slytherin boys react

lorenzo berkshire: realizing they might like you

you were in the slytherin common room, talking to him. he had gone too far after ruining your clothes with a prank, but he replaced them with new expensive ones. now, people are asking who gave them to you.

"do you think they suspect it was me who gave you the clothes?" he asks.

"they know you despise me, so probably not," you shrug.

"i don't despise you..." he says, slipping up.

you look at him, surprised. "you don't despise me?"

his face heats up, a bit of pink creeping into his cheeks. "well, not fully despise. only partially," he quickly adds. he then stays silent as he looks at you, you looked so pretty. he couldn't help but notice how pretty you were... and just how you managed to make everything simple look beautiful.

"hm..." you say, looking at him.

he feels a mix of annoyance and confusion. lately, he finds himself thinking about you more than he cares to admit. it's maddening.

"even if i don't despise you at times, it doesn't mean anything," he mutters, unsure of what to say next. truthfully, he doesn't understand why he feels this way about you.

"i'd rather you not despise me at all," you say.

"well, too bad. that's something you'll have to deal with," he replies, his tone slightly playful, a smirk on his face.

"hey-" you start, but he speaks at the same time, so you pause. "nothing, you go first." you say.

"ah well... i was just going to say that..." he trails off, deciding not to say anything that might make you tease him.

"what is it?" you ask, rolling your eyes.

"you're just gonna make fun of me if i say it..." he sighs, looking away. he curses himself for caring so much about your opinion.

"probably, but still. what were you gonna say?" you insist.

"can you not tease me, just this once?" he says.

"fine..." you say.

"you promise?" he says.

"just say it." you say.

"alright, alright..." he smirks. "i was going to say that i... don't dislike you as much as i make it seem," he admits, his cheeks heating up.

you give him a small smile. "that's... nice to hear. when will you stop disliking me completely?" you chuckle.

it's unsettling, how much he likes seeing you smile at him, even if it's just to tease. "you think i'll stop disliking you completely?" he tries to keep a smirk, but his cheeks are pink.

"maybe. maybe you'll even like me," you tease.

he stays silent, his cheeks heating up even more. the thought of liking you, really liking you, terrifies him. but it's also a thought he can't entirely dismiss. "yeah right... that's definitely not going to happen," he says, his straight face faltering. despite his words, he can't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, he's already starting to like you more than he cares to admit.