A/N: Heya I know this is way past the accepted update line and it's all my own fault I just got carried away with life, but I'm back now and I hope that this chapter makes up for the delay. Please enjoy and let me know what you think, all favourites, follows reviews etc are much appreciated and I love hearing everything you all have to say, be it bad or good. :)

Imma keep this short because it's so late and this is way overdue so read, love, enjoy! 3

Chapter Four

It had been four days since I last saw Fleur; four long, tiring, almost painful days. My thoughts and memories of that night had never left me; I had spent hours festering alone in my room, simply rethinking everything that had happened, everything that had been said.

And I have now finally come to one conclusion; that I have gone mad.

Who spends four days endlessly thinking about a woman that they only knew for one night?

Who spends days, hours, minutes pining over someone that so clearly isn't interested in being with anyone?

Me, that's who.

And I've finally realised, after my last night of constant thinking and remembering, that I know longer wish to be mad anymore.

I have to see her. That is my only solution; I have to do as Harry told me and give her one last chance. A chance to explain, whatever it is she may need to explain.

I just need to see her again.

That's why, after realising that I never actually did take her number, I found myself standing right outside her apartment building. I had been standing out there, staring, for the last few hours now. It's been such a long enough time that I know exactly how many windows are on the front of the building and that the doorman – standing just by the tall front doors – is called Jerry and that he's been working there for the past ten years. I had been standing out there for so long that I even began considering having a conversation with the old man sitting on the bench just down the stairs too. He'd been there for as long as I had been here so the thought of listening to why he was here did seem intriguing, but alas my mind finally began screaming at me, telling me to stop procrastinating and get into that building. But for some reason my body just wouldn't move.

I gave one last look to the fifth floor window on the right – the one which I had a feeling belonged to her – before breathing a deep sigh. I shouldn't have come here. She probably isn't even in anyway.

So with that I turned to give Doorman Jerry one last quick smile 'goodbye' to which he returned the gesture, tipping his hat as he did so, before walking down the seven stoned steps with my shoulders drooped down and my head hung low.

I had only reached the first turning of Fleur's building when I came across a small coffee shop. The front window filled most of the wall and had fancy words written on it, when I looked inside I could see many people queuing up and the barista's looking busy running up and down their small section. A few people were already seated, some with laptops placed in front of them, others in groups of friends having a good catch up, and I knew that this was the place I needed to be in right now.

A simple, but friendly, coffee shop.

I entered and instantly got the waft of coffee beans and hot chocolate lingering in my senses and I knew I had made the right decision. I smiled as I walked up to the long line of people awaiting there daily fix of caffeine and gave a contempt sigh. If I couldn't get myself to talk to Fleur today at least I can say I still did something productive with my day by going to a place like this.

It took a good five or ten minutes for me to get to the front of the line, but I hadn't minded as much for it gave me a good enough time to decipher what I wanted. I never completely knew the differences with all the coffee's, like an espresso or Americano or double crème latte, so instead I decided to stick to a simple classic hot chocolate; at least I knew what that was.

It was at that moment, as I was placing my order to the kind barista woman in front of me, that I got the strange feeling of someone watching me.

I never quite believed when people said they could feel when someone was staring, but right then, at that moment, my back turned towards everyone else, I could just feel the slight tingling on my back.

I chose to ignore it, thinking that it could easily be anyone behind me just watching the person at the front of the queue. But when I went further down to collect my hot beverage and then went to the corner filled with sugar and cinnamon jars I knew for a fact that it had to be someone because the feeling was still there.

It wasn't going away.

So with that I decided I would make a subtle glance to the front when I headed for a seat, but just as I turned around to do so a very familiar figure loomed in front of me.

Her bright blue eyes shone in the light, her pink complexion looked flawless, even with just a touch of makeup on her face. Her blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail highlighted her face even more, making it harder for me to look anywhere else but directly on her.

I don't think I would have wanted to look anywhere else even if I could. Her beauty still astounded me, even after these past days of never seeing her face.

She was standing so close to me, so much so I could smell that too familiar intoxicating perfume of hers, and I knew I wouldn't be able to speak first. I simply couldn't get any words out, no matter how much I tried, and I really did. My head was screaming at me to say something, telling me that she was right here just like I planned earlier, but the surprise of her appearance left me speechless and her beauty left me breathless.

The only thing I could bring myself to utter out was in but a whisper.

"Fleur."

And by the quick grin forming on her face I knew I had just made the biggest mistake by coming in here.

"I do hope 'zat 'zis is just a coincidence and 'zat you are not following me?" Fleur teased, her eyebrows lifting up.

"No." I snapped, my attention finally coming off from her as soon as her words had sunk in.

I was not going to allow her to manipulate me this time round, I had been a fool as to think she had liked me before, I was not about to be made a fool again.

"I came to grab a drink actually." I told her matter-of-factly.

Fleur's eyebrows rose even more, as if she were shocked by my comment.

"Funny, 'zat wasn't a sentence I was expecting to come from you, considering 'ze first time we met." Fleur gloated, that ever so annoying smirk only growing on her lips.

