GYMNOPÉDIE

Chapter 35

      "Be—uh—y'know." he stammered, fully aware that his heartbeat wasn't working the way normal humans did. The scene of her features scrambled words out of his brain. Auburn eyebrows raised freckles dotting like galaxies, perhaps even better. He peered down to her lips, pomegranate lip-gloss and all. That was enough to recall his memories, then blurted out. "If you get too close I might want to replicate what I did after Slughorn's party." 

      At that, her body flinched, feeling nauseating wave coursed through her. She  swallowed thickly, before turning her head back to her book. Martin knew he mastered taming vicious, flesh-eating plants or animals. But he couldn't even tame his words around her. The blond noticed he said the wrong thing when she cleared her throat.

"I was joking." said Martin abruptly, swallowing thickly and faked a chuckle.

      "Yeah, of course." she muttered in a hush, eyes peering to her book. "Tonight is Levy's schedule. He covered my shift last time, so I have to replace his shift."

     With that, the blond drew his lips into a line and peeled his gaze away. Sequencing the words: Stupid, Idiot, and Wanker—inside his mind.
       

     
***

Duty was the only reason the Merlin's heiress was looking forward to her perfect patrol. Mainly due to the wizard stood by her side was the person Gemma dreaded to see as much as she wished to avoid and hide her face six feet under the ground. Slytherin's green prefect pin next to the Ravenclaw's azure blue under the chandelier-lit corridors.

      Two things had made her usual prefect patrol felt like hour-long cardio. First of all, the awkwardness between her and the Slytherin's prefect was almost astronomical. The Irish witch wished she could be slandering Potter's ass on uno rather than squeezing her wand most of the time due to the wizard's presence.

      Persephone admitted she was guilty as charged for repetitiously thinking about their kiss. Gemma preferred burying her nose in a pile of books, to get her mind off the kiss. Aside from the breathtaking snog, there was a teeny tiny detail. Right after they jerked apart, the witch shifted away and ran to the Owlery hiding her embarrassed face. Leaving the Slytherin speechless behind her.

     Excellent, Gammaliel.

     Second, when she peeled her gaze curiously to the boy, Regulus didn't look ecstatic at all. Hades was masking it all in with his stoic persona. Black had a reputation to be the cold prince of Slytherin and she should've known better. Gemma had been itching to break the ice, for god's sake, the patrol was quieter than graveyard. He was walking as if he was a man-made machine and muscle-wired than an arrogant prat of a soul.

      Gulping her pride in, she fidgetted on her wand then spoke, "Are you in a bad mood?"

The Slytherin boy pulled his hand to his back, peering down to his shoes, "No." he began with a rocky voice, clearing his throat right after, "Why?"

Her eyes transfixed at him momentarily, before she briskly turned away to the empty corridor. "You are awfully quiet tonight."

     You are the quiet one, Raven.

     That was a moment of relief for Regulus, knowing his facade was working. She failed to notice that the Slytherin had been stealing one, two, and too many glances to her way. His hand fidgetting on his wand, hoping it would wash over the cold that wrapped his fingertips. Gammaliel curved her lips upward, biting her lips and he hated the sight of that. Because he would rather do that—no!—Regulus shook his head at the thought.