DESTINY - Matteo Riddle

Part 31

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Last night was amazing.

Everything went amazing.

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Starlight made her way up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, the sound of her footsteps echoing loudly in the quiet corridor. She stopped in front of Matteo's door, hesitating for a moment before raising her hand and knocking.

After a few moments, the door opened, revealing Matteo on the other side. He looked surprised to see her, his eyes scanning her up and down. 

"Star...you..." he started, but trailed off, his eyes stuck on the form-fitting black dress.

Starlight couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. "Surprised?" She teased, her eyes shining with amusement. 

Matteo shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "You look...you look...amazing— breathtaking." He stumbled over his words, still taken aback by her appearance.

Starlight smirked at his reaction, clearly enjoying the effect she was having on him. "You like it?" She asked, doing a small twirl to give him a better view of the dress. 

Matteo couldn't take his eyes off her, his gaze roaming over the curves of her body hugged by the fabric. "Like it?" He echoed, his voice hoarse. "I more than like it."

Starlight looked at Matteo's awestruck expression for a moment, amusement dancing in her eyes. Then, she reached into her pocket and took out a black blindfold. 

"Come here," she said, gesturing for him to bend down so she could put it on over his eyes. "I need you to wear this for a bit."

Matteo looked at her, a mixture of surprise and intrigue on his face, but he bent down, allowing her to tie the blindfold securely over his eyes. Once it was on, he straightened up, his sight now completely blocked. 

"How do I look?" He asked, his voice laced with humour.

Starlight laughed, her voice filled with amusement. "You look hilarious!  But, you also look pretty helpless right now," teased, and then softened her tone.

She reached out and took hold of his arm, carefully guiding him out of the room. "Just trust me and follow my lead."

Matteo allowed her to lead him out of the room, his free hand blindly groping for a wall to steady himself. The sound of the party grew louder the closer they got to the common room. 

"Okay, we're almost there," Starlight said, her voice a reassuring presence in the darkness of his vision. "Just a few more steps."

As Starlight and Matteo entered the common room, the voices of everyone gathered fell silent.

Matteo, unable to see with the blindfold on, shifted awkwardly, clearly realizing that something was up. 

"Surprise!" Came the collective shout, as the room erupted into applause and cheers.

Matteo jumped at the sudden noise, taken aback by the unexpected eruption of voices. Starlight giggled, enjoying his reaction, and tugged his arm to guide him further into the room. 

The common room was decorated with streamers and balloons, the banner hung up earlier now spelling out "Happy birthday!".

Starlight guided Matteo over to where the table was set up, with the birthday cake in the center. She paused for a moment behind him, and then carefully untied the blindfold, allowing it to fall away.