My Brother's Best Friend: A Lorenzo Berkshire Story

Chapter 8

You feel anxious as you get ready for your date. Part of you is just nervous about finally going on a date with Lorenzo. However, another part of you is still anxious over your brother's words. They ring in your head over and over, plaguing your existence. You smooth down your dress and look in the mirror, taking in your final appearance. Your cute little sundress has flowers all over it and ends just above your knee. The puffy short sleeves give it a whimsical feel while the square neckline draws attention to your chest.

You open the door and find Theo on the other side with his hand raised, presumably to knock on the door. 

"Woah," He says as he looks you up and down, "You look gorgeous." You tuck some stray hair behind your ear and thank him. He smiles at you. 

"What are you doing here?" You ask him politely. 

"I came to see if you were free to hang out, but obviously you have plans. Big date? I'm surprised I haven't heard Mattheo complaining about it." He raises his eyebrow. 

"Err no," You say nervously and spot Enzo out of the corner of your eye. His eyes widen and he casts a notice-me-not spell on himself before ducking behind the pillar. 

"Well I know it's not a girls day because your friends are all in detention... So spill your secrets, Y/N," Theo says with a chuckle. 

"Oh umm... It was supposed to be a girls day surprise. I didn't know they were in detention," You respond. That's not a complete lie - You actually didn't know your friends were in detention. You've been so caught up with Lorenzo lately that catching up with everyone has taken a backburner. You feel guilty at the realization. 

"Well then I suppose your plans have fallen through... It would be such a shame to waste such a lovely dress. Perhaps we can go for a walk and show it off?" Theo offers. 

"I don't know," You reply, trying to think of an excuse. 

"So you do have another plans?" He asks curiously. 

"No no, I'm just worried about what my brother would say," You explain to him and that's not really a lie either. You are worried about what your brother will say about you and Lorenzo. 

"Don't worry about that. I would never let your brother get in the way of us hanging out. He is not more important than you. At least not to me," Theo smiles.

You smile back at him but feel your heart sink. Those were the words you wanted Enzo to say, but you're not sure he ever will. Theo offers you his hand and you accept as he leads you out for a walk. You glance back to where Lorenzo was hiding, but he's no longer there. If he was there, maybe you could have signaled him to make an excuse and get you like he did with the project. But the space is empty, he clearly didn't care enough to even stick around. 

You find yourself enjoying Theo's company as you walk the streets of Hogsmeade together. He converses with you and treats you like an adult, your own person, not Mattheo's little sister. You sit down at one of the restaurants and enjoy a meal together before walking back towards Hogwarts. You reach the common room and you turn to face him. 

"I had fun today," You tell him truthfully. 

"I always have fun when I'm with you," He tilts his head to the side and it's an adorable sight. 

Theo is fawned over by most of the female population at Hogwarts and due to your obsession with Lorenzo, you've never noticed how attractive he is. He has beautiful eyes and you feel yourself being drawn in by them. His lips brush yours, as light as a feather. You step back, remembering Lorenzo. 

"I'm sorry, I can't..." You shake your head. 

"I'm sorry. I should have asked first," He looks at you with concern, "It won't happen again. Friends at least?" 

You nod and hug him before heading up to your dorm room. You end up spending the rest of the night and the next day catching up on homework and working ahead in class to allow yourself some extra free time next week. You try texting Enzo but he doesn't respond. You want to speak to him, but every time you see him, he's with your brother.

Monday arrives and you head to breakfast. You sit down in front of Astoria and greet her. You notice the boys are all sitting further away but Theo isn't with them. You frown. 

"Where's Theo?" You ask Astoria. 

She looks at you in surprise, "You haven't heard?" You shake your head from side to side. 

"He's in the hospital wing. Apparently he got beat up real bad," Astoria tells you. 

You drop your fork into your plate and the boys turn to you when they hear the clattering sound. You grab your bag and rush off to the hospital wing. Theo is in a bed at the end. He looks like he's in a lot of pain and you can see the black eye he's sporting as well as the bruised ribs. 

"Y/N... What are you doing here?" He asks, wincing in pain as he tries to sit up. 

"I heard you were here. Are you okay? What happened?" You ask, the concern in your voice evident. 

"I'll be fine," Theo smiles at you and winks with his good eye. 

You furrow your brows, "What happened?"

"Nothing," He answers and closes his eyes. 

"It doesn't look like nothing to me," You say with a frown. 

"Y/N, just let it go okay?" He begs you softly. 

"It was him, wasn't it? It was my brother," You ask but you don't really need the confirmation. If it wasn't him, Theo would have told you who it was right away and the other boys would be plotting revenge. 

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" You ask him angrily. 

"He's already on probation. He would get expelled. And then the rumours that would go around about you... You would hate that," He rubs your cheek tenderly. 

"You're protecting us?" You ask. 

"Of course. You're important to me. So is he, even if he doesn't realize it."

"Thank you, Theo," You say sweetly and kiss his forehead, "I hope you feel better soon." 

"Thanks gorgeous," He winks at you before grimacing in pain. 

"I'm going to speak to my brother. He can't just beat up a guy for hanging out with me," You say angrily. 

"Y/N, wait," He grabs your hand, "He thinks we slept together... I don't know why. I told him we kissed. I didn't want to lie... He didn't believe me and he thinks I'm using you. I swear I'm not. Someone told him there's some sort of bet, but there isn't. I have no idea where that came from."

You squeeze his hand in comfort. "I don't know who told him that, but I'll find out. He can't go around beating up guys based on what other people say, that's insane!" You exclaim with a sigh. You go to find Mattheo.