E L I Z A
I felt a chaotic storm in my head and fear in my heart but still, I stood in a pretty white dress, curled hair and pink lip gloss on my lips. My smile was vacant but I can force it when I need to. I had been practicing for the past forty minutes and I think I mastered a convincing smile.
This morning my mother picked out my dress and curled my hair after my shower. I think she knew I was nervous about today and she was trying her best to settle my nerves.
While getting ready, she asked me the questions any mother would ask. How did you meet him? She had asked and I laughed, a little embarrassed and told her I walked into him on the train. She shook her head, an amused grin on her lips. Is he good to you? She asked and I smiled, thinking of all the ways Draco makes me feel seen and loved. Yes, I told her and showed her the silver necklace with a green pendant Draco had gifted me.
Her brows raised and she seemed genuinely surprised. I turned around and asked, is father going to be pleasant this evening? My mother's only response was, I hope so.
Her hope lingered in my head when I waited all afternoon for them to arrive and when I walked down the stairs, I felt sick and wondered how I was going to force myself to eat. My father stood at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a black suit. No doubt the most expensive one to prove his wealth.
His eyes met mine and watched me walk the remaining steps, I felt instant dread when I realized my mother wasn't there.
"Come here, daughter," he demanded, in that calm tone.
I walked up to him with a hammering heart.
"The Malfoys will be here soon," my father's hand gripped my shoulder tightly, "you are incredibly stupid to have gotten involved with the Malfoy boy. And if I for one second don't think he is good for you then I will take this into my own hands and you and the boy will be over."
"Father, please—"
"I get it—you're young and when we are young we think we fall in love and end up regretting it later on," he said with a subtle roll of his eyes. He was wrong, I was in love with Draco. I knew that for certain.
"But, what I am trying to say is," he gripped my shoulder harder, "If he does anything to prove he is not worthy of you, I will end the relationship immediately. Do I make myself clear?"
I wanted to scream and shout at him but that would not help this situation at all. So I nodded my head, "Yes, Father." My blood was boiling and I was on the verge of crying but I remained as stealthy as I could.
"Good," he grinned, brushing imaginary lint from my dress and just as my mother walked in, he said, "You look beautiful, darling."
I forced that smile I had practiced, "Thank you."
"They're here," Mother said and I couldn't tell if she was pleased or not. I knew she too had her own opinions of this family but unlike my father, she could be polite.
"Great," Father smiled from ear to ear and straightened himself.
We approached the door together, like a civilized family. We waited and heard the crack of apparition from outside the door. I clenched my hand into a fist, trying to calm myself down as my father rolled his neck. His bones cracked with his movement. My mother prowled forward and opened the door.
Merlin, I should be excited to see Draco but knowing he was out there made me want to run away and hide.
The door opened and there the Malfoys stood. Vigorous and powerful. My entire body tensed when I saw Draco. It was like seeing him for the first time in forever. His eyes found mine instantly and his lips curled up into a slither of a grin. Suddenly, I felt relaxed. And my own lips pulled up into a slight smile as well.
Until my eyes moved to Draco's father. Lucius held a relaxed expression, similar to my father's. But the intimidation the man radiated sent cold slithers of chills up my spine. His eyes looked between me and my parents and he did well to hide his judgment.
Narcissa however stood with a pleasant smile on her face. Was it fake? Or was it genuine? I couldn't tell.
"Lucius," Father said as a way of greeting.
"Richard," Lucius responded as his eyes met my father's and locked in a battle of dominance.
"Please, come in," my mother stepped forward, placing a hand on my father's shoulder as he stepped to the side. Lucius, Narcissa and Draco walked in and my father shut the door, causing a quiet slam to echo through my quiet home.
Draco was standing in my home. I had to look down at the wooden floor, almost feeling ashamed. My family had wealth but not as much as they had. I couldn't help but wonder if they thought it smelled or if the decoration was strange and not up to their standards.
Lucius shook my father's hand and both my father and Lucius looked like they were forced to be there. Lucius leant down and kissed my mother on the cheek as my father did the same to Narcissa. Narcissa then held my mother's hand in front of her and they shared a few words. I couldn't tell what they were saying, I was too focused on Lucius looking around my home. I bit the inside of my cheek nervously.
Suddenly, his eyes locked onto mine as I stood awkwardly a few steps away.
He began walking towards me.
"Alyssa? Is it?" he said as he reached for my hand. I saw my father tense and I wondered why. I also saw Draco watching cautiously.
