Tom Riddle - Downfall

Chapter 35: Answers

The next day. I'm waking up, and I'm walking to the great hall, getting breakfast with Kim. I'm a bit nervous because I'm nervous to see Tom. He wanted an answer today. Even if I knew the answer immediately, I'm nervous to tell him. Kim is looking over at me as I eat breakfast together in the Great Hall, and she speaks to me with a little smile on her face.
Kim: "So... have you decided what you're going to tell him yet?"
She seems to be eager to know what my decision is now that it's the next day already, and I know that Tom wanted an answer from me today.
"Yes, I will go with him. Obviously. He is so different from everyone I know. He is just so charming and the way he asked me. The dress... he's just... special. " Then I think for a moment, look over to Sebastian."And he is sometimes a jealous psycho. " I start laughing and Kim too.
Kim: "You're right. He is super charming and different. Plus, I know you both have a little something going on. "
She giggles along with me when I point out how jealous Tom can be sometimes, and we both agree that Tom is a total psycho when it comes to stuff like this.
In any case, it seems like I already know what I'm going to tell Tom when I see him later in the day, and I'm sure he will be happy to hear my answer.
"I just don't know if it's a real date for him or if we are going as friends, you know," I wonder and stare at my food.
Kim: "Well, the way he put it in the letter... 'I wanted to ask you, if you want to be my date' ... definitely seems more than just friends to me, I think."
She speaks to me with a confident smile as I wonder about the intent of Tom wanting to take me to the Slughorn Ball. In any case, she seems to think that it's definitely a romantic occasion that Tom is looking to spend time with me at the ball. I'm not sure about this.
"Maybe I haven't seen him today. So, he doesn't know my answer. " I look around in the great hall, Maybe he's not eating breakfast today.

Just as I'm about to finish up my breakfast, I see Tom walking into the Great Hall with a calm, confident expression on his face. He's already wearing his school uniform now, and it looks like he was just heading off to his classes for the day.
Tom: "Hello, Lucia. Good morning."
He walks up to the both of us, and he smiles at me as he speaks to me now.
"Hey Tom, didn't you eat anything?" I say while I stand up from the table and walk a few steps beside so that we can talk in private.
"No, not yet. So, I wanted to ask you about yesterday when I came over and gave you that package. Have you, uh... got an answer for me already?"
He looks at me a bit eagerly now and seems to hope that I already have an answer for him about the Slughorn Ball date.
"I.." I smile at him, looking down."Yes, I would love to go with you.."
I see a small smile appear on Tom's lips again as I tell him my answer. He speaks to me in a very calm voice, and he seems genuinely happy to hear my response now.
Tom: "I'm so glad to hear that... I was hoping that you would accept. Well, you will look absolutely stunning in that dress that I sent you."
He speaks to me while smiling once again, and his voice is a little bit more gentle and kind than usual. Perhaps his kindness from yesterday didn't just come from a place of manipulation in the end.
"Yes, it's really beautiful. Thank you for that. " I pause and think for a moment."I have one question, though.."
Tom: "Oh? What's your question?"
He speaks to me curiously. Tom continues to smile at me, and I notice that his eyes look a little bit more gentle right now, almost like he's excited to hear whatever my question might be.
"Why me?"

Tom's face and his expression change slightly right now.
Tom: "Do you mean why I asked you in particular?"
He speaks to me in a polite and almost nervous tone of voice, and I can tell he wasn't expecting me to ask a question like this right after I gave him my answer to the Slughorn Ball date.
"Yes?" I try to find out if we are just going as friends or if it's a date for him and why he chose me."I'm sure any girl would love to go to Slughorns ball. "
Tom is silent for a moment, and he seems to be carefully thinking about how he should respond to me right now. He looks over at me, and his expression is thoughtful.
Tom: "Well, if I'm being honest with you, there's two main reasons why you are the girl that I asked out to the Slughorn Ball. I think..."
He seems to be a little bit hesitant to speak right now.
"And what are these reasons?" I ask him nervously, not looking into his eyes.
Tom looks over at me, and he speaks to me in a gentle, soft voice.
Tom: "Well... the first reason why I asked you out to Slughorn's ball is that... well, the feeling I get when I'm around you, when I talk to you, I just feel like..." He pauses for a moment and then continues. "... this might sound a bit weird, but... I feel like we have a connection of sorts."
I see a small blush on his face as he speaks to me right now.
"It's not weird.. we have a connection. What's the second reason?"
Tom: "Well, the second reason why I asked you out to Slughorn's ball is that... I have never met a girl quite like you before."
He looks at me fondly for a moment, and again, I see a small blush on his face as he is speaking to me now.

I start blushing, too, and he is really always finding the right words. But my real question is... "Tom, I want to know if this is.." I pause for a moment again
Tom seems to notice my blush and the way that I hesitate to finish my sentence, but he remains patiently waiting for me to continue and ask him my question.
Tom: "Go ahead, ask it..." He speaks to me calmly, and his voice is a bit softer now as he waits for me to continue and ask my real question.
"Is this a date, or are we going as friends?" I ask him directly now, looking into his eyes. My heart is racing, I don't know what I wish him to answer.
Tom remains calm when I ask him about this, and I see a small smile appear on his face as he speaks to me with kindness and honesty once again.
Tom: "Maybe both? There's... not a lot of girls that I feel that way about. I was hoping that you'd say yes for a reason."
He pauses for a moment, and he speaks to me again while looking into my eyes as well.
Tom: "But, to answer your question directly, yes, it is a date."
I start smiling. "Okay, good to know." I smirk at him and look into his eyes. He's staring right into mine with this look, like the night we kissed. I have to interrupt this situation because we are standing in the great hall with hundreds of other students.

"So, see you later, Tom,"
I see the blush on Tom's face deepen a little bit when I smile at him, and he looks at me with a warm and cheerful smile of his own. Still, he nods in response to my words, and then he speaks to me in his normal, calm tone of voice now.
Tom: "Of course... see you later, Lucia. It'll be fun..." He seems a bit excited in his voice now, almost as if he's looking forward to going to the Slughorn Ball with me after my positive response to his invitation.

As we continue to stare at each other with intensity, I start to feel the glances of other students now. I see Kim staring at both of us now, too, and she looks at me with a curious expression on her face as she watches the two of us interact now.
Tom: "Yup, see you later. See you later, Lucia."
He speaks to me softly as he steps away from me and walks out of the Great Hall, while Kim and I also step out of the hall shortly afterward.
Tom stares back at me with a small smile, and when I suddenly suggest leaving, I see his expression become a little nervous and surprised for a moment. But he quickly adapts, and he smiles back at me again, nodding to me while speaking in a friendly tone of voice.