"So then I said we should go to Ibiza because Evelyn would really like Ibiza—"

"Evelyn seems like one of the last people to like Ibiza," Enzo said with his nose wrinkled. "I can't imagine her on a beach."

"And you shouldn't because Tom would kill you for thinking about her in a swimsuit. But who wouldn't like Ibiza? The sun, the sand, the Iberico ham."

"Why do I have a feeling you really only want to go for the ham?"

Mattheo grinned as the mouthwatering vision of succulent, Spanish ham entered his mind. "The ham is definitely a big part. Plus, Nora in a bikini... wow. My mouth is watering just thinking about it." His girlfriend could definitely rock any swimsuit she wore. Mattheo was just picturing her sexy, toned body gliding out of the water, the ocean dripping down her, the sun glistening off a freshly earned tan.

Great, now he was hard.

Mattheo tried to sneakily adjust himself despite the large crowd around him. It was such a nice day that it felt like everyone was doing what he and Enzo were doing—enjoying the sunlight, leaning against the eaves of the corridor.

Enzo didn't notice Mattheo's problem down south. "I think your mouth is watering because of the ham."

Mattheo laughed and flung his arm around his friend. "You're right. Let's go to Ibiza, my friend, and eat all the ham we want. We can avoid your little problem and dance the night away with Spanish women."

"I'm not going to avoid it. And Nora would murder you for dancing with a Spanish woman."

"She'd probably murder me just for fun."

"That she would, mate." Enzo smiled and Mattheo felt his heart unclench ever so slightly. Operation Cheer Enzo Up was going well, at least in Mattheo's mind. Theo and Draco had left not long ago so it was up to Mattheo to keep the vibes going, a task he would gladly take on. He was glad to be there for his friends.

A flash of dark blonde hair turned the corner. Mattheo couldn't help the smile that lifted up the corners of his lips. She was so bloody beautiful and she was his. This girl loved him. He could hardly believe it. "There she is. Look at her, Enz. She's incredible."

Nora was quickly walking toward them. Mattheo was surrounded by a cloud of nothing but love. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Erm, Matt, she looks like she's about to—"

"Hi, princess," he smiled as she approached. Nora's jaw was clenched in that adorable way of hers. "What are you—"

BAM.

Before he could even think about what was happening, Nora punched him straight across the nose with a hit that honestly would have impressed him if it weren't for the blood gushing down his face. Students started to crowd around them, their nosy asses always butting into everyone's business. Mattheo just ignored them and turned to his girlfriend.

"What the fuck, Nor?" he cursed as he grabbed onto his nose. He knew they often bickered but punching him was a new thing he definitely didn't like. Now, slapping inside the bedroom—

BAM.

His head went sideways from the impact of another blow. Now hopelessly confused, Mattheo turned to Nora only to find her staring at him, cradling her hand to her chest. Her face was angry but her eyes... her eyes were devastated. Filled with tears that had him wanting to hunt down whoever hurt her. He never wanted to see Nora like that—so defeated and fragile. "Nora, baby, what's wrong?"

"We're done," she seethed just as the tears started to fall like gushing rivers down her cheek. To her credit, Nora's voice didn't falter, even when she looked like she wanted to crumble under the weight of it all. "I never want to see you again."

He could feel his heart splinter. What was going on? What had changed that made her go so quickly from a night of blissful lovemaking to punching him in the crowded corridor?

"Nora, wait. Talk to me." He tried to grab her arm but she pulled back as if he burned her.

"No. I never want to hear your voice again. I never want to feel your touch again. I never want to see your face again. We are done." Her voice broke into the saddest whisper he'd ever heard. "This was a mistake. I never should have trusted you again. I never should have believed that you were capable of change."

If his heart was splintering before, it was shattering now. Shattering into thousands of tiny pieces that slipped further from his grasp the more she backed away from him. "Nora, no. Baby, whatever it is, I can fix it. I can grovel for the rest of our lives. Don't walk away from us."

"There never should have been an 'us'. Goodbye, Mattheo." With nothing but broken tears, Nora turned away from him and walked away from the crowd that watched everything happen.

But he wasn't letting her get away that easily. He'd waited seven damn years for her. If he had to wait seven or seven hundred more, he would. This was no fleeting feeling. This was no passionate tryst. What they had was real and he was determined to prove it.

Mattheo ran after her. He grabbed onto her thin frame and pulled her back against his chest, breathing a little deeper now that she was in his arms again and they were away from the watchful eyes of the Hogwarts population. "Let go of me!" she hissed as she fought against his tight hold. Thankfully, Mattheo had the strength of a beater. She wasn't going anywhere.

"No! Not until you tell me what I did. I deserve that at least."

"You don't deserve anything."

"Well, that's too damn bad. Because you can scream and fight and hit me all you want, Nora Rosier, but I'm not going anywhere. You don't get to run away that easily because I love you. Yell and hit me all you want but just know that I will still be there at the end of every day because my feelings are not fucking fleeting. They don't abandon me because of one fight and they certainly won't walk away from me. You're stuck with me, Nora, whether you want it or not. So let me have it."

"You really want to know?" Her voice was like venom but Mattheo stayed strong. Like he said to her, he wasn't going to abandon her. Not like the people in his life so often abandoned him.

"Yes! Tell me, baby." He dropped his arms from her, finally satisfied she wasn't going to bolt. It wasn't Nora's style to run away.

She took a deep breath before looking back at him with her chin held high and those hazel eyes glistening. "One hundred galleons. That's all I am worth to you?"

And just like that, his world disintegrated.

She knows. She knows. She fucking knows about the bet. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest with how hard it was beating while his stomach was clear down to his feet. "Nora... baby..."

"How do you think it feels to know that the first person you've ever loved made a game out of you? How do you think it feels knowing that you were worth a hundred measly galleons to the first person you actually felt something for? How do you think it feels being a piece in a game you didn't even know you were playing?"

Nora sniffled and wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater. Mattheo wanted to go to her—to wrap her into his arms and explain that he'd only made the bet so he'd finally have the courage to be with her. He'd always loved her but he'd never have the guts, not until he felt backed into a corner. It was stupid but, like always, he was a fucking idiot.

"I can't even look at you because my heart might break again," she whispered. "I hope it was worth it. You've won your money."

"It means nothing if I lost you," he pleaded, finally finding the strength to move again. "I love you, Nora. You have to know that. It was never a game to me. The money—it meant nothing. You're the only one that means anything to me."

"I wish I could believe that, Matty. I really do. But you've lied to me before and you lied to me again." Nora sighed. "We're done. I can't do this. Goodbye."

And then she left him there in the corridor with a broken heart and the feeling like he'd just lost the best thing he ever had.

Short chapter but who wants a long breakup? Certainly not me lol.

What do y'all think will happen next? Are you liking the story? Let me know in the comments! xx