- augustine -

Under the darkening blue sky, you and the other heirs snuck out for your own New Year's Party in Narcissa's garden. A couple of heirs were smoking blunts by the roses, laughing and jeering at the other heirs who were throwing up from all the supplied firewhiskey.

It truly was all good fun, but something inside you began to bother you.

You were sitting by the fountain and nursing your own cup of firewhiskey, simply watching all the different kinds of couples surrounding you. Some of them were your friends, like Blaise and Pansy, and Theodore and Daphne, but it was weird. Well, at least to you.

If you told them that they were going to get together a year ago, they would curse you out until they lost their voices. Now, they were making out and giggling about random things couples in love would giggle about.

Daphne had told you once that honest love was a cage that makes you feel free, but you weren't sure if you believed that yet. Besides, your eyes couldn't help but wander to the blonde heir that always made time for you.

You've known Draco for as long as you could remember. And with every passing year, the knot in your stomach seemed to tighten progressively whenever you got closer to him. When you were at your lowest, he was your spark in the darkness—the one to keep you sane whenever your parents were controlling your every move. And when he was in need, you were there, supporting him in whatever he needed help in.

But right now, he was the sole heir of the Malfoy riches, the one every family wants their daughter to marry. In fact, he was currently being paraded around inside the manor while his father talked his ear off about potential ladies.

That was the one problem that seemed like you weren't able to help with.

"Of course, the Parkinson family has a very acceptable daughter."

"Nonsense, she's dating the Zabini boy." Narcissa waved Lucius off, eyes shifting around the vast ballroom. "What about the Greengrass family?"

"Both daughters are blood traitors, I think not." He scoffed before turning to Draco, raising a brow when he caught the boy staring outside with a dazed expression. His expression softened by a millimeter, knowing that look all too well from years of staring at his wife.

A small smirk grew on Lucius' lips, voice finally tearing through the bubble Draco had surrounded himself with. "Though, I'm sure the Voss family name would pique someone's interest."

Draco tore his eyes away from your face, meeting his father's. The mention of your name was enough to bring him out of a coma—even if it was merely your family name. He cleared his throat, "Come again?"

"My darling, it seems you already have your heart set on someone." Narcissa smiled softly and cupped her son's cheek, laughing when he meet her eyes with flamed cheeks. "You have three minutes until midnight." She suggested with a tilt of her head. "You should go to her."

He looked between his parents, observing as his father watched his mother lovingly—like she was the only woman standing in the entire room. Draco nodded once and quickly made his way out to the garden, passing all the power hungry girls eyeing him and the drunk guys trying to get him to drink as well.

"Voss." Draco appeared in front of you without warning, slightly breathless. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Wha—? Uhm, sure. I have nothing better to do." You agree with little hesitation, surprised by the sudden invitation but still taking his hand he offered you. You tuck your hand in his arm and follow his lead, stepping around a puddle of vomit before speaking a little more freely now that you were away from the fanatic heirs.

"Finally got tired of Lucius and his speech of finding the right woman?" You ask in amusement, staring at the cracked concrete on the pathway.

"Something like that." His lips curled into one of mirth before it quickly faded, the moon highlighting the sudden sheen of sweat on his forehead. Honestly, Draco felt like wax, melting on the spot after pulling you away from the masses that praised the very floor he walked on.

Sure, he was used to being alone with you, but now he had an objective that could make or break his entire world.

And he wasn't sure if any of this was right, or wrong, or if he was just insane for suddenly springing it on to you—but he wanted you to feel how he felt when somebody says your name. Even if it meant risking your entire friendship.

“It must’ve been dreadful if you wanted to go for a walk and not have a shot of firewhiskey with Blaise and Theo—“

"Y/N?" Draco stopped walking, turning to face you.

You look up and meet his eyes, sensing the reluctant tone in his voice. You tilt your head, your own eyes reassuring him—even for a split second. "Yeah?"

His heart was nearly beating out of his chest, and before he could even stop himself, he felt his mouth move—his mind catching up moment later. "Y/N. I love you—I've always loved you. Every night, I swear you're in my dreams. You're the woman I want to fall asleep next to and still wake up to. And I have never wanted somebody as much as I want you. I've tried to shove the feeling down thinking you don't feel the same, but I can't ignore it—not anymore." His chest heaved with every word. "I swear, with my whole heart and being, that I love you. I want to be able to tell everyone there that you're mine and I'm yours—" He cut himself off and tilted his head, staring at the moon.

"Y/N, I want you more than anything my family name has to offer." He whispered and slowly lowered his head again, his gray eyes piercing straight into your soul.

