the devil's redemption [tom r.]

36|| Lovestruck Couple.

And if their 'relationship status' wasn't clear enough by their hand-holding, the way Tom dragged her with him to the Slytherin table definitely got the message across. Rosalind sent a quick apologetic glance towards her two best friends, who were seated on the blue table right across the green one.

Tom sat next to Rosalind, so close that their sides were pressed to each other in a manner that they both hoped looked romantic.

"Why don't you just sit on my lap? You know, we have to be all close and lovey-dovey!" Rosalind whispered when she was sure that no one within earshot could hear them. Everyone seemed busy doing something.

Tom chuckled, raising an eyebrow at her rambling. "Can you just shut up? This is not the right time for your sarcasm. We need to act all in love, you know," Rosalind scowled at him as he scolded her. "Oh and the look you're giving me right now doesn't help at all. You look like you want to rip my throat out."

Rosalind pretended to laugh at his words, as she hit his chest playfully, yet purposely pinching his arm under the table. Tom didn't even wince.

"Remind me why I agreed to this?" She whispered to him through gritted teeth, when she noticed the number of eyes watching their every move. Even the Slytherin table had gone silent.

"Why, because you love me, of course," Tom answered in a matter-of-fact tone. A faint blush coloured her face when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She could never get used to this.

By now, everyone was interested in Tom and Rosalind's moment. Actually, they all had expected the pair's 'friendship' to blossom into something more, but the sudden way they were acting around each other was really strange.

"Kiss me."

"Huh?" Rosalind asked in a dumbfounded state. She perfectly understood what he wanted, she just wasn't sure if she could do it.

It's not that she didn't have the courage, she just wouldn't have kissed him like that in front of the whole school –especially not when all attention was on them– if they were in a real relationship.

"Everyone's looking, kiss me."

"No. In case you haven't noticed, I hate PDA," She answered, and Tom only cursed under his breath.

"Fine," He muttered, before pressing his lips to hers. She heard a few gasps around her, and she rolled her eyes at that. This kiss was different. It felt fake. All of their other kisses –that don't exceed the amount of three– took place when no one was around. They'd kissed each other simply because they wanted to.

But now, they weren't on their own, in their shared bedroom or their own version of the Room of Requirement. They were in the Great Hall, in front of hundreds of students and a good amount of teachers, publicly confirming that they were a thing.

Rosalind could only hope that Tom's fangirls would lose interest by now knowing that he's taken. As much as she hated herself for her feelings, she liked the sound of that. The perfect, handsome and charming Tom Riddle –only in other people's eyes, since it was only Rosalind that knew the real him; even more than the Knights– was taken by her. He was hers. And she was his. She liked that, but she hated it at the same time.

Maybe she hated it because it wasn't real. Because no matter how much she enjoyed the physical contact and the compliments, she always had that nagging voice in the back of her head, reminding her that he was merely doing it for attention.

He he he. . Why was there not another he that consumed her thoughts? Why was she always thinking about him, and only him? Couldn't she just have a crush on Oliver? Even Malcolm Urquhart would've been a better replacement. At least they were normal people.