My lips parted at the feel of Lucius' hand on mine. I felt so small and my voice was shaky when I corrected him, "Eliza."
"My apologies," Lucius said as he brought my hand to his lips and placed a delicate kiss on my fingers. At that moment, his eyes met mine. Was that approval glistening in his eyes?
"Strange I find it that I had no idea at the ball of my son and yours relationship," Lucius added. My only response was the smile on my lips.
"Dinner is this way," my mother's voice echoed through the hallway as Lucius' eyes glanced over to her, releasing my hand and following my mother into the dining room.
When he was gone, I instantly released a breath, closing my eyes for a moment. The faster this evening ended, the better. I opened my eyes and saw Draco was still in the foyer in front of me. He wore black trousers and a black button-up shirt, the top three buttons undone. His hair was a little messy and he looked as handsome as ever. Just by looking at him, I felt more at ease.
I took a step forward and so did he. I wanted to kiss him so badly but my parents and his were walking down the hallway and I knew we would be caught. His eyes looked down at my lips and I knew he was thinking the same thing. Not now, later, I told myself.
"Are you alright?" he asked me quietly as we followed after our parents.
"Yes, I just—didn't expect this to ever happen," I replied truthfully.
"Me too," Draco replied "I didn't know we were coming until an hour ago."
"Really?" I raised my brows.
"Mother thought I'd overreact," he said with a shrug of his shoulder, our arms brushing in the process and I felt like I almost exploded.
"Did you?" I asked curiously.
"Of course," Draco said as we walked into the dining room, "I have a bad feeling about this."
In the spark of the moment, I grabbed his hand and even though I didn't believe it myself I said, "We'll be okay."
His eyes darted to mine and I couldn't tell what it meant, he almost looked sad. He squeezed my hand before we parted and took a seat at the dining table. At the head of the table sat my father and to the left of him was my mother and beside her was Narcissa. On the right of my father, I sat and Draco sat next to me and at the other end of the table was Lucius.
I straightened the skirt of my dress, feeling uncomfortable from the long stare of Lucius on me. I looked up at him, his gaze feeling like an attack almost. I looked away and so did he at the sound of my father's voice.
"Vixie, we're ready," Father called out to our house elf.
"You have an odd little home, Diana," said Lucius.
My mother shifted in her chair slightly, a smile still plastered on her face. Under the table, I saw Draco's fists clench together on his lap. I wanted to reach out and grab hold of his hand but knew that would be a bad idea under the eyes of our parents.
"I like it," Narcissa chirped, "It's very beautiful, much different from our manor. Not as dark or as—"
"Dingy," Lucius interrupted his wife and when I looked over at him, a glare in my gaze he sat there with an amused grin on his face. I felt angry and embarrassed all at once.
Where my house was big, not as big as their manor but it was big and located far in the hills of the English countryside. A woodland surrounded the area and it was disconnected from any other homes. The inside was decorated how a Victorian grandma would choose to decorate her home but it was a nice home. I liked it, it was a nice house but I was aware that it wouldn't be up to the modern standards of some.
My mother had always loved this home which was the one reason my father didn't want us to move.
"This home was built in the early 1700s and has been passed down through many generations. It's been through a lot," my mother tried to reason, a sweet smile on her face, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Yes, indeed it has," Interrupted Lucius once again. And I had an urge to drive my fork into his hand just for making my mother feel so ashamed of the home she adored. I looked at my father who was glaring at Lucius with a look that told me he had the same thought as I, if not worse thoughts.
I met Draco's gaze and they were nothing but apologetic.
"I take it, your home is different from ours?" asked my father, his voice calm and deadly.
"It is. See, we have our garden outside and not inside," Lucius said as a small grin crept on his face, finding nothing but delight in his cruel words. His finger pointed to the flowers my mother liked to grow, she had plant pots scattered all over the house.
I looked over at my mother and her smile was gone and she looked down into her lap.
My father moved to stand up but was stopped by my mother's gentle hand on his. She forced a smile on her lips and delicately shook her head, her eyes falling upon me. They were doing this dinner for me, I realized. Because in some sort of way, my father did care about me.
Lucius eyebrows raised at my father daring him to make a move and a part of me wanted him to. Was I a bad girlfriend to hate my boyfriend's father?
