Ophelia ━━ tom riddle ✓

005. | pretty when you cry

     Over the course of the next two weeks, Tom had been extra hard on Ophelia. Her grade in his class was once again slipping, why? Ophelia Laurent was too fixated on her professor's facial structure and all of its glory rather than actually listening to him. Every time he was near, her heart would pound faster, blood would rush to her cheeks and her lip would find its way between her teeth. 

      And so, when Saturday arrived, she tried her best to focus, but how could she when a Greek god was standing before her? It was practically impossible for her to focus on his words when all she could see were his kissable lips. And so, the gods had seemingly decided to give Ophelia Laurent a sneak peek of what eternal damnation feels like, for Ophelia's brain was practically aching in pain and Tom Riddle was the source of it all.

    "It's simple, truly, simply." "I do not understand what is so difficult for you to grasp," Tom clenched his jaw in frustration.

     "It's not as easy as you think, Sir," Ophelia quietly muttered with a quivering voice.

    Ophelia was an average student. She passed her classes, but there was nothing about her brain that was exceptional. Her mother was not very fond of this trait of hers. Ophelia's father was a brilliant man before he passed, and Ophelia's mother wants her to live in his image. And so, she tries her hardest even though sometimes, she cannot understand things the way others do. She hated that about herself.

     "I'm sorry," she began as tears began to form in her eyes. Ophelia let her head sink down in shame, not allowing her glossy eyes to meet Tom's. She pressed her nails deep into her palms, hoping that the pain would ease the shame she felt.

Silence now surrounded the two.

    Tom was a man with a void inside of him. He did not feel any form of sympathy for his student but rather saw it as an opportunity. "Don't be sorry, I was being too hard on you." He feigned sorrow as tears fell down her bambi eyes.

     Tom slowly cupped her face in his hands and began to wipe away her tears. "You look pretty when you cry, Ophelia," he cooed.

    Ophelia stared at him in awe and confusion before distancing herself from him.

     "I'm sorry," Ophelia whispered and quickly began to pack up her belongings.

      "Ophelia," he called out.

Ophelia froze and slowly turned towards Tom.

       "Stop apologizing," he said and watched as she left his classroom.

But alas, she didn't listen to the words that left his mouth but rather focused on the one thing she had heard him say.

Ophelia.

He had said her first name, and for some awful reason, Ophelia Laurent's head began to spin and butterflies erupted in her stomach.