I can't even explain how excited I was to write this chapter...
Because it would be a spoiler. Duh.
Listen: Cold Feet by Carter Burwell
34| a new feeling
The week before the holiday break was going by quickly and uneventfully. Things seemed to return back to normal between Ava and Tom, as well as the rest of their little group. Thankfully, there hadn't been any other altercation with Rowan either. So they all decided to forget about him for the time being and focus on finishing their work before they go on break. Ava was more than happy to do that, especially when she was trying to plan for Christmas.
Ava was completely serious when she told Tom she would do everything she can to give him the best Christmas he's ever had. That also applied to his birthday. There were so many things he never experienced about celebrating the holiday season. And she felt like it was her duty as his friend to give him those experiences.
Ava started a list of of all the things to do with Tom, which was perhaps taking more of her time than necessary. Instead of working on one of her last assignments, Ava was lost in thought about what she needed to add to her list. Going to the library wasn't really needed in that case. Thankfully Mia was too preoccupied with her own work to really notice at first.
"Hello? Earth to Ava."
Ava blinked a few times to refocus her eyes on the bookshelf she had been staring at. She moved her gaze to Mia, who was sitting across from her with a raised eyebrow. "What?"
Mia sighed, "are you alright?"
"Yes, why?"
"You've been staring into space for a long time," Mia said with a bit of amusement. "And I've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes."
Ava cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed that she'd done that. "Oh. Sorry, there's just something on my mind."
"Something about Tom?"
Ava rolled her eyes. "Usually I would question why that was your immediate thought." She put her quill down and pushed her list to the side. "But as a matter of fact, it is about him."
Mia smirked, "knew it."
"Anyways," Ava said in an annoyed tone, "I'm trying to come up with ways to give Tom a good Christmas."
Crossing her arms, Mia leaned back. "That sounds like quite the ordeal."
Ava shrugged. "He's never had a proper one before."
"So?"
"So?" Ava lifted both brows in offense. "Everyone deserves to celebrate properly."
Mia hummed. "Well he doesn't seem like the type to celebrate anything."
Ava opened her mouth with a quick retort, but quickly closed it again. "Alright fine. You're sort of right." Listening to Mia started to make her feel like she was being stupid for wanting to do so much. "But his birthday is at the end of the month too. And I don't think he's celebrated that either."
"Everyone should celebrate the anniversary of their birth," said an airy voice out of nowhere.
Ava and Mia both jumped at the sudden inclusion of another person. They looked over to see Luna standing next to their table. She had a soft smile on her face and seemed to not notice the surprise of the other two girls.
"Hello Luna," Ava said after recovering from the momentary shock. "We didn't see you there."
Luna gave a small shrug. "That's alright. I often go unnoticed when I join friends."
Mia scoffed quietly to herself. "I wouldn't call us friends," she said under her breath. Ava kicked Mia's foot under the table and shook her head at her discretely. Mia sighed and gave Luna a sarcastic smile. "You're just quiet is all."
"Which isn't a bad thing," Ava added in before Mia could run her mouth. "Would you like to sit with us?"
"Yes, thank you." Luna gently placed her books on the table and sat in the third chair.
Mia and Ava exchanged looks when Luna just continued to smile at them in silence. "So what are you up to today?" Ava took the initiative to start a conversation instead of sitting and looking at each other.
Luna hummed. "I was suppose to be studying with Ginny, but I think she ran into Harry and went off with him." She started twirling a piece of her hair absentmindedly. "It's too cold to go outside, so I decided to come here instead."
"Well we're more than happy to keep you company," Ava said softy as she glanced at Mia, "right Mia?"
Mia's brows shot up indignantly, "we are?"
"Yes."
Rolling her eyes, Mia huffed. "Fine." She looked at Luna with a slight frown. "We're happy to have you sit with us."
Luna smiled at the two and ignored the monotone edge to Mia's voice. She opened one of the books she brought with her, which turned out to be about small unusual creatures. Mia threw her hands up in exasperation and raised an eyebrow at Ava. She really couldn't understand why Ava liked Luna of all people. Ava just smiled awkwardly, knowing Luna didn't come across well to others.