Vixie then walked into the dining room, a tray of plates floating above her head and she carefully placed each one in front of us. Steak and greens. I smiled my thanks to the small house elf who I didn't see much anymore, not since I've been at Hogwarts. When I was younger, she and I would play together. Vixie was my only friend growing up.
"Thank you," Narcissa said, not to Vixie though, to my father and to my mother. House elf's were no more than specks of dust to them. Draco however did smile at Vixie before she scurried away.
~
We ate in almost utter silence apart from the odd question here and there. And I was glad we had finished eating quickly.
I looked over at Draco after finishing my dinner and saw him wipe his mouth with a napkin and place it on his plate. Merlin, I've missed him. He looked so good right now, lounging back in his chair, looking almost careless but enraged at the same time. He didn't want to be here as much as I did.
He must have sensed my eyes on him because without looking at me, Draco's hand found my thigh. His cold rings caused me to shiver slightly. His hand slowly crept up my thigh until it stopped under my dress. I looked away and my mind had traveled too far into my dirty desires to hear what our parents were talking about. Too clueless to see what Draco was doing.
I placed my hand atop his hand and gently stroked my thumb back and forth. My touch bumped over the details of his hand, veins, muscle and bone, and the cold of his rings. How badly I wanted to grab his hand and take him to my room. But I knew our parents would never allow that.
~
"That was delightful," smiled Narcissa and I could tell that the woman was a genuinely nice human. Unlike her husband—
"Yes, I must agree. I'm surprised," said Lucius.
"Please, you're all too kind," responded my mother who was being too kind herself.
"So," my father wiped his mouth with a napkin "how long have you been seeing my daughter, Draco?"
"For a few weeks," Draco responded, his hand still on my thigh and I felt his touch harden.
"And have you been treating her with respect?" My father questioned Draco again and I was about to plead with my father not to ask him a million and one questions but Draco spoke before I could.
"Of course," he assured my father sternly with nothing but promise and assurance in his tone.
"And you care about her?" My father asked.
Draco looked over at me, his eyes sparkling when they met mine, his lip smiling slightly and then he said, "I do."
My father nodded his approval and that was the end of the conversation.
~
A few more glasses of Sherry, a special unique recipe of the wine my mother liked to make and the dinner party had moved into the living room. Draco and I sat on two armchairs beside each other and our parents sat on two sofas which faced one another. The conversations they had were a blur in my mind and were filled with snarky comments from both my father and Lucius.
My mother leaned forward and said to Draco and me, "How about you take Draco on a tour of our home, Eliza?"
I looked over at Draco who seemed just as bored as I and I tried to hide the smile that wanted to spread across my face. It was like we were being granted freedom after weeks of captivity.
My father however didn't seem as pleased about the offer but I was standing before he could say anything. He wouldn't dare do anything in front of the Malfoy, at least I hoped. Later though—later I will have to deal with the consequence bug as of now, I am dying to escape with Draco.
"Would you like a tour of my home?" I said to Draco, a little smirk pulling at my lips, he must have read the daring expression in my gaze because he too was fighting back a grin.
All too quickly he was on his feet.
"Thank you for the dinner, It was lovely," Draco said to my mother as he stood.
"Don't run off too far, Draco," Lucius snarled, sipping his sherry wine.
Draco didn't glance back as he hastily followed me out of the living room, his steps a few places behind my own. I smiled wide as soon as I was out of the room and as soon as I heard the door close, I turned and watched Draco approach me. Fast and desperate. I laughed quietly as Draco grabbed my waist and pulled me into a frantic kiss.
The kiss was rapid and over before I blinked, "That was torturous," Draco broke the kiss and snarled down, against my lips. And his hands gripped my waist like he was holding on for dear life. I felt my heart beating rapidly and my adrenaline levels were wild, only a wall separated us from our parents.
"Would you like to see my bedroom?" I asked, an innocent flutter of my lashes but nothing innocent was sparkling in my devious gaze.
Something low and deep rumbled in his chest, "Lead the way."
And so I did.
~
I opened my door and felt a little nervous as my bedroom was revealed to him. It was still decorated with my childhood. The walls were white, luckily no bright pink or princesses scattering the walls. Only a bunch of photos of Ellie and wildflowers. Paintings and drawings I had made when I was younger were pinned above my desk and a floral gray rug splayed across the floor. My bed was made but was in no way neat, it was scattered with blankets and pillows, the perfect place for reading or years of sleep.
Books were scattered almost everywhere, lingering around my room, filled with stories waiting to be read. Adventures waiting to be traveled.
