Hello, friends!

Well I am very proud of you all for waiting for this for so long. I finally decided that I can post some more of what I have written. I am a bit cautious, but I think since I have written quite a bit more of this, that it is quite safe to post. I never really realized or thought I could keep this story going for so long, but your faith and loyalty have really helped me keep going. Thank you so much for your continued support, and I really hope you enjoy this next installment, which is actually a decent length, for once!

SMACK!

Ron stumbled backward, his hand raised to his sore cheek, looking at Draco in panic and shock. "Malfoy! Sorry, I-" he was about to apologize when realization hit, "Wait a minute, you kissed me! Where do you get off doing the slapping?"

Draco was staring back, petrified and wordless, his back pressed to the door.

Seeing no reaction, Ron's anger melted into concern, "Malfoy? Are you okay?" he stepped forward once more and reached out, touching Draco's trembling hand that was locked on the doorknob. Draco made no movement, and the look of panic in his eyes only increased. Ron could only begin to imagine what was running through the blonde's mind.

Draco's mind had all but flat lined. All that he could think of was the fact that when he had kissed Ron Weasley, something had been made absolutely clear. This knowledge kept repeating itself over and over, echoing through his brain, freezing every other thought.

Eventually he realized that Ron was touching him and looking at him with those eyes again. Suddenly awake and finding his strength, he shoved the stunned Weasley away violently and flew out the door, apparating back to Malfoy Manor as soon as he stepped past the welcome mat.

He stumbled into the nearest armchair and caught his breath. You are, without a doubt, in love with Ronald Weasley.

You kissed Draco Malfoy. No, no, no! Fine, Draco Malfoy kissed you. But if he had waited just another second, you would have kissed him.

Ron stared at the pork roast in front of him, his confusion clouding his appetite.

"Is everything alright, Ronald?"

He looked up, his eyes meeting Hermione's quickly before he looked down the table at Molly Weasley, "Yeah mum, just tired. Lunch is great, by the way," and to prove his point, Ron shoved a huge bite into his mouth, ignoring Hermione's reprimanding.

As he chewed he again thought about what had happened. He had always known that Draco was attractive, it has hard not to. But he had never thought about kissing him before. What had changed?

Draco. Yes, Draco had been different after Ron had punched him. He had been completely vulnerable; something Ron had never seen Draco be before, and there was a piece of the vulnerability that drew him to Draco like a moth to a flame. Something about the hidden Draco had made Ron want to chase after him, to kiss him, to fall in love with him.

Ron choked on his food as his mind stumbled across the word. He vaguely heard Hermione sigh but was too immersed in his thoughts. Love? No. Way. You're already in love with someone – you're even getting married to her!

With firm resolve and a strong swallow, Ron Weasley swore to forget about Draco Malfoy, and focus his energy on something productive – like finding a way to subtly let his mum know that her roast was dry.

It had been a week since the Ronald Weasley debacle, and Draco Malfoy was having a fairly easy time convincing himself that he was fine. His routine came back so easily he thought he was doing great. Every morning he stepped from his house with a spring in his step, his hair impeccable and smelling so wonderful many women he worked with swooned as he approached. He took great pride in his appearance, and managed to always look his best.

At work he was as productive as ever, garnering praise from his coworkers and boss alike, feigning modesty (which was the most difficult part of his day, he thought). As usual he skipped lunch in favor of more work, and was able to get home before dark on most days.

How silly to think that Ron Weasley could have any effect on the infallible Malfoy! Draco sneered to himself throughout the week, as more and more he was proven to be stronger than his baser emotions.

That is, until the weekend came around again. As he packed up his things at work on Friday and rejected the usual invitations to go to bars from various coworkers, Draco finally admitted to himself that something had changed. Normally he would go get sloshed and laid, but as he stepped from the building and took out his wand to apparate, he realized that nothing seemed more unappealing than throwing himself at an attractive stranger.

No sooner had he arrived at Malfoy Manor and poured himself a firewhiskey when the face of his boss whooshed into his fireplace, inviting him to a Quidditch match with some investors. Draco leapt at the opportunity to prove to himself that he was back to normal.

