𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 → 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑜 𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒

chapter twelve

"Hey, you got a problem?" growled Mattheo at one of them.

"Leave him alone, I'd be offended if he didn't look at me," the redhead quipped. Mattheo grunted and crossed the street, following a group of young people. Some were holding hands and laughing lovingly. Eden took the opportunity to watch them and felt a certain unease.

She had the impression that she too had once been in love, but she knew it was only an impression. No boy had ever really touched her heart and she felt sad. She had always dreamed of Prince Charming. They arrived at the tall black gates from which the music came. Eden didn't know where to look, there was so much to see and all the lights gave the impression of being in another world.

"A funfair? Mattheo, am I dreaming or have you been there before? I thought Muggles weren't your thing?" asked Eden. How could he know the way if he hadn't been here before? He stubbed out his cigarette and looked at her.

"It's not my thing, I hate Muggles. You, on the other hand, love them, come on." He pulled her into the funfair and she stopped, taking her hand again and he turned back to her.

"How do you know I like Muggles?" She looked at him suspiciously and rolled her eyes. "Please don't tell me you've been asking around hoping to get me a date because of Theodore?"

Mattheo looked hurt and Eden was sorry when she saw his expression change. She opened her mouth to apologise, but he caught her off guard.

"Theo has nothing to do with this, Eden. I know you like Muggles because you talked about them in your Muggle History class. You said it was the fairs that made you love them." Mattheo frowned and Eden's eyes widened.

"You remember that? Shit. I'm sorry, I just ruined it." Eden pursed her lips and was pushed away by a group of laughing girls.

"Yeah, it's fine, I just wanted to spend some time with you, you're quite... good company. Forget it, let's go back to the castle," he said.

"No!" Eden approached, she felt so bad, especially seeing how hurt he looked, and took his hand again. "Let's go and have some fun."

Mattheo never opened up, Eden took advantage of the fact that he had opened up a little and she didn't want him to close himself off. She was touched that he remembered her Muggle History class paper and looked up at him.

"Thank you. I stand by what I said last time, you have a heart, Riddle, and you won't make me believe otherwise." Eden felt Mattheo intertwine their fingers and she followed him into the crowd. She felt good in this place, it reminded her of happiness, even though she'd never been here before.

Mattheo climbed onto the big wheel, having paid for it with Muggle money, and they sat down. Eden closed the barrier and she looked out at the scenery as they went up.

"I've always liked being up high, there's more to see," she said. "My mum used to say that's because I see the world so much bigger." Her eyes turned sad and she smiled a little. "I miss them, the hardest part is waking up. There's that moment between waking up and realising. When you still think they're there, but you realise they're not."

"Eden..." Mattheo lifted her chin and looked at her. She'd never seen him so sad and he stroked her cheek. "They will always be there, in your heart. And as long as you think of them, they won't die." He had never been so serious and Eden smiled at him.

"You know how it feels. You've lost someone. What was she like?" Eden adjusted Mattheo's jacket over her shoulders and the he looked away, preferring not to show her his tears.

"She was perfect, she just didn't know it. And stubborn. That's what I liked about her. In fact, I liked everything about her. She was a... I was a better person with her," Mattheo said. He turned and smiled at Eden. It was strange to have such a serious conversation with him, but it wasn't unpleasant.