him?"

"Why so many questions about him?" she whispered again.

"And why are you whispering? It's not like he's here." Or is he?

Bella didn't say anything for a few moments, while she observed me as if looking for something in my expression. Then she spoke in a louder tone, more than necessary to just talk to me, "Well, anyway, that's in the past."

I got the impression that this was more for the vampire than for me. Could he be watching and listening from somewhere?

"So, do you still love him?" I asked to return to the topic and get more information about it. However, the simple question made me feel sad. I know, it's absurd.

"What?" she said, frowning, "No. I mean, it's complicated. I'll always care for him; he was a very special person to me years ago. But I care for him as a friend, or something like that. If he would stop insisting, maybe we could be good friends. Who knows, maybe someday." After finishing her little speech, she looked me in the eyes and blushed. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"It's okay," I said with a slight smile. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my questions."

"Now it's your turn," she said, taking a small sip of her beer. "Tell me about your girlfriends. You must have had many."

I laughed before responding. "Not many, actually. I had a couple of girlfriends in school, but nothing serious. It wasn't the best time for long-term relationships."

Bella nodded, noticing my change in tone when I mentioned my school years. "What do you mean?"

Obviously, I can't tell her the real reason why those years were difficult. "It's complicated," I replied, feeling her concern. "But I'd rather not talk much about it."

Bella noticed my discomfort and tactfully changed the subject. "And your family, how are they?"

"Also complicated," I said, trying to smile. "But they're fine now."

She didn't press further, and we switched to lighter topics. We ordered a second round of beers, and with each sip, we relaxed more. The laughter became more frequent, the glances more intense. We started flirting without realizing it.

"So, are you the captain of your team and you hadn't told me?" Bella joked, giving me a little nudge with her shoulder.

"Well, I didn't want to brag," I responded with a crooked smile. "But yes, I'm pretty good at it."

Bella laughed and took another sip of her beer. "What sport do you play?"

"Quidditch," I said without thinking. Realizing my mistake, I widened my eyes and corrected vaguely, "It's a little-known sport, only played in some parts of Britain."

"Maybe someday I can watch you play."

"I'd love that," I said, feeling the warmth of the alcohol and her closeness. "And maybe afterward, I'll teach you some tricks."

"Tricks, huh?" Bella raised an eyebrow, playfully. "You'll have to try hard to impress me."

"Challenge accepted," I responded, moving a little closer.

The night continued with laughter, flirting, and conversations that made us forget the time. We stayed until the pub began to close, slightly drunk and with a stronger connection than I expected. As we said goodbye, I felt a strange mix of joy and anticipation for what would come next.

What am I thinking? I could never be with Bella. She's just a simple Muggle, and I'm a pureblood wizard. What would my family and friends say? I've always assumed that a relationship like this would be impossible and disgusting. But I can't use that word when thinking about Bella. For some reason, I can picture myself with her, and it's not just about sex. Yes, I want to see her naked, moaning with pleasure because of me and screaming my name. But now, I can't imagine just using her for that. I want more. I'm really screwed.

If you're liking this story so far please review! I think we need more stories of Draco and Bella, and for me is interesting imagining them after all the drama in the books. We'll see how it goes from here. Thanks for reading!