"was it all just a
beautiful lie?"

LORENZO BERKSHIRE

"It's funny. Your eyes never twinkle for Riddle,"
I whispered softly into her ear, my voice barely above a breath.

The scent of cherries that enveloped her was intoxicating. It felt as though I was ensnared by a thorny rosebush, its scent filling my senses as I nestled closer to her neck, my words brushing against her skin.

Without a flicker of reaction, she didn't turn her head to face me. Her composure remained unshaken, her gaze straight ahead.

The truth resonated with her, and I was keenly aware of it. After all, I've come to understand what Cleo desires, what occupies her thoughts. Five years by her side have made me well-acquainted with her, for Merlin's sake.

"Stop fucking ignoring me." I whispered sharply into her ear, and I followed her gaze, landing on Onyx, who wore a disdainful expression.

My patience was wearing thin. It was impossible to engage in a conversation with someone who was clearly not paying attention.

I decided to take action, shifting from my seat and gently pushing Sinclair's shoulder to force her to face me.

"We need to talk," I declared, gazing deeply into her warm brown eyes. "Like two mature individuals—"

My voice was abruptly drowned out by fake retching noises coming from behind me. I didn't need to turn to identify the source.

Honestly, they should grow up. Lucille thinks that now that she's in a relationship with Draco it means that the world revolves around her.

It was blatantly clear that Lucille's story was nothing but a fabrication. I mean, in all seriousness, Sinclair would never use such fowl language.

In my eyes, she couldn't possibly do any wrong.
She's my Idea of an angel.

"What do you want?" she questioned, looking up at me through her long, fawn eyelashes.

How could she be so beautiful? Just a simple "please" from her could render a man weak at the knees. How could anyone look upon this face – the same face I was seeing now – and spread false accusations about her?

"I'm sorry," I said, genuine remorse in my voice. It had dawned on me that I had never properly apologized for the bet. I'd merely passed the blame onto Theodore.

"You're sorry?" She arched an eyebrow.

"For the bet," I admitted. "It was wrong of me."

"Okay," she replied, a nonchalant shrug accompanying her response as she shifted her attention to the paper on her desk.

"But- I did.. I did like you, Sinclair," I admit.

"You barely knew me."

౨ৎ

CLEODORA SINCLAIR

Onyx and I stroll to our next lesson, and I hold nothing back as I recount every word Lorenzo had spoken to me.

"He's clearly oozing jealousy," Onyx exclaims, a satisfied glint in her eye. "As he should be."

I can't help but smile as I replay Lorenzo's words in my mind, his presence, seated there, gazing into my eyes, was almost mesmerizing.

"So when is this little thing with Riddle going to come to an end, anyway? I mean, the whole point was to get under Berkshire's skin, and it's clearly worked," Onyx inquires.

"Probably before next week," I reply. "I don't know with Berkshire, he acts nice to me and then he's a bitch again."

"Lucille seems to enjoy it," Onyx shrugs. "You might want to be cautious about mentioning Riddle around her."

I let out a soft chuckle at Onyx's observation, observing as she walks in a somewhat wobbly line.

"As for this argument with Lucille, it will blow over," I sigh as I broach the topic, still baffled by how easily they all believed her.

"Clearly," Onyx chimes in, her smile radiant. "But Blaise, how could he believe her? Over me, too. That's practically criminal."

It was truly surprising. Blaise cared deeply for Onyx, despite his peculiar way of showing it. I couldn't fathom why he'd put his faith in Lucille.

"Perhaps he's intimidated by Draco?" I jest, probing for any logical explanation.

"Mattheo scares Malfoy shitless. Didn't you see his face when Riddle was talking?" Onyx laughs.

"I think he scares everyone shitless," I stop laughing as I spot my classroom.

"I have class alone with Berkshire. Kill me now."

"Good luck," Onyx winks.

I entered the classroom, the familiar scent of parchment drifting to my nose as I took my seat beside Berkshire.

"Oh, hello, Sinclair," Lorenzo greeted, clearing his throat. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here."

"Well, I do have a class here, so naturally, I'd be here," I replied.

"Shit yeah," Berkshire acknowledged. "So, how are you?"

"Dandy," I responded. Why was he making small talk with me? He needed to understand that he and I were no longer friends, and hadn't been for a while.

"I don't believe Lucille," he stated. Thank Merlin.

"Why not?" I asked, finally turning to look at him.

"Because I can always tell when you're lying," he replied, a sly grin playing on his lips.

"Right," I mumbled, shifting my attention back to my work. An awkward silence followed.

"Cleo, why are you with him?" Lorenzo's voice was closer now as he hunched over his desk.

"Because... he cares about me," I lied. At this moment, I wanted to confess to Berkshire that it was all a charade.

"I can care for you," Lorenzo whispered by my ear, causing a flush to creep up my cheeks.

