Tom Riddle - Downfall

Chapter 71: New relationships

The next morning, I wake up in his arms, as it should always be. I slowly open my eyes, but I'm so incredibly tired. I sit up and slowly crawl out of bed. I pick up my things, get dressed, and leave Tom's dorm without waking him. I sneak into my own dorm, but to my surprise, someone is also lying in Kim's bed. It's Nicolas. I can't help grinning, but I don't want to wake them either. But Kim has already noticed me. Nicolas is asleep, but now that I've seen them next to each other, I realize just how much they make a good couple. They looked so cute together as they curled up next to each other, and this sight brought a smile to my face. I notice Kim looking at me, and when she realizes that I've seen her with Nicolas, she begins to blush. She covers her face with her hands, obviously embarrassed, but I can't help but smile at this playful sight in front of me. I wave Kim over to me and whisper to her. "Did you... sleep together?"
"Y-yes, we did." Kim whispers shyly as she buries her face back into her hands. The sight of her with Nicolas is endearing to me, and I can tell that she is still feeling embarrassed by the way she's acting. Her blush is a dead giveaway.
"Don't be embarrassed, how was it?"
"It was...really good." She says cautiously, but her tone hints at just how much she actually enjoyed it. That being said, she's still feeling a bit shy about the situation as a whole, which I take as a sign that her feelings for Nicolas are very real.

"Nicolas is...really sweet and attentive to me. I've not felt this way about someone in a while. I really want this to work out between us, since he is really good to me and we are getting along so well together."
"Are you together now?"
"Nicolas asked me to be his girlfriend last night, and I said yes. I know this is all sudden, and it's only been one night, but I can honestly say that I've never had feelings this quickly for someone else. I really like what we have so far, and I want to keep it going." I immediately hug her and beam."Oh my god, I'm so happy for you." Kim looks at me and wonders where I slept last night.
She hugs me back and giggles softly, as she's still feeling giddy from her new relationship. But she also notices the tired look on my face and knows that I'm hiding something from her. She looks at me for a few moments and then raises an eye brow as she asks, "So where did you sleep last night then?"
"Ehm, something unexpected has happened," I say, laughing softly, as Nicolas is still asleep. Kim's eyes widen as she waits for me to continue. She can tell that this will definitely be an interesting conversation, but she's also intrigued by the lack of details that I'm giving. She asks, "Something unexpected has happened? Like what?"
"Enzo was my date but..I haven't slept at his," I say while covering my mouth, and Kim notices I'm wearing my ring again and begins to put everything together at once. She's a little surprised by this turn of events, but I can't help but smile for my satisfaction. She raises her shoulders and nods as she replies, "You're back with Tom...I'm guessing?"
"Kind of. We're taking it slow, but yeah... I was there. He left Valerie at the ball for me," I say a little gloatingly. Kim laughs and shakes her head, finding it pretty amusing how jealous I sound every time I say her name. She finds this whole situation quite entertaining and can't help but feel relieved that my relationship with Tom is going well. She nods and smiles warmly at me. "Well, I should have seen this coming. I know how much you love him, and I was sure that it'd take just one conversation for him to have you around his finger again."
"Or that I wrap him around my finger again," I say teasingly but also laughing. "It was wonderful...I still love him so much."
Kim smiles as she realizes how serious my feelings actually are towards Tom, even if I'm being a little playful about it right now. She nods and says, "I get it. I know exactly how you feel, and I'm extremely happy for you that you're back together. You two belong together, and I'm sure Tom feels the same way about you too."

I nod, and in that moment, Nicolas wakes up Nicolas: "Oh hey Lucia..." he says, touched and scratches his head. "Hey Nicolas, " I laugh. "Had a good night?" I say teasingly.
Nicolas blushes as an amused smile appears on his face. He scratches his head again as he tries to come up with a response. He chuckles slightly and says, "I can't complain. I spent the night with a pretty girl... and I got to wake up next to her as well. What more can I ask for?" I look at Kim and say with a laugh."I know why you like him. I'll see you guys later. I'm going to take a shower now, "
Kim looks between me and Nicolas, taking everything in that just happened.
As I leave, she smiles and nods. She shouts a quick "Have fun!" As I walk out the door. Nicolas also smiles as he watches me leave as well. I hear him say to Kim as soon as I'm gone. "Oh please...I'm the lucky one right now, trust me."

