Not Broken, Not Yet | Tom Riddle

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

There was just a slight moment of hesitation. A moment as I looked into his eyes, drowning in the deep sea that was him. Then, without really thinking about it I took a step forward, passing him and taking the first step down the stairs. I looked over my shoulder, noting his pleased smile as he followed me down the dark stairs toward the blue light below. Behind us the opening closed behind us, but not before I could make out something that looked like a shadow passing by outside.

"Careful." He warned me as we climbed down. "The steps might be slippery."

"I don't need your-" I didn't even have time to finish the sentence before I slipped on an especially slippery step. I would have fallen face flat on the cave floor if it weren't for the strong arms catching me, whirling me around as he half carried me the last two steps down.

I blinked several times, looking up into two very amused dark blue eyes. Aiden cocked his head to the side and arched an eyebrow. "What now?" He asked jovially.

"Nothing." I winced, blushing as I looked up at him, all too aware about his arms around my waist and just exactly how close we were to each other. The comforting scent of his cologne danced in my nostrils along with his natural scent that reminded me strangely of lemon grass. He smirked down at me, helping me to my feet effortlessly, hand lingering on my waist for a moment before he stepped away. I let out a cough. "Careful, the steps are slippery." I said sheepishly.

He chuckled before pulling me into the cave. "Oh quiet, you little minx."

He laid me through a rather narrow passage that for a moment made my heart beat faster as I felt a weight press in on me. The dark cave walls glistened around us. Yet it was surprisingly warm and as I stepped into the main part of the cave system I felt the breath return to me as I finally realised where the blue light had come from.

We stood in an enormous cave filled with glistening stalactites, the main cave of an enormous cave system no doubt, but the strangest thing about this cave was the wall in front of us. Or rather the lack thereof. For where you'd expect to see a cave wall was nothing but the lake, moving freely outside the...

"There's no glass." I mumbled as I walked closer, transfixed by it. Aiden followed me, stopping just by the edge, looking up at the wall of water with a serene smile. He raised his hand, allowing his fingers to grace the surface. They met the water effortlessly, a few drops even splashed at my face. I looked up at him incredulously. "When did you find this?" I asked him, amazed by the way the blue light lit up his face.

"My fourth year." He said, gazing down on me softly. "I've never shown it to anyone before now. Truth to be told, I'm not sure how many people know of it."

"Marvellous..." I mumbled as I turned back to the wall of water, letting my own hand dance over the wet surface. I could feel his eyes linger on me, observing me silently.

"You're beautiful. Have I ever told you that?" He suddenly said.

I looked up, lowering my hand. "No." I said, feeling my face start to heat.

"You deserve to hear it. Everyday. Always." He said quietly, his eyes burning with an intensity that I didn't know how to handle. I looked down at the cave floor before turning around.

"Is this what you do? Lure girls into your hidden cave and tell them they're beautiful?" I asked him, eyeing him over my shoulder as I wandered aimlessly. My eyes set on some pools of steaming water in the back of the cave, that would explain how it wasn't freezing.

"Is it working?" Aiden asked me, following a few steps behind.

"You tell me."

"Well, you're standing with your back turned to me. That's usually not a good sign." He chuckled, combing his hand through his hand.