Tom Riddle - Downfall

Chapter 15: Morning walks

The next morning, I slowly woke up. I'm quite confused as I realise that I'm lying on the couch in the middle of the common room. It must be early in the morning since nobody is there..wait.. nobody is here. I remember Tom sitting next to me yesterday. Did we both fall asleep? But where is he then? He must have left.
I can't seem to spot him anywhere now. The common room is now completely empty, except for me. I suddenly feel a sense of panic and confusion, as I start wondering where he could have gone after we two fell asleep together last night. I'm sure that he would've stayed here with me, given how tired we both were and how neither of us wanted to move...

I stand up and slowly walk into my dorm. It's still dark outside but I can't sleep anymore, so maybe I should take on some clothes and go for an early walk outside.
As I walk back into my dorm room, I slowly get ready and start to prepare myself for an early morning walk outside. I feel wide awake now, and I can't just stay still inside the room anymore. It's dark outside, and I'm feeling a bit restless, so I really decide to go outside for some fresh air to help clear my head. I put on my coat and scarf and walk outside to begin my early morning walk.
While I think about what happened yesterday I walk under the trees and breathe fresh morning air. I'm feeling a bit more awake now with the fresh air, and I'm starting to process all the different events of yesterday. It's almost as if the fresh air is helping to clear my head, and I'm growing more calm as I simply walk and think.

While I'm walking outside, I notice someone leaning on a railing, and I come closer as I get a better view of him. He turns around to face me, and I see that it's Tom. His bright green eyes instantly catch my attention as I realize that he's here in front of me. He looks like he's been up for quite some time, and he's just enjoying the morning air. He's gazing at me curiously with a soft smile on his face, almost like he's waiting for me to speak.
"Hey, Tom." I look at him and trie to smile a bit. Tom smiles at me as well, although I can see that there's a bit of a hint of nervousness in his expression as well. He's slightly surprised by my sudden appearance, but he instantly regains his composure as he replies softly to me.
"Oh, hello... I thought I might see you here since it's so early now... You couldn't manage to fall asleep again?"
"Not really.." I lean against the railing too beside him."Want some company, or should I leave you alone?"
"Oh no... I, I don't mind having you here for company... I was just... thinking about a lot of things..." Tom looks at me softly as he speaks, and I can tell that he's trying to relax and clear his mind of a lot of things that have occurred recently.
"Did you get much sleep last night...?" Tom suddenly asks curiously, his green eyes studying every detail of my face.
"Hm. I don't know..why." I pause for a moment."I remember that you were there too yesterday, but when I woke up this morning, you left."

Tom's eyes flicker slightly once I mention that I woke up and noticed him missing in the common room. He seems to be slightly relieved when I don't specifically question him about it or demand to know where he was all morning.
"Ah... I..." He pauses for a moment, not sure how to word his explanation. He hesitates but then decides to just tell me the truth, as he's feeling quite comfortable and relaxed around me now.
"I woke up early and went outside... I didn't want to... disturb you..."
I nod. "Yeah, it's still pretty early. But I like this. It's peaceful. "
"Yes, it's... very peaceful early in the morning... and... I, I just really wanted some time to clear my thoughts..." Tom replies softly, feeling much more relieved as he realizes that I'm not mad at him for leaving me, and I'm not demanding any explanation.
"I also like it when it's early and quiet... it feels nice." Tom smiles at me now, a genuine and soft smile that seems to indicate that he's feeling comfortable around me right now.
"I will let you clear your thoughts.." I turn around and start walking away."See you later in class. " I turn around and wave shortly. Tom chuckles softly and waves back at me gently before he returns to his silent contemplation. He's still feeling some awkwardness and embarrassment from last night's events, but he's feeling glad that I'm giving him some space to process..

As I walk back into my dorm room, I notice Kim sitting on my bed and looking at me suspiciously. She seems to have been waiting for me to come back, and her curiosity seems to be growing now. She watches as I walk into your dorm room, and she stands up immediately to approach me.
"Where were you all morning?" She asks curiously, noticing the way I'm acting now. She's staring at me intensely, clearly wondering what happened while I was gone.
"I went for a walk?" I raise my eyebrow at her while taking slowly off my scarf and my jacket. Kim raises an eyebrow at me as well, but she can tell from my tone that I'm being a bit evasive with her answer. She doesn't seem to believe I just went for a simple walk.
"A walk... really?" She asks, with just a hint of skepticism coming through in her tone.
"I fell asleep on the couch in the common room last night and.. this morning I went for fresh air..also.." I start smiling for a moment. "I met Tom outside."
Kim's face instantly lights up at the mention of Tom's name, and she's instantly intrigued by this information.
"You met Tom outside?" She asks curiously, unable to hide her smile now that she realizes I talked to Tom this morning.
"Yeah, honestly, he fell asleep in the common room too yesterday.."
Kim's whole face lights up even more at the information that he fell asleep in the common room as well, which indicates that him and I probably ended up falling sleeping next to each other accidentally. Her cheeks blush slightly now as she's imagining a romantic scene of me and him asleep together.
"Oh... really?" She asks, trying to keep her composure. However, her smile is still wide now as she seems to be really enjoying this update about me and Tom. She's waiting for me to tell her more info about it.