Somewhere on a Beach
Chapter Nine
When Hermione arrives back in the suite, the first thing that she does is scan the common area for Fred. She finds him rather quickly, sitting on the sofa, shoulders hunched, with his head in his hands. Hermione's heart catches in her chest at the sight. He looks so defeated.
Hermione drops her heels down to the floor by the front door and immediately heads over to the sofa to take a seat beside her friend. Tentatively, Hermione lifts her hand and places it on the back of Fred's shoulder in an attempt to get his attention. She knows that he knows that she's there, but she also wants him to know that she's not going away.
"Fred," Hermione whispers. "I need you to listen to me."
Fred inhales a breath, almost as if he is steadying himself before he finally lifts his head. His eyes are red and bloodshot and his hands are shaking. It makes Hermione's chest ache.
"Hermione," Fred croaks, turning his head to look at her. "I'm– I–"
Hermione reaches up and brushes a strand of Fred's hair off of his forehead.
"Fred, you are one of the most important people in the world to me," Hermione begins, wishing that she could turn to sit more comfortably on the sofa, but her dress inhibits that movement. "I was supposed to have gotten married last week. I can't even begin to think about entering into another relationship right now. Especially not with someone that I love so much."
Hermione returns her hand to Fred's shoulder, using her free hand to place atop his two hands together in front of him. She thinks that by doing so, she's trying to comfort both Fred and herself.
"You are way too important to me to do something rash. I know that that sounds like I'm trying to let you down easily, and maybe I am, but– but you're my safe place. I can't make you any promises. The last thing that I ever want to do is hurt you."
"Hermione," Fred sighs, readjusting his hands to almost sandwich her one hand in between his two. "I know that. I never should've said anything. I would never want to pressure you into anything. Of course, you're not ready to even think about– I'm sorry, Hermione."
Hermione squeezes Fred's hand to the best of her ability.
"Please don't apologize," she responds, maintaining eye-contact with Fred's clear blue eyes.
Both Hermione and Fred are quiet for a moment, though Fred does drop his gaze to where he is rubbing his thumb back and forth along Hermione's wrist. He decidedly does not look at her when he speaks again.
"I– Would I even have a chance? Not now, obviously, but… ever?"
The corner of Hermione's lips turn up. If she wasn't already sure of the answer to that question, the fact that he even asked it would've solidified it for her.
"Yeah," Hermione smiles. "Yeah, you would. I just need time."
Fred turns back to look at Hermione, and she could swear that she can see just a little bit of the life returning to his face. She thinks that she can even maybe see the ghost of a smile on his lips.
Hermione knows that she is about to risk ruining all of the progress that she and Fred have just made, but there's one more thing that she wants to talk to him about before going to bed tonight.
"Is it too much to ask that you still sleep with me tonight? I just can't bear the thought of you sleeping on this sofa again," Hermione frowns. "If you can't do that, I understand, but in that case, I'll sleep out here. Please."
Fred breathes a laugh and it sounds like music to Hermione's ears.
"I'm really glad that you asked that because I really didn't want to sleep on this sofa again."
Hermione awakens, yet again, to a cloud of gunpowder and fairy floss. This time, Hermione finds herself laying on her side, facing the direction opposite Fred. She can't see him, but she can feel him.
From what Hermione can tell, it appears as though Fred's chest is pressed tightly against her back and his left arm is draped over her waist, holding her to him. His legs are tangled with hers underneath the comforter and Hermione can feel his breath against the back of her neck.
Hermione decides not to wake Fred this time, instead relaxing back into his hold because she knows that this will be the last time that she can. They'll have to return to their own respective homes this evening and Hermione will have to begin the hard work of dealing with the fallout of her canceled wedding.
She knows that she should just get up, especially in light of Fred's confession last night. The last thing that she wants to do is to lead Fred on in any way– and snuggling with him in bed is probably a surefire way to do just that. He's just so warm, though– and he smells so good.
So, for the moment, Hermione decides to stay where she is– until Fred begins to stir, anyway.
Hermione rolls over carefully– still within the confines of Fred's arms– just in time to see Fred's eyes flutter open.
"Good morning," Hermione whispers, her face now inches from Fred's.
The corner of Fred's lips quirk up into a half-smile.
"Yes, it is."
Fred shifts, presumably to get more comfortable and wraps the back of his leg around Hermione's right calf– which, until this point, had been wedged between his knees. This, in turn, drags Hermione a hair closer to him, enough that her head is now resting on his pillow and she has to look up in order to see him.
"What time does our portkey leave?"
"We've got a few hours," Hermione replies, keeping her voice low so as not to burst the bubble of early morning. "It leaves a little after lunchtime."
Fred nods in acknowledgement as he looks down, gaze meeting Hermione's. He exhales heavily and stays silent for a moment before speaking again.
"I'm trying so hard not to kiss you right now, Hermione," Fred breathes with a self-deprecating laugh, averting his eyes to look up at the ceiling for a moment.
Hermione bites her bottom lip to keep herself from saying something that she shouldn't. Her first reaction to Fred's statement is to think that she wishes that he would kiss her. She's not sure where the thought comes from, and maybe it's just because they're currently in such a compromising position, but she wants that.
Evidently, whatever face Hermione is making betrays her thoughts, though, because Fred looks back at her with renewed attention.
"Sod it," he grunts, finally dragging her flush against his chest. "I'm going to kiss you because I might never get the chance to after today. Do you want that?"
Hermione sinks her teeth into her bottom lip even harder.
"We shouldn't," Hermione whispers, already hating herself for saying it, wishing that she could take it back.
