Rose & The Riddle || Tom Riddle Story

Chapter Thirty - Not So Secret Relationship

Rose awoke the next morning and was mortified to see a giant hickey on the side of her neck. She did her best to cover it with her hair, but if she turned her head, she knew everyone would see it and they'd know exactly who gave it to her.

"Bloody hell," exclaimed Mary as she walked up behind her. The girls were in their dormitory getting dressed for breakfast. "Did Tom Riddle suck the life out of you through your neck or did you get hit by a rogue Bludger?"

"Oh shut it," said Rose, not even cracking a smile. "Is it really that noticeable."

"Not unless you have acceptable vision in both eyes," said Mary sarcastically. "Isn't there a spell or anything for this?"

"Not that I know of," muttered Rose, readjusting her hair.

"Merlin!" exclaimed Isabel as she returned from the bathroom. "Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

"You can't see it now can you?"

Mary and Isabel clenched their teeth and smiled awkwardly. Rose sighed in defeat.

"It's no use," she said. "I might as well admit to the whole school that I shagged Tom Riddle last night."

Rose's eyes widened. She hadn't actually mentioned to her friends that she had gone all the way with Tom...twice.

"WHAT?"

Rose turned to face them, her cheeks burning red.

"Oh, did I not tell you?" she asked coyly.

"Rose... you're a WOMAN!" shrieked Mary.

"Shhh... we don't need the whole Slytherin House knowing..."

"Right, right," said Mary. "I forgot... your secret relationship."

"Well at least tell us how it was," said Isabel excitedly.

Rose wished her friends would drop it. She was not particularly fond of sharing intimate details about her secret relationship with her friends. Not that she didn't trust them but they were private moments shared only between her and Tom. She liked the intimate details of her love life remaining a secret.

Rose traipsed over to her desk and grabbed her bag. "It was fine," she said casually.

"That's it?" asked Isabel. "That's all we get, is 'it was fine'?"

"There's not much more to say," she said.

"Was he good?" asked Mary.

Rose wished the floor would swallow her whole.

"Yeah," she answered simply. "It was... really special. Come on, let's go to breakfast."

Rose kept her head down in every single one of her classes all day. She especially did not want her teachers to notice the evidence of her endeavors from the previous evening. Occasionally she would forget it was there, but quickly remembered when her classmates giggled in her direction. The few times she passed Tom in the hallways, he smirked at her, which caused the blood to rush to her cheeks again. Of course she would never admit it to him, but she liked wearing the mark of his affection on her neck.

By the time she made it to dinner, she felt as if the whole school knew exactly what happened between her and Tom. She settled into her seat next to Mary and across from Isabel once she entered the Great Hall.

"Hey hickey," said Mary casually.

"Shush!" said Rose as she peered around the table to make sure no one had heard. "I'm already self-conscious."

"Sorry," said Mary laughing. "It's just so – unexpected."

"Trust me, I know."

"Final Hogsmeade weekend of the school year is this weekend," said Isabel. "Will you be coming with us? Or do you have... other plans?"