Rose & The Riddle || Tom Riddle Story

Chapter Nineteen - Irresistible

Rose knew avoiding Tom Riddle would not last, especially since they shared a class together. Usually, she was amongst the first to arrive to Alchemy, however Tom Riddle had beaten her there one Thursday morning, much to her dismay. 

It was much too late to turn back now. Tom had already seen her and they were the only two in the classroom. She sighed and strolled over slowly to her seat, next to Tom.

"Good morning," he beamed. Rose was taken aback by his cheerfulness.

"Morning," she replied soberly as she removed her textbook from her bag. She could feel Tom's gaze on her.

"How have you been?"

Rose shot him a puzzled expression and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What's with the formalities?" she asked. "You're acting – cheerful and it's freaking me out."

"I had a – nice revelation this past weekend," he mused. Rose could tell he wanted to continue this conversation, however students began filtering into the classroom, one by one.

"I take it you want to discuss it with me," said Rose casually.

Tom smirked at her as Professor Dumbledore walked to the front of the classroom. He scribbled something onto a piece of parchment and slid it over to her.

"Meet me in the Room of Requirement after class."

Rose's heart fluttered in her chest. She wanted more than anything to be alone with Tom again, but their previous encounter weighed heavy on her mind.

Tom did not love her. She kept replaying it over and over in her head. She could not even pay attention during the lesson because she was on the verge of tears again. However, talking to Mary seemed to help a bit. It was nice to feel... normal, even at least for a moment. Because we all know, there's nothing "normal" about Tom Riddle.

She was dreading the end of class, which of course meant that it flew by in the blink of an eye. As Dumbledore dismissed the class, she packed her books slowly. Tom Riddle hastily packed his belongings and traipsed out of the classroom. Rose took another deep breath and followed behind him.

The corridors were crowded with students scurrying to their next lesson. Rose had Potions next, but she was more interested in hearing what Tom had to say than what Professor Slughorn did. Tom was leaning up against a pillar waiting for her to exit the classroom. She felt heat rise to her cheeks as she stared mesmerized at his handsome demeanor. She averted her gaze as he carefully watched her every move.

"You didn't have to wait for me," she said as she approached. "I know where the Room of Requirement is."

Tom smirked. 

"I wanted to be sure you weren't going to skip out on me," he mused. "Besides, I like it better when you're in my sight."

Tom turned before Rose had a chance to react and she reluctantly followed him to the Room of Requirement.

The room looked the same, as it usually did. However, Rose felt as if there were a huge elephant in the room. Weeks ago she had confessed her love for Tom, and he brushed her off as if she meant nothing to him. He had broken her heart, and shattered it into a million pieces, yet here she was, standing by his side once again pining for his attention, begging for him to love her. How could he look at her and not feel the same way she did? Why couldn't he see himself the way she saw him? Her face fell as she walked towards him.

"You look well," he said, which caught her by surprise. She looked down at her ordinary school robes, wondering what he was referring to.

"What?" Rose asked, feeling stupid.