Instead of putting more attention on the tension Mia had towards Luna, Ava turned their conversation back to Christmas break. Luna made the occasional odd comment here and there. Which was perhaps a good thing where Mia was concerned. Ava was just happy to spend the rest of their afternoon in peace.
...
Later that evening Tom was sitting with Liam at one of the common room tables. They were waiting for Ava and Mia to join them, as they had disappeared with Allison sometime after dinner. There was supposedly something they needed to discuss immediately about the upcoming break. Tom had a suspicion that it had something to do with Ava's insistence that she plan out traditions for him to partake in.
But instead of putting much thought into it, Tom put his focus on finishing the last bit of assignments he had left to do. He was never one to leave something until the last minute. Although he really didn't need to worry about that, considering the assignments he wanted to finish weren't due until the day before leaving. Which set him apart from his dorm-mate, who was currently creating paper creatures to avoid getting any actual work done. That seemed to be a common theme.
Tom let out a small breath as he placed his quill back in the ink pot. "Do you plan to get anything done while we're here?" He glanced up to see Liam drop the little paper bird in his hand. "Or shall I leave you to fend for yourself?"
"You weren't really helping anyways," Liam said nonchalantly. "So what's the point."
"The point is," Tom said sharply, "you are capable of completing assignments on your own. But you clearly struggle to put the answers in coherent words."
Liam smirked. "So my writing's not good enough for your standards?" He shrugged then, "I didn't ask for you to tutor me."
"Do you really have such little care for how you perform in classes?"
Liam quirked his lips with a nod, "I really do."
How pathetic, Tom thought to himself. It was as if being a good student was a rarity in this time. Most students from what he's seen in this era only did the minimum to get through. It was disappointing to say the least.
"No wonder you didn't make it into advanced potions," Tom said eventually when Liam thought that was the end of the conversation.
Liam laughed a little to himself. "Yeah, well we can't all be child prodigies."
"Never claimed I was one."
"True," Liam said in agreement. He pursed his lips and lifted a shoulder. "I'd say devil's spawn is a better fit."
Tom chuckled softly. As insulting as one should be, he found the comment amusing. He couldn't argue because in some way it was true. It fit him more than it probably should.
"Hello boys!"
Tom and Liam were broken out of their banter by Mia obnoxiously dropping her books on the middle of the table. Ava half-heartedly scolded her for being so loud when they got looks from other students. Liam rolled his eyes and shoved her books over so he could grab his homework.
Mia looked back and forth at them with a smile. "What have you two been doing?"
"Us?" Liam scoffed and crossed his arms. "Where have you guys been?"
"Oh nowhere," Mia said offhandedly.
Ava placed her hands on the table to lean down. "We just wanted to spend time with Allison."
"I'm sure that was a wonderful time," Tom said sarcastically. As irritating as Liam could be, he was glad he chose to stay with him rather than be around Allison.
Ava sighed, "be nice."
Tom smirked, not willing to give any promises. Ava just shook her head at him for his refusal to even pretend to tolerate her friend. Mia took notice of the moment the two shared and looked down awkwardly.
Mia took a breath and turned to Ava. "Well it's late, we should go to bed." Mia picked up her books again and made to leave. "Let's go Ava."
Ava stared at Mia in confusion before agreeing. She smiled at the boys as she turned away, "see you two in the morning I guess."
"Good night," Liam called out. Tom hummed in agreement with him.
Mia made sure they were far enough away to whisper to Ava, "you and me need to talk about something."
Ava blinked, "alright." She was helpless as Mia lead her to their dorm room. Whatever it was about, Ava had a feeling she was about to be lectured. And it most certainly involved a certain dark-haired boy.
...
The day before break was chaotic. Students were rushing around to finish their assignments and pack what they needed to take home. One of those students was Mia. She was so preoccupied with completing homework on time, she hadn't given herself much time to prepare to leave. So she was frantically going through her clothes and other items for majority of the afternoon. And Ava was forced to sit there and watch her turn their room into a complete mess.
"You really couldn't have put any effort into packing earlier this week?" Ava was exasperated at the situation she was currently stuck in. She held up the sweater Mia had just thrown onto the bed when Mia started to look for it again. "You're usually more prepared."
