Attempting to overcome her nerves, Layla takes a deep breath, before heading down the stairs in her very much revealing black dress, heading towards the party.
The sound of pounding music can already be heard as she makes her way to the common room. So once again, being the paranoid girl she is, she takes out her wand and places a silencing spell that surrounds the whole common room.
"Right." She whispers under her breath. "I can do this."
Layla swings open the doors to the common room, and heads are turned as she makes her entrance, catching the attention of everyone around her as she makes her way into the room, the smell of alcohol and muggle drugs hitting her senses.
"Layla!" She hears a voice call out.
Layla looks around to find Pansy, Astoria and Luna by the sofas, sitting together with some more people who she can't quite see yet.
Confidently, she makes her way over, only to find the girls sitting with the people she was most frightened to see today.
Mattheo Martinez and his boys.
They lean back on their sofas, observing Layla intensely as she takes a seat on the sofa chair beside Luna.
(Author's Note: Here's a diagram to show you how they were sitting)
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Oh fuck. This is not the best place to be sitting.
"It really is."
W-what!? Get out of my head whoever you are!
"Layla, are you okay?" Astoria asks her and she snaps out of her trance.
"Aha, yeah I'm fine." Layla laughs nervously. "Wow, Liam you've got the best seat!"
"Look at him, he's so flustered!" Enzo laughs, pointing at Liam looking all nervous as Pansy and Astoria, looking as hot as ever, sit at either side of him.
"Oh shush will you Enzo?" He groans, covering his face and leaning back.
"Clever boy has gone red." Layla scoffs, and the boys turn to look at her.
"Clever? He is... but you've never even met him properly." Blaise says, the boys staring at Layla now.
Fuck.
"No I just assumed he was clever. I have a great judgment of character, Mattheo would know." Layla raises her brows.
Mattheo rolls his eyes, budging his hips forward slightly, adjusting himself in his seat. His eyes still locked onto Layla, he takes a sip of his drink.
"Why's Mattheo manspreading? It's a sign of attraction, you know." Luna whispers into Layla's ear, making her giggle a bit too loudly for Mattheo to hear.
"Got something to share?" Mattheo asks, titling his head and glaring at Layla.
"Yes actually." Luna responds, surprising everyone slightly at her sudden confidence. "I bought this device at Hogsmeade the other day." She says, pulling out a heart shaped box, and placing it on the table.
"What is it?" Enzo asks, as he and everyone else leans forward, gazing at it intrigued.
Mattheo stays where he is, rolling his eyes in boredom.
"It tells you the initials of your soulmate!" Luna replies excitedly.
"No way!" Blaise gasps.
"Yes way! So basically, you touch it with your hand, and your initials will pop up on the box. Then, after a few seconds, your soulmate's initials should appear right next to yours!" Luna explains.
"Seems fairly simple." Enzo shrugs, rolling his sleeves up and budging forward towards the table where the magic soulmate box sits.
"It's fake." Mattheo scoffs.
"Of course you'd think that. Didn't I tell you, you're incapable of love." Layla replies, sending him a death stare, their eyes not moving off of each other once.
"Get a room." Enzo sighs, rolling his eyes.
"Shut up Enzo." Mattheo spits, getting agitated.
"Go on Martinez, your turn first." Layla says, raising a brow.
Mattheo rolls his tongue across his cheek, looking at Layla and back down to the box.
"Prove that you're not incapable of love."
"I am very much capable, but it's not something I want, or ever want. Neither is it something I need." He replies, both of them locked in a trance as Layla tilts her head, staring at each other intensely.
"I highly doubt it." She says, clearing her throat. "Go on, don't pussy out." Layla scoffs.
"Oooh." Enzo and Theodore say playfully.
"Fine." Mattheo sighs, rolling his sleeves up and budging his chair closer to the table.
" 'Ere you go mate." Enzo says as he passes the heart shaped device to Mattheo. "Best of luck."
Everyone watches closely as Mattheo touches the box in his hand, a sudden light emitting brightly off of it. Everyone covers their eyes, squinting until the light fades away in a matter of seconds.
The box reads:
M.M.R + LDL
Her heart drops.
"M.M.R? Isn't your surname Martinez?" Luna asks Mattheo and Layla snaps out of her trance as she stares at the initials on the box.
The boys frantically look at each other, making it very noticeable as they share quick glances back and forth at each other.
"So who's L.D.L?" Astoria asks, everyone looking at the box confused.
Both Layla and Mattheo look up at each other, both of their faces hiding any expression at all.
Not one of them wanting to hint the fact that they know exactly what that box is trying to say.
It can't be.
It can't be real.
"I don't think your box works Luna." Mattheo scoffs.
"Maybe he really is incapable of love." Pansy snorts, everyone giggling slightly.
"Well I definitely am so it's my turn!" Astoria says, clapping her hands in excitement.
"I told you, it DOESN'T work." Mattheo says once again, his voice getting louder.
"Well if Luna says it does, then it does." Blaise adds, clearing his throat.
"The fuck Zabini? This box is a load of shit!" Mattheo exclaims, standing up and whacking the box with full force.
Everyone watches as it's sent flying across the table and onto the floor, directly in front of Luna...
