Spirals || Mattheo Riddle

꩜ Chapter 10 ꩜

After that afternoon in the tower, I acted as though nothing had happened. I knew what people would say the moment I mentioned his name. A bad idea, dangerous, they'd say. And I knew they were right. 

But even while I told myself I couldn't care less about Riddle, I still noticed when he walked into the Great Hall at lunch the next day and sat himself at the end of the table.

I had been sitting with Pansy and Blaise. My eyes were glued to him as he piled food onto his plate and pulled out a book while he was eating. I couldn't be sure from there but it looked as though the dark bags under his eyes had lightened and he had showered.

On our way out,  I glanced at him to see Mattheo already looking at me. It was stupid, ridiculously stupid, but my skin flushed with heat each time I thought of it since.

After a long day of classes, my friends and I resided in the common rooms, taking up space and loudly interrupting the unfortunate students who thought studying on the tables in the room was a good idea.

The green velvet couches were inviting, almost waiting for us in the middle of the room. Blaise plonked himself down next to Pansy and I, throwing his robes at Theo who sat in the armchair on the right of us. A coffee table divided the chairs and Draco occupied the couch opposite us, stretched out like a cat with his arms behind his head

"Raven?" Pansy tapped my shoulder.

"Huh? Sorry?" I had been lost in my own little world.

Draco rolled his eyes, though the action was more affectionate than patronising. "We just asked you if you had talked to Riddle recently," Blaise said.

My first thought was to tell them of our recent interactions, but my second was a flood of possessiveness over those little moments. The feeling was suffocating, burrowing itself in my chest like a wedge, determined to make me keep all my secrets to myself. 

"Why do you ask?" I replied casually. It wasn't like they were important to anyone but me. Who cared if I spoke to him once or twice?

Unless he's been talking about you?

I flinched mentally at the idea that Mattheo might have told people about my mother. It wouldn't be the first time people had used that information against me.

"No reason, we were just talking about him earlier and were wondering-"  Blaise was cut off as Theo squeaked with a panicked expression. Blaise opened his mouth to ask what his problem was but didn't get the chance as a sixth person sat down on the single couch next to us.

"You know, it's incredibly rude to talk about people behind their backs?" Mattheo casually laid back with his arms crossed across his che. He looked around at all of us, though his eyes lingered on me longer than they should have.

The others went silent with large eyes at the homicidal brunette sitting across the table from them. Mattheos smirk widened at their reactions, obviously enjoying having caught them out.

"Don't let me interrupt your conversation," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Blaise and Theo winced at each other, not really knowing what to say.

"Well before you came along Riddle, we were just talking about your oversized ego. It's quite interesting, the anatomy of how you can get your head that far up your ass," I threw out, hoping to break the painful tension that acted like a blanket over our group.

Mattheo let out a chuckle and adjusted himself in his chair. "I've got nothing on you, Holt."

"Dear Merlin, did the Mattheo Riddle just take a joke? I didn't think his fragile self esteem could take it," Theo said with a fake gasp. Draco let out a huff of laughter at his words. He was slowly becoming less scared of him. Mattheo just rolled his eyes.