Over the next week, Arik grew bigger and Theo grew more distant.
After they woke up the next morning he had been adorable and kissed her forehead and gotten her breakfast, but after that he had started doing less of those things. They hadn't had sex since that night and Arik didn't know why, she thought everything was going fine, now it wasn't. Theo hadn't been in their dorm at all over the past week, and if the two of them were in the same room he would make up some lame excuse and leave. He only walked her to classes if they had the same class, then as soon as the class was over he would bolt. Arik wasn't the only one to notice this either, every so often she would catch Malfoy watching with a smile on his face.
After a week Arik decided the she was tired of Theo's mood, and decided to ask him what was wrong.
She went through the actions in all of her classes, all the time thinking about how she would approach Theo.
When the last class was finally over, Arik bolted to her room only to be stopped as an arm came out of the shadows and pulled her into an abandoned room.
"Well hello Arik, I was hoping I'd get the chance to talk to you." Malfoy said smiling in an evil way.
"I have a feeling you don't want to talk Malfoy. You want to do something much more physical." Arik spat at him.
Smirking now, Malfoy nodded.
"Do you forget that I'm engaged?" Arik asked.
"Of course not, but I couldn't help noticing that Theo isn't acting like a good fiancé should be. He seems to be avoiding you, and that can't be good for either of you, unless of course he's filling that void with someone else." Malfoy said, smirking more as Arik's eyes grew wide.
"Oh, did you not know about that? He must have been doing a great job hiding it from you then."
"I don't believe you!" Arik said as she tried to get her arm freed from his grip.
"Go ask him then, I have a feeling you could get the truth out of him. But when he crushes you, remember that I'm here." Malfoy said releasing her arm and watching her run out of the room.
When Arik got to the painting she looked at it. A week ago, the lovers were in each other's arms gazing longingly at each other, now the man was gone and the woman looked for him with worry in her eyes. Arik said the password and stepped inside to find Theo sitting on the couch, staring at the wall.
"Are you sleeping with someone else?" Arik blurted.
Theo's head whipped around and looked at her confused, "What?"
"I said are you sleeping with someone else?" she said taking a step towards him while one hand reached back for her wand, ready to hex the oblivion out of him.
"Who said that?" Theo said as he got up, "Who told you that?"
Pulling out her wand she held it at her side, "I don't hear you denying it."
Theo reached Arik and laid a hand on her shoulder even after she flinched from the contact, "Arik, do you hear how stupid you sound?"
"Just be honest with me, please." Arik whispered as she looked at him.
"I swear to you, I haven't." Theo said reassuring her only slightly.
"Then why have you been so distant lately? You're never in our dorm, you leave if we're in the same room, and I just feel like you're trying to avoid me. Then Malfoy abducted me in this abandoned classroom and told me you were sleeping with other women and I just, I had to ask because it made sense." Arik said as she broke down in tears.
If she had been looking up she would have seen a very big change in Theo's expression. He went from soft features to ones that looked ready to kill.
"Malfoy abducted you? Then spread his lies to you? And you believed him? You believed that lying shit? How could you believe him?" Theo all but growled.
"Why are you getting mad at me? He's the one who lied! I could've done anything after he told me, but I went straight to you!" Arik said trying to defend herself.
"But you still believed him!"
"Because it made sense to me!"
Theo turned and went to the door and Arik ran after him grabbing his arm. "No, please don't leave. Please. This is the longest we've been in a room together in a week, please don't leave." Arik begged.
"I'll be back; I just need to do something." Theo said shaking her off and leaving.
Arik watched him go as more tears spilled out of her eyes. She went to the fireplace and made a fire then went to sit on the couch. Curling up in a ball Arik waited.
Sometime later, Theo returned. When Arik heard the door open her eyes opened and she stared in shock. Standing up, she went towards him, wand out, and put her hand up to his face, slightly touching a blooming bruise under his left eye. Looking over the rest of his face Arik noticed another bruise blooming on his jaw and a cut on his lip.
"What happened to you?" Arik asked horrified.
"Nothing. I ran into a wall." Theo said.
"Well that wall made two odd fist shaped bruises on your face and busted your lip. So do you want to tell me the truth?" Arik asked with her hand on her hips.
"I went to go talk to Malfoy. And he pissed me off, but I didn't punch him or hurt him, I promise!"
"Then how did you get so beat up?" Arik asked.
"I just went over and told him he needs to shut his mouth about stuff he doesn't know anything about. And he got pissed about it and tried to say he didn't do anything wrong, which I laughed about and told him what you had told me and he tried to deny it. I knew he was lying and I called him out on it. That's when he threw the first punch, I wasn't ready for it and that's when he got my jaw. I really didn't fight back, I didn't even get my wand and he just rode out his aggression while punching me. Finally Blaise pulled him off of me, I got up and told him to stay away from you, then I walked out and came here."
"You didn't have to do that Theo. I could've handled him." Arik said.
"I know you could have, but you didn't have to, we're a team." Theo said wrapping his arms around Arik.
Sighing she hugged him back, "Thank you. Do you want me to heal your face?"
"Nah, just leave it, I want Malfoy to see it." Theo said burying his head into her shoulder wincing slightly when he bumped a bruise.
"Theo, you don't need to prove anything. Though you do look like a badass with those bruises." Arik said laughing slightly then she got serious. "Theo, you never answered my first question, why have you been so distant lately?"
Sighing lightly, Theo pulled back, "I, it's so stupid now, I just felt like I ruined you by what we did, what I did to you."
"Theo! I don't regret anything that happened between us! Don't you think for a second that I do!" Arik said pushing him slightly.
Looking at her Theo asked, "Are you sure?"
Kissing his lips for the first time in a week, Arik nodded, "I promise."