𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑷𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑨
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Despite when he had a sore throat, Regulus did not quite enjoy drinking tea. It tasted like hot water with only a hint of flowers. He much preferred something stronger in flavor, like a rich hot chocolate or long-brewed cup of black coffee. But in instances like these, he hardly minded the distant flowery taste. It was Eva's favorite drink, and at that moment, all he cared about was the girl laying against him.
Her stomach warm with hot tea, her heart beating furiously against her chest as her head lay on Regulus' shoulder. Eva felt in bliss throughout chaos. Tension was constantly getting thicker in the wizarding world but she never felt more free.
It had been a month, give or take, since the two had shared a moment like such. After the incident that left Eva scared of wandering at night, they hardly met at the astronomy tower as they used to.
But now, as Eva guided Regulus' head to her lap, neither of them minded. She ran her hands through his hair, the thick black curls sliding between the gaps of her fingers and tickling her skin.
Regulus stared up at the girl, studying her features from a new angle. He had already memorized everything about her, not much was left to be discovered. He memorized the slight bump in her nose, the freckle beneath her jaw, the single tuft of hair that always fell towards her eye, the way her cheeks dusted with pink during the cooler nights. His racing mind would come to a pause every time his gaze rested on the beautiful girl.
She had her imperfections, but Regulus thought she was damn near perfect.
He had gotten hot tea and peach muffins, her favorite, and brought them to the astronomy tower for the bittersweet moment. Bittersweet, as it was their last night at Hogwarts in their fifth year.
Their Ordinary Wizarding Level Exams were far behind them, both knowing they passed with flying colors. Their N.E.W.T level classes would begin after the summer and Eva would have to start thinking about jobs for study. Regulus already knew what he would do after school, he had been bound to it since birth.
Hogwarts had become a place to meet new friends, make new bonds, to have space to become the young adult version of himself. It was a place to grow, mature, and expand to possibilities of what he had previously believed impossible.
Part of him wished it would not end.
He wished he did not have to mature, or grow, or face his inevitable future.
He wished he could stay with Eva, because he knew that with the future his parents planned out for him, she would fit no where in the picture.
"You know," Eva spoke gingerly, "I really enjoy spending moments like this with you."
His grey eyes met those of hazel.
"I do too," Regulus responded, "I wish they would last forever."
His fingers slipped between hers softly.
"We both know you would bore of me if you were with me forever," she drawled dramatically, lightly scrunching her nose.
He propped himself up, his elbows on either side of the girl, his face now level with hers.
"I do not think I would."
He would never get tired of her. The beautiful girl; the girl who, at this moment, he could only call a friend. Regulus could not even hide it from himself at this point, he knew the feelings he felt for her were much beyond those in a friendly sense.
He did not know exactly what those feelings were, but he did know that she made his heart beat faster. He knew he could lay beside her for hours, never boring, even when conversation runs dry.
His cheeks had become more pink since Eva came around, his smile just a bit wider. He knew he was sure about those fluttery feelings, as new and profound as they may be to him.
He was able to let his guard down around her, not finding the need to shield himself away. Because why would he ever reject the feeling of that raw appreciation? He could bask in its warmth she lets it provide him, and he could not ask for more than the numb delicious sting.
She found him at such a low point in his life -- even if it still was depleting -- where the sting he felt was not just numb pleasure. Those who were supposed to love him in turn made him feel the contrast.
But she taught him what love really was; what it was supposed to make him feel inside. From her, he learned that those who make you feel loved are not always those who you would expect.
His tears dried from her eternal light and warmth. Her love was a redemption from the emptiness others left.
He did not think he could never ask for anything more than what she gives him. Because he knew that he possibly loved the girl, and she never fails to make him feel loved.
"I never could get tired of you, Eva," he whispered.
"Then would you stay with me forever?" she spoke back quietly.
His eyes darted towards hers, their eye contact becoming increasingly heavy.
"What?" came from his mouth, but he knew what she meant. She wanted to know if things between them could become concrete. Even if they still had to hide, they would not have to call each other friends, which they clearly were not.
"My heart is tired out from running after yours, Regulus. Could we be together? I just want some sort of answer, even if that answer does not mean right now. I know I might not show my affection to you in the clearest of ways but I hope you know that you make me very happy and I would not trade that for anything. I have feelings for you, very strong feelings, and you do a shit job at hiding yours."
His hand reached for her cheek and stroked it gently.
"I think..." he hesitated. "I think we might be able to. But I do not know if that is the right option."
Eva's body stiffened and Regulus immediately sat up straight. He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes again.
"I like you, Eva," he confessed sincerely. "Do not let anything I say try to make you think others. I care about you so much, and definitely more than I have ever cared about before. And that is exactly what makes this difficult. The extent that I care for you. We both know what I am drawing myself into, and if we were together, you would end up in this horrifying spiral with me. I do not want my awful decisions to have consequences on you. They do horrible things to people you love as punishment, and I could never let that happen."
He knew Eva was expecting this response, as she still seemed as determined to let their relationship work out.
"Your future is important, Regulus. What you do with your future is important. But please, do not let that be what is caught between us. We can battle through it together, even if I have to suffer those consequences. This is me telling you I am fully prepared to take anything that can assure our relationship with each other. It is awful to think about, but I can not imagine spending my time with anyone but you. You can not tell me nothing will come out of this. We can work. Let us make it work."
He knew she was right, and as much as he could try to avoid the thought of his future inflicting with their relationship, it was impossible. He would have to accept it as it was and let himself love her, no matter how hard that may be.
Regulus drew her face to his own, his hot breath a whisper over her lips. Eva could not help but smile, butterflies swarming her stomach. If it did work, she knew she would never get sick of moments like those.
She pulled him closer, closing the gap between them. In the moment of the kiss they were their pure and vulnerable selves. The touch of his lips was a promise of realness, desire, dedication. They would make it happen, no matter how difficult it would be.
...
take my fluff as an apology for being absent. i missed my babies and had to write a bit more
i am sorry for such a slow update, i have a lot going on, but i am okay and hope to update a bit more!!
love u all and thank you so much for the growth on this book
<3