"Yes well, that was before. Besides I wouldn't have expected you to come to a place like this, considering the first time we met." I replied back, a cocky grin forming on my face as I did so.

It only grew that inch more when I saw Fleur's drop just that little bit. I felt glad that she was surprised, it was only right, for Fleur had surprised me too.

"I didn't know 'zat you lived around 'ere?" Fleur asked, her tone instantly changing as if she were trying to avoid the teasing conversation before.

"There are many things you don't know about me. Don't you remember? You kicked me out before you could even get the chance."

At Fleur's immediate silence to my retort, I lifted my drink to my lips as a way of hiding the giddiness I was feeling inside. I had never, not once, spoken to someone like this before, and I surprisingly found myself enjoying it. I don't know why I didn't do this before.

With that I purposefully bumped my shoulder against hers as I made my way past her towards the empty seat in the corner. I didn't get far, though, before I was stopped by a small whisper of a breath.

"Ermione."

That was all it took for all the feelings, the tingles, the heat, the touches, the looks, everything to come rushing back to me and I felt my heart jump.

But I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing what affect she had on me, so I turned to face her sharply, my eyes looking directly at hers.

"Yes?" I asked bluntly.

"You're too good a person to be with someone like me." Fleur all but uttered out. Her words were so quiet I had to learn closer towards her just to be able to hear.

A part of me couldn't believe what I had heard, though. I just had to have heard her wrong.

"Excuse me?" I felt myself frown in shock.

"I am not right… to be with… you." Her words came out soft and slow.

I watched her intently as she shuffled from her right foot to her left, her hands were joined together and I could see the way she began to fidget, picking on the hem of her shirt every so often. It was almost as if saying these words were making her shy, like she had never said anything as remotely honest as she was now in her life.

I felt my heart begin to race, and my eyes instantly softened.

How was it that I couldn't stay mad at her?

"Fleur-"

I tried to get out quickly but she cut me off short.

"I am not good for you." She said so fast I could barely understand her. "I 'ad to get rid off you, don't you see 'Ermione." Fleur's eyes instantly warmed, the bright blues I had seen but a moment ago had now turned a glistening deep blue. I was hypnotised.

"You do not want to get with someone like me… I will only end up 'urting you."

For a moment we both remained silent, Fleur's words sunk their way into my head and a part of me wasn't sure what to make of it.

Why is she only thinking of me and what was best for me when we had only known each other for less than a day?

She couldn't possibly like me, let alone care enough to worry about what was best for me. A part of me didn't want to believe that she cared. But then another part of me couldn't seem to stop my heart from feeling like it was floating.

"Fleur is that what this is all about?" I uttered out quietly, my hands trying to reach out towards her, but I saw the way she flinched at the gesture and they dropped by my side instantly.

"You said yourself 'zat I do not know anything about you. Well you do not know anything about me either." She said sternly, her chin rising slightly as if she were trying to convince me of her words. "I am not one to see a person a second time around; 'zat is just not what I do. You have to understand 'Ermione, I am telling you all 'zis now before anything else goes on between us, and before I can 'urt you even more."

At that moment, standing there face to face in a small coffee shop, my mind had finally fallen silent, for the first time in days. There was not one thing flying around in my head, not one thing I could think of to say or do.

Not one thing.

All I could do was remain silent and motionless as I watched Fleur's changing demeanour.

I was in such awe at how one person could go from being playful and a tease, to shy and restless like she didn't know what to do with herself, then to being honest and truthful. So much so that I could feel a warm tenderness flooding my heart and I could feel my stomach starting to ache. I felt my eyes brighten and glisten at her words and my mouth dropped open in surprise.

She was doing all this because she was afraid to hurt me.

She was just trying to look out for me.

Fleur Delacour was like the summer breeze; she was the warmest ray of sun hitting you full on, so much so that she could leave you breathless.

"…Okay."

Were the first words out of my mouth, it was the only thing I could think to say.

Fleur's golden face dropped instantly, and she began to frown as another silence wore on.

"Okay?" she asked, her face a look of pure confusion.

"Yes. Okay."

Fleur's face still remained the same; she seemed to grow puzzled even more, her forehead crinkling slightly and her chin titling just that little bit to the side. I smiled affectionately; she could be so sweet without even realising it.

"Give me your phone." I said more then asked, my hand reaching out towards her as I did so.

Fleur's eyebrows began to rise at my words, a small smile beginning to show at the tips of her lips. I smiled even brighter.

"Give me your phone." I demanded even more, wiggling my fingers as if to tell her to do it already.

She let out a breath of a laugh before reaching in her jacket pocket and pulling out a silver touch screen phone.

"Why?" She finally asked, handing her phone to me as she did so.

"I didn't give you my number, the last time we met, so you shall have it now." I told her matter-of-factly, proving my point even more by adding in my name and number to her contact list.

I quickly pressed the call button on the bottom of the screen and hung up as soon as I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

This time I had no excuse to not see her again.

If she didn't want to be with me in that way again then I understood.

She didn't want to hurt me.

But she never said anything about just being her friend. I knew that I could be perfectly happy just being her friend if I had to be. Only because I knew even more, deep inside of me, that I would rather be Fleur's anything, than not even know her at all.