You stare at him, completely at a loss of words.

"Say something… please." He looked between your eyes, watching as they began to glaze over.

A wet smile appeared on your face as tears began to fall, cupping his face and kissing him, the new year fireworks going off. Draco blinked before reciprocating the kiss, his hands moving to pull you closer by the waist to deepen it. You separated just as the fireworks died down, Draco wiping your tears while you leaned into his touch.

"I love you too, you idiot." You laugh and kiss his palm, heart beat finally matching his after ages of not knowing whether or not they would ever sync up. "I've been wanting you for ages."

"We were a bit thick, weren't we?" He chuckled.

You nod before teasing him, nudging his ribs with your elbow. "You were a poet for a second, Malfoy."

He scoffs, "I'm sorry for pouring out my heart for you."

You smile once more, "I'm glad you did."

"Me too." He murmured, kissing your temple.

A loud knock on your front door interrupted your train of thought, snapping you out of your daze. Calling out that you’d be there in a second, you made quick strides to the front door, eye twitching when the person would not stop knocking. 

“Can I— Dally?” Your eyes snap up to his eyes, your voice instantly changing at the sight of the cowboy. 

Except, he didn’t look like a typical cowboy. Instead, he actually wore a getup that told everyone that he had tried to look nice for you. His hair wasn’t wild like it typically was, his boots were freshly polished, and the jean jacket he wore wasn’t the frayed one he would wear out when he felt too lazy to pick out something else. 

“Well, look at that.” You lean against the wall with a mischievous grin, causing him to narrow his eyes at you. “Mr. Hot-Shot is late to pick me up because he actually cleaned up nicely.”

“Hey, now.” Dallas seized your waist and pulled you impossibly close, his cowboy hat nudging the top of your head. “You’re all dolled up, too. Your hair’s all curled pretty and stuff.”

“And stuff?” You snort and tap the rim of his hat, knocking it down to cover his eyes. You pull away and tilt your head when he flicks his hat back up, pulling a bouquet from his back. “That for me, Dal?”

He rolled his eyes, “Nah, it’s for the lovely old woman next door.” 

“Shut up.” You laugh and take them from him, admiring the arrangement. You thumbed a calla lily petal before meeting his eyes once more, his sharp gaze softening with the more time he spent with you. “I love them.”

“I’m glad. Took ages to pile them together and make ‘em look nice.” He muttered, his boot scuffing the porch as his face tinted pink. 

You shake your head at him and carefully place the bouquet in a temporary vase before shutting the door and following Dallas to his truck, which seemed to have been worked on since the last time you had ridden in it. 

Thanking him when he helped you into the front seat, you clicked your seatbelt and looked out the window as the lights and houses became blurred scenery. “Where are we going, Dal?”

His fingers drummed against the steering wheel, checking his rearview every few seconds. “Was thinkin’ the diner downtown. It’s less public, but people will definitely get the idea.” Dallas took your hand and kissed the back of it, holding it in his lap. “Whatcha think?”

“I think it’s perfect.” You smile. 

Unfortunately, when you got to the diner, the parking lot was full. Kids were running in and out of the diner, throwing gravel at each other, while their folks simply waved them off when a passing waitress informed them about the children. 

“I thought it was less public.” Dallas shifted the gear into park, staring at the diner like it personally wronged him. 

You purse your lips in amusement, squeezing his hand. “It definitely was before they began building apartment complexes next door.” You shake your head and rid yourself of the thought that several people were going to gossip the second they see Dallas with you. “You know what? It’s fine. We’re going to enjoy this because we deserve it.”

“Do we?” Dallas muttered, earning a smack to the chest from you. 

“Dallas Winston, I swear—”

“M’kidding!” He threw his hands up, pulling the keys out of the ignition. “Jesus, woman…”

You roll your eyes at him and jab him with your elbow when he helps you out of the truck. As the two of you approached the diner, several pairs of eyes darted your way. Then the whispers began—not that anyone was subtle about it. 

Dallas pecked your temple before taking a seat in a booth across from you, handing you a menu. “This ain’t too bad. Maybe too many curious eyes, but otherwise…”

“You’re pretty! Like a princess!” A little girl ran up to you before running away again, stunning you for a second before you cleared your throat, eyes casting downward to the menu. Your cheeks were left flushed, but before either one of you could say more, a waitress came up to your booth, a welcoming smile on her lips. 

“What can I get started for the happy couple?”

You open your mouth but find yourself unable to answer, all the choices seeming amazing. Surprisingly, Dallas was also having the same issue, his tongue poking out in thought. 

