Fatal Attraction | D.M. (Soft Rewrite)

Chapter Twenty - The Threat

Ophelia was pleased the weekend was almost over, since nothing distracted her more effectively than a busy week of classes. Confining herself to the library for a whole day meant the work she'd neglected was almost finished. Plus, the added bonus that she could avoid everyone else.

Traipsing back to the common room, she slumped into an empty sofa, her eyelids heavy after the hours of concentrating. Slipping off her shoes, she tucked her feet beneath her, resting her head back.

From her bag she retrieved, A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration, turning to the required reading for tomorrows class.

Stifling yawns as she tried to ingest the information, her focus was rudely interrupted. She didn't have to look up from the page to recognise his hurried footsteps.

'You missed dinner.'

Still looking down, she rolled her eyes, her tone sarcastic 'how observant.'

Blaise sat close to her on the sofa. His eyes roving her passive body, searching for a reaction. While she wasn't telling him to leave, she wasn't welcoming him.

He'd felt awful since their fight and his hangover after the ball hadn't helped. Nott had been all too happy to relay the details he didn't recall. Though he tactically left out the part where he danced with her for ages - that son of a bitch.

'Please talk to me, we can go somewhere else?'

'No.'

'Well, at least look at me... Please Phi.'

She raised narrowed eyes, 'spit it out then.'

He sat in silence drumming his thumbs on his knees, unsure how to word his apology. Every sensible statement, all he'd planned to say, was gone. Crumbling under the pressure of seeing her.

'I'm sorry.'

She couldn't resist snorting. Turning back to her work, which so far, was much more captivating.

Cupping her jaw with his palm, he pulled her face back up to look at him. While she didn't recoil, she knew her glare spoke volumes.

Still, he maintained his hold. 'Please Phi, I'm going crazy here missing you -'

'- is that it?' she cut in.

'Stop it,' his voice close to a whimper, as he brushed his thumb over her cheek.

'You don't get to touch me like this anymore -'

'Wait -' he yelped, as Ophelia tried to stand. Lunging forward, he grabbed for her wrist at the exact moment Pansy, Draco and Nott walked into the common room. Their eyes immediately drawn to the commotion, as Blaise dragged her back down.

She landed on his lap with a gasp. Slightly winded by the impact, she couldn't move off him fast enough. He steadied her with hands on each hip, his breath hot on her neck.

Ophelia pulled away to the furthest corner of the sofa, ignoring the newcomers. Her nostrils flaring, as her temper rose. Still, she suppressed the telling off Blaise was due. She didn't want to make more of a scene.

The seconds that passed felt like an age. She knew Pansy was silently strategising how to take advantage of the situation. Steeling herself, regaining a modicum of composure, she made the mistake of looking up.

Pansy was draped around Malfoy, walking in step with one another, as they took the sofa opposite. His grey eyes were vacant. He looked at her as though she was nothing – as though they hadn't even spoken – let alone kissed.