Whaa? It took me less than half a year to update again??? I know you're all surprised. I find that this season (spring) is the most inspiring season of all to write about love in. And I realize that I said that about Christmas only a few chapters ago, but I just changed my mind.

Probably has a ton to do with all the little holidays - Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, etc. (and Spring is all...life-y.)

(Don't be surprised if the writing is a bit off, I just wanted to get this thing posted as fast as I could, and may have written some stuff kind of awkwardly.)

Anyway, this chapter is an extension of the last, hence the "part two" aspect. Its very plot-y, and involves you feeling very sorry for Hermione.

INFO: If you have never smoked before, Camel Straights are nonfilters, which means that they are a) easier to smoke/"get down" and b) a helluva lot worse for you. I don't smoke, I just work in a place where they are sold, and you sort of get to learn about them if you sell them all day.

--

Ron left the motel before Draco did, having plans with Hermione later in the afternoon. Draco had been silent in the bed as Ron dressed. The two did not share words beyond Ron's feeble "Bye then." Ron didn't think Draco had even glanced up once Ron said he had to go.

Something clenched in Ron's chest. It was wrong, and he knew it. He should not be doing this, to Hermione or to Draco.

"Careful, if you squeeze that any harder it's going to burst!"

Shaken from his daze, Ron realized he had been squeezing a melon quite fiercely, and Hermione put the bruised fruit back and took another instead, grasping Ron's elbow firmly and pulling him away, "What's going on with you? You've been all quiet since we met earlier. I thought we agreed to do the grocery shopping together."

Ron smiled and said, "Sorry. I…I think I'm just hungry."

It was a great lie, a lie she would believe because Silly Ron was always hungry. But it was far from the truth. The knot in his stomach had made him lose all appetite he had.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "I think we're done. Let's get to the check out so we can get home before it gets dark."

Ron just nodded silently and followed her. He stuck his hands in his pockets sullenly and realized the soft pack of Camel Straights was still there. He cradled it in his hand absentmindedly and let his thoughts drift once more to Draco.

Draco liked Camel Straights, they were his favorite non filters. Draco didn't like filters. There were two reasons why. One was that Draco had a tendency to not pay attention, and thus would frequently light the end with the filter, which ended up being very disastrous. The second, "Last I heard smoking was bad for you. If I'm going to hell, might as well take the quick easy route."

Ron felt a small smile pull over his face and pulled the pack out, only to realize it was empty. Frowning, he threw it into the nearest rubbish bin and continued to follow Hermione to the front of the store.

He liked to think of himself as a good, honest bloke. He had a good job, did it well, and was always good to his girlfriend. Thus, his time in the sack with Draco Malfoy seemed to change things a bit. It utterly confused him.

It was strange. He had become thoroughly attracted to the man, yet it was completely different than the emotions he felt toward Hermione. He loved her, and didn't know how he would have survived thus far without her, but he knew that what he felt for Malfoy was real, and it was not going to go away easily. Merlin, if sex was that good, he didn't want it to go away.

Yes, he would easily admit that the sex was far better than it had been with Hermione. There was something raw and animalistic about it. There was no holding back, but there was still tenderness and affection. With Hermione it was…incomplete. He still enjoyed it, and loved her very much, but there had always been something that hadn't felt right. With Draco…Ron flushed and refocused himself for the twentieth time in the past hour. Hermione was looking back at him impatiently.

He moved to catch up with her, and as he did, she turned toward the register and said, "Oh! Hello, Draco."

Ron froze mid-step.

"Granger. I would say it's nice to see you, but I doubt that you or I would believe me."

"I hardly believe you're here at all. Grocery shopping?"

"Hardly. Just come for my daily dose of death." Draco turned to the man at the register and said, "Camel Straights."

"A smoker, huh? How strange." Hermione turned and said to Ron, who was still frozen in shock, and said, "Draco smokes as well. I swear; you are the only two wizards I have ever known who smoke muggle cigarettes."

Draco's eyes moved past Hermione and fell on Ron's frozen countenance. Ron waited for the surprise; watched as emotion after emotion flitted across Draco's face, but nothing stuck. Finally Draco seemed to settle on 'Bored' and took his change and the pack of smokes, and swung out the door while drawling, "Great, something in common with Weasel. See you…never again."

As the surprise of seeing Draco again faded, Ron realized Hermione was looking at him with concern.

"Nothing! Just hungry. And now, freaked out that he smokes as well. Maybe I will have to quit after all, now that it's something I share with Draco Malfoy." Ron was amazed at how adept he was getting at lying straight to Hermione's face. He swallowed and found that his mouth and throat had gone completely dry.

Hermione smiled and said, "Whatever, Ron. Just give me a hand with the groceries, yeah?"

Glancing once more at the empty doorway that Draco had disappeared out of, Ron muttered, "Yeah," and began loading up the counter with the heavier items while Hermione moved to bag and pay.

Once again his mind drifted to Draco. After such an awkward encounter out in the real world, would they ever again meet in the shadows? Would that be what their relationship would be reduced to? Lies and pretending?

Ron shuddered. Something was wrong. Something was not meant to be this way. He just wasn't sure yet if it was being with Hermione or being with Draco.

--

Longer, eh?

So, just so you all don't think I hate Hermione: I know that in every story I seem to make her the typical hetero-chick who finds out she's been a huge beard for a huge portion of her life. Not my fault. I just like being semi-canon, and JK makes it VERY CLEAR that, in canon-verse, Hermione and Ron get married and spawn. So, while I can ignore that "19 years later" bit, I can't ignore that for the seven years while they were in school/helping Harry they were seriously getting hot for each other. Ron WOULD be dating Hermione, or they would be "together" to some extent if they aren't married or dating. So that is my biggest difficulty, because I actually really like Hermione, but she gets in the way, and it just has to be done. So don't hate me for hating her, because I really don't hat her, and I don't like writing it, it just has to be done to stay as close to the canon as possible.

Please, let me know what you think!!! I really like it when I see how many views it gets, but what I like more is HEARING about what you think -- that's what pushes me to write more. I will always keep on writing, but I definitely write more (and better) when I know that people are desperately waiting for the next installment.

(Sorry for the rant, I'm just in a sort of mood this week because school is very very stressful and I need your comments to cheer me up!)