“First time?” Your waitress spoke after a minute, her voice full of amusement as she watched the two of you struggle to even pick out a drink. Both of you nod, giving her a shy smile. “Well, that’s okay, take your time!” She pointed at the sweet tea on your menu. “How ‘bout I start the two of you off with our famous sweet tea? Then, when I come back, you’ll already have a better look at our menu.”

“That’d be great, thank you.” You smile and watch as she writes it down on her notepad and walks away. You nudge Dallas’s leg with your foot, “She’s really sweet.”

“Nice enough.” He grunted and looked around at the neon lights and checkered flooring. “Has nice decor and everything, I guess.”

“Well, it’s definitely not a roadhouse.” You peek over your menu and see men in suits a couple booths away, discussing something that seemed far too important to be discussed in a public area. “Definitely not a roadhouse.”

Dallas chuckles at your expression before snapping his fingers, lowering your menu with two fingers. “Doll, I forgot to tell you something actually.”

“Oh?” Your eyes meet his suddenly sly ones. You narrow your eyes, silently telling him to be careful with all the kids present. 

“Guess what I got this morning?” He continued, poking the inside of his cheek with his tongue, clasping his hands together, and leaning forward as if he were sharing a secret on a playground.

You shrug and tilt your head, intrigued with what he has to say. His next few words made you want to shrink out of sight.

“A notice. Says I was being too loud last night.” He smirked. “You know anything about that?”

You choke on your own spit and cough, grabbing a napkin and wiping your mouth. “I told you.” You mutter, glaring at him before sending an apologetic look to a couple of parents who looked at you with worried gazes. 

The waitress finally came back right before you could kill Dallas, handing both of you your sweet tea before pulling her notepad out, oblivious to why you were red in the face and why your boyfriend wore a smirk like he was the king of the world. 

Fortunately, the rest of the evening went by smoothly—other than the kids coming up to you both and asking if you were a princess running away with a cowboy. Dallas was a gentleman and perfect, which surprised you, but was short lived the second you made it back to your place.

The next morning, you found yourself sitting at your breakfast table with a sleepy expression and a mug of coffee, Dallas making breakfast for the both of you. Although, you were ninety percent sure he only knew how to make scrambled eggs.

Your eyes drifted across the daily paper, flipping the page before your eyes widened at an article. "Dally!"

"Mm?" He looked over at you, shutting the stove off and scrapping the eggs onto a plate.

"Would you put the eggs down and come over here?" You sigh in exasperation and pull him down by the arm, flashing the newspaper to him. "It's us."

The Cowboy and... Who? Dallas Winston (aka Mr. Hot-Shot) was found on what seemed like a date at Cavanaugh’s Corner by several eye witnesses. Some say that this "couple" went home together afterwards as well. Whether or not Winston and this mysterious rodeo princess couple is new or finally decided to come out of hiding, we'll never know. But...

You look up at him as he skims the rest of the article before his eyes land on the blurry picture of you and him walking back to his truck, his arm around your shoulders and your head leaning against him.

"Obviously someone—"

"Well," He cut you off effectively as his lips twitched into a grin, leaning back against his chair. "You got what you wanted, doll."

"They called me the rodeo princess." You scoff, crossing your arms. "If people paid more attention to your rodeo's, they would know I've been a fan even before you."

He hummed and sipped his own coffee. "We should hang this up somewhere. Preferably in your house."

"Why my house?"

"I don't fancy myself getting anymore noise notices." Dallas smirked behind his coffee mug, though not missing the way your cheeks flushed before you hit him with the newspaper. "What?"

"You're insufferable, that's what." You mutter, standing and putting bread into the toaster. "And you have no clue how to make breakfast."

He shrugged and watched you, his eyes drifting across your outfit, smiling when he realized you were wearing his clothes. "I'll learn eventually."

"Eventually, he says." You roll your eyes, back to him before you felt his arms wrap around your waist, his head in your neck. "Hello, Dal."

"You know, I'm glad it's out now." He mumbled.

You tilt your head and look at him properly, "Yeah?"

"Yeah... Get to love you even more now." Dallas smiled and planted a kiss to your lips, one you accepted without a fight. "And maybe it'll stop those girls from fainting whenever they see me, though it might seem like I'm losing my touch."

"I have the privilege to kick you out, you know?" You push him away from you, doing your best not to roll your eyes once more.

He chuckled and leaned against the counter, "And I know you won't, will you, doll?"

"I won't." You smile and kiss him again. "Now, be useful and grab the jam from the fridge, please."