Raven | 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 23

Alexandra hesitated at first when she glanced for a split second at Mike. But then she turned back to Regulus and at last nodded, saying with a smile, "Sure."

       Mike looked as if he were just about to protest, but he held himself back, reminding himself that Alexandra had asked him to at least trust her, if not Regulus.

      "I'll see you tomorrow?" Alexandra said with a half smile at Mike.

       But he shook his head firmly, looking more stern than ever. "I'll wait up for you in the common room."

      And so without waiting for Alexandra to respond, with one last glare at Regulus's direction, he turned on his heels and left the Astronomy Tower, leaving Alexandra and Regulus alone on that chilly night.

      "Your friend doesn't like me much," said Regulus with a scant smirk upon his face as he watched Mike leave, the echoes of his footsteps fading away.

      "He just worries, that's all." Alexandra shrugged, giggling.

      "Worries?" Regulus turned to look back at Alexandra, raising a curious brow at her. "Why would he worry?"

       Alexandra shrugged again and held herself back from telling him about Mike's Ravenclaw tingle, suppressing a chuckle.

       "He's always been like a brother to me," she reasoned.

       "For some while I used to think that you two were a thing."

       "Yeah... unfortunately a lot of people start assuming such things when a boy and a girl hang around too much with each other."

       "So does that mean people are now assuming that you and I are together?" Regulus questioned with a teasing grin.

      "I — w-well — no, I don't think so," Alexandra said in a small voice, hoping to God that he couldn't see her blushing. "We don't spend time together that much."

      Regulus gave her a charming smile. "Now that's something I would like to change."

      Alexandra felt her face heat up at those words and a spark rushed down her spine as she gaped up at him in disbelief, holding her cloak closer to her body as she submerged into the bitter cold.

      "I..." Alexandra whispered, realizing she hadn't taken her eyes off him.

       Regulus noticed this too, a hint of smirk brewing on his lips. But then he suddenly shook his head, as if realizing something.

      "I'm sorry, you must be freezing," he said enchantingly as she stood there, unable to move as her mind was racing. Regulus approached her after taking off his coat and then wrapped it around my Alexandra's shoulders, who stared up at him wordlessly.

      She wanted to thank him, but it was as if the words had lost their way down her throat. At this point, she was now sure that he had noticed her pink cheeks, because with arrogance dripping from his face and a noticeable smirk on his lips, Regulus turned away from her and walked closer to the edge of the Astronomy Tower, staring up at the sky above them.

       The sky was crumbled with stars and the moon was in its full form. Not even the numerous clouds up there could hide their brightness in the infinite sky.

       Alexandra walked closer toward where Regulus stood, glancing at him curiously. He had noticed her dreamy gaze on him, but he still didn't take his eyes off the stars.

      "I always found Astronomy fascinating," he said, still not looking at her.

       "I thought Potions was your favorite. You must be really good at it, seeing as Slughorn always favors you in all his classes, inviting you to all his fancy dinner parties," she said with a light chuckle.

       "Yeah, I'm rather skilled with Potion making," said Regulus with an arrogant grin on his face. "I can help you, if you like."

      "Help me?" She raised brow at him.

      "With Potions." He nodded. "You'll be surprised to know that I can be a good tutor. Besides, the O.W.Ls are close. I don't think the examiners will appreciate it if you blow your cauldron in their faces like you did to me."

       "Hey, I thought you had forgiven me!" Alexandra nudged him playfully, making him laugh. It was the first time that she was hearing the sound of his laughter, which gave her a sense of peace.

       Soon, they both came to a halt and the sound of their laughter faded as they looked back at each other wordlessly, a silence filling the space between them.

       Regulus then turned his gaze back on the sky. "Potions is great. But I guess I like the study of stars better. I feel like... they're alive. The stars, I mean."

       "Well, personally I was never one for studying them," Alexandra confessed, "but I always love to sit behind my window and watch them twinkle away all night. It's as if someone has splattered glitter all across the sky."

       She then laughed, causing Regulus to turn his head to look at her sideways. Her words caused his stare to become more curious, as though he hadn't expected her to speak of something so passionately. 

      Alexandra didn't notice this, but for a split moment a look of hurt flashed through his eyes as he glanced back at her. There came a sudden ache in his heart that made Regulus want to turn around and leave her there, knowing that it was the best thing for her if he stayed away from her.

       But he shook the thought away with all that he had left in him. He had to stick to the plan and finish what he had started. Just like he was ordered to.

      So just then, Regulus took Alexandra off gaurd and her laughter slowly faded when he took another step closer to her in the quiet of the night, halving his tallness before her. She suddenly felt it hard to breathe when he took a strand of her raven black hair and his fingers adjusted it gently behind her ear silently.

       When Alexandra came to herself, she just then realized how close he was standing to her. With his face only a few inches away from hers, he was so close that for the first time she could smell the vanilla scent from his hair.

       "I really like you, Alex," Regulus whispered, his grey eyes gazing into hers as he placed his hand gently on her rosy cheek, causing her heart to leap.

      And just then, as Alexandra lost herself in the passion of the moment, she felt Regulus lean in, his lips only an inch away from hers.