Breakfast at Natalie's

At a quarter to six the next morning, Natalie scooped up her towel and duffel bag and walked down the hallway to the lap pool. She changed into her swimsuit, tied back her hair, and stepped out onto the pool deck. There were six lanes, and only two of them had people in them. She looked around for Kevin, and not seeing him, decided to go ahead and pick a lane to swim in.

She took of her flip flops and slid into the chilly water, her muscles paralyzed for a second. Taking a deep breath, she dunked her head underneath and began to swim, her arms moving in smooth, even strokes. After her third lap, she decided to take a small break. She stayed in the pool, her shoulders submerged and her head resting on the edge of the pool. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She could hear the splashing from other swimmers.

"You're already here."

Her eyes snapped open, and she saw Kevin looking down from above.

"You're late," she said coolly, though her heard had begun to pound quickly when she saw him wearing only swim trunks, a towel slung over his shoulder.

"You're early," he corrected, getting into the lane beside her. Without another word, he dove beneath the surface and began swimming. Natalie watched him, noticing the powerful strokes his arms made, and the way the muscles on his back rippled. She blushed at the thought. Seconds later, he was back, not even breathing hard. He looked at her and grinning. "Race me?"

She nodded, and they both pushed off the wall. It was clear that he was going to win. Being a man, he obviously had an unfair advantage. Undiscouraged, Natalie swam with all her might, touching the wall a few seconds after Kevin did.

"I win," he said unapologetically. "You want to come see the movie they're showing tonight?"

"Oh, a movie?" said Natalie, caught off guard. "Which one is it?"

"I don't know, some romantic comedy," said Kevin. "I've heard that it's quite good."

"Sure, I'll come," said Natalie. How could she possibly refuse?

"Meet me on the top deck at eight," said Kevin. "I'll be waiting."

He put on his goggles and began to swim again. Natalie stared after him, not knowing what to think. He seemed so sure of himself, cocky, but yet he seemed like a good person. She swam a few more laps, not really making an effort, and then climbed out of the pool to shower.

------------------------

"Natalie?" Hermione knocked on her door again. No answer. "Natalie, are you in there?"

"What's the matter?" asked Malfoy.

"Natalie isn't answering," said Hermione, pressing her ear to the door.

"Don't worry about her," said Malfoy. "She can take care of herself."

They got Cassie and Riley dressed, and went to get breakfast. It was there that they found Natalie sitting at a table, happily digging into a plate of pancakes.

"There you are!" said Hermione, rushing over to her. "We were worried about you when you didn't open your door."

"Oh, I was swimming," she said.

"That early in the morning?" said Malfoy.

"I find it refreshing," said Natalie, shrugging and blushing. Hermione and Malfoy exchanged looks. Was there something she wasn't telling them?

Deciding that it was better to leave it alone, they all went to get food. They were sitting at the table drinking coffee, when Kevin approached the table.

"Oh hey," he said, "so this is where you disappeared to."

"Sorry, I was hungry," she said.

"Perfectly natural," he said, smiling and then addressing Malfoy and Hermione. "I'm Kevin Montgomery. I met Natalie last night at the bar."

"Nice to meet you," said Hermione, extending her hand. "I'm Hermione."

"I'm Natalie's brother, Draco," said Malfoy, nodding politely.

"It's great to meet you guys," he said, shaking hands with them. "I'll see you later then, Natalie?" He winked at her and then went away to his own table.

"See you later?" said Malfoy.

"He invited me to go see the movie with him tonight," said Natalie, blushing furiously.

Hermione smiled to herself and sipped her coffee silently.

After dinner, they dispersed, dropping off the kids at the day care center, with the promise to pick them up in a few hours. Natalie went to the top deck, while Hermione and Malfoy head for the club below.

"You look great," said Kevin, when Natalie came over to him.

"Thanks," she said blushing. God, why couldn't she stop blushing? She'd put on one of the new dresses they had shopped for prior to coming on the cruise. It was a midnight blue cocktail dress that showed off her shoulders.

"Shall we go then?" he said, offering her his arm. She took it, feeling the soft linen of his shirt against her skin. They took the lift down to the movie theater, chatting the whole way. Somehow, she felt like they had known each other their whole lives. They sat down next to each other in the darkened theater, their elbows brushing on the arm rests. Natalie could barely concentrate on the movie.

The movie ended and Kevin escorted her back to her room.

"Wait," he said, when her hand was about to turn the door handle. She turned to look back at him. "Come here."

He pulled her to him and gently kissed her.

"No, don't," she said, pushing him away. "Someone might see us...my brother..."

"Then come with me," he said, leading her down the hall to his room. They fell on to the bed, not bothering to turn on the lights. He kissed her so gently that she thought she would melt with pleasure. She kissed him back passionately, pulling him to her.

Meanwhile, Malfoy and Hermione had tired of dancing and went to the top deck for a walk.

