Deliverance | Draco Malfoy

Twenty-Three

It was.

Draco and I hadn't spoken in days since he snuck out of the dorm room before my "lover" came to find me and put his leash on my collar. Draco's dark shell that lacked any sort of vulnerability had reappeared, and I was back to being Graham's helpless puppy dog.

If it weren't for the soft grazes of Draco's thumb over my knees that made me shudder every single time while he smirked subtly, or when he'd softly squeeze my hands under the desks as he kept his eyes on our professors without raising suspicions, I would've thought he was done with this exhausting game for good.

It was demanding. Always trying to hide away from Graham while longing for Draco and his little touches that reminding me I was crossing his mind. But a double life was something I had always lived anyway.

The girl that was miserable and had to pretend to be happy. The acts never ends. The curtains never come down.

"Ray-"

I snapped my head up and tucked my hair behind my ear. I raised my brow to acknowledge his amused smile and bright eyes, making his beautiful laugh fill my ears.

"Are you even listening to a word I've been saying, Princess?" He questioned as he pounced across the small space between us and tackled me from my crisscross position, making my back collide with the rooftop while he hovered over me.

"Ow- Blaise!" I groaned, lightly hitting his shoulder while he continued chuckling.

"What?" He mocked, his smile making my annoyance melt. "I'm trying to enjoy this beautiful spring day, and you're zoning in and out every 5 seconds! It's absurd!" He laughed.

"I was enjoying when your body weight wasn't crushing my little bones!" I grunted, trying to fight him off as he sat over my waist and pinned me down.

"Oh, relax, my little dove." He cupped my cheeks in his large hands and pecked my forehead. "I'd never harm you! Your little bones are safe when I'm around." He smiled his warm grin and I stopped fighting immediately. My hands found his wrists and locked on to hold him here with me, staring up into his eyes as mine started to water and burn.

"Oh, Rain. I didn't mean it like that. Don't cry." He whispered with a solemn expression. I squeezed his wrists three times and closed my eyes, a tear or two slipping down the sides of my face.

"You promise I'll always be safe around you?" I asked him weakly. "What if... what happens if you turn dark like the others because you can't help it-"

"I'll always be able to help it. I would never— I could never!" He shook his head and kissed my forehead again. "You'll always be safe with me— don't even hesitate to think that for one second. You know it's true." He frowned down at me. I nodded my head softly before he pressed our foreheads together.

"Ugh, gag me. Give a bit of a warning next time you two look on the verge of shagging up here. Maybe a sock on the windowsill we all use to climb up here, yeah?" My head snapped to the left at the sound of his drawling Wiltshire voice that brought surges of tingles to my gut.

"Piss off, Malfoy." Blaise snapped as he sat up straight and released my face. "You're just jealous." He smirked. Draco gave an unamused smile and slowly dragged his feet towards us.

"Right." He nodded softly. "Trust me, Zabini, I'm not jealous of anyone, and you aren't even close to the top of the list of people I might envy." Draco scoffed, flicking his eyes towards me and tilting his head as I now laid by his feet. My cheek started to burn a deep shade of red that I could blame the spring heat of the sun for, but Draco's soft wink without Blaise's knowledge already called me out.