Make me Hate You - Matteo Riddle

Chapter 21 - Faize Longtrotter

In the serene atmosphere of the common room, Aurora diligently tackled her homework while Matteo immersed himself in a book, stealing occasional glances her way. She enjoyed this, just the two of them reading in silence.
Their quiet study session was abruptly interrupted by Tyler's entrance, his presence immediately drawing their attention. Tyler settled into a large chair opposite them, his eyes lingering on Aurora and Matteo. After a moment of silence, he broke it with a casual remark, his tone tinged with amusement,

"You two have gotten close, huh?"

Aurora felt a faint blush colour her cheeks at Tyler's observation, while Matteo, still engrossed in his reading, responded with a nonchalant agreement. "Yes, we have."

Tyler's chuckle filled the room, prompting Aurora to redirect the conversation away from herself: "Tyler, do you have any idea where Ashley is?" she inquired, concern evident in her voice.

Tyler's smirk was unmistakable as he leaned back in his chair. "That's funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing about Faize," he admitted, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Aurora's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation. "You mean to tell me, both of them have been missing together for a whole day?" she exclaimed incredulously.

Tyler nodded knowingly, his smirk widening. "Faize is probably not letting her go. You spend 10 years of your life in love with a girl; that has to be hard when you're finally able to express that," he explained, a hint of sympathy in his voice.

Matteo interjected with a smirk of his own, his comment laced with sarcasm, "Yeah, I'm sure the only person experiencing something really hard is Ashley. Though, if anyone can handle it, it's her. She's got experience upon experience with things that are hard," he quipped, earning a playful punch in the shoulder from Aurora.

In the dimly lit common room, Aurora sat alone, her eyes fixed on the fire as she waited anxiously for her friend's return. The atmosphere was heavy with silence, punctuated only by the occasional crackle of the fireplace. Aurora's thoughts swirled with worry, her concern growing with each passing minute. She had not seen Ashley for a long time, she even skipped dinner.

Suddenly, the quiet was shattered by the creaking of the common room door, drawing Aurora's attention. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched Ashley enter, hand in hand with Faize, their laughter echoing through the room. However, the joyous atmosphere quickly dissipated as Ashley's eyes met Aurora's, her expression freezing in place. Aurora couldn't help but notice the disheveled appearance of her friend—tangled hair, rumpled clothes, and a flushed complexion—all telltale signs of what she and Faize had been up to for nearly two days. Despite her shock, Aurora cleared her throat, steeling herself to address the situation that lay before her.

They all looked at each other, silence filling the common room, and tension hung heavy in the air as Aurora confronted Ashley and Faize upon their return. With crossed arms and a disappointed expression, Aurora addressed them like a parent would, her tone tinged with sarcasm,

"So, you two are finally back," Aurora remarked, her voice cutting through the silence. Ashley averted her gaze, offering a hesitant response. "Yeah..." she mumbled, unable to meet Aurora's eyes. Faize remained silent, a familiar stance for him in moments of tension.

Aurora adopted a maternal stance, her arms crossed firmly over her chest, as she continued in a mockingly scolding tone, "Your father and I have been so worried. You leave us no note, no call, no text. We were about to contact the police," she chided, a hint of amusement underlying her words.

Faize couldn't help but chuckle at the playful reprimand, while Ashley rolled her eyes in response.

"Okay, sorry, MOM," Ashley retorted with a hint of sarcasm, "We just got busy, I'm sure you can understand. You've been in this situation before."