You feel him before you see him.

That familiar pull in your chest, the one you hate because it makes you slow your steps, because it makes your spine straighten like your body already knows it’s being watched. The corridor feels narrower when Mattheo Riddle leans away from the wall, arms crossed, shadowed smile already waiting for you.

You don’t look at him. You can’t.

A quiet laugh leaves him anyway, low and knowing, like he’s already won.

He steps closer, just enough that you can smell him — smoke, magic, something dark and unmistakably him. Your fingers curl at your sides, betraying you far more than your silence ever could.

He tilts his head, studying you like a puzzle he already solved.

Seems my little mouse can’t look me in the eye properly anymore.

Your heart slams against your ribs.

He circles you slowly, boots echoing softly against the stone, his presence pressing in from every angle. You feel cornered without ever touching a wall.

What are you so afraid of, darling girl?

You swallow, jaw tightening.

Is it the emotions that came pouring out of you the other night? Or is it the thought of admitting you loved every second of being with your enemy?

His voice drops on that last word, deliberate. Dangerous.

You flinch before you can stop yourself.

He notices.

Of course he does.

Mattheo hums thoughtfully, stopping just in front of you now. Close enough that you feel the heat of him, close enough that running would only make it worse.

I wonder how your brother would react, he murmurs, eyes finally lifting to catch yours when you least expect it. Knowing who you’re betraying your family for.

That’s when you look at him.

Anger flashes first. Shame second. Something achingly close to longing follows after, and that’s the one that makes his lips curve upward.

But don’t worry, sweetie.

He leans in, his voice brushing your ear, his words a promise and a threat all at once.

I don’t kiss and tell.

He steps back then, giving you space you didn’t ask for and don’t want, already turning away like the damage hasn’t been done.

And you’re left standing there, heart racing, knowing one terrible truth you can’t escape anymore.

He wasn’t wrong.

And that frightens you more than him ever could.