The Project

𝐒𝐢𝐱

6.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞

"𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗘"

𖥸

♪ 𝙴𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚝 - 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝙰𝚝𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌 ♪

"Hangovers are a bitch," Pansy groaned from where she lay on the grass next to her.

The Black Lake stretched out in front of them, a vast expanse of dark water that cast a cool breeze onto the shore. Sunlight spilled down from above, warming them where they lay on the grass by the waterfront.

It was a day off, so people milled about everywhere. A few people on broomsticks zoomed by far overhead, and lots of people were visiting the lake. Even the bravest dared to get into the frigid waters, laughing to one another as they swam. Owls occasionally flew by, carrying letters to families or just stretching their wings. She wondered if Tate, her barn owl, would join them by the water.

Alina sat next to Pansy and Draco, who were both lying down and bitching about hangovers. She was glad she hadn't drank that much.

Further away, on her left, Theo sat next to Blaise. Daphne had stayed in, opting to sleep rather than visit the lake with them. Enzo had stayed in, too, to catch up on school work.

It pretty much left her and Theo as the only two by the lake who weren't hungover.

Why hadn't he drank at the party? Daphne was with him, and she had. Did he just not want to? Why did it matter to her?

It didn't, she told herself.

Still, she couldn't help but glance over at him, and when she did, he was looking at her. He didn't react when she caught him staring, instead he kept his disinterested expression for a moment. Then, his gaze slid slowly to the water and then back to her. He inclined his head, a silent invitation.

She raised a brow at him. Why would she want to get into the water with him?

He merely stared at her, waiting for her response.

She sighed, her gaze flicking to her friends. They definitely wouldn't want to get in, so finally she conceded. "Fine."

He didn't even bother responding, he merely turned back towards the water with a hint of a satisfied smirk before he started unbuttoning his shirt. Alina turned away and took her own off. She'd worn her swimsuit underneath, just in case. Once she'd stripped off her shorts, too, she pulled up her hair and turned to him.

He was shirtless, with his pants rolled up his calves. His arms were crossed as he waited for her.

"You didn't bring a swimsuit?" she mused, turning away instead of giving him the satisfaction of looking him over.

He scoffed at her words, carelessly shrugging. "I didn't know if I was going to go in. Plus, I don't care if my pants get wet. There are spells to dry them, unless you've forgotten?"

"Oh, please, like I'd forget that."

He only smirked at her response and let her lead the way down to the edge of the lake.

When the cold water brushed against her feet, she drew in a sharp breath that sounded more like a hiss, causing Theo to chuckle. She glared at him over her shoulder. He just stood with his arms still crossed, looking completely unaffected by the cold, even as the water went up to their ankles.

"Troppo freddo?" he remarked, raising a brow at her.

She didn't turn to him, just kept wading deeper into the frigid water. "I don't speak Italian," she replied, annoyed.

"No? Maybe you should learn."

She heard him following her into the water, and when she was knee deep in it, she glanced over her shoulder. He was just a few steps away from being next to her, and- damn him- the water reached just below his knees. He noticed her gaze, and she swore she saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. She wanted to shove him into the water.

Once she was up to her waist, she paused, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. It was cold.

"How the fuck is the water so cold when it's so hot out," she muttered to herself.

To which, of course he'd heard, he responded with a simple, "It's called science, 'Lina."

She turned around and splashed him.

He only chuckled at the water now running down his chest, and that annoyed her even more.

Alina rolled her eyes and turned back around, wading in until the water was past her stomach but below her chest. She turned around to make a smart ass comment to try and piss him off, when she felt his hands wrap around her waist and lift her.

"Theo!" she yelped as he half lifted, half dragged them deeper into the water. "Put me the fuck down right n-"

Her words were cut off when he tossed her into the deeper area of the water. When she surfaced, she swore she was going to strangle that dense motherfucker.

"Get the fuck back here, you asshole!" she yelled at him. He stood a few feet away, laughing at her. She practically tackled him into the water, and they both went under this time.

When they surfaced again, he was laughing, laughing like it was the funniest thing he'd ever done. Even when he was drenched, his wet hair dripping down his face, much like hers. That bitch, throwing her in when she'd been planning to keep her hair dry. She shoved him again on his shoulder, which did nothing to stop his laughter. When she did it again, he caught her wrist and raised a brow at her. His skin was warm despite the cold water clinging to it, and she finally let her gaze trail over him, over his shirtless torso.

And when her gaze slid back up to meet his eyes, he was just staring at her with a slightly raised brow. His mouth was shut, but she could see his tongue push against the inside of his cheek like he was considering something. At that, she wrenched her arm out of his grasp, cursing herself for not doing it sooner. He just kept watching her, like he was trying to figure something out, to figure her out.

"Fuck off, Nott," she added for good measure, turning around to make her way back to the shore, her wet hair dripping down her back.

He finally chuckled at that, and she flipped him off as she was walking away from him.