Mia groaned, "I know." She stopped once she noticed the sweater in Ava's hand and grabbed it from her to throw in her trunk. "I just got caught up in all the homework we had."
Ava raised a brow. "I have an extra advanced class, and I still managed to get my stuff ready for tomorrow."
"Shut it," Mia said as she tossed her pillow at Ava.
Ava let out laugh and put the pillow back on the bed. "Seriously, do you have a plan to how you're packing? You've created a huge mess." She waved her hand over the array of clothes laying across Mia's bed to make her point.
Mia shrugged, "I only have a few hours to get everything ready at this point." She grabbed another small stack of messily folded clothes to put in her trunk. "So I really don't have a plan. I just want to get everything I need inside my trunk, if it's possible."
"There's charms for that."
"Thank you for the enlightening suggestion," Mia said sharply. "It is so appreciated."
Ava smirked, "that's what I'm here for."
Mia rolled her eyes, but let a smile slip on her face. She actually appreciated Ava's company when she was going crazy over some project like this. Sometimes she needed to be brought back to reality, which is what her friend was for. Suddenly, Mia felt a piece of clothing land on her head to get her attention.
"I think it's time for a break," Ava said when Mia threw the offending item on the floor. "Want to go see what the boys are up to?"
Mia let out a dramatic sigh and grabbed the remaining items on the floor to lay on her bed for the time being. "Wasting time I'm sure."
"Come one," Ava said with a giggle. She grabbed Mia's hand and pulled her to her feet.
Mia groaned, sore from sitting on the floor. "Calm down, would you?"
"I'm perfectly calm."
Ava shook her head with a smile as she tugged Mia out the door. They went down to the common room to see if the others were sitting around. Liam usually messed around with his friends and hung out in the common room. Tom, on the other hand, was a toss-up. He either hid himself away in his room or sits in the common room by himself reading. But thankfully at that time, they were able to find Tom sitting by the fireplace with a closed book on his lap.
Ava and Mia sat across from Tom which prompted him to look at them. He had been staring into the fireplace in thought. "You two must need something to do."
Mia raised a brow as she crossed her arms. "What makes you think that?"
"You're seeking out me of all people.
"You just happen to be the person we wanted to see," Ava said with a shrug.
Tom pursed his lips, not at all convinced that he would be the person of choice for anyone. He then took a moment to study the two of them; Mia looked like she threw her clothes on in the dark, and Ava looked like she put an outfit together in a hurry. Packing must have gotten to them, considering their hazardous appearances.
"I find that hard to believe," Tom said with a roll of his eyes.
Mia leaned her head back and crossed her arms. "For Ava it's true." Ava whipped her head towards Mia in complete bafflement. Mia's eyes widened when she realized how loud she said that. "She's the only one that really seeks you out, on her own I mean."
Tom raised a brow and was curious about why Ava reacted the way she did. Now as he studied her, she wouldn't look in his direction. He couldn't understand why she was embarrassed about what Mia said. It made sense to him.
At that moment the common room was filled with loud laughing and hollering. Ava and Mia look behind them over the sofa to see Liam walking in with Colby and a group of other boys. They were laughing about a joke and pushing each other as they entered. Liam caught sight of the girls and excused himself. Still laughing at his friends, he dropped down on the sofa next to Tom. He chose to ignore the not so subtle way Tom moved away from him.
Mia scowled at Liam, "having fun are you?"
"I am," Liam as he folded his arms. "Got a problem with it?"
"No," Mia said sharply. "I just can't believe you went off with your friends instead of getting ready to leave tomorrow."
Liam shrugged. "I'm packed."
"Doubt it."
Ava sighed as she looked away from the train wreck that was her friends. She caught Tom's gaze and gave him a half smile. He was just as tired of the other two arguing as she was. Liam was always making comments to get a rise out of Mia. And she always fell for it.
Liam put his foot up on the coffee table between the two sofas and leaned back. That's when he noticed who was sitting near the entrance. "Look who's standing over there."
Ava and Mia glanced behind them to see Rowan and his gang of friends standing and talking amongst themselves. Mia scoffed, realizing why Liam pointed them out. They were clearly trying to get attention. And she knew exactly who they were trying to bother the most. Ava must have also figured it out as she turned back around with a shake of her head.
"What a bunch of prats," Liam said heatedly.
