Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
── .✦ IT'S MORNING in the great hall. the long tables are packed with students grabbing breakfast before classes. the sunlight filters through the high windows, casting golden beams across the room. the slytherin table is bustling with chatter, except for one group at the far end.
you sit with your friends, pansy on your left and blaise on your right, barely listening to the conversation happening around you. your spoon stirs absently through your porridge as you glance across the table, where theodore sits a few seats down, completely oblivious to the fact that you're currently furious with him.
he missed your date last night. you'd waited in the common room for hours, hoping he'd come through the portrait hole with an apologetic smile and an excuse for being late. but he never showed up. no owl, no note, nothing.
you'd gone to bed feeling angry and hurt, and today you're determined to make him feel just a fraction of what you felt. yet, even as you sit there, ignoring him pointedly, there's a small part of you that feels guilty. maybe he had a good reason? maybe something came up? but that doesn't excuse the fact that he didn't reach out at all.
i shouldn't feel guilty about this. he messed up. he should be the one feeling bad, not me. but what if... no. stop it. don't cave. let him suffer for once. you push the thoughts aside, hardening your resolve, and pick up your goblet of pumpkin juice, taking a slow sip as you ignore theodore's increasingly frequent glances in your direction.
theodore, sitting a few seats away, finally seems to notice something's off. his brow furrows, and he leans forward, trying to catch your eye. he gives you a small wave, one of those lazy, half hearted ones he usually does when he's trying to be cute.
you don't respond.
he tries again, this time with a wink.
nothing.
now, theodore's frown deepens. he looks around, clearly confused as to why you're ignoring him. he picks up a piece of toast, nibbling on it absently while shooting you glances. blaise, who has been watching this unfold, leans back in his seat with a grin, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
pansy catches on and gives you a sly smile as she leans in closer, her voice low and teasing. "looks like someone's in trouble." blaise chuckles, shaking his head. "i haven't seen him this confused since that time we convinced him that draco was secretly plotting his demise."
you roll your eyes but keep your gaze firmly locked on your plate. the more you ignore him, the more you feel theodore's growing frustration. you can practically feel his gaze burning into the side of your face.
