Patience on Sunday

Severus watched Hermione carefully as she read on the sofa. A fire was roaring in the nearby hearth and Hermione had taken off her jumper to reveal a fitted, white T-shirt beneath. Severus thought she looked beautiful as she mindlessly combed her fingers through her curls and turned the pages of her book. 

The shell bracelet he had given her was tied around her wrist and Severus appreciated that she chose to wear it, even though the story behind it was a bit silly. Having a token of his affection acknowledged meant something to him that he couldn’t really verbalize, but the sight of her made him smile none the less. 

Severus poured two glasses of wine and Hermione tucked her feet beneath her to make room on the sofa as he came to join her. She accepted the glass of red graciously and thanked him with a smile before taking a sip and continuing to read. 

Severus took a sip from his glass before he noticed her toes were burrowing against his thigh and he picked up the intruding feet to pull them into his lap. He alternated between rubbing each foot and she was clearly beginning to lose focus on her reading

“I wish we had another Sunday tomorrow,” Hermione said with a chuckle before taking another sip of her wine. 

Severus smirked. “I agree completely. I’m certain there was work I was supposed to do today that I didn’t do,” he said simply and Hermione nodded in agreement. 

“I want to ask you something,” he said calmly as he massaged the bridge of her foot. 

“Yes?” 

“Where you and Luna in love?” The question fell off of his lips quickly, before he could think better of it. 

Hermione just shook her head. “I have never been in love.”

Severus mulled her response over in his mind for several moments. Hermione closed her book and placed it on the table before taking another sip from her wine. 

“When I was with Luna, it became difficult rather quickly. I always loved her as a friend, and I still do. I complicated our friendship by sleeping with her, but it just unfolded so naturally and we both enjoyed each other tremendously. It only became a problem when she asked me to be her partner and I couldn’t; I didn’t want too. I didn’t want to reject her, but I didn’t feel the same way that she did,” Hermione elaborated. 

Severus nodded in understanding. “So she wanted exclusivity and you did not? Why?”

“Like I told you earlier, I find women, especially Luna, to be wildly attractive. She is beautiful and I really enjoyed being intimate with her.  I liked having her over and playing together, but I never wanted her to be my girlfriend. I guess I was more interested in our physical relationship than a partnership with her,” Hermione said. “I appreciate that girl and all of her quirks but I couldn’t commit myself to them.  Beside, it was fun, but I’ve only ever seen myself with men. She said I was ‘repressing some lesbian tendencies’ but I find that utterly ridiculous. I could want to shag a girl all day long and not want to be with her.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Severus said. 

“I knew it was when I thought about Harry’s relationships, especially the one he is in now. The way he talks about men is very different than the way I feel about women.  He falls in love, but when it comes to same-sex relationships I fall into lust,” she said. 

“And how are you falling for me?”  Severus’ blunt question silenced her rambling and left her surprised. She stared at him for a long moment to see if he would elaborate at all, but he just waited. 

Hermione swallowed and decided to be honest. “I have been falling in love with you ever since you told me we weren’t conducting business atop the astronomy tower.”

Severus chuckled at the specific recollection. “I wanted to kiss you that night; it’s part of the reason I had to leave.”

“What was the other part of the reason then?” Hermione asked with a shy smile. 

“Well, if I stayed any longer I  was going to kiss you,” he said. 

Hermione bit her bottom lip and blushed. 

“Don’t do that,” he said, “you look too pretty when you do that.”

“Oh do I?” Her voice went up in tone as she shifted to her knees and crawled towards him. “So pretty that you just might want to…”

“Kiss you? Yes.  Come here,” he commanded and Hermione swung her leg over him in order to straddle his lap. As their bodies made contact they kissed one another deeply. Hermione thought she was going to drown from the sweet taste of wine on his tongue. 

Without warning, his hands made their way under her shirt and he splayed his fingers across her bare back. He then pushed the shirt up and over her head. The shifting interrupted their kissing momentarily before his lips returned to hers and her soft breasts molded against his chest. 

Her hips rocked slowly against his lap and Severus let out a quiet groan. His hands wound their way into Hermione’s hair as he tried to steady her wayward body with little success. Severus’ cock was straining in his trousers and he had to shift her weight if there was any chance of prolonging this moment. 

Severus broke the kiss and placed his forehead against hers. He looked deep into her eyes before brushing her hair back from her face. 

“Hermione, I never thought I could say this out loud, but I think I finally can,” he took a deep breath. “I have been falling in love with you for a very long time.”

Hermione bit her lip again to hide her smile. 

“And,” he continued, “if you feel the same way, I want to ask you to be my…” Severus struggled to find the label he wanted to use. 

“Yes,” she said firmly; disregarding his pause. “I want to be your girlfriend, your partner, whatever.”

Severus smiled and he let his hands fall to her hips. “I promise I will do the best that I can. I know I can be jealous and off putting but the thought of not having you is just too awful to imagine.”

Hermione smiled as she began unbuttoning his shirt. “All I know right now is that this feels so good and that I’m fortunate that you are falling in love with me just as I am falling in love with you.” She placed a chaste kiss on his exposed chest. 

Severus growled in pleasure at her words and her kisses. “Say that again.”

“It feels so good to be falling in love with you,” she repeated, and he quickly moved his hands from her waist to pick her up.  Hermione wrapped her legs around him, and his arms were slung beneath her. He kissed her lips once more before carrying her away to the bedroom and leaving their half-full glasses of wine in their wake.