Not Broken, Not Yet | Tom Riddle

Chapter Twenty-Two

I should have kept quiet, but I was already too far gone. "What if I do?" I asked him, voice breaking ever so slightly on the last word as my bravery wavered for a moment. I raised my chin ever so slightly to make up for the moment of weakness.

He observed me for a moment, then, a very rare smile flashed on his lips. "Then you are very stupid, Green." He said, voice low as his eyes wandered over me, stopping on my neck before meeting my gaze again. The smile remained on his lips but his eyes burned. A challenge.

"That is not answering the question." I said, voice feeling weaker by the second.

Riddle's smile remained, but now he looked back into his book. "Ashwinder egg, now." He repeated.

There was a moment when I considered refusing again. When I wanted to insult him. To pull out every curse and obscenity I knew. I wanted him to hurt, to feel my anger. And, I think I was close, but as I looked at him, as I saw those black eyes and those square shoulders, I couldn't bring myself to it. I wanted to... Obey. To let down my guard. The feeling lasted barely a second, but it took me by surprise. Enough so that I had time to throw an ashwinder egg to him that he caught effortlessly in his left hand. I didn't know what made me do it, but as he looked up on me again with that smug smirk I already regretted it.

"Good girl." He said lowly.

The words shot through me like lightning. The feeling of pure rage and humiliation competed with a strange new one that sent shivers of something foreign down my chest and stomach. "I hate you." I blurted out, hoping to conceal the foreign feeling with an equally intense one. Yet Riddle simply studied me in silence for a moment before standing up, walking closer to me and stopping centimetres from my face. I didn't dare to breathe.

"No, you don't." He said. "And that's the problem, isn't it?" He asked, in a strangely soft voice.

"I don't know what you mean." I said weakly. We both knew it was a lie.

He leaned in closer. "Oh, I think you do, Green." He said dryly, eyes gleaming. "You know exactly what I mean."

We were so close that I could feel his breath against my lips. His scent filled my nose, intoxicating me with its fullness. I was sure I would get drunk on the mere scent of him. In a way I already felt drunk. My mind was a blur of confusion and conflicting thoughts. This was Tom fucking Riddle. I should have spat in his face. Done anything to get him away from me. Yet in that moment I seemed transfixed by him, unable to move, breathe or even look away.

His smile broadened ever so slightly. "Just like I thought." He said quietly before pulling away and sitting down on the floor again. "The horseradish." He commanded as he lit a fire in front of the cauldron, completely unbothered by the storm of confusion he had set in me.

I finally remembered how to breathe. But even as he sat on the floor on the other side of the table I could feel his scent lingering around me. Why did he affect me so? Why now? Why him? I tried to think of Aiden, but it seemed impossible with the scent of this other man lingering in my nose. At that moment I couldn't even remember what Aiden smelled like. Hell. I could barely even remember what his voice or laughter sounded like. All that was was that scent and the cold voice of the man I wanted to hate. Of Riddle.

I stood up slowly, fetching the horseradish and setting it down in his hand before turning my back on him, leaning against the table as I looked into the fire. From out of the corner of my eye I could see him smirk.

"She learns." He said dryly before starting to chop the horseradish finely on the table.

Outside the snow was still falling heavily. I could barely even see the forest in the distance. The world was white and cold, it was a day like this Agnes had died, I remember thinking. A cold snowy day when everyone should have stayed inside. The thought made a shiver run down my spine and I pulled my legs to my chest and leaned my head against my knees as I listened to the sound of snow falling outside and Riddle slicing the horseradish.