ONE LOVE
Chapter one: The Things He never said
The Slytherin common room was quieter than usual.
Most of the students had gone to bed hours ago, leaving only the faint crackling of the fireplace and the occasional rustle of pages turning somewhere in the distance.
Mattheo Riddle sat alone in his dormitory, his back against the headboard of his bed. A small lamp cast a warm golden glow across the room, illuminating the notebook balanced on his knee.
His dark hair fell into his eyes as he stared at the page.
Delilah.
Again.
The same girl he had drawn at least a hundred times before.
The tip of his pencil moved carefully across the paper, sketching the curve of her smile from memory. He didn't need a photograph. He knew every detail by heartâthe way her eyes crinkled when she laughed, the slight tilt of her head when she was confused, the softness in her expression when she looked at him.
Especially when she looked at him.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Pathetic," he muttered to himself.
Yet he kept drawing.
Mattheo Riddle wasn't the type to write love letters or leave flowers outside someone's door. He wasn't gentle. He wasn't sweet. At least not in any way he knew how to explain.
Feelings had never come naturally to him.
Fighting did.
Anger did.
Keeping people at a distance did.
But Delilah?
Delilah somehow walked straight through every wall he'd spent years building.
And that terrified him.
He finished the sketch and stared at it.
It looked just like her.
The same bright eyes.
The same soft smile.
The same girl who somehow managed to make him forget every terrible thing for a few minutes whenever she was around.
A knock sounded against the dormitory door.
Mattheo quickly shut the notebook.
"Come in."
The door opened, revealing Theodore Nott.
Theodore glanced between Mattheo and the notebook hidden suspiciously beneath a pillow.
His eyebrows lifted.
"Drawing again?"
"No."
"You literally just hid it."
Mattheo rolled his eyes.
"Why are you here?"
Theodore smirked.
"Couldn't sleep."
"Then don't."
"Brilliant advice."
Theodore dropped into a nearby chair and studied him for a moment.
"You know she's obsessed with you."
Mattheo frowned.
"Who?"
Theodore stared at him.
"Merlin help me. Delilah."
Mattheo looked away.
Theodore laughed.
"See? That's exactly what I mean."
"What are you talking about?"
"You act like you don't know she loves you."
The room fell silent.
Mattheo hated conversations like this.
They made him uncomfortable.
Vulnerable.
Theodore sighed dramatically.
"You know what your problem is?"
"I have several."
"You care too much."
Mattheo barked out a laugh.
"That's ridiculous."
"No," Theodore said. "You care so much you're terrified of messing it up."
The words hit harder than Mattheo expected.
Because they were true.
He loved Delilah.
More than he'd ever loved anyone.
But every time he tried to show it, the words got stuck in his throat.
What if he sounded stupid?
What if she laughed?
What if he wasn't enough?
So instead, he stayed quiet.
He walked her to class.
He carried her books when she wasn't paying attention.
He memorized her favorite tea.
He made sure she got back safely after dark.
He noticed everything.
Yet somehow never said the things that mattered most.
Theodore stood up.
"Just tell her."
Mattheo scoffed.
"Tell her what?"
"That she's your entire world."
Theodore headed for the door.
"And stop pretending she isn't."
The door shut behind him.
Silence returned.
Mattheo looked down at the notebook again.
Slowly, he opened it.
Page after page.
Every single one was Delilah.
Dozens of sketches.
Tiny notes scribbled in the margins.
Things she had said.
Things she liked.
Things he never wanted to forget.
His chest tightened.
Then, for the first time, he picked up his pen instead of his pencil.
At the bottom of the newest drawing, he wrote three simple words.
Three words he had never been brave enough to say out loud.
*I love you.*
Mattheo stared at the page.
Then he smiled softly.
Maybe one day he'd actually tell her.
But tonight, the notebook would have to know first.
Should I make a spicy chapter
Yes
Nooo