The cool evening air bites at your skin as you sit alone in the courtyard. You’re so lost in your thoughts that you don’t notice Tom until he’s standing a few feet away.

He doesn’t say anything, he just settles into the bench beside you. You glance at him briefly, tears threatening to spill as you think of Enzo’s betrayal.

“I don’t know why I’m so upset,” you tremble. “He’s a liar, a cheat. I should hate him, but instead, I feel like it’s my fault—like I wasn’t enough.”

Tom’s jaw tightens as he listens, his hands clasped firmly in his lap. He doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t try to offer hollow reassurances. He just listens, his intense gaze never leaving your face.

Finally, he speaks. “Lorenzo was always wrong for you,” he says softly, but steady. “You deserve better. Someone who sees you for who you are, who values you.”

You let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking your head. “Oh yeah? Like who?”

Tom doesn’t hesitate. “Me.”

Your heart stumbles over itself as his admission sinks in, his confidence tempered by something rare: hesitation. Slowly, Tom leans in, his face mere inches from yours, but then he stops, his usual certainty faltering.

Without thinking, you close the gap, your lips brushing his. The kiss is slow at first, tentative, but quickly deepens, years of unspoken emotions spilling into the moment. His hand cups your cheek, and everything else fades away.

In the weeks that follow, the two of you drift from the rest of the group, spending more time together in quiet moments stolen from the chaos of your lives. It isn’t until a few months later, in the bustling streets of Diagon AIIey, that the past catches up to you.

You and Tom share a kiss outside FIourish and BIotts, his hand resting protectively on your growing baby bump. The world around you feels distant, but it sharpens into painful clarity when you hear a voice you’d hoped never to face again.

“{{user}}?” Enzo’s shocked voice cuts through the crowd.