"I don't need you to care for me," I replied, looking to my right and finding Berkshire's gaze locked onto mine. For a brief moment, it felt as if his eyes slipped down to my lips.

"I could care for you much better than Mattheo ever would," Lorenzo uttered, reclining in his wooden chair.

"Prove it," I challenged, my words slipping out impulsively. I couldn't believe I'd said that aloud. Embarrassing . I had hoped that he hadn't even heard me.

However, my luck took a different turn as Berkshire's head snapped in my direction, his eyes aflame with desire.

"Don't tempt me," he replied, his gaze locked onto mine.

I stayed silent, the tension in the air palpable.

"Break up with him, Sinclair," Lorenzo began once more, not bothering to look at me.

"Why should I?" I countered.

"He's no good for you," Berkshire echoed his earlier statement.

"Stop acting like you know anything about me," I retorted. "You don't."

"Oh, Cleo. I do," Lorenzo declared, jotting something down onto his paper, and I scoffed quietly.

"Why do you hate me?" I finally voiced the question that had lingered unspoken for so long. I couldn't recall a single instance when he'd shown any kindness towards me.

"I don't hate you," he responded in a soft tone, but the words were laced with an undeniable edge. "I just strongly dislike you."

Exhaling a deep sigh, I turned to face him. "Why did you agree to the bet?"

"Because I wanted to prove to Nott that I could," Lorenzo replied, turning to meet my gaze. "I wanted to prove to him that you're easy."

A laugh escaped my lips, my disbelief evident. "I'm easy? That's rich, coming from you. Your body count of 35 speaks volumes."

"I'm not easy; everyone just wants me," Berkshire retorted, clearing his throat and diverting his attention elsewhere.

"Well, I don't want you," I shrugged.

"You already had me, remember?"

"I try to forget."

"I replay it in my head. every day," Lorenzo admitted, meeting my gaze and waiting for a response.

"It was a mistake," I spat, "The alcohol made you... less unbearable."

He chuckled softly. "I didn't drink that night."

"That's surprising," I scoffed, "I mean, when are you not drunk?"

The realization struck me that this was the longest conversation we'd ever had, despite knowing each other for years.

"Do you enjoy talking to me?" Lorenzo inquired, a smirk creeping onto his face.

"No," I retorted.

"You're lying," he smiled brightly, "You think I don't notice how your cheeks flush?"

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered, my cheeks betraying me with a rosy hue. Why was I stuttering? Merlin, Cleodora, get yourself together.

"I wonder what Riddle would think of that," Lorenzo mused as he moved his cold hand toward my face, cupping my cheeks. "Are your cheeks this pink for him?"

His caramel eyes bore into mine, ensnaring me in their gaze.

"Class dismissed," the professor's voice called out, snapping me from Berkshire's captivating stare.

I felt his cold hand leave my cheek as he stood up and packed his things, I did the same.

"Break up with him, Cleodora."

Was the last thing he said before leaving.

౨ৎ

Me and Onyx sat in our dorm, her and Lucille's bed both empty as we sat on mine.

The atmosphere was delightful. Our ability to sit together in perfect silence and yet revel in the moment made it a perfect connection.

Our tranquil moment was abruptly disrupted by a rhythmic knock on the door – once, and then again.

I reluctantly got up from the comfortable warmth of the bed, my bare feet meeting the chill of the floor. As I reached the door, it clicked open to reveal the blue-eyed witch.

"I'm here to grab some clothes," Lucille began, her voice hesitant. "I'll be staying at Draco's dorm."

I nodded and welcomed her into the room, ushering her sweet cinnamon scent inside. I observed as she made her way to the wardrobe.

"You know, it's perfectly fine if you stay here," Onyx chimed in. "We're still your friends, Luce."

Lucille turned around, her blue eyes searching for confirmation in both Onyx and me. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes, really," I assured her with a sigh.

"Oh, thank Merlin," Lucille exclaimed with relief. "Their dorm reeks of weed."

Both Onyx and I burst into laughter.

Lucille seemed hesitant as she continued, "I'm sorry about the whole 'slag' thing. I just... Lorenzo was defending you so fiercely when I told him the truth, so I felt like I had to say something- something different."

Confused by her words, I simply shrugged and reassured her, "It's alright, really."

"He's absolutely fixated on you, ya know?" Lucille mentioned while perched on her bed. "You and that scent of cherries."

Cherries?

"Cherries?" Onyx questioned, puzzled. "She wears vanilla perfume every day."

Lucille playfully teased, "Maybe she uses cherry body lotion?" Her attempt at a wink didn't quite hit the mark.

"That wink was utterly dreadful," I chuckled. "Allow me to show you how it's done."

I attempted a wink, believing I had succeeded, but their laughter indicated otherwise.

౨ৎ

There wasn't really any tension between them, this chapter. But soon

CS, LB.