Chapter 53
Sidra lay on the bed in the hospital, curled up and feeling sorry for herself. She now regretted sleeping with Theo; not only because of Vinny and Marybeth's reactions, but because she had been a fool to think that he loved her. At least in the way she thought he had. When he had come to visit her he had been short and final about their future.
"Sidra, we can't see each other anymore." She had nodded, knowing that this was coming. "It's not just that Marybeth and Vinny are pissed about us, it's… well now that Marybeth did that, I kinda have like stronger feelings for her and stuff." He had never been an eloquent boy, relying mostly on his good looks in nearly every aspect of life.
"Okay." She had replied in a monotone.
He smiled at her and kissed her cheek before skipping out of the room. She flipped him off and rolled over, facing away from the door. When her father had come to see her when she woke up she had been horrified.
He sat in the chair next to the bed that was placed there for visitors and set his cane against the bedside table. He removed his gloves and then his cloak, never once actually looking at her. When he had finally finished he fixed his hard eyes on her and spoke.
"You are going to tell me what happened and why."
Sidra gulped and began to tell him exactly what had happened. How she had been good with Vinny until Theo had cornered her and professed his love. How she had been with Theo many times after that confession. How Vinny had snubbed her and finally how Marybeth had beaten her to a pulp because of it.
"And Theo doesn't love me anymore. He told me so when I woke up." Her voice was quiet and stilted.
Lucius looked at her for a long time before he said anything.
"You will apologize to Mr. Goyle. You will beg his forgiveness and pray that he doesn't bring up the contract."
When Sidra frowned Lucius sighed. "The contract clearly states that any infidelity before or after the marriage can nullify said contract. Didn't you read it girl?" He was visibly angry at her, which meant that he was far angrier than he looked.
Sidra shook her head and picked a piece of lint off the bedspread. Lucius put his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose and squeezed. He had enough to deal with on top of Sidra and her penchant for trouble. He remembered Jezzy at her age and shook his head. Even Jezzy would not have done what Sidra had done. Jezzy would have flirted and intimated that something could possibly happen, but she would have made sure that nothing did.
He sighed again. "Sidra," He shook his head again. "Your mother would not have tolerated this behavior from you and neither shall I. I am ashamed of your actions. If your mother were here…." He shook his head again.
Sidra continued to hang her head in shame. He had left shortly after that, too angry with her to say anything else. She had cried for the entire night, her world crashing around her. When Friday morning came around, she wanted nothing more than to curl up and die; anything as long as she didn't have to face the world on Saturday. She didn't know if she could do it with the same confidence as she had in the past.
Dru rose early Friday morning and slipped silently into Lith's room. Lith was just opening her eyes when Dru pulled the covers off her and stood smiling like a maniac at her.
"What?!" Lith asked in an exasperated tone.
"You did something last night and you are going to tell me or I'm going to have to tickle it out of you." Dru put her hands up in front of her and wiggled her fingers to prove her point.
Lith blushed. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Dru squealed and hopped on the bed next to her friend. "Oh my god, he kissed, didn't he?"
Lith's blush grew to a deep crimson. "Technically I kissed him." She mumbled.
Dru's eyes grew to amazing proportions and she bit her lip to keep from screaming; the strangled sound that came from her made Lith laugh and shake her head.
"So…?" Dru inclined her head for Lith to continue.
"'So', what? We kissed." Lith shrugged her shoulders as if it didn't matter to her and frowned when she felt her face grow hot.
Dru stood up and flounced to the door. "You liked it!" She said in a sing song voice.
Lith rolled her eyes. "Why are you so awake this morning?" She asked as she threw the covers aside and stretched.
"Reign woke me up this morning begging for sex."
Lith cocked an eyebrow. "And…?"
Dru grinned. "What, you think I would say no to him?"
Lith laughed and shook her head. "Get out so I can get dressed."
"It's not like I've never seen you naked." Dru replied, opening the door and stepping over the threshold.
Lith picked up her pillow and tossed it at Dru. She smiled and waved a quick goodbye to Lith and shut the door.
Ness was waiting for Xanthus by the doors to the Great Hall. She hadn't seen him much in the last week or so, and was beginning to think that he had changed his mind about forgiving her. She was worried that he was seeing someone else. She picked his dark head out of the approaching crowd and waved to him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and his slow, almost reluctant gait.
He gave her a weak smile and kissed her check. "'Morning."
She smiled back at him, determined to see him happy. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" She asked politely.
He shook his head. "Not really."
"Oh."