He told himself over and over again that he would have gone out, but the chance to impress his boss took precedence, he had been working towards a promotion, and couldn't just throw it all away. He allowed this delusion happily, and fixed his tie once again with a small smile on his face as his mirror sung his praises but told him next time to try some patchouli cologne, which would suit the fall weather. He ignored the advice and swept off to the match; perhaps he could pick someone up while his boss wasn't looking.

Meanwhile, Ron was having a hard time with his resolution to distract himself from thoughts of Draco. His mother had flown off the handle when he asked her how long she had left the roast in, and had banished him from household meals for the rest of the week. To make things worse, his thoughts had repeatedly turned to a certain blonde almost every hour of every day for the rest of the week, until eventually he decided to just settle things once and for all.

Ron swore at himself, gazing up at the gate to Malfoy Manor. He kicked the gravel road, cursing his ambivalence. He had already apparated back and forth from his flat twice, changing his mind over and over again, never once ringing the bell.

"Excuse me, sir, shall I let you in?"

Ron jumped in shock at the tiny House Elf voice coming from the gate.

The little female was staring up at him with big eyes. Ron looked at the ground and flushed, "Er, yeah, I'm here to see Draco."

"The Master is not in. You may wait for him, but he said that he might not come back tonight."

Wonder why, Ron thought darkly. Of course, Draco was at the bar again, trying to hook up with some rich wizard who wouldn't fall in love with him.

"Sir? Would you like to wait?"

Ron turned away, "No, thank you," You fool. Draco hasn't changed a bit, he's still the arrogant Slytherin who gets whatever he wants. He's probably laughing at you right now, knowing exactly what he did to you.

Ron took out his wand to apparate, muttering to himself, "I can't believe you're getting jealous over Draco Malfoy, you prat!"

He raised his wand and was about to apparate when a familiar voice behind him called, "Weasley? What are you doing here?"

"And don't be bothered about getting jealous of me – look at my house, for instance. About one hundred of your flats could fit inside just the main building," Draco drawled, looking at his house with pride.

"That's not what I-" Ron stopped himself before actually correcting Draco. Things could get much worse if he had heard Ron correctly.

"Mhm? Nothing can be done about it. Now," Draco turned his attention back to Ron, eyes glittering in the dim light and smiling cockily, "what are you doing here?"

Ron held his ground and said firmly, "We need to talk about what happened last weekend."

Malfoy rolled his eyes, "Oh, of course. I forget how poor you are. How's 20 galleons sound?"

Ron was beyond confused, "You think I want you to pay me for taking care of you? No, I was talking about the kiss."

Draco raised a brow and scoffed, "That silly thing? It was just to distract you since you practically assaulted me."

"Assaulted? How did I assault you?"

Draco sighed; to Ron he seemed almost bored, "Is your memory really that bad? You shoved me against the door and took control of my arms. You used your size against me. You're gargantuan; I was completely terrified for my life."

Ron was about to argue back but then he paused. Was Draco telling the truth? Had Ron been misinterpreting his signals?

"You had your wand; if you were terrified, why didn't you use it?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "Now you're deaf? You held my hands. How was I supposed to use my wand?"

Ron felt guilt pour into him. Of course he had misunderstood. Why would Malfoy ever be attracted to him? What had happened in the kitchen had just been a mild flirtation, only a slight deviation from Draco's usual harassment. Draco was right; Ron had taken his upper hand and used it on Draco. Ron opened his mouth to apologize, but then he saw something flicker in Draco's eyes. Was he just misinterpreting signals again? He took a step forward, ready to take a chance, when he saw Draco's shining eyes and disheveled clothing.

Ron felt something stick in his throat and he looked at Draco silently for a moment. The blonde had furrowed his eyebrows and was staring at him, curiosity all over his face.

"Right," Ron said suddenly, "I am sorry for accosting you like that, Malfoy. I clearly misread the signals and was confused. Sorry for disturbing your Friday night; I'm sure you have more important things to get to."

Ron was about to disapparate when Malfoy stepped forward quickly, "Weasley–" he paused, and Ron saw that Draco was anxious for him to stay. The Gryffindor looked at him patiently, and Draco finally opened his mouth, "Want to come in for a drink?

I will accept any tomatoes thrown due to its lateness, but you should know that they do NOTHING to speed along the writing process, and only make me feel shitty. ;)

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