My eyes doubled back to my bed and landed on a teddy, the one bear I could never put into storage. The one bear my mother got me when she was pregnant with me. Quickly, I stepped past Draco and grabbed it. Draco had turned, eyeing me.
I held the bear behind my back.
"Who was that?" he asked and stepped forward, reaching behind my back. He held the bear in his hand and examined it. A blush crept onto my cheeks.
"That's Fluff," I said quietly. Slightly embarrassed.
"What was that?" asked Draco, a chuckle rumbling his chest.
"His name is Fluff," I repeated as I grabbed him from his hand and placed him back onto my bed.
"Adorable," Draco smiled.
"Shut up. My two-year-old self named him," I said and Draco waved his hands up in defense.
He sat on my bed looking at my paintings and drawings.
"I didn't know you could draw," Draco's eyes gazed at my wall.
"I used to get bored often, and... still do," I replied.
"You're very talented," Draco said as he looked at me.
"Thank you," I said and I sat beside him.
"I paint too," Draco said "I'm much better than you, though," he nudged my arm as he smirked.
I laughed "sure."
"Maybe one day I will show you," Draco said and then added, "If you're lucky."
"I'd like that," I responded.
"What's out there," Draco asked as he gestured to the balcony door.
"Come see," I said as I stood up, Draco following behind me.
I walked out onto the balcony, my swing slightly swaying in the breeze. Draco walked forward and sat on it.
"I've always wanted one of these," he said.
I laughed as I sat beside him. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in closer. My legs were resting on his. The swing swayed slightly as we looked out onto the field full of flowers.
"Your home is beautiful," he said.
Instantly the feeling of uncertainty left. I was so unsure of what Draco would think of my home but hearing those words come out of his mouth, I felt so much more relaxed. I no longer picked at my nails or had butterflies in my stomach.
I smiled, "I was scared you would think differently."
"Never feel that way again, I'd never think lowly of you. I wouldn't have cared if you lived in a shed," Draco assured me.
"Your father would have," the words slipped out and regretted them instantly.
"Fuck what he thinks," Draco replied with a quick stern voice.
"I don't like him," I admitted.
"You shouldn't. And I hope tonight is the only night you have to put up with him," he Draco.
"Me too," I responded. After a few long moments of silence. Just enjoying our alone time, Draco noticed the stables.
"Do you own a horse?" he questioned.
"I do," I smiled, "wanna meet her?"
"Absolutely," he replied.
~
Draco and I walked holding hands to the stables. Flowers stood tall and beautiful as we walked through the long grass, the sun setting ahead of us, creating a gloomy but beautiful evening. I never expected I would be showing Draco Malfoy my horse and greatest passion and it's strange to think how much my life has changed this year.
I walked into the stables with Draco at my side. Flickering a few lanterns to light up around the small stable. I went straight to Ellie and Draco had halted a few steps away. I knew he was watching me stroke my horse and It was strange how happy I felt at that moment. All I had been feeling all day and for the last weeks was fear and dread and awful anxiety. I felt like I had a cloud of sadness pouring down on me but now, the storm has disappeared.
Maybe it will return but I want to enjoy this feeling for as long as I can.
I looked over at draco, my smile stuck on my lips, "Come here," I said, holding a hand out for Draco. He gripped my hand and his eyes softened when he came face-to-face with Ellie. His eyes were sparkling and I couldn't stop admiring him.
"She's lovely," I grinned, "and she loves a stroke," I raised his hand and gently paced it atop her nose. He smiled and I smiled wider.
"She likes you," I told him as he stroked her.
"What's her name?" he asked.
"Ellie," I responded.
He smiled again, this time stroking her by himself. I watched as he did so and I wanted to draw this image and I wanted my heart to always feel this full. We stroked her together for a while longer.
"Would you like to see something cool?" I asked him after a few minutes.
"Sure," Draco looked at me, curiosity glistened in his eyes.
I smiled and then turned, walking towards a ladder placed in the corner of the stable. It leads up to the hay barrels. I started to climb the ladder but was stopped by Draco's hand on my arm.
"What are you doing?" Draco asked, concerned.
"Do you trust me?" I raised a brow, smiling
"Of course," he said without hesitation.
"Then follow me," I whispered.
Once I was up I sat on the floor, my legs hanging out of the side. Draco followed me up and I heard his slow-approaching footsteps. The gap in the barn peered out onto the fields and woods—A beautiful view—Lights of nearby villages shining through, looking like tiny specks of lights.
