The Confirmation
It was nearing half an hour of dead silence but Draco could not figure out a single thing to say to Maeve while they sat in the garden. He had offered to show her the miniature sculpture garden outside of the manor, but really he wanted out of the party. He thought it was a brilliant idea at first to walk her outside and be able to pose the question of their exclusivity. That was, until he stepped outside into the bitterly cold air that still didn’t help his heated cheeks and just made Maeve walk closer to him. He realized that the way he posed the question of stepping out also insinuated that he wanted to ask her something, so Maeve surrendered her usual chatter while she waited for Draco to say something. Draco himself waited for Draco to say something.
“It’s beautiful out here, but it’s rather chilly, isn’t it?” Maeve’s breath was hanging in the air and she was rubbing her hands together to generate heat. A usual wave of embarrassment washed over Draco and he awkwardly took his scarf off to wrap it around Maeve’s neck, though he feared he was a little too late. She gave a surprised yelp and Draco was so captivated by the way her nose was red-tipped and how her eyes seemed to catch the moonlight at just the right angle that he let his hand linger on his scarf. He was subconsciously pulling her closer and closer, spellbound until Maeve started to giggle. “Are you trying to kiss me right now, Malfoy?”
“I-” Draco coughed and dropped his hold of his scarf around Maeve’s neck sheepishly, though Maeve did not move from her position. He decided at that moment that he did not want to ask her to be his girlfriend, but rather declare it himself and let her deny it if she wanted to. He only kissed her first because she had claimed him so protectively on the dance floor; maybe she already thought they were dating. Maeve lifted a curious eyebrow and Draco slid a shaky hand up by her cheek. “I mean, is it so crazy for me to want to kiss my girlfriend?”
Before Maeve could reply, Draco held his breath as if he were about to dive into water and kissed her. He was trying for a little more passion this time and chased after the soft feeling of Maeve’s lips desperately. Even though she was shocked and apprehensive at first, Maeve wrapped her arms around Draco’s neck and pulled him closer. He thought that she might as well have wrapped her hands around his throat and choked him. He struggled to maintain composure, but when he focused on how she was kissing him back, all worries seemed to melt away in the heat that stood no chance against the winter air. She didn’t taste like the strawberries from the other night, but instead the sweet cider from the party still lingered on her mouth. Draco’s mind flashed quickly with a fantasy of pressing the kiss further, but the chasteness of their true first kiss was already enough to drive him wild.
Maeve was the first to break the kiss and she pressed her flushed forehead against Draco’s, panting nervously. He knew he had to say something first but he was too far gone with thoughts of kissing her again and he was utterly fascinated how her face was practically the same color as her hair. Instead of speaking, he just moved a strand of hair out of her face that had begun to stick to her disappearing lipstick. Maeve was dumbfounded as well and only reached out to swipe her thumb across Draco’s mouth to remove her lipstick off of his face.
“So… I’m your girlfriend now? You decided that for me?” Maeve took her bottom lip between her teeth and Draco had to fight with every fiber of his being to maintain eye contact. He could not decide if her voice was appalled in a way that she was happy or disgusted.
“I only said it as- I mean, if you want- I just thought-” Draco forgot the rehearsed words he wanted to say to her and instead nervously scratched his neck while looking away. He wished that she would just reject him or perhaps call him a name. He did not expect her to pull his face back and kiss him on the cheek, which made him more nervous than kissing her on the lips. She giggled and used her coat sleeve to remove the sticky gloss off of his cheek as well.
“I’m surprised you don’t have anything clever to say back. You must really like me, huh?” Maeve batted Draco’s shoulder jokingly. He swallowed one last time in an attempt to erase his nerves once and for all.
“Don’t be so full of yourself…” Draco tried rolling his eyes playfully but his lips curled into a small smile when he looked back at Maeve. “Please, for the love of magic, please don’t make me have a bleeding heart moment with you right now.”
“Oh, but it’s as romantic as it is fun. I want to hear you tell me how much you like me,” Maeve cooed, sliding impossibly closer to Draco. She rested her hands on top of his and forced him to look at her. He was nauseous at how gleeful she looked while he wanted to get it over with. “C’mon. It’s my only Christmas wish.”
“The necklace wasn’t enough?” Draco said weakly, attempting to match Maeve’s spirit. He did not understand how her nerves were manifesting as playfulness while his was yelling at him to end the ordeal like a business agreement.
“Humor me. I’ve always thought you hated me. You were so mean to me-”
“I didn’t hate you. I just… have a hard time opening my feelings. I… It’s probably not the best trait ever for a boyfriend is it?” Draco’s voice trailed off at the end. Maeve ran a gentle hand across his cheek which made him feel a little bit better.
“This nervous Draco is really freaking me out. I don’t want you to be all weird and mushy as my boyfriend anyway,” Maeve smiled again and Draco let out a sigh of relief that clung to the air. As his breath disappeared in the air, so did any of his nervousness.
“It’s so much easier when you didn’t expect anything from me. I don’t want to let you down or something, Maeve,” Draco looked down at his hands that were intertwined with Maeve’s.
“Please. I’ll start. I find you rather handsome,” Maeve cupped Draco’s face as she complimented him, which only made his heart race faster. He had never heard someone actually call him handsome before and especially not in a genuine manner. He pressed Maeve’s hand closer to his cheek, finally being able to enjoy the way she always had her hands on him. “And I think beneath all that hard, cold Slytherin-ness, you’re very sweet and just looking for some company.”
“Are you saying that I’m some kind of loner?” Draco let out a chuckle and Maeve finally softened. “O-okay. I like you because you’re beautiful and smart… you challenge me constantly which is endearingly irritating. Uh, you’re the only person that drives me crazy and I don’t know why.”
“You have a little romance in you,” Maeve kissed Draco on the cheek again and he closed his eyes, suddenly afraid that this was all a dream. When he opened his eyes again, Maeve was still there and squeezing his hand tightly. “And while I do appreciate the scene of the garden, can we please go inside? I think I’m about to get frostbite. Also, I’m keeping your scarf. I’ve grown rather attached to it.”
“Fine, but you better take care of it. It’s my favorite,” Draco wrapped his arm around his newly declared girlfriend and walked her back into the warmth of his home. He felt his heart flutter one last time at the idea of him keeping his scarf because for a Hogwarts student, that was as good as official. His skin felt tingly at the idea of having his first “girlfriend,” but he was mostly nervous at the prospect of being somebody’s “boyfriend.” While Maeve and Draco sat by the fireplace and attempted to regain feeling in their frozen fingers, they sipped on more cider and Draco was excitedly anxious about the upcoming semester and how the rest of the school would react to the events that had just unfolded.