Not About Angels (A Tom Riddle Story)

Chapter 60

She couldn't see his face, but she could hear the smooth, dark voice from the other side, filling her up like liquid gold. 

"You're in trouble." he stated, as if he already knew.

"how did you know?" 

"I have eyes, love. The Delacioruxes don't trust you. Of course. They never trust anyone. You need to get on their good graces, soon." 

"How?" 

"Make a friend." 

"Who?"

"Anna Delacrioux." Tom Riddle suggested. 

"W-why her? I know that she doesn't like me." Abigail said. Behind Anna's honey-sweet demeanor was a deep distain and an innate sense of superiority.  

"If she approves of you, Marvolo can't touch you. He can't get rid of you then. Get her on your side and you're really on the inside of the fortress. Invite her to lunch."

"I can't...I don't know what she likes. I'll get it all wrong and then-"

"Stop. Just take her to Lafayette's. 67th street. You can't go wrong there." With that, he disappeared.

Abigail fidgeted with her hands nervously. How was she going to manage this?

She took the elevator up, and found Gabriel already asleep on the bed, still in his full suit. He must've been exhausted. 

She sat next to him. The heat in New York was unbearable. Even with magical cooling indoors, it was still bothersome. He couldn't be comfortable wearing the suit. 

She slid him out of the stiff jacket and places it aside. She took off his shoes and he stirred gently, turning to the side.  

Even asleep, he was still beautiful. In a way, he did remind her of Tom Riddle. They had the same  nose. 

She unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt and saw his bare chest rise and fall with each gentle breath.   

How could she hurt him? In this dark world, Gabriel was one of the last untouched, innocent things in it. 

She turned off the lights so she no longer had to look at him. 

Sleeping next to him was so different than with Tom Riddle. Gabriel slept so deeply, so unguarded. 

Riddle always placed a fortress around himself, always on the lookout for monsters in the dark corner. Always defending himself against the world.   

.......................................................... 

When she woke up, he had his arms around her. 

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He whispered, his hands sliding down her arms. 

"Morning." She said groggily, adjusting her eyes to the morning sunlight that spilled into the room. 

"Elves brought breakfast." Gabriel said, pointing to a cart by the doorway. She wasn't very hungry right now. 

He kissed the back of her neck, his lips lingering there for a few seconds. 

"What happened?" He whispered, seeing the scars on her bare back in the light for the first time. She immediately grabbed a sheet to cover herself. 

He yanked the sheet aside and traced a scar with his fingertip. 

"Abi?"

She sighed. "I-The orphanage, remember? There was a man who-who did experiments on us." She said. He kissed the scar.