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Hermione Granger and Tommy Merlyn had been friends since before they could walk. Their families were friends, and so the pair spent more time around each other than many other children their age. They were practically inseparable and even had their method of communication that no one else understood.
At times it felt as though their parents and friends hated the bond that they shared, but to the two of them, that connection meant everything in the world. If they went even a day without seeing or talking to the other, then they would find some way to make up for that time lost.
When Hermione discovered her powers and received her acceptance letter to Hogwarts, Tommy was heartbroken. It was going to be the first time that he could remember that the two of them were going to be separated since their friendship started. What was he going to do without his best friend in school? Who was he going to eat lunch with or hang out with after school?
Hermione tried her best to reassure him that things would be okay. He would be able to make new friends and then when she came home for the summer they could all spend time together. However, Tommy knew that things would never be the same after she left. He hoped that he was wrong and that everything Hermione promised him was going to be true. Unfortunately, Hermione wasn't able to uphold her end of the bargain.
During her time away at Hogwarts, she wrote Tommy letters and sent them by owl, and he, of course, would send letters back. Letter writing just wasn't the same as seeing each other face to face. It didn't take long for Tommy to realize the yearning in his heart that he felt for Hermione was more than just the fact that he was missing his best friend. He was missing the person he fell in love with from such a young age.
Tommy shook his head as he thought back over his youth and the friendship he shared with Hermione Granger, a woman he hadn't seen in over five years. Sure, they still exchanged letters almost religiously, but the last time she had stepped foot in Star City was the summer before she was to start Uni in London, and he was getting ready to start college in the city.
He remembered their last face to face conversation vividly. He remembered the look on her face when he told her how he felt. She was silent, but the look on her face told him everything that he needed to know.
. . . . . . . .
"I love you, Hermione. I have since we were kids," Tommy said, taking her hand and pulling it to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. "I may not have known what love was back then, but I know now and every day that I have spent without you kills me."
Hermione felt tears starting to well up in the corner of her eyes as she looked at the man in front of her. She was staring at the man who held her heart, even though she had never told him how she felt. And here he was finally admitting his feelings for her, but his timing couldn't have been any worse.
As much as she would have loved to stay here with him and leave the life she had in London behind, she wasn't ready to give up on that life just yet. She didn't have a typical school experience like other people did, and she was looking forward to that chance at Uni. She needed time to grow on her own before she could settle down with someone else, no matter how she felt for them.
So now she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She could lie to him and break his heart, tell him that she didn't feel the same way. Or she could tell him the truth. She could say to him that she was desperately in love with him and wanted nothing more than to be with him, but she couldn't be with him until after Uni. Both options would break his heart, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
Hermione pulled her hand away from Tommy's lips and gently cupped his cheek. She closed the distance between them and brushed her thumb along his cheek as he looked down at her. She took a deep breath before leaning forward and pressing her lips to his, kissing him softly. "I love you too, Tommy, but I have to return to London in the fall."
. . . . . . . .
Tommy remembered wanting to beg her to stay with him in Star City, but he knew that wasn't what she would want, and she would resent him for it every single day. So he agreed to continue with their letter writing and phone calls. At least if he couldn't have her by his side, he would still have her words and her voice to keep him company when he got lonely.
The distance between them would only make things more magical when they could finally be together. However, that distance seemed to grow more and more every single day. Their phone calls went from two or three times a day to once or twice a week. Tommy would send letters to her almost daily, but would only receive one or two back by the end of the month. So he stopped writing the letters and making the calls. And soon, they stopped altogether.
It had been almost a year since he had last heard from her when Hermione's letter arrived in his mailbox. He recognized the handwriting immediately but refused to open it for a few days. He wanted her to know what it felt like to send letters and have them go unanswered, wondering if she had even bothered to read them at all and just chose not to reply. He wasn't a spiteful person; he was only hurting.
Tommy finally decided that it was time to open the letter to see what she wanted. Maybe she was writing to say that she had met someone new and that he needed to move on. He desperately hoped that wasn't the case. He was hoping that her letter would say she was coming home soon and they could finally be together.
As he opened the letter, the first thing he noticed was a short poem at the top of the page.
How sad is it
When two people love each other
But they cannot be together
Not for lack of love
But because of timing
Why does Fate do that?
Bring together soulmates
Only to tear them apart.
We are star-crossed in the worst way
Even Shakespeare would weep.
-M. K. Lopez
To my best friend, Tommy Merlyn, I love you more than words can say. The only thing I could even find close to sharing the way I feel about you was this stanza. You mean more to me than words can say, and I am forever grateful that you encouraged me to pursue my dreams in London instead of asking me to stay. Although had you asked me to stay; I would have said yes hands down.
I know I have a lot to apologize for with my lack of communication over the last year. I want to apologize for that in person, so if you can find it in your heart to forgive me and if you still feel the same way about me that you felt before, meet me at Verdant for the grand reopening. I'll be waiting for you in the private lounge upstairs at nine pm.
If you don't show up, then I'll know how you feel.
I hope that you come, Tommy. I love you.
~Hermione
Tommy glanced up at the clock on the wall. 8:30 pm. With a quick look in the mirror, he made the executive decision to change his clothing quickly and get out the door. He had a date to keep with the love of his life.
. . . . . . . .
Hermione paced the floor of the private lounge of Verdant, refusing to look up at the clock as she waited for Tommy to arrive. Thea and Oliver had both assured her that he would be here tonight. He would never miss the chance to party with Oliver, especially in celebration of the newest and hottest club in Star City.
She looked around at the decorations of the room and smiled. Thea had done a fantastic job with the redesign, and she was so proud of everything that the young Queen had been able to accomplish. Hermione shook her head and laughed at herself. She was desperately trying to distract herself from looking at the clock, so she was looking at everything else in the room instead.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced up and caught a glimpse of the clock. 8:59 pm. Maybe he wasn't coming. Perhaps he had moved on from her, and she was wasting her time. At least now, she could decide on her career. If he didn't come to her, then she could go back to London and accept the position she was offered with the Ministry. As exciting as that opportunity sounded to her, she wanted the chance to find love with Tommy.
As the clock struck nine, she heard the doorknob rattle. The door slowly opened and revealed Tommy standing on the other side. Hermione let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding and ran across the room, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Tommy's arms wrapped around her waist, picking her up off the ground and spinning her around in the air. As her feet found the ground once more, Hermione pushed up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. She smiled as she felt him kiss her back. She had dreamed of this moment for years.
They stayed wrapped up in one another's embrace, slowly deepening the kiss for what seemed like an eternity. Hermione was the first to pull away as she lowered herself back down from her toes. She looked up at Tommy's face with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"I love -"
They both started to speak at the same time, cutting one another off with a laugh as they realized what they were doing. Tommy wrapped his hand around Hermione's and pulled her over to the couch. He sat down and pulled her into his lap.
"You go first," he mumbled, placing a few gentle kisses in the crook of her neck as she snuggled into him on his lap.
"I love you, Tommy Merlyn," Hermione hummed, tilting her head back with a sigh at the distraction he was causing with his gentle touch.
"I love you too, Hermione Granger," he whispered against her skin. He quickly pulled his head back and looked at her for a moment. "You don't have anything else to add after that I love you, do you? I don't think I can handle you telling me you are leaving again after that letter."
Hermione smacked him playfully on the chest before cupping his face with her hands. "I'm not going anywhere, Tommy. I'm all yours."