| CHAPTER THIRTEEN |
MASK.
CEDRIC AND NATASHA WALKED IN silence, side by side to the kitchens. They had stopped off at a girl's bathroom, where Natasha went in to clean herself up a bit, wiping away all of her makeup, leaving her completely barefaced; something that surprised both herself and Cedric. But with bloodshot eyes and a tired expression, the last thing Nat felt like doing in that moment was spending more time on her makeup, all she wanted was to stuff her face with ice cream.
So, that's exactly what they both did. With bowls full of all different flavours of ice cream, Cedric and Natasha sat opposite each other at the small table in the kitchens, silence enveloping them comfortingly.
He had never seen this side of her; no one had. Truthfully he didn't even know it existed, and no offence to Nat, but Cedric didn't think she even could produce tears. She always seemed like the strongest one (emotionally) in the entire school. But no one knew about her home life. Not even Rosie or Grace knew the extend of it. It wasn't really something Natasha wanted the whole school knowing.
"So, what's on your mind, little one?"
Natasha glanced up from her ice cream, using her spoon she swirled it around in the bowl as her eyes looked at the older boy, "I don't want to bore you," She told him, chuckling nervously.
He looked at her, surprised that she didn't even threaten him for calling her 'little one'. The first time he had tried that (he was in his third year whilst Natasha was in her second) she threw a Quaffle towards him during their Quidditch practise, pretending that she did it by accident. His grey eyes watched her carefully. Without the makeup on her face, it was like she had taken off a mask. She no longer looked like the happy, bubbly rich girl that bounced around the corridors. Instead, she looked beat down; like a kicked puppy.
"Stop looking at me like that," Her soft voice broke him out of his trance as she hid behind her hair, "I look like a mess."
"No, you don't," Cedric told her without even a moment of hesitation. It was true, she didn't look like a mess, if anything, he thought she looked much better without all that makeup, but now he seemed to understand why she wore it; it was her own mask. When the makeup was on, her emotions were hidden from view. It was as if she was acting like someone else, worried that her true self wasn't good enough, "I think you look pretty without makeup," He added, his voice completely serious.
Natasha couldn't believe the way her heart fluttered at the compliment. She had received many compliments from both sexes over the years, but none of them seemed to sit with her, not like his did. Everyone else complimented her makeup - her mask - Cedric, on the other hand, complimented her real self. Whether he was saying that truthfully or just to make her feel better, she couldn't deny that it still warmed up her cold heart, "What, even with puffy eyes and red cheeks?" She chuckled.
Cedric grinned as he watched her tuck some of her golden locks behind her ear, showing off the many piercings she had in it, "Especially with puffy eyes and red cheeks."
"You know how to make a girl feel special, don't you?" Nat joked, biting her lip as she felt her lips being tugged up into a smile, a genuine one.
Cedric grinned, his eyes sparkling as he watched her, "I've got more than just good lucks and incredible Quidditch skills," He chuckled, puffing his chest out dramatically. He couldn't help but smile when he heard Natasha's laugh. It sounded so genuine and soft, subconsciously, it became his favourite sound ever.
"Don't get too full of yourself just yet," The blonde grinned as she licked the ice cream from her spoon and pointed it straight at the older boy, "By the way, if you tell anyone about this, I will stab you."
Cedric couldn't contain his smile, "And she's back."