Draco sat beside me, looking out, "Woah," he murmured.
"I used to come here when I was younger, to—I don't know—get away from it all," I said, talking my thoughts out loud, "sounds weird but—"
"No, I get what you mean," he responded, "You find comfort in being alone? I get that."
A smile pulled up my lips as I looked him in the eyes and his blue eyes pierced into my green ones. My lips parted as I looked at his lips and back at his eyes again. His eyes did the same and it was only us in the world. His hand dipped my cheek as he seemed to admire me. His gaze darkened and darkened.
His gaze was hard and soft all at the same time. He looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered in the entire world. The breeze brushed against my cheek and through the strands of my curled hair. His hand cupped my cheek and I knew exactly what he wanted to do because I wanted the same thing.
I have been thinking about this since I laid my eyes on him earlier today. Merlin, all I could think about was how devilishly handsome he always looked. How strong and intimidating he always seemed but when he looked at me—the darkness in his gaze made me feel safe. Made me want to do things—
I felt his hand against my thigh, sliding under my dress. My lips parted and a small gasp escaped. He didn't once break eye contact as he separated my legs. Then, he moved closer to me and I thought he was going to kiss me but he lowered himself and my back laid against the hay and he was now positioned between my legs.
His hand pulled my thigh up against him and my dress fell to my stomach but I didn't care. It was only him here, up in this lonely barn and I was all his. Only his.
"I've been thinking about how I wanted to take you all evening," he snarled, his breath warm against my neck as his lips brushed softly against my skin, "It's been torturous, sitting there having to listen to my father and yours bicker. All I wanted to do was lay you on that table and have you. Right there."
I swallowed a lump in my throat and felt my underwear dampen. His finger trailed down my chest and in between my breasts, I arched my back into him. His fingers intertwined with the ribbon that tightened my dress and pulled it out of the bow. Revealing my bare chest, my dress loosely hanging in front of me.
I hadn't needed to wear a bra with this dress and so now, my nipples are hard and peeking through the material of the dress. His eyes lowered and he took no shame in letting his gaze linger on my boobs. He didn't need to feel shame either, I'd let him stare forever.
"Fuck," Draco seethed, a demonic whisper, "you're so fucking beautiful."
The thoughts that were raging in my head were of nothing of innocence and nothing pure. The way that Draco made me feel was wild, feral and things I would never dare speak out loud. He pushed his hips into me and I felt how hard he was and the small, breathless moan that escaped me was uncontrollable.
He looked into my eyes and I knew he saw the desperate, dirty plea in them.
"Do you want to. . ." he didn't finish his sentence but I knew what he meant, "right now? Here?"
"Yes," I replied, my voice a pleading whisper, how could I ever deny this man anything? "Do you?" I asked.
"Yes, fucking hell yes," his hand found my waist and gripped tighter while his other still cupped my cheek.
"Then fuck me Draco," I begged, such profane words uttered from my mouth.
Draco wasted no more time and he was unbuckling his belt and with a strained growl, he released himself. In his hand, he gripped his hard length and I watched, waiting with despair. He moved my underwear to the side and adjusted himself, pushing inside of me the smallest amount but it was enough to send a wave of pleasure throughout my body.
He then leant forward, one hand on my hip and the other resting above my head, on a stack of hay. His hand stroked my hair out of my face and rubbed my forehead, gently. Then, he raised my hips and met my pleading eyes, then he pushed his hips forward. I liked that he always made sure to watch me when he first pushed in. Almost like he wanted to make sure I was okay and that he wasn't hurting me because he knew he was so big and strong.
It always hurt but in the best way possible, it was the good type of pain and the pain that made me feel insanely wild. It was dangerous because I would never get enough of the feeling, I always wanted more. It was addictive.
A moan escaped my lips and he continued to thrust in and out of me. My body was filled with pleasure. My hands roamed his back and tugged off his shirt, revealing the definition of his abs and lines and lines of muscle and veins. He is beautiful.
With each thrust, I was reminded how much I loved him. He then raised my thigh higher and I was met with a new angle, a deeper one he was entering a place he had never made it to before and it felt heavenly and painful. I bite my lip, trying to bite back my moans of pleasure. His hand stroked my forehead again, grazing my furrowed brows and closed eyes.
