THE VISION THIEF - D. MALFOY

42. the dress

Malfoy's large black jacket, which is long enough to be a dress on me, is the only thing keeping me from turning into an icicle as we walk through Central Park. I pull the long sleeves over my hand and shiver as my bare feet touch down on the frozen ground with every step.

I look at him, as he walks several feet in front of me, wearing a short-sleeved shirt. "Aren't you cold?" I ask, trying to keep up with his long strides. "Not as cold as you are," He simply says, keeping his gaze focused forwards.

"But - I'm fine now -"

"Ashwood, you need it more than I do," He says. I pause. I blink hard. Was this some kind of nice gesture? Or did he just not want to put up with my whining? I suppose a combination of both factors. But - no. Just no. Draco Malfoy doesn't do "nice."

"Keep up!" He suddenly snaps, only confirming that thought. I quickly catch up with him, as we walk urgently through the cold night. I guess someone is really eager to get back to bed. I shove my pockets into my - er - his jacket and take in the familiar scent. Pine and spearmint. I look up to the sky, visible through the trees. The stars shine bright, but the moon shines even brighter. I focus on the twinkling, the beauty. A light smile crosses my face.

That smile is gone in a second though. I feel a strong grasp on my upper arm. My head snaps back down, and I instantly look to Malfoy. His cold hand has wrapped around my arm, and he's yanking me right into his side. "Stay close," He says so quietly I can just barely hear him. I look at him in complete confusion before he nods just a little bit ahead, and to the right.

I shift my focus to a small group of people up ahead. They're gathered around a park bench. There are blankets and trash surrounding them, and by one look at their clothes, I can tell they too are homeless. Insane laughter fills the air, and as we grow closer, their attention shifts to us.

Two men, and a woman. They look amused, and the second I make eye contact with them, I force myself to look at the ground immediately. "Ah, what do we have here?" One says all too excitedly.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" The woman laughs out like a maniac.

"Why don't you two join us?" The first one teases. "Don't say a word," Malfoy demands through clenched teeth as his arm suddenly slips securely around my waist. I feel a sort of rush when he does this, and instantly roll my eyes at the thought.

He steers us to the opposite side of the sidewalk. I cringe as the small group continues to laugh and howl at us. We walk as fast as we can, quickly passing them. Malfoy's grip doesn't loosen in the slightest as we continue like that for a couple of minutes.

It was moments like these, where I couldn't help but wonder if he actually, and truly cared about me. If this was more than just an arrangement to keep him out of prison.

* * * * *

My head is pounding and the morning light flooding in is far too blinding. I slam my fist into the dreaded alarm clock blaring its deadly noise and roll over onto my other side. I lazily open my eyes and suddenly I'm looking right at Draco Malfoy, whose face is inches away from mine as he looks to be peacefully sleeping.

I gasp and sit straight up in just a second. I keep on forgetting where I am. Hotel room. In a bed. With Malfoy.

"What - what?" He exclaims and sits up too, appearing terribly confused. He can barely open his eyes and has the worst case of bed head I have ever seen. I bite my lip, trying not to laugh at his current appearance.

"Nothing. It's nothing," I mutter, shaking my head before I roll out of bed.

"We have to meet Serena in 15 minutes, get ready," I tell him. I look down at his large black jacket and realize I never gave it back after last night. I quickly unzip it and throw it at him. It lands on the bed right in front of him, and he simply just frowns at it. "Thanks," I mutter lamely, before turning to grab my clothes and head into the bathroom.