Tom caught on to what was really going on and focused more on the other group. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the glances a few were making in their direction. But what really got to him was when Rowan said something to make his friends chuckle as he looked directly at where Ava was sitting.
"I don't believe they plan on leaving without causing a scene either." Tom looked over at Liam then raised a brow. "They keep looking at us."
Liam rolled his eyes with a huff. "I bet they will."
"I think Rowan's been itching to start something," Mia said after looking over her shoulder again.
Ava's brow furrowed as she glanced between the other three. "What makes you think that?"
Liam sighed, "his friends have been hanging around more lately." He looked towards Tom to prove his point when he received a nod of agreement. "Rowan keeps making snide comments in classes when he sees fit."
Ava took a breath as she took that in. It was apparent these things only happened around Tom and Liam. And she could almost guess why. She looked back at Tom, thinking about what he told her; Rowan needed to be handled. Especially if he continued to act that way. She could look the other way when he directed his vitriol towards her. But her friends were absolutely out of the question.
Laughter could be heard, only closer this time. They looked over to see Rowan and two of his friends walk past them. The glances cast their way didn't go unnoticed either. The moment would have passed without trouble, had Liam decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Well if it isn't Hogwarts own band of arrogant pricks."
Ava and Mia shared an exasperated look. He just couldn't help himself when it came to those boys. They all knew what he said could be heard. It clearly gained Rowan's attention, as he stopped mid stride as soon as the words left Liam's mouth. Rowan waved off his friends to keep going and he turned back around. Feeling the gaze directed at him, Liam looked over his shoulder.
Rowan raised a brow. "Was there something you wanted to say Carsen?"
With a shrug, Liam stood to face Rowan. "I think you heard me."
"Oh I did," Rowan said with a smirk. "I just wanted to see if you had the balls to repeat it to my face."
"Like you would do the same."
Rowan shrugged. "I have no issue saying exactly how I feel about you." He briefly looked over the other three still sitting, "Or your loser friends."
Liam scowled. "We're not the losers in this situation."
"Aren't you?" Rowan laughed humorlessly with a shake of his head. "Let's see shall we. We have you, the typical unintelligent jock, the unimportant try-hard, and the quiet teachers pet." He stopped for a second, pretending to contemplate something. "Oh and let's not forget, Hogwarts faux sweetheart."
Liam's fists clenched in anger. "Where do you get off saying that about us."
Rowan hummed, "let me think." He pushed his hands in his pockets and started to smirk again. "It's true. Especially about her," he said as he tilted his head in Ava's direction.
"Oh shut up you slimy git."
Ava couldn't take it anymore and stood up. "That is enough. Both of you."
Rowan laughed shortly. "She speaks!"
Ava moved to stand next to Liam who tried to tell her to back off. "I do, thanks for noticing." She pushed away Liam's hand when he made to grab her arm. "What is your problem?"
"My problem?" Rowan let his amusement die down to match the seriousness of Ava's demeanor. "Nothing."
Ava sighed sharply. "Clearly you have an issue. And you keep harassing my friends."
Rowan rolled his eyes and gave her an unimpressed look. "I wouldn't call it harassing." He shifted his gaze to Liam again. "Besides, they're equally as guilty."
"Don't do that," Ava said harshly. Rowan lifted a brow in question. "Don't try to shift blame on someone else for something you do."
Huffing indignantly, Rowan crossed his arms. "You say that as if I do that all the time."
"Because you do."
"This is ridiculous," Rowan with false hurt. "I have done nothing to deserve these accusations."
Ava let out a humorless laugh, "don't even try that." She scoffed at his attempt at playing innocent, she knew exactly what he was like. "I am so tired of you getting away with the horrible way you treat other people." Liam attempted to step in again, but Ava shook her head.
"What exactly do I do that is so horrible?" Rowan's tone came off as very sarcastic. He couldn't see what she was saying at all.
Crossing her arms as well to match his stance, Ava frowned. "I was just told that you've been continuously antagonizing my friends. Not to mention the bullying you and your friends commit towards the younger students." She took a breath to keep herself calm when Rowan gave her an attitude for saying that. "I don't even need to get into the way you treated me last year."