Later that day, Kim, Nicolas, and I are sitting in the common room. We're chatting and studying a bit, and I'm secretly waiting for Tom to come over, but he's somehow taking his time. Suddenly Valerie comes up to me, pushes me and almost yells at me
Valerie: "There you are, you bitch. How dare you take Tom away from me yesterday?"
"What do you want from me? I didn't take him away from you, he was never yours" Valerie gets even angrier now and almost snaps. Tom finally walkes up to the three of us, and when he sees Valerie lashing out at me like this, he suddenly steps in to defend me. He grabs Valerie by the shoulder and stops her from talking to me and he says forcefully "Back off. Now!" Tom standing up for me makes me proud and Valerie's anger is suddenly directed at both of us.
Tom stares Valerie down, not letting her get away with this behavior anymore. He is not going to let her attack me, and he isn't afraid to get in between us. Tom is trying to keep his calm as he stares right into Valerie's eyes and he speaks clearly "I'm going to give you one warning. If you say another word to her right now, I will make you regret it. Is that clear?"
Valerie snorts with rage and stomps off.

Tom turns to me and hugs me "Thank you, Tom" He holds me close for a few moments before he lets go. He nods at me and says "Of course. No one gets to talk to you like that. If anyone ever does that again, you let me know. I'll handle them myself. I won't let anyone mistreat you like that, okay?" Kim grins at us as we continue to hug, but then Enzo comes over to us.
Enzo: "Is that true? Is he the reason you left yesterday?"
"Can we talk in private for a minute, Enzo?"
I say to him with a calm voice. Tom's eyebrows raise when he sees Enzo suddenly come over to me and he looks at my facial expression, which seems to be telling that I want to have a private conversation with Enzo. So, he nods his head and says "Go ahead. I'll be waiting right here. I have to study anyways." I nod and Enzo step aside for a moment "Listen Enzo, I'm sorry I went off like that yesterday, I just... I don't feel the same way about you" Enzo puts on a brave face and shakes his head slowly as I tell him this. He nods as he processes my words and he says "I understand that. I was hoping for a different answer...but I'll live. After all, if I was able to have you yesterday, even for just a few hours, then that's a good thing in itself. That's all I could have asked for." He smiles at me sadly and shakes his head. He's heartbroken, but he's also being very respectful of me.
"And I'm sorry but Tom and I...this...isn't over..." Now Enzo looks even more heartbroken, as he realizes that Tom is the main reason we can't be together and that Tom has managed to steal my heart away. He shakes his head as he replies "I know you two aren't over. I saw the ring and I can put two and two together. Don't worry, I was smart enough to understand that from the start."
"I'm sorry..." Enzo nods and goes back to the rest of Tom's boys.

When Enzo walks away, I feel somewhat upset by everything that just happened. I don't want to hurt him like this, but I'm not going to end things with Tom over it. In fact, when I turn around, I see Tom standing there in his place, waiting for me. He smiles warmly at me and speaks softly "Is everything okay? With Enzo?"
"He's not happy, but I think he accepts it" I lean against Tom and we spend the rest of the day with Nicolas and Kim. Tom wraps his arm around me and lets me lean onto him. I spend the time with Nicolas and Kim, but I can't help but think about my new relationship with Tom. I look towards him every once in a while, and his smiles and affection make my heart rate speed up. At this point, I'm getting excited for my future with him. Tom wraps his arm around me and pulls me a little closer to him as I finish talking. He smiles warmly at me and nods, his arm holding me close to him.

The four of us decide to talk and hangout the rest of the day. I'm feeling happy and contented, but also a little nervous on the inside. After all, today has been full of many unexpected moments for me, especially with everything that happened with Enzo. I love being with Tom, but I also feel bad for Enzo and for what happened to him. Tom is relieved that Enzo wasn't completely devastated by what happened between us now. He smiles at me softly and nods his head, then he wraps his arms around me and kisses me softly. He then leans in closely to me afterwards and whispers gently "So, I take it you told him you're back with me now?" Tom smiles reassuringly at me and places his hand on my waist, just wanting me to feel safe and comfortable while I'm with him. He's glad that I had the chance to talk to Enzo, and that his reaction wasn't too bad even though he wasn't very happy about my situation. He's just happy to be with me, and he leans his head onto mine for my comfort as well, and it seems like a very peaceful and content day. It's actually a very relaxing day and Tom is glad that it went smoothly like this.