A Game of Cat and Mouse

S E V E N T E E N

"And just where do you think you're going?" Elio heard his mother's voice call after him just as he attempted to slip out the door unseen. He swore that woman had some charm placed on him so she would always know where he was. 

He stiffened with a grimace on his face. Great. Elio was hoping he could sneak out to be with Annie so he could spend more time with the girl without his mother harping on him. It would appear his hopes were in vain.

The sound of footsteps echoing through the grand hallway got louder and louder as Aria Nott approached. She gasped. "Are you wearing cologne? And holding flowers?"

"Yes," he said with a clenched jaw because he really didn't want to have this conversation with his mum.

"Oh, Merlin, you've showered a-and you've shaved. And you've combed your hair! Elio, you're wearing a suit. What has gotten into you?" Then, she gasped as if remembering what happened exactly one week ago. "You're going to see that girl, aren't you?"

Elio's lips thinned before he nodded. "Yes and I'm already cutting it close to being late so if you don't mind—"

"Oh, no you don't, Elio Lorenzo Nott! You are not going anywhere until you tell me and your father everything." She grabbed him by his collar and dragged him to the large living room at the end of the hall. "I was promised that I would know everything and you have told me nothing!"

"But Mummy, I'm going to be late—"

"Then you should have thought of that when you decided to ignore all of my questions this week." He scowled as she called out for his father before sitting him down on the couch. The bouquet of roses—white, just like the garden he had danced with her in—was getting more of a beating than he wanted. He gently caressed the stems and tried to smooth them out the best he could. It took forever to find one he liked. Being in the middle of winter didn't exactly make for good flowers. Most of these were buds that hadn't quite bloomed but he didn't care. He couldn't imagine not showing up to their first date without white roses and so he'd found the best one he could under the circumstances.

Theodore Nott walked into the room with a bored look on his face. "Cara mia, it's a Friday evening. Why are we interrogating our son like he's a teenager again? I think he's old enough to go out without us doing this."

Thank you, Dad, Elio wanted to say but it would only annoy his mum so he didn't. Instead, he just listened to his mother fret about the room. It was quite comical. Sometimes she could be a little bit too protective of her only child. 

"Theodore!" His mum hissed. "Your son said only last week that he wanted to marry this girl we've never met and you don't want to know anything?"

"No," his father said bluntly. Elio tried to hide his smirk but it didn't work.

"Well, I do!" She began poking his chest harshly with his finger, which just made his father's arrogant grin match his own. "Tell me everything."

Elio frowned as he stared at the clock on the wall but he conceded. "Well, her name is Annie—"

"Annie what?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask her."

His mother groaned. "Alright. How old is she?"

"I don't know."

"Did you ask her anything about herself?" His mother's sharp eyes felt like they were piercing him while his father's gaze was unreadably stoic. 

Elio groaned and looked back at the clock. He was now over twenty minutes late, which was starting to physically pain him. The idea of Annie thinking that he stood her up was unbearable but if he didn't satisfy his mother's many questions, he wouldn't be going at all. And it may be dramatic but he would rather die than go another night without seeing Annie. Did she need a roommate? Because he was more than happy to move in.