"The way I treated you," Rowan repeated slowly in confusion. "You mean giving you what you deserved after what you did."
"I didn't do anything to you!"
Ava realized how loud that came out as soon as she noticed other students stop and stare at them. Like last time, their arguing attracted the attention of everyone around them. But this time, she thought the public humiliation aspect of it would be good for Rowan. And she was sick of everyone else ignoring what he was really like.
Rowan chuckled slowly. "Oh Ava, you really don't think you did something horrible yourself?" Ava shook her head. "I tried to be everything you wanted, and you rejected me."
"That's not what happened."
"Really?" Rowan took a step closer. "I was the perfect guy for you. Everyone thought so." He let out a sigh of disappointment at Ava's uninterested expression. "We could be great together, our families would have had a wonderful relationship." He smiled a bit when Ava shifted away in discomfort. "But you threw it all away."
Seeing how close Rowan was getting to Ava, Tom stood from his spot prepared to step in if needed. There was something in his words that made Tom unsettled. But he couldn't place what it was. Whatever the feeling was, he ignored it and let things play out more.
Ava ignored Liam whisper her name, knowing he wanted to get her out of the situation. But she didn't want to stop now. "You treated me like an object, an opportunity."
"Did I?"
"Yes," Ava said without hesitation. "As soon as I rejected your ideals and refused to follow your directions, you lashed out." She looked back when she heard movement to see Tom standing a few steps away from her. Looking back at Rowan, she smiled thinly. "I've never regretted ending things with you. As you taught me, looks can be deceiving. And I certainly didn't like what you were hiding underneath your perfect persona."
The students around them seemed to enjoy the turn their argument took. It would definitely fuel the rumors that would start. Rowan's anger peaked when he noticed the hidden laughs in his direction. "Well I'm sorry I didn't meet your expectations."
Ava scoffed lightly. "It was more than that." She uncrossed her arms and decided to go back to her friends. He was talking in circles with her. "I just prefer not to be with someone that would create an elaborate plan to hurt me for some twisted revenge."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh that's right," Ava said after a pause. She pretended to think about it more. "I guess we don't know how I got hurt exactly." Turning away, she waved him off. "You probably wouldn't know."
Rowan laughed in indifference. "You really think I would waste my time hiding in the stands until I can curse a stupid bludger to hit you?"
Ava stopped when he said that. Her eyes snapped up to meet Tom's and she had to hold back a smile. Whipping back around, Ava put on a surprised expression. "So that's how you did it."
Rowan frowned, "what?"
"You waited until the right moment." Ava shook her head, almost unbelieving in how simple it had been to get that out of him. "You really wanted to get back at me." Students started to talk amongst each other after she stopped talking.
Tom, who had been ready to step in, smirked as he watched Rowan look around at the students. They were all looking at him and talking, obviously excited about what was revealed. It was about time Rowan was given what he deserved. He moved his gaze back to Ava and felt a swell of pride for her for tricking Rowan into exposing himself. And she exuded nothing but confidence as Rowan began to crumble in front of the entire room. Tom wanted her to do something like this, he just didn't expect it so soon. But he felt this was the right way to go about it. Until he noticed Rowan's humiliation turn into anger as he directed his focus to Ava again.
"You little slag," Rowan bit out harshly. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Ava.
Before anyone could react, Tom was standing in front of Ava. His wand was pointed directly at Rowan and his expression was complete ice. "I wouldn't do that."
"Of course you would need to come to her rescue." Rowan snarled at Tom. "Mind your own business for once Riddle."
"Or what?"
Ava felt a twinge of panic at the sudden turn in events. She didn't want this to develop into a full-blown duel. "This is between you and me, don't start something that could get you both in trouble."
"That doesn't matter," Tom said tensely. He noticed Ava attempt to step forward out of the corner of his eye. "Ava, don't."
Rowan let out a harsh laugh. "Come on. Let her." He smirked nastily, "she can handle herself. Isn't that right sweetheart?"
"I think you've done enough to her."
Rowan scowled. "I'm guessing it was your idea to do this then." His hand clenched his wand tighter. "To humiliate me in front of our house."
"Oh I didn't plan this," Tom said innocently. "I encouraged her to do something, but this was her idea."