"That's not what I asked," Fred retorts immediately. "Do. You. Want. That."
Hermione nods without a second thought, grateful for the second chance.
"I need to hear you say it," Fred almost whines, his voice so clearly strained.
Hermione wastes no time.
"Yes. Kiss me, Fred," Hermione says– and he does. Dear Godric, he does.
Fred's left arm coils tightly around Hermione's waist while his right hand cups the side of Hermione's face. His lips are soft, but firm, kissing her like a dying man who's finally been given water. He kisses her like he's been starving for it.
Hermione raises her right hand and threads her fingers into Fred's shaggy, red hair. She's probably gripping it too hard, but Fred doesn't seem to mind– quite the opposite, actually, if the way that he pants against her lips for a second before recapturing them means anything.
Not that Hermione had expected any different, but Fred doesn't stop at just one kiss. Instead, it's a series of– clearly restrained– kisses, pressed languidly to her lips. In fact, it's Hermione who decides that she needs more. As Fred said, if this is the only chance that she might have to do this, she's going to do it right.
Hermione nips gently at Fred's bottom lip, giving him the opportunity to either pull back and stop, or keep going. Naturally, he doesn't stop.
Hermione isn't sure who moves first, but in the next moment, she is flat on her back with Fred leaning over her. One of her legs is still tucked in between Fred's two, while the other is hiked up on his hip, holding him in place as if he's going anywhere.
Fred's right hand is still holding onto her left cheek while his other is fisted into the sheets beside her neck on the other side, giving him a three-point balance when coupled with his knees.
Hermione quickly finds herself getting lost in kissing Fred– in the feel of his hair through her fingers, of his skin against hers, of his lips on hers. In fact, she doesn't think that she's ever been so thoroughly snogged in her life.
Hermione isn't sure how long she and Fred stay like that– it could be five minutes or five hours– but she can't help but feel a heady sense of loss when he finally pulls back. He gentles his kisses in preparation, slowing and softening them until he finally stops, kneeling up above Hermione and raking his hands through his hair.
"Fuck," Fred sighs, his darkened eyes boring into Hermione's.
Hermione nods in agreement. Kissing Fred had been an awful idea– because now she's going to want to do it all of the time. She stands by her earlier assessment that she is absolutely not ready to begin a new relationship, but now she has no idea how she can expect herself to not kiss him at any possible opportunity. Self-restraint has never exactly been Hermione's (or Fred's, for that matter) strong suit and it will surely be tested after this morning.
"Damnit," Fred swears again as she heaves himself off of the bed, casting one last, somewhat pained, lingering look at Hermione before disappearing out the bedroom door in the direction of the restroom.
Hermione scrubs her hands down her face, taking deep breaths for several minutes before she, too, decides to get up and attempt to put this morning in her rearview.
"Now, you two come back and visit, alright? Don't be strangers," Linda smiles as Hermione and Fred check out of the hotel.
Hermione should probably be surprised by the fact that this perfect stranger then rounds the check-in desk and pulls her into a tight hug. For a moment, she's taken aback, but then she warms up, hugging Linda back for a brief second.
Fortunately, Hermione doesn't have to verbally respond to Linda– because, how would she possibly either agree or disagree to come back with a man who is not her husband, but who has been pretending to be for a week?
"You've got a good one here, Mrs. Weasley," Linda says quietly, as she pulls back from Hermione and turns her attention to Fred. "And so do you, Mr. Weasley."
What Linda doesn't know is that Hermione and Fred have barely spoken two words to one another since getting out of bed this morning. Hermione, for her part, has been trying to forget her adventures in making out with her best friend– but has instead been replaying it in her mind over and over and over again– and she has no clue what Fred has been thinking about.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Hermione states as she fakes a smile, turning back to Fred but avoiding eye-contact with him like he would turn her to solid stone if she met his eye.
Fred offers his hand out for Hermione to hand him her suitcase, which she does without protest, following him outside of the hotel and towards the side of the building. Hermione quickly and quietly casts concealment, Muggle-repellant and notice-me-not charms before pulling out the old, broken charm bracelet which is going to act as their portkey from the kangaroo pocket on her sweatshirt.
Just in the nick of time, the portkey begins to glow, indicating that Hermione and Fred only have about one minute before they'll be whisked away back to London.
"We should talk when we get home," Fred states, taking one end of the bracelet into his hand in preparation for it leaving.
Hermione frowns.
"There's nothing to talk about. I still need time," Hermione explains with a frown. "Staying away from you after this morning is already going to be hard enough. Please don't make it harder."
Fred laughs lightly, forcing eye-contact with Hermione.
"I promise not to kiss you again until you ask me to, but if you think that I'm about to just give up on my best friend, you have another thing coming, 'Mione."
Hi, friends! Happy Friday! (:
Yes, both I and Hermione and Fred are all aware that they are making not-great decisions in this chapter. They'll sort themselves out, don't worry. I am pretty sure that I am incapable of writing anything that isn't HEA. I have one one-shot coming that's not HEA, but that is literally one of two or three pieces that I've written in probably fifteen years that's not HEA, lol.
Anyway. these two knuckleheads are entirely aware that kissing each other was a bad idea, but when in Rome, I guess. Or when in non-descript island paradise. And again, being in love makes us all a bit wack sometimes.
As always, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and I thank you for spending a bit of your time here with me this week. I am so grateful. Your support means the world to me. (:
If you feel so inclined, leave a review. I would love you hear your thoughts on this fic so far or this chapter. (:
See you next week.