Before Forever|| T.M.R

Chapter fourteen: Arguments and confessions

"Listen to the people who love you. Believe that they are worth living for even when you don't believe it. Seek out the memories depression takes away and project them into the future. Be brave; be strong; take your pills. Exercise because it's good for you even if every step weighs a thousand pounds. Eat when food itself disgusts you. Reason with yourself when you have lost your reason."
-Andrew Solomon

***
The days after that were perhaps the strangest, Abraxas started paying attention to her outside of his dormitory. He would do very subtle things like brush her hand against his in the hallway, or give a small smile only she would recognize from across the corridor or the room. He would also suggest himself to be her partner when it came time to choose, and almost every time he was victorious.

Valencia's eyes traced the Slytherin table from across the room, searching for her special someone. Nobody knew just how close the pair had gotten, nobody apart from Severus. The only problem with Malfoy doing those small gestures of his affection, Snape noticed it every time, and he hated it. He hated their relationship, and that was a known fact, but he never actively spoke on it. Not anymore.

The two pairs of eyes met in an instance, and her heart jumped when she saw his blue eyes turn a new shade of the sea when they landed on her. She had to suppress the smirk that had began to grow when she saw his cheeks heat up. They never did stuff publicly, it wasn't something they did,  but she had always thought about what to do when she did want to take that step forward.

Nevertheless, she also did not know if she would ever take this step, she didn't know if her and Abraxas were in a relationship, if they were allowed to see other people, the rules and guidelines. It was odd having yourself devoted to one person, she rarely flirted with any of her friends anymore, and she noticed him doing the same. Often, he'd make it known that he liked this change, and that was enough.

With a raise of an eyebrow he rose up from his seat and adjusted himself before getting up. He quickly seemed to excuse himself, and he began to walk over toward the Ravenclaw table, his chin was held high and represented how mighty he portrayed himself to be. He had long legs so it didn't take long at all for him to make it over to her, and without hesitation he sat down next to her and glanced around at the crowd who began to watch them.

"Abraxas what in the devil are you doing?" Valencia whispered into his ear, sending a satisfied tingle down his spine. He didn't move from his spot or make any sound, instead he grabbed a piece of bread and brought it to his mouth, taking a fine bite out of it and then gesturing for her to do the same.

"Do you want a bite?" he asked gently, seeming to become softer when his gaze landed on the witch. She watched wearily as he made uncharacteristic actions and words, and began to question everything entirely. She just couldn't seem to piece together what it was he was doing.

"No thank you, but I would like to know what you are doing" she replied swiftly, wondering what on Earth he was playing out. He never sat with anyone besides his group, let alone a girl from the Ravenclaw table, yet here he was, openly speaking to her as if it was something casual, that he did on a daily basis.

"Look at this" he said laying the bread down onto his plate and moving closer to her, and using slow movement he placed his hand onto her chin. With his new placement, he gingerly turned her head to face the Slytherin table, where many of the members watched them intensely, as if dissecting the situation for the meaning. "All of them need to know that you are no longer out for grabs."