"Then she's even more of a bitch than I originally thought."
Tom's face twitched in anger. "How dare you." He went to throw out a curse until Ava called his name. He hesitated and struggled not to let it slip. Rowan also seemed prepared to cast a curse his way, and he didn't relax his stance after Ava's interruption.
Rowan was about to make a comment until he noticed a prefect enter the common room. He paused for a second before swiftly putting his arm down. "This isn't over." He then walked away to go to his dorm room instead of risking getting caught.
After noticing the prefect herself, Ava went up to Tom and gently placed her hand on his arm. She guided his hand down as he let go of the tension in his body. The last thing they needed was for prefects to see him dueling another student. Tom took a few breaths before looking at Ava. They stared at each other silently, not sure what to do next.
Then an idea popped into Ava's head; she knew what to do to get Tom's mind off of what happened. She gave him a timid smile, "come with me somewhere." Tom lifted a brow, caught off guard. "Please." He nodded tentatively and let her lead them out of the common room.
A few hours later, after taking the time to cool down after the confrontation with Rowan, Ava and Tom were in the astronomy tower looking out across the grounds. They came to the conclusion that Rowan was taken care of for the time being. They knew he would come back again once he recuperated, but for now they would forget about him. And then they talked about Ava's sudden burst in confidence to actually expose Rowan. Tom had wanted nothing more than for her to do so, he only didn't expect that to happen from the initial argument that was started. To both their surprise, he actual told her that he was proud of her. He was, however, still confused about his instinct to protect her.
Throughout their little heart-to-heart conversation, they ended up standing closer. Although that was in part due to the colder weather. Their hands brushed against the railing as they talked over different things. One thing in particular that occurred that evening was Ava getting Tom to admit that he was looking forward to seeing how her family celebrates the holidays. But he was still against acknowledging his birthday.
Ava laughed breathily. "I really don't understand your reluctance to celebrate your own birthday."
Tom lifted a brow. "It was never that important to me." He shrugged and readjusted his robes to fight out the chill. "The orphanage never gave much care towards birthdays. And I always viewed it as another year closer to death, rather than something to celebrate."
"Do you have to turn everything into something horrible?" Ava shook her head in disbelief at him. "All I want to do is give you a full day to celebrate yourself essentially."
"Well you're more than welcome to dedicate the day to me," Tom said coyly.
Ava released a drawn-out sigh. "Of course you'd take it that way."
"Is that not what you meant?"
Ava rolled her eyes while trying to hide a smile. She couldn't keep a straight face at his overly exaggerated innocent expression. "You're ridiculous."
Tom chuckled softly at her as he leaned against the railing. "You said it first, not me." He elbowed her side playfully which elicited a startled gasp from her. "And in that case, perhaps I won't mind celebrating after all."
Shaking her head, Ava turned sideways to look at him directly. "Cake and all?"
"Yes," Tom said with a smirk. He stood up to face her as well, taking a step closer. "Along with whatever else you have planned in that mind of yours."
Ava lifted her brows in disbelief. She doubted he genuinely meant that, but she's willing to play along. He seemed to realize what she was thinking, if his smile was anything to go by. Their eyes locked and that's when Ava realized exactly how close they were standing. Their breaths were coming out in soft clouds between them, the air frigid and numbing. They were stuck in that moment like there was nothing else around them. Until the chime of a clock could be heard.
Ava blinked herself out of their daze and came to the realization that they had stayed out too long. That chime signified the time for curfew, and they were meant to be back in the common room already. "We have to go."
"I think I know a faster way to get back," Tom after taking a breath. He grabbed a hold of her sleeve and pulled her with him. "Come on."
Tom pulled them through a set of different side corridors Ava rarely went down. They were hoping to make it to the common room quicker and without being seen by any prefects. At one point they had to come to a sudden stop when they just caught sight of a prefect round the corner in front of them. Tom had stopped and pushed her back before they got too far around the wall. Of course neither of them really minded if they were caught. It was the night before all the students left and they knew the prefects wouldn't care too much. But sneaking around gave them a thrill. And there was a certain satisfaction in being in close proximity.
