Unbranded- Theo Nott Love Story

XXVIII: Dolor

Addison laid in bed as she looked up at the top of her bedpost. Her head ran wild with thoughts of Theo in her bed, pressed on top of her as he kissed her. Or was she on top of him? Where they both on their sides facing each other? What story did he tell her about the stars? How did they lay? Did she reek of Fire whiskey and weed when they kissed?

Her brain wouldn't stop, and by the time Daphne, Millicent, and Pansy woke for the morning, she realized she had barely slept through the night.

They showered and got ready but she refused to move. She waited until they went down to the common room to even lift her head from her pillow.

She showered and dressed, but the warm water and cold clothes did nothing to wake her or soothe her rampant brain. Instead of drying her hair, she braided it back out of her face and let it fall down her back. The foggy mirror showed her the purple bags under her dull eyes and the rawness of her lips from her vicious picking of them throughout the night.

She left the bathroom to grab her robe, wand, and bag, then left to seek out her friends in the common room.

She must've taken longer than she thought as the common room was empty, save for Theo who leaned against the railing of the girls' stairs. His hands were shoved in his pockets as his head bowed to show his mop of curls musing around his forehead and temples. She caught the edge of his mouth where his bottom lip swelled around a split. As she walked down, he lifted his head to show off the bruise around the outside of his left eye.

He pushed off the railing to turn toward her as she stepped off the last stair to join him. Her head ticked up as she gently brushed her fingers along the purple under his bottom lip.

"You look like shit."

His lips curled as he turned his face into her palm. "Flattery in its finest form."

She dropped her hand to fold her arms over her chest. "Theo," she started quietly. His smile dropped as he looked at her dimly. "I've... I've been playing New Year's night over in my head again and again and all I have is the start of our night together."

He turned and pulled a hand from his pocket to run his fingers back through his hair. "I knew you wouldn't remember." He walked away from her as he headed toward the door to the common room.

She trailed behind him slowly. "You knew before or after the kiss?"

"I don't know," he answered, then said, "after. Before. I don't know."

"That doesn't answer anything, Theo."

He stood abruptly to face her again. "I didn't want to be in your bed, Adds. I knew how you were. I knew you were drunk. You were kissing me in the common room. I knew if I laid beside you, if we were close..." his eyes dropped to her mouth and stuck there. "Temptation runs wild in the heat of the night, and you looked so beautiful. I was a goner... long before we went into your bedroom."

She rubbed her raw lips together. "I just... I need to know how it happened," she asked quietly. "I need to put some-some images to the thought because what I have going on up here-" she twirled her fingers near her temple. "I can't sleep. I can't sleep knowing that something happened between us and I have no recollection of it."

His gaze followed her fingers as they fell back to her side. "Do you think Blaise is right?" He asked solemnly. "Do you think I did something more than kiss you?"

She shook her head. "No, Theo. No. I just want to know what my first kiss was like." She stepped toward him and grabbed his hand loosely from his side. "You get to remember it. You know every detail of it and I-I woke up with the scent of you on my pillow and didn't understand why."