the devil's redemption [tom r.]

39|| Smitten.

She approached him, but didn't get too close. She wanted to show him that she wasn't just some puppet, a toy to satisfy his pleasure. She was going to keep her distance.

But what Rosalind was afraid of was him approaching her. She doubted she could resist him.

"So, how was your date with the Hufflepuff half-blood?" Tom asked suddenly, shocking her with his straightforwardness.

"He has a name, you know," She tried defending her friend, but Tom seemed even more infuriated. He didn't like her sticking up for some pathetic weak boy.

"Whatever. You really did a downgrade with that one," He raised and eyebrow, satisfied with the scowl on her face.

"I won't allow you to just insult me and my friends all of a sudden!" She exclaimed, taking a step closer to the handsome boy, overtaken with darkness.

"But I'm only speaking the truth," He stated nonchalantly, a smirk gracing his face. He looked insanely attractive and he knew it.

"How'd you find out, anyway?"

"Darling, I'm Tom Riddle. And Tom Riddle always knows everything," His smirk would've split his face in half if it became any wider. He took a threatening stride towards her, his eyes gleaming tauntingly.

"Do you want me to show you to whom you truly belong?" His voice became a husky whisper. He looked down upon her, noticing anger in her eyes.

She needed to step away from him. She couldn't possibly trust herself with him standing this close to her. And she suspected he knew that very well. He knew the effect he had on her.

But she had a much stronger one on him. And she was going to use that for her advantage.

"You know I'm not an object, Tom. I don't belong to anyone," She spat, irritation obvious in her words.

Tom tucked a stray lock of her golden hair behind her ear, his fingers slightly brushing across the cheeks he'd longed to caress for a while now.

The action itself left Rosalind breathless, her anger evaporating quickly. She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to savour the moment.

"You're beautiful," He whispered, which took her aback tremendously. He'd never said that to her so plainly before. "And everyone knows that. You don't deserve someone like him."

This made her angry once again. Not only did he insult Noah once more, but Tom was also hinting that he was the only one who deserved her.

"Then who deserves me? You?! You've done nothing but break my heart over and over again!"

"It's just. . I can't stand seeing you with him, Rosalind," Tom muttered back, for once trying to avoid her eyes.

"Why do you care, though? It's not like I mean anything to you," She quarrelled, but she'd never admit that his words almost made her melt.

He bit his lip, leaving her unintentionally glancing at his mouth. But she wouldn't kiss him. Not after everything that had happened.

"You don't. But don't you think that it's pathetic, going from this," He gestured to himself, "To that?" He waved his hand at the door, indicating Noah, who was most probably asleep in his common room.