[CHAPTER 12]

───🦋･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.🦋───

───🦋･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.🦋───

TITLE : THE BREAKING POINT

ELLIE HAD MADE A mistake.

A huge mistake.

And now, she was living in the mess she had created.

—

Mattheo barely spoke to her after that night on the balcony.

He wasn't cold—not exactly. He didn't snap at her or ignore her outright.

But he was distant.

Their usual banter was gone.

His easy smirks, the playful nudges, the lingering glances—all of it had disappeared.

And Merlin, it hurt.

She hated that he was treating her like a teammate instead of... whatever they had been before.

And the worst part?

She deserved it.

—

Lorenzo , on the other hand, was completely oblivious.

He had been spending more time with her, seeking her out between classes, walking her to meals.

And Ellie tried—really tried—to feel something when he smiled at her.

To feel even a fraction of what she had once thought she wanted.

But it was useless.

Every time Lorenzo  laughed, she found herself glancing around the room, wondering if Mattheo had heard.

Every time Lorenzo  touched her arm, she tensed—not because she liked it, but because it felt wrong.

And every time Lorenzo  leaned in a little too close, she felt a lump rise in her throat, because this was supposed to be everything she had wanted.

So why did it feel so empty?

—

It all came to a head one evening in the Slytherin common room .

Ellie had been curled up on one of the couches, absently watching the fire crackle in the hearth, when Lorenzo  flopped down beside her.

"Alright, Ellie?"

She forced a smile. "Yeah. Just tired."

Lorenzo  grinned, stretching his arms behind his head. "You've been avoiding me."

Ellie stiffened. "I haven't."

He shot her a knowing look. "You have."

Ellie swallowed, forcing herself to look at him.

He was handsome. Funny. Kind.

And yet, all she could think about was how wrong this felt.

How she wished it was someone else sitting beside her.

Someone with brown eyes and a Scottish accent and an annoying, irritating smirk.

Mattheo.

And before she could stop herself, the words slipped out—

"Lorenzo , I think we need to talk."

—

Lorenzo  blinked. "That doesn't sound good."

Ellie bit her lip, heart hammering.

"I just... I don't think this is working."

Silence.

Then—

His expression shifted.

He wasn't angry, exactly. Just confused.

"I don't understand," he said. "I thought you liked me."

Ellie exhaled shakily. "I thought I did, too."

Lorenzo  frowned. "Is this about Riddle?"

Ellie's stomach twisted.

She opened her mouth to deny it—to lie—but the words wouldn't come out.

Because they both knew the answer.

Lorenzo  let out a soft, bitter chuckle.

"Wow. I was really blind, wasn't I?"

"Lorenzo —"

"No, it's fine," he interrupted, shaking his head. "It's just—Merlin, Ellie. I spent years not noticing you the way you wanted me to, and now that I finally do..."

He exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. "Now you're in love with someone else."

Ellie's breath caught.

Her throat went dry.

"I—I'm not—"

But Lorenzo  just smiled, small and sad.

"Yes, you are."

—

She sat in stunned silence as Lorenzo  stood, stretching.

"You know, I should be mad at you," he mused. "But honestly? I think you're more mad at yourself."

He wasn't wrong.

And that was what made it worse.

Lorenzo  sighed. "Look, Ellie... I really did like you."

Her heart clenched.

"But if this is how you feel, then... you should do something about it."

Ellie hesitated.

And Lorenzo —being Lorenzo —just laughed.

"Merlin, you're so bloody stubborn," he muttered, shaking his head. "Go, Ellie."

She blinked. "What?"

"Go find Mattheo."

Her stomach plummeted. "I can't."

Lorenzo  gave her a look.

"Why not?"

"Because—"

Because she had ruined everything.

Because Mattheo had walked away from her that night.

Because she wasn't sure he'd ever look at her the same way again.

Lorenzo  scoffed.

"Oh, for the love of—Ellie, he likes you."

Ellie froze.

Lorenzo  rolled his eyes. "Are you seriously telling me you don't know?"

Ellie opened her mouth. Then closed it.

Because—no, she didn't know.

She thought she had seen something in Mattheo's eyes, but she had convinced herself she was imagining it.

But Lorenzo  was looking at her like she was the dumbest person on earth.

"Ellie," he said, exasperated. "That boy has been looking at you like you hung the bloody stars since the start of this whole fake-dating nonsense."

Ellie's breath caught.

"I—"

"Go."

Lorenzo  nudged her toward the door.

"Now."

—

Ellie ran.

Her heart pounded as she raced through the corridors, feet barely touching the stone.

Her mind was spinning, her emotions a tangled mess.

But one thought rang louder than the rest—

I need to see him.

—

She found him in the Quidditch locker room.

Mattheo was sitting on one of the benches, staring down at the floor, elbows resting on his knees.

He looked tired.

Like he hadn't been sleeping much.

Like he had spent the past few days wrestling with something he didn't want to admit.

Ellie sucked in a breath.

"Mattheo."

His head snapped up.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Then—

"What are you doing here?"

Ellie swallowed hard.

She had spent weeks running from this moment.

She wasn't going to run anymore.

"I ended it with Lorenzo."

Something flickered in Mattheo's expression.

But his voice remained unreadable. "Why?"

Ellie stepped closer, heart hammering.

"Because I realized something."

She took a shaky breath.

"Because I was wrong, Mattheo. It was never about Lorenzo . It was never about making him jealous or trying to get his attention."

Mattheo's eyes locked onto hers.

"Then what was it about?"

Ellie's chest tightened.

And finally—finally—she let herself say it.

"You."

The word was barely above a whisper.

But Mattheo heard it.

Because his entire body tensed.

His jaw clenched.

His hands curled into fists at his sides.

And when he spoke, his voice was rough.

"Say it again."

Ellie swallowed.

"It was always you."

A sharp breath.

Then—before she could say anything else—Mattheo was in front of her.

And suddenly, his hands were in her hair.

And suddenly, his lips were on hers.

And suddenly—everything clicked into place.

—

Ellie had made a mistake.

But for the first time in weeks—

She finally got something right.

───🦋･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.🦋───

Ofc it won't be that easy, no love story is complete without some angst