A Dance with Destiny

Chapter 6

As they made their way to a quieter corner of the party, Mattheo led Diana towards a table laden with snacks and drinks. He grabbed a glass of champagne and handed it to her, but instead of taking a sip, she absentmindedly grabbed a small pastry from the platter in front of them. She took a bite, her eyes lighting up as she chewed, her expression so pure and unguarded it almost made Mattheo's heart skip a beat.

She giggled softly, a sound that seemed to light up the space between them, and Mattheo couldn't help but smile at how effortlessly she made everything feel lighter.

"What's so funny?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched her.

Diana looked up at him, her mouth still full, and quickly swallowed before speaking. "It's just... funny that I'm here with you." She smiled shyly, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I mean, I've never imagined myself at a party like this, eating pastries and talking to Mattheo Riddle, of all people."

Mattheo chuckled, leaning against the table with a slight grin on his lips. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, even if this is the first time you've ever considered eating like a Slytherin."

Diana laughed again, this time covering her mouth with her hand, trying to hide the fact that she was still feeling a bit shy. "Maybe you're right. I'm sure my sisters would never approve," she teased, though she didn't seem upset by it.

She paused for a moment, her eyes flickering up to meet his, and the air between them grew just a little heavier. There was something in her gaze that seemed almost vulnerable, but also resolute. She took another bite of her pastry, then put it down and turned her full attention to him.

"I just want you to know something," she said softly, her voice growing more serious. "Just so you know... I like you for you." Her words were slow, and deliberate, as if she needed him to truly understand. "Not because of your reputation, not because of your lifestyle, or the way you present yourself to everyone else. I like you for who you are, the person standing right here in front of me. The one that no one else really sees." She speaks the truth from her heart.

Mattheo blinked, a bit taken aback by her sincerity. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to say. He was used to being liked for his status, his connections, and his family's legacy, but to hear someone say they liked him simply for himself... it was something he had never really experienced. It made him feel a warmth that he wasn't accustomed to, something deep inside him, soft and unfamiliar.

"You like me for me?" he repeated, his voice low as if trying to grasp the magnitude of her words. "Even with all the things that come with being... well, me?" His hand subconsciously ran through his hair as he glanced away for a moment, almost as if unsure of how to handle her unexpected honesty.

Diana smiled a small but genuine expression that warmed Mattheo's heart even more. "Yes," she said, her voice full of quiet sincerity. "I respect everything about you—the Slytherin king, the way you carry yourself with your friends, your lifestyle, all of it. But at the same time, I see the person behind it all. I see you—the one who laughs and feels things, the one who doesn't have it all figured out. The real you, not just the mask you wear for everyone else."

Her words seemed to hang in the air for a moment, and Mattheo felt his chest tighten with something he couldn't quite explain. No one had ever spoken to him like that—not with such clarity, not with such understanding. He was always the leader, always the one with the image, the power, the expectations. Diana, though, was the first person who had ever looked past that, and for once, he felt seen—not as Mattheo Riddle, the Slytherin king, but as just... Mattheo.

The weight of her words finally settled in, and he swallowed, his eyes finding hers again, the flicker of something deeper stirring inside him.

"I didn't expect you to say that," he admitted softly, his voice lower now, vulnerable in a way he hadn't allowed himself to be before. "It's... rare, you know? For someone to see me like that."

Diana's smile widened, her eyes full of a quiet, genuine affection. "I think that's the problem, isn't it?" she said, her voice full of understanding. "Everyone else is so caught up in the reputation, in what you're supposed to be, that no one ever takes the time to understand who you really are. And I don't want to be that person. I want to know you, Mattheo—you."

The simplicity of it all, the sheer honesty and purity of her words, caught him off guard. For a moment, he just stared at her, as though processing the weight of what she was offering—something real, something untouched by the world's judgment and expectations. It was a revelation that he hadn't known he needed until this very moment.

Mattheo stepped closer, his voice quieter now, a hint of something almost vulnerable in it. "You really want to get to know me?"

Diana nodded softly, her eyes never leaving his. "Yes, I do."

Mattheo's heart thudded in his chest as the distance between them closed, and without even thinking, he reached out, gently brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. The gesture was soft and intimate, and it felt natural, like he was just being with her, with no pretense, no masks. Just the two of them, standing in a quiet corner of the crowded room.

"I think that's the first thing anyone's ever said to me that actually makes sense," Mattheo said, his voice low but filled with something real—something he hadn't realized he had been missing until now. "I think I like you too, Diana. For you."

She blushed at his words, her heart fluttering at the sincerity in his voice. For the first time in her life, she felt truly seen. Not for her family, not for her bloodline, but for herself. And as Mattheo looked at her with something akin to awe, Diana couldn't help but feel that, maybe, this unexpected connection was just the beginning of something special.

"Then let's see where this goes," Diana said softly, her smile full of warmth and anticipation.

Mattheo's smile mirrored hers, and for the first time in a long while, he felt a spark of hope. "I think I'd like that."