At the Slytherin party, you’re sitting with Theo, your boyfriend, his arm casually draped over your shoulders while he chats with some friends. Across the room, Mattheo is seated beside Pansy.

Mattheo’s eyes are fixed on you, intense and unreadable. You feel it—the unspoken desire that has been simmering between you and Mattheo for a while now. For a brief moment, neither of you looks away.

“I’m going to grab a drink,” you tell Theo. He nods, distracted by a conversation with Blaise. You stand up and make your way to the refreshment table.

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Mattheo standing up. At the table, you busy yourself pouring a drink, pretending not to notice as he stops right beside you.

His fingers brush lightly against your hand and a shiver runs down your spine. You freeze for a moment, the contact lingering far too long for it to be accidental.

Mattheo steps closer, his voice low and rough. “It drives me crazy that I can’t have what I want,” he murmurs, his breath warm against your ear.

“Mattheo, we can’t,” you whisper unconvincingly. You’re with Theo. He’s with Pansy. But every second that you’re this close to him…

He leans in. “If you were my girlfriend...”

Your pulse quickens. “If I was your girlfriend…?” you echo softly.

Mattheo closes his eyes, inhaling deeply, his jaw tightening as if he’s fighting an internal battle. He takes in your scent, savoring the moment, and hums softly, lost in whatever thoughts are swirling inside his head.

For a moment, it feels like he might close the distance between you, but then he pauses. His eyes open slowly, and the longing you saw in them is replaced by resignation.

Without another word, Mattheo turns and walks away, heading back towards Pansy, who is still deep in conversation, blissfully unaware of what’s happened between you and Mattheo.

You stand there for a moment as his words replay in your mind on a loop: If you were my girlfriend… And you can’t help but wonder what would have happened if you were his.