the girl who lost it all [d.m]

forty: aenigma

aenigma: enigma, riddle, puzzle

———

ELARA was startled out of sleep by something brushing against her arm.

Groaning as light streamed in through the sheer curtains and stung her eyes, she propped herself up onto her elbows and stifled a yawn.

She blinked once, staring down at the sheets around her and then blinked again.

Four books were lying open around her, accompanied by about a dozen different parchments. She hadn't even been able to get through most last night before her head had started to ache and she'd had to abandon her task, instead settling in to sleep.

And yet, she was no closer to finding out how to get that blasted ring off Draco's finger.

Elara's teeth sunk into her lip at the thought of him. The way he'd lingered when they'd had to part ways at her bedroom door last night, the way she'd been unable to take her eyes off his, a dark grey in the dim light of the hallway. The way his hair had felt underneath her fingers, sliding through them like silk, the way he'd teased her. The scent of him—peppermint and teakwood.

And the relief that had swept through her like a tsunami when she'd finally been able to get him to smile. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed that smirk of his—that cocky half-grin that made her stomach do somersaults. She'd just known that she would do anything to wipe that look of utter heartbreak out of his eyes—and she'd figured braiding his hair was a ridiculous enough place to start.

Sounds and laughter from the backyard made her ears perk and she slid off the bed, her pulse thrumming. Because that was Draco's chuckle, his self-assured laugh.

Sweeping the books and parchments off her bed and padding over to lay them onto the table, Elara took a moment to pull back the curtains and peer out into the backyard.

What she saw made her heart stutter. Draco and Demetrius were sparring, shirtless, strong bodies gleaming with sweat in the morning sun. They circled each other, the light catching on Draco's pale hair and Demetrius said something that made him smirk before he threw a punch.

Demetrius blocked it but Draco had another waiting for him and managed to get him right in the stomach. He doubled over in pain as Draco retreated, still with that grin on his lips.

Elara's mouth went dry.

Demetrius came at him again, managing to dodge another one of Draco's punches and catch him in the ribs but Draco only used the momentum of his punch to swivel into a kick, landing it right in the center of Demetrius' ribs.

"Fuck!" Demetrius groaned, backing up to catch his breath and Elara felt like the breath had been knocked out of her.

Because Draco with his hair tousled, sweating, his chest heaving and with that wicked grin on his face was a picture she wanted ingrained into her brain.