unhinged ↠ 𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞

twenty five

__________

Mindless thoughts

__________

Kitioma Hadlee

                     My mind goes blank, and I can't think of anything at all. Sure, his lips have become a familiar feeling, almost like they have become a part of myself, but every time they land on mind I get bolts of electricity wherever he touches me.

On instinct, my hand comes up, meaning to punch him in the jaw, shoving him off. He catches my hand, pulling away from him. My eyes are wide with fear, I can't look at him.

"What happened to you?" He mutters, his hand around my own. "He messed you up...you aren't the Gryffindor girl I met so many months ago."

"I don't- I don't know-"

"Stop talking," His voice is a whisper, his breathing heavy. "I don't deserve you...I don't deserve anything but death because of what I'm going to do...but it has to be done. I'm cleansing the world, even if the world refuses to be cleansed."

"What are you talking about?"

Tom slowly brings my hand down, but still holds onto it, tightly. "I- well, I found something out about the heirs. The heir of Slytherin...and the heir of Gryffindor..."

"The heir of Slytherin?" I have no idea where he's going with this.

"It was said that if the two heirs met, and if the rare chance one had been affected by a love potion, keep in mind this is a one in a trillion chance happening, the presence of another heir would wipe away all of the affects..."

The rusty gears in my head start turning. "You...you were conceived under a love potion...you're unable to feel love...so why are you telling me this?"

I swear I can hear him mutter something like "you're an idiot" under his breath. "I'm the heir of Slytherin, Hadlee. And you're the heir of Gryffindor."

"So...so..."

"What I mean is, you're wiping away the effects of the love potion. I can feel because of you," he grabs my wrist again, and I flinch. He doesn't notice, or maybe he doesn't care. He scans over the wounds, frowning, either confusion or concern etched in his face. I would think confusion, because Tom Riddle, concerned? Ha, funny joke. "Why would you ever do this to yourself?"

"Because I have a thing with getting attached to toxic men," My voice is shaking, out of fear or keeping the tears at bay, I don't know.

"Yes, I can see that," He murmurs, tracing the wounds over and over.

"Why are you doing this?"

"You seem to ask that question a lot," He mutters, and I try to pull back my arm, but he continues to hold it with a firm grip. "See, Hadlee, you don't understand what I'm going to do. You don't understand what I have to hide, what I'm trying to keep from growing into...an obsession." He laughs a little and lets go of my arm, shaking his head.

"A-an, an obsession?" My voice is barely a whisper, barely heard.

"Have you ever hated someone so much, so much that your hate eventually captures your thoughts, to the point where you're thinking about them all day, how your actions are better than theirs, how much you want to see them suffer, fantasizing about their death right before your eyes?"

"Maybe...maybe, with Gabby? I hate her, I want her to suffer, but-"

Tom nods, pointing his finger, running a hand through his hair. "Exactly! Exactly like that," He starts pacing the room and I huddle up against the window, watching him. "To where you wish they were dead so they could stop taking over your thoughts..."

"Well- well I wouldn't say I would wish her death, that seems a bit harsh even if she did hurt-"

"Look, Hadlee, the point I'm trying to get across is that you do that to me. You take over my thoughts, you make me obsess over you, you make me feel...emotions that I've never felt before. You make me want you and there's nothing I can do about it because I'm the villain and you're the hero...and I'm supposed to kill you and be happy with it. And don't get me wrong," He laughs without any humor, still pacing. "I would love to end it all, watching your limp body fall to the ground. I would love to see you dead, but for the first time I can feel something, and I don't know if I like that or not."

"You," I gulp. "You-"

"I," He says. "Am completely obsessed with you. I don't know if that's a bad thing," He laughs again. "It probably is, because everything I get obsessed with is used against me. For example, this book." He holds up the black book that was on his bed moments before. "This book holds secrets that no one could ever read and live."

I swallow once again. "You, Tom Riddle, is obsessed with...me?"

"Do you want to hear it in Spanish?" His arms are on my sides, trapping me in. "One hundred percent. And if I ever see another boy lay a hand on you ever again, he will die."

"But," I muster up my courage, knowing that Tom won't hit me like Kane, that they are two different people, that the worst thing that could happen is my suffering is ended in two quick words. "But you hurting me is ok?"

His hand cups my cheek, tracing patterns down my neck. "I apologize I didn't get your consent the other day. I shouldn't have done that. But I'm not sorry for everything else. For the library. The hallways. I can't trust myself around you. You test me in more ways than one, and you smart-mouthing me isn't helping my anger."

I tremble slightly and his hand leaves my face. "Why do act differently? In front of other people, I mean. You act fine in front of professors, like this Slytherin boy who is smart and not very talkative. But then you come around me and you're this raging fire of a human, you choke me and kiss me at random moments, you threaten my life..."

"Simple manipulation, sweetheart," I almost scoff at the nickname, but keep my lips pressed shut in habit. "You gain their trust, then you get inside their head, manipulate their actions. They're like sheep, mindless animals who need someone to watch after them," He sighs, sitting on the window seat again. "You, on the other hand, are my target. I don't have to manipulate you, you already know what I'm like...but then Kane had to come into here and ruin you...I mean, look at you, crying, silent, stuttering. Pitiful," A stab of hurt goes through my body, but I keep silent. "I'm not going to regret what I'm going to do next..." His words are quiet.

"What?"

"Kiki, can I kiss you?"

"I- um, ok."

He takes my hand, pulling me over to him. He looks me over, sighing. "You're going to hate me for this."

"For wha-"

He pulls me to his lips, his hand around my waist. I freeze, and then melt into his heated touch. He shifts to where I am pushed up against the wall, my legs wrapped around his torso, his dominating frame towering over me. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His lips explore my neck, hitting the spot below my jawline that always makes me go crazy. His hands slip under my shirt, lifting it up over my head. In return, his shirt soon comes off, and suddenly, we're on his pine-needle smelling bed, him on top of me, trailing kisses down my neck, down to my collarbone, down my stomach.  I run a hand over his toned muscles, pressing my lips shut to keep breathy moans from slipping out, sure to make my cheeks grow red.

"Hadlee," I hear him breathe into my ear.

"Riddle?"

I'm suddenly flipped, to where I'm straddling him, my chest up against his. "Don't hate me to much, ok?"

"For-"

He pulls my head against his lips once again, his arms wrapping around my slim body. I feel him smile, then whisper something into my ear.

"Obliviate."

"Tom-"

"Sleep tight, Princess. You'll be back to the times before Kane soon, to where you're that Gryffindor girl I fell for. You'll forget all about what I said today and have no fucking idea what you're doing to me."

I feel one last kiss press up against my lips. One last hair tucked behind my ear. One last shot of warmth of a body against mine.

And then, I'm dragged into darkness.