Distorted Lines ✓ | GREGORY GOYLE

≺ Prologue ≽

"Sympathy is only meted out if you follow all of society's rules for how a victim is supposed to behave."

~ Nenia Campbell ~

"Maybe you leaned in or something, Celia, that's probably it." Cormac had said with a shrug after Celia told him, "Besides, it was just a kiss, I'd say get over it and forget all about it. Goyle is not the most physically appealing but he's not that bad."

"It's not that he's ugly, it's the fact that I said no..."

"He probably didn't hear you, plus you're cute, Celia, he probably just got carried away. You're not hurt, are you? - stop being dramatic and move on." Cormac had returned to his charms revision, brushing off Celia's feelings as if they meant nothing to him.

Celia had opened her mouth to reply and tell him it was more than that but realised that technically, it had just been a kiss. A kiss that she hadn't wanted and had clearly rejected the notion of, but 'just a kiss' nonetheless.

She wanted to explain to Cormac exactly how she was feeling; he was her best friend in the whole world, surely he, of all people, would understand or at least listen? She wanted to tell him how she'd said no, clearly and firmly; how she'd stood far away from him so nothing she could have done would have incited him to jam his tongue down her throat; she'd even dressed 'modestly' since Goyle had started his pursuit of her, her legs covered by thick, woollen tights even though it was mid-June. She wanted him to understand that she'd done everything the world had told her would prevent her 'No' from being twisted but Goyle had still distorted it into a yes.

She wanted to tell him all of this but as she glanced over at Cormac, a faint smile dancing across his face, she realised he couldn't and didn't want to understand how she felt. To him, it was just a kiss, trivial and simple.

"You're right." She said with a sigh, "It was just a kiss, I'm being silly."

She bent her head back over the book, telling herself over and over again that she was right: she was just being silly. She wasn't a victim, it had just been a kiss, she wasn't injured or marked in any way. She told herself that she was just being overdramatic but if it was nothing, then why did she feel sick inside when she thought of it?

"Exactly," Cormac said with a smile, "Now shall we carry on with Charms?"

"Of course," She said, forcing a smile onto her face, hiding the pit of sadness and anger that was starting to settle in her stomach. Kisses were meant to be so nice and give her a warm feeling inside but that only applied to kisses she'd wanted to happen. This kiss had left her feeling sick yet also weirdly empty inside.

It had just been a kiss yet it felt like so much more than that.

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