They stood there for a moment before he kissed her cheek once more and told her to go eat. He promised to spend some time with her the next day during the game, hoping that that would appease her. He sighed into his seat at the Slytherin table and stared at his plate. He had been spending so much time in that damn room he was beginning to think that the task set to him was absolutely impossible.
He and Vinny, either before or after their passionate kissing sessions, were making headway during the evenings, while Dru was helping him after classes and during her breaks. He estimated that they had made their way through barely an eighth of the room. Vinny had smiled at him the night before as they lay on the discarded pile of blankets together, "At least you've gotten this far, love. We've barely been back to school a month."
It hadn't really made Xanthus feel better, but what Vinny began to do with his hands made him forget about his problems for the time being. He blushed as he remembered Vinny's soft hands tracing the muscles of his chest and abdomen, finally ending at the tip of his swollen member.
"What are you blushing about?" Reign asked as he and Dru sat next to him.
He opened his mouth and was happy when Vinny sat down next to Dru and hugged her. He cocked a quick eyebrow at Xanthus without anyone noticing and dug into his breakfast. Xanthus didn't know how he could look so beautiful after so little sleep as the both of them had been getting. But beautiful he was.
"Did you see Lith on your way out of the common room?" Dru asked.
Vinny shook his head as he swallowed a mouthful of kedgeree. "Nah, what was wrong with her last night?"
Dru smiled knowingly but shrugged. "Headache."
Sebastian leaned up against the wall next to Lith's door and waited for her to come out. He looked at his watch and sighed. Merlin, that girl took forever! Finally he gave up and knocked on the door.
"Just a sec, Dru! Holy fuck I just got out of the shower!" Lith screamed out.
Sebastian smirked and knocked again. He heard Lith growl something out before she yanked the door open. When she saw him there she almost slammed the door in his face, but blushed instead.
"'Morning!" He said brightly.
"'Morning." Lith mumbled.
"Can I come in?"
When Lith didn't answer him he pushed past her and sat on the edge of her bed. He hadn't been able to get her out of his head all night and was itching to feel her beneath him again. He smiled at her, noting the wet hair in her eyes and the skimpy towel barely covering her glistening body. He shifted on the bed, suddenly a little uncomfortable. Lith shut the door and glared at him as she stepped back into the bathroom. Sebastian thought he was doing alright until Lith poked her head out the door and asked him to hand her her clothes that were sitting on the edge of the bed.
He grabbed them and gave them to her, making sure that his fingers touched her arm. Lith stopped and looked up at him, her breath quickening. Sebastian smirked and stepped into the bathroom, his hand still on her.
"What the hell are you doing Sebastian?" Lith asked, her voice lacking any conviction.
He shut the door behind him and leaned up against it. "Kiss me again."
Lith shook her head and tried to take a step back. He continued to smirk and pulled her closer.
"Kiss me or I'll kiss you."
Her breath shuddered out and she shook her head again. Once she was flush with his body he smiled down at her.
"Okay then."
Slowly he lowered his head and placed his lips gently on hers. He did nothing, waiting for her to make the next move and was pleased that he didn't have to wait long. Her tongue touched his bottom lip and traced the curve of it. He sighed and opened his mouth, letting her decide how far to take this. She reached up and slipped her hands behind his neck, pulling his head closer to her and slipping her tongue into his mouth, enticing his into a dance that was both familiar and new.
Neither one of them noticed when her towel dropped; at least not until Sebastian put his arms around her and found her smooth skin available to his seeking fingers. Lith stiffened, realizing what happened and not sure what to do next.
"Uh…."
Sebastian chuckled. "You want to stop, huh?"
"Sebastian… I need to get my towel."
He cocked an eyebrow at her and ran his hands down her back to her hips. He bit his lip, knowing he should let her go and get dressed.
"I could take my clothes off too if it would make you feel better."
Lith stared at him, her mouth open, her eyes wide, before she burst into laughter. Sebastian smiled.
"Close your eyes, and if you peak, I'll never let you see it again."
"Deal." He said as he closed his eyes.
Lith waved her hand in front of his face a few times before she lowered herself and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her and stepping away from him. He opened his eyes and poked out his bottom lip in a pout. Lith shook her head and pointed at the door.
"I won't be able to eat breakfast if you don't let me finish. Do you want me to be angry with you again?"
He shook his head emphatically. "I'll meet you in the common room."
"Fine."
He smirked at her and kissed her once more, longingly on the lips.
"We're… we're okay now?" He asked.
Lith sighed and bit her lip. "Yeah."
Sebastian traced a finger along her cheek and jaw. "Good. I'm tired of chasing you."
Lith shook her head again and pushed him out of the bathroom so that she could finish getting ready for the day.
