𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭, ᵐᵃᵗᵗʰᵉᵒ ʳⁱᵈᵈˡᵉ

part 15

tw: charlottes sleeping ruins everything.

charlotte woke up warm, and alone. she briefly recalled mattheos warm arm around her, and her face layed on his chest, but there was no trace of him now, except for the telltale warmness he left behind. she got up, and as she did, she noticed a note laying on the edge of the bed, on top of a sweatshirt. it was plain, dark blue with nothing on it except for 'Riddle' written in bright white on the back. she tugged it on and opened the note, reveling in the smell of mattheo flooding her senses.

hey char,
i'm out by the pool, thought you'd wanna sleep in.
mattheo

she didn't know if the note was an invitation to join him or not, but she left to find the pool all the same. she went down countless wrong halls before she found the staircase that lead to the bottom floor. she didn't have a swimsuit, so she didn't know what she would do by the pool, but that didn't stop her. she found him laying on a chair by the pool. he had abs, charlotte felt herself stare at him. he was tan, tanner than she'd ever seen him, and it suited him well. Charlotte had the strange urge to kiss him, but she banished it as soon as it came. they weren't like that.

"hey char," he said, smiling up at her.
"hey matt," she replied moving to sit next to him.
"wanna swim?" he asked, winking at her.
"i don't have a swim suit," she said quietly, but in the moment, there was nothing she would want to do more than swim with him.
"well then," he said, starting to get up, "i guess we have to go shopping."
"i don't have any money-" charlotte said, before mattheo cut her off.
"i do," he took her hand and led her back inside.

he changed into a tee shirt and shorts before moving to grab his wallet, which looked completely full of $100's. he grabbed her hand, and they apparated to the mall. she dragged him through store after store, buying more stuff than she could even imagine. she bought many things in the color purple, cause it was his favorite on her. by the time they were done, charlotte had thousands of dollars worth of new clothes, and mattheo was holding 13 shopping bags, trailing behind her as charlotte went from store to store. they returned to Riddle Manor late. it was dark out, but mattheo still wanted to go swimming, and charlotte did, too.

she reached into one of the bags and pulled out a light purple bikini, and went to the bathroom to put it on. as she did, she wondered what she was doing here. her uncle Remus had no idea where she was, and he was probably worried sick, but for once, charlotte couldn't bring herself to care. she needed to be here with mattheo, and nothing would stop her now. she changed quickly, and left the bathroom. mattheo was waiting for her, in a different bathing suit than before, and it slowly occurred to her that they would look very good together. she didn't know where the thought came from, but unlike all the times before when she thought of him, it wouldn't leave her mind. they walked to the pool together, and as they reached the staircase, mattheo grabbed charlottes hand. his hand was big and warm, like it usually was, but charlotte appreciated it more now. after they hadn't talked in so long, and they fought and argued, she liked that he was still holding her hand.

they made it to the pool, and mattheo got in first. charlotte set her towel and cover up on one of the chairs and made her way to the edge of the pool. it was deep, and the pool itself was built beautifully, the kind of pool only mattheo riddle would have. she wanted to jump in, but she didn't wanna embarrass herself, and she would get too cold if she just walked into the water from the steps, so she sat down on the edge and let her feet dangle in the water. mattheo swam up to where she was sitting and looked at her curiously.
"what are you doing?" he asked.
"it's too cold," she said, causing him to laugh. he moved closer to her.
"come on, get in," before adding, "i'll catch you," he winked at her and she felt herself blush.

she slid off the side of the pool, and before she hit the cool, blue water, mattheos muscular tan arms wrapped around her, holding her against him. she wrapped her legs around him, and held on tightly, preventing herself from falling into the water. he laughed, and as she clung to him, she realized that she didn't know what she would do without him. he was her bestfriend, he was always there for her, always knew what to say and do, he really was perfect for her. his laughter stoped and he got surprisingly quiet, and so charlotte really should have expected it when he haphazardly let go of her and dropped her into the water.

"what the hell," she said angrily as her teeth chattered from the cold.
"oh," he said laughing, "you really are cold."
"i hate you," she said, but soon enough she started laughing, too.

after a while, charlotte got used to the water. mattheo would grab her and throw her in, and she would trip him as he ran to the edge of the pool to jump in. she was laughing so hard, her ribs aches. he went under the water and charlotte moved to get on his shoulders. he walked them to the edge of the pool, then jumped. charlotte had the ridiculous thought that she might die from laughing so hard, it wouldn't be bad though. dying with mattheo.

after they finished swimming, they sat on the edge of the pool together looking up at the stars. he looked over at her, watching as she stared in admiration at the crescent moon. charlotte felt herself grin, knowing he was looking at her. she turned toward him, and rejoiced in that fact that he was already looking at her.
"what are you doing?" she asked with a laugh.
"watching you," he answered, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"why?" she asked, smiling widely.
"cause i want to," he grinned, causing her to laugh again.

he leaned forward, just a little, and charlotte pressed her lips to his, internally sighing in relief when he kissed her back. his lips were warm, like they were the first time they kissed. his hand moved to grab hers, and he pulled away, breathing heavily. he didn't let go of her hand though, and charlotte felt herself smile, knowing that he was still holding on to her. she held his hand for a long time, and as it got darker and darker outside, she got more and more tired. soon enough, she was practically laying on him, with his arms wrapped around her on a lounge chair.

in her last moment of consciousness, she asked, "why didn't you write me back, mattheo?"
she heard him sigh quietly and she thought he wouldn't answer. she let her eyes drift closed, disappointment filling her heart at the lack of answer.

"cause i love you," mattheo said softly, waiting for a reply. he looked down at her and noticed her closed eyes and even breathing. charlotte was asleep.