HP Short Stories

A Beautiful Bet

Mattheo Riddle's Story Part Four

It's been months since they shared a kiss in the quad. They made their relationship official a few days after. There has never been a girl that has kept Mattheo's interest long enough to have a relationship but when it comes to Aurora he wanted it all with her.

It took a couple of weeks for her to trust that Mattheo was going to be true to his promise. Each month they spent together, her trust in him grew even stronger. He watched her walls crumble away, could see how much she started trusting him again.

The guilt was starting to eat him alive. He was falling in love with her and all he could think about was her finding out about the bet.

"I can't believe you actually got her to forgive you." Draco says leaning back on the couch in the Slytherin common room. "Looks like you might win the bet" he rolls his eyes in annoyance.

"The bets off Malfoy." Mattheo orders as Draco chuckles.

"Did you go soft, Riddle?" he teases.

"Hop off it Draco" Enzo interrupts but the whitish blonde ignores him.

"Afraid she's falling for you after all? I have to stay I'm shocked to see you be such the committed type." he digs on. Mattheo's eyes narrow on him.

"She doesn't love me. She's not that stupid" he says.

"Come on Mattheo. We all see the way she looks at you." Pansy offers.

"I think the real question is whether or not he wants her to be?" Theo questions. Mattheo stays silent the rest of the afternoon, Theo's question swirling around in his thoughts.

He was leaning against the railing of the astronomy tower that night taking a drag of his cigarette. He always found it peaceful up here. Two hands cover his eyes, her body pressed against his back. The wind softly carrying the scent of milky vanilla and candied ginger scent. Her perfume was addicting, it was embarrassing how much he secretly loved the way he could still smell her on his pillow each night.

"Guess who" she whispered a warm shiver runs down his spine.

"Shortcake" he teases as she drops her hands, allowing him to turn around to face her. Her smile leaving him breathless.

He was in deep.

The realization that he's been in love with her for a long time, in varying degrees but somewhere deep down maybe he's always known that he was completely and irrevocably in love with Aurora Grayhart. That the reason he never wanted a girlfriend was because he was always waiting for his head to catch up with his heart.

His hands wrap around her waist pulling her into him, her head tilted to the sky fascinated at the way the universe paints the night sky. Mattheo marveling at her beauty, letting his eyes roamed over every perfect detail of her delicate face.

She was burned into his soul, every beautiful detail of her face, of her laugh, of her simply existing. Every memory of her would stay with him for eternity. The fear crashing into him like a wave, the thought of her finding out she started off as a bet. The fear of losing her for good this time was almost paralyzing.

"I love you" he blurts out in a rush. Her head slowly tilting back down, her eyes trailing to meet his chocolate brown hues.

A mixture of shock and bliss erupting in her body. She wasn't exactly sure when it happened, when she realized she had fallen hard for him. She was scared to get close to anyone again. Everyone she ever cared about...ever loved always left.

He had left her years ago and even though she had forgiven him and began to trust him again there was still that little voice in the back of her thoughts doubting he would stay....doubting that he could actually love her.

"It is you. It's always been you. Painfully, all encompassing, steal your breath true love. The kind that burns so intense it feels like my body is going to explode. It leaves me sleepless but intoxicated. The kind of love that only has me seeing you even in a crowded room. The kind that scares me shitless because you changed everything for me. I love you Rory. I love you so much it physically hurts and I'm scared because I've never felt this way about anyone. Afraid that somehow I will screw this up...." her hands come up to gently cup his cheeks, her lips finding his in a slow passionate kiss.

When they pull apart they stand in silence staring at one another. "There are a million words and a million different ways to say it but none of them can accurately describe how much I love you." She drops one of her hands placing it right over his heart. "I swear I know your heartbeat better than my own." her voice barely above a whisper.

They spent their night exploring one another. Both of them never experiencing anything so deliriously perfect. The passion and love was so overwhelming it left them gasping for breath. Souls intertwined.

The next morning as they are leaving his room, Draco's voice rings out "Well, well, well what do we have here?" he questions teasingly.

"Not now Malfoy" Mattheo snaps trying to lead Aurora out of Slytherin's common room.

"Good Morning Aurora" Enzo greets her, she gives him a warm smile

"Morning Enzo."

Draco tilts his head, a smirk gracing his lips. Mattheo's stomach knots in suspense. "Did you two have a good night?" he questions them with a knowing look.

Aurora shifts uncomfortably as Mattheo wraps a protective arm around her.

"Fuck off Malfoy" Pansy shouts at him earning her a glare from him.

"Oh come on. I'm just having some fun. Right Mattheo?" Draco winks at him.

"Let's go Rory" Mattheo tries to pull her away.

"It's so pathetically sad, truly." Draco looks at her with fake concern.

"What is?" she asks him, Mattheo tugging on her hand.

"Don't listen to him" he tells her but she ignores him.

"Answer me?" she demands.

It wasn't lost on her the way all his friends refused to look up from their laps.

"That you actually believe he loves you." he starts. Aurora's heart drops to the pit of her stomach, her chest aching. "I bet your precious boyfriend here that he couldn't make you fall in love with him by the end of the year. Looks like I lost the bet...I really thought you were smarter than this Rory" he teases.

She drops her hand from his slowly turning to look at Mattheo, her vision clouding as the tears fall in a steady stream.  "I was just a bet to you?" her voice barely above a whisper.

"Rory..." his voice cracking with emotion, panic exploding in his chest watching the way her eyes were losing their spark. His worst fear becoming true.