"I hope Natalie is having a good time," said Hermione.

"That Kevin bloke seemed alright," said Malfoy. "Though he's a bit cocky. That way he talked..."

"Not cocky, confident," said Hermione.

"Whatever," said Malfoy, sticking his hands in his pockets. He didn't know why, but he was feeling oddly protective about Natalie. Sure, she was older than him, but she seemed so innocent and vulnerable.

"Why are you so worried about her?" asked Hermione, as if reading his mind. "I'm sure she'll be fine. And Kevin seems perfectly nice."

"I'm not worried about her. I just..."

"You don't want her to get hurt," said Hermione, finishing his sentence for him.

"I guess," said Malfoy, looking at the ground. "It's just...she's all I've got now. I don't want to lose her."

"It's not losing her, Draco. She's only going on a date. And besides," she said gently. "You'll always have me."

She leaned forward and kissed him.

"I know," said Malfoy, wrapping his arms around her. They walked over to an empty table by the railing. As they talked, Malfoy played with the velvet jewelry box in his pocket.

"Thank you," said Hermione, placing her hand over his.

"What are you thanking me for?" said Malfoy, confused.

"For being here," she said, looking up at him. "For always being her for me, even though I treated you so badly. No matter how much I yelled at you, you never left me. And when I was the one who left, you found me and brought me back to where I belong--at your side. Thank you for that."

Malfoy stared at her, shocked into silence.

"I know what you're thinking," she continued. "You think that I'm just in a good mood tonight, and that's why I'm saying this, and that I'll just go back to the way I was tomorrow and start blaming you for everything again."

"No, I--"

"I won't," she said firmly. "I've hurt you so much--don't try to deny it--and I don't think I can ever forgive myself for it. I'm so sorry. I know that saying that won't fix anything, but--"

"I'm partly to blame," said Malfoy. "But I...forgive you."

"You don't need to forgive me," she said. "Just...from now on, when I say or do something cruel, I want you to let me know right away. I want to change. Help me be a better person."

"I will," he said, "but you have to do the same for me."

"I love you," she said, squeezing his hand. "I want to be with you. Always."

"And I want you to stay by my side," he said, taking the jewelry box out of his pocked and setting it lightly on the table.

"What's this?" said Hermione, leaning forward and picking up the box. "It's not a...it's not..."

"Open it," said Malfoy, smiling slowly.

She lifted the cover slowly, and gasped. Nestled in the dark green velvet was the necklace he had given her so many years ago. She hadn't known that he still had it.

"I...didn't know you had this," she said, gently lifting the necklace out of the box. It was shiny from the many times he had rubbed it between his fingers.

"I fished it out of the mud after you left," he said. "I've always kept it, to remind me of the mistake I made that day."

"Mistake...I don't understand..."

"I should've chased after you, somehow convinced you," he said. "But I didn't. And I lost ten years of my life. Seeing you in the park that day with Cassie and Riley really made me realise what I had missed."

There was a silence, and Hermione spoke again.

"You know, I never stopped thinking about you," she said quietly. "Sometimes when I walked down the street, I swore I saw that blond hair of yours, and my heart would race. But then the person would turn around, and it wouldn't be you after all. I always felt...disappointed in some way.

"I saw your name in the paper a few times, and so I knew that you were doing well. I often thought about contacting you...meeting you someplace...but I was so afraid that you wouldn't want to see me. I wouldn't have blamed you if you didn't.

"And...I'm sorry...about what happened to your parents..."

Malfoy looked away; he didn't like talking about his parents. "It's okay," he said. "It's not like it was your fault."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up...I just..."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Hermione sighed. "I don't know what else to say..."

"You don't have say anything," he said, standing up and holding out his arms. "Just let me hold you."

She stood up and stepped into his embrace, burying her head in his chest and feeling his warmth. All these years, and he still smelled like coffee and fresh pine.

"I never stopped loving you," said Malfoy, getting down on one knee while still holding on to her hand. "I want you by my side. So I ask you the same question I asked you ten years ago. Will you marry me?"

She looked down at him, wiping a tear off her cheek.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. "Do you really not want to marry me?"

She shook her head, laughing silently.

"What is it then? Hurry up and tell me. My knees are getting tired."

She let out a sob, and he stood up and held her in his arms again, using his shirtsleeve to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

"At least tell me why you're crying," he said. "Have I done something again?"

"You...you..."

"What is it?" he said, looking at her with concern.

"You idiot!" she shouted, pounding his chest with her fists half-heartedly.

"Really, Hermione," he said, grabbing her wrists. "You can say no. You've done it before. You don't have to hit me."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "You fool," she whispered. "You're the biggest idiot in the world, Draco Malfoy."

"Why am I an idiot?" he asked, bewildered. "What have I done?"

She looked up at him. "Why did you wait so long to ask?"

"I thought...I thought...you..." he stammered.

"Of course I'll marry you, stupid," she said, smiling at him.