"Don't hold back those screams, Eliza," he said into my ear, his chest rumbling with the depth of his voice, "let me hear all those pretty noises."
Just as he finished his sentence I let those noises out and let myself loose. My lips parted and I didn't hold anything in.
"Fuck, Draco," I moaned.
"That's my girl," Draco whispered into the warmth of my neck and I held him close to me as I felt my orgasm approach and I could feel him throbbing inside of me. He was close and I could tell because he was taking me harder, faster, stronger.
"You... feel so good, Eliza," he breathed, breathless and his struggle was evident in his shaky body and growl in his words. I almost felt like smiling because it was I who was making him feel such a way.
My body tensed and erupted into the highest of contentment and chaotic, euphoric pleasure blinded me before I exploded with an unforgettable orgasm. The feeling that rushed through my body was uncontrollable. I felt Draco finish inside of me and not once did his thrusts slow, not until both of us were finished.
And he continued in a slow rhythm. His hand gripped the back of my neck and I arched my back up to his bare chest, my nipples hard against his chest. My toes curled at the pleasure still rippling through me.
Click.
My head lolled to the side and my eyes narrowed on the opening of the barn, the trees blowing in the breeze of the wind hidden in the night sky, "what was that?" I asked.
"What was what?" Draco asked, still focused on fucking me and not on the strange clicking sound that came from the thicket of the dark forest.
I continued looking into the trees, certain I heard something but Draco was still inside of me and the pleasure was building up again. Blinding me again. It was hard not to focus on the way he was making me feel until I forgot completely about the noise.
Draco rolled onto his back, still inside of me and I was sitting on top of him now. My legs rested on either side of him, the length of his coak fully inside of me and I felt so incredibly powerful and good on him. His hands gripped my hips and I began moving my hips up and down and grinding against him. Still, my dress was on but it had fallen to my stomach, my breasts now fully out on display and the straps hanging off my arms.
Draco watched as I grind against him and watched as I tilted my head back when the pleasure started to feel too much. I moaned out loud as the wind picked up and blew inside the barn, my hair dancing across my face. It was dark now and only the shadows of the moon and stars provided us light.
"I'll never get enough of your beauty," Draco muttered as his body tensed and then he cummed again, for the second time.
I was about to, I had been blissful moment away, and I had felt my body tense again and was about to be set wild when another click snapped through the trees, and this time a flash followed.
I twisted my head to the side at such, rapid speed that I almost gave myself whiplash. Was I going insane or did someone just take a photo?
I sat on top of Draco unmoving and I felt his hands tighten against my thighs, I looked back down at him only to see the same worry on his face, "I heard it that time."
Quickly we were up and I was just pulling up my dress as Draco climbed down the ladder without his shirt and belt still loose. I didn't bother to tie my dress back up as I grabbed his shirt and our shoes and followed him down the ladder. He was faster than I was and he was already out and into the woods.
I ran out after him, into the darkness of the woods, only the golden lanterns from inside the stable providing light.
"Who's there?" Draco yelled and I looked up to my house at the top of the hill. I hoped it was far enough away for our parents not to see us yelling and half undressed.
"Draco!" I whisper shouted but he was pacing back and forth, searching the treeline like a maniac.
I slipped on my shoes and started to tighten my dress back up, "Draco," I yelled a little louder.
He turned toward me, "Someone just took a photo of us."
The words that came out of his mouth terrified me. Who would do that? Why? Do they now have photos of Draco and I fucking?
Just like that, the moment of happiness was gone and I was back in that never-ending hole of dread and fear. Draco walked back towards me, and even though he looked so good walking in the dark woods, belt loose and his chest bare, my mind was only consumed with worry.
"It's okay," Draco tried to assure me, "It might not have been anything. An animal
Maybe. Or a flash of lighting."
I nodded my head, trying to calm myself. Trying to believe him.
"I was down here in seconds and I didn't see anyone," Draco continued, his hand rubbing my arm, "no one could have gotten away that quick."
I nodded my head again, my breathing settling. But even when we fixed ourselves back up, walked back up to the house, greeted our parents and Draco left, I still wasn't sure. The click and flash replayed and replayed in my head on a constant loop. Draco had seemed hesitant to leave but he did. He told me he'd see me on Monday, back at school and that thought eased me. Slightly.
But when I went to sleep, all I thought about was that it was Noah in the woods. That he had been watching us and I wondered why he needed such a valuable, private photograph. And what he is going to do with it?
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