Je' T'aime (Tom Riddle Love Story)

Family Reunion

It was easy to forget that Tom was a whole year younger than I. He looked older than me even at his age of sixteen. He talked and held himself better than I did, carried himself with the same superiority Lestat did. Tom even came down to breakfast like an older person...i.e...dressed.

I looked at him like he had grown a second head. Here I was sitting in nothing but the long white wife beater and short shorts I had woken up in; and he stood at the bottom of the stairs fully dressed like he was going to an important meeting. I was staring with no shame with toast smeared with raspberry jam half way in my mouth.

I think Tom almost laughed, but he covered it up with a cough.

"You look like a Gerble," Tom says as he comes to sit beside me. "A very under dressed Gerble." He picks up a stick of cooked breakfast sausage and bites half of it. I blush and rearrange my legs from their cross cross position to both bare feet on the rug.

"Well," I say after swallowing my bite of toast. "Its only eight in the morning and the shops wont open until nine. I can lounge in my sleepwear in my own house if I want." I pop the rest of the toast in my mouth with a crunch.

"Thank you for remembering my bag," I say earnestly. I had forgotten when I had set it down. I had forgotten about it completely until I saw it in my room when I woke up.

"You really should start to remember the important things," he jests.

"Afraid of me wandering the castle naked?"

Tom grins while buttering his own piece of toast, while I clamp my mouth shut and look at the ceiling in humiliation. I said that out loud.

"I dont know why you're so embarrased. I've seen your body already."

"That's true," I whisper, trying not to feel subconscious of the nonchalant way he said it. Was I not attractive under my clothes? I made another mental note to do more crunches.

We dropped the matter after that and finished eating. About fifteen minutes before nine I went back to my room to change. I wore tight dark brown pants and a cream top with sleeves that stopped at my elbows, and one of my tan winter coats I had left at home. I wore my same boots from last night and only touched up my face enough to give me some more color.

I felt so plain walking beside Tom, but held my head high. The market and shop keepers knew me well enough to know I was more well off than I looked. I was greeted with smiles and welcome homes, but my companion only recieved tentative nods and curious glances. He seemed okay with that though. Being winter there wasnt much attention when we walked outside along the streets, but someone always wanted to stop and talk to me when we got inside a shop.

Truth be told, I had no idea what to get my friends. I had no idea what to get Lestat. It was a good thing we had time, because this shopping would be extensive.

We went through three shops before I found a pretty wishing lamp for Luce. It was shaped like a lamp with a golden bottle base and a midnight blue shade. It has silver cursive written under the base, quoting a French song to activate the box. The shade had a little glass bulb in it for capturing a flame, and there were little holes so that light could escape and dance on the walls and ceiling as it rotates while you sang.

I picked it up and had the shopkeeper light it to prove it worked. A tiny flame appeared inside the bulb and the shopkeeper tapped his wand on the shade twice to get it to spin. I was in awe for a few moments watching the flickering lights dance across the walls and ceiling, before I remembered I had to sing the song.

Peu de lumière,
comment tu brilles,
comment tu fais le monde à moi.... Déplacez les étoiles pour accorder mon souhait,
ramener le soleil quand j'ai fini....