It was only when they had reached the corridor leading down to the dungeons that Tom finally let go of her. He thought they would be in the clear, however, they soon after heard footsteps approaching. Tom swiftly guided them into a nook in the wall, which he knew existed from experience, to hide them. Ava leaned against the wall as Tom stood close to her and listened as the person walked past. He glanced out to see the boy going the way they came. He turned back to Ava to give her a nod. She let out a breath in relief.
Ava looked up at Tom to see him looking at her. He had one hand placed against the wall next to her head, which put him startling closer than she first thought. "That was close."
Tom nodded, "perhaps we should keep track of the time on our next outing."
"Oh there will be another one," Ava asked teasingly.
Tom huffed. "I'd assume so."
Ava bit her lip. "I knew it." Tom lifted a brow in confusion. "You do like spending time with me, even though you act like I annoy you."
Tom sighed with a roll of his eyes. "You don't annoy me." He leaned down, "but you do drive me crazy sometimes."
"Then why do you stay around?"
Tom paused, not finding the right words right away. He wasn't sure what the best answer was to her question. The obvious answer was her being his only true friend by default given their situation. But something else came out of his mouth, "I guess I like feeling crazy."
Ava stared into Toms eyes stunned. She almost couldn't believe he said that. "Funny, because sometimes I find you to be infuriating." Most times actually, if she was to be honest.
"Is that so?" Tom smirked, seeing that they created an unspoken competition. He felt an unexpected bout of honesty bubble up and come out. "You make me feel things I never thought I could."
Ava stayed silent, completely taken aback by his admission. By the way he recoiled slightly, she could tell he didn't expect to say that himself. He even seemed to be thinking of a way to take it back. To keep him from actually doing so, she reached a tentative hand up to caress his face. It worked to get his attention, and she was pleasantly surprised when he leaned into the warmth of her hand and closed his eyes. "Tom?"
"Hm?"
"What does this mean?"
Tom opened his eyes and looked deeply into hers. "I don't know."
It was like a magnet was between them in that moment. They unconsciously drew closer, their faces only inches apart. Ava met his eyes one more time before deciding to close the gap. But there was no cliche fireworks. It was like her body became numb and she couldn't properly breathe. She was floating. And it was the best feeling she's ever experienced in her life.
There was a monumental difference between this kiss and the first one. First and foremost, she was the one to initiate it. She could also feel with the way he responded to her that he was willingly participating. The first time was out of necessity to get out of a sticky situation. But this time, they mutually felt the urge to do it. And it was incredibly overwhelming.
They pulled apart slowly, both them trying to catch their breath. After recovering himself Tom pushed himself away from the wall and away from her. Ava looked down and pushed messy hair behind her ear awkwardly. Tom cleared his throat and held his hand out to her. She stared at his hand, unsure of everything. Looking up at him to see a soft expression on his face waiting for her to take the next step. Seeing his patience with her, she finally took his hand and allowed him to pull her the rest of the way to the common room. Once there and realizing no one else was sitting out, they faced each other to end the evening.
"That was," Ava started to say before stopping to come up with the right words, "nice." She could almost curse herself with how awkward she sounded.
Tom took it easy on her and smirked in amusement. "Nice is one way to describe it."
Ava let out a scoff, "I wasn't talking about that." She swallowed and gave him an imploring look. "But it was nice right?"
Tom pretended to contemplate it until she pushed him lightly. He huffed out a laugh, "I would say it was."
"Good." Ava looked at the clock to see how late it was and knew they needed to go to bed. "It's late."
"Right," Tom said softly. He let her back away, their hands slipping apart.
Ava smiles as she moved backwards, "I'll see you in the morning."
She turned around and went up the stairs to her room. Giving one last glance back, she saw him slowly turn away. When she got in her room, she leaned against the door for a few seconds to regain herself. A smile lit up her face as she thought over what happened.
As she laid in bed to go to sleep that night, all she could think about was what this new kiss meant. It both excited and scared her to think about what would happen next with them. Especially now that they'll be home for a few weeks. Hopefully, this was the start of something good. At least for her.
AN: Yes, this chapter is long and yes it feels like nothing really happened. But, I hope the last part was worth it!
So I totally got this crazy idea for an AU with Tom and Ava. It's pretty...adultish, if you get what I mean. I would be down to write a oneshot or two if you guys would be interested. Just saying.