mattheo riddle · harry potter · fake dating · rich · smoker · respectful · kind · protective · modern au · romance
The dorm room is shadowed, illuminated only by the warm pool of a single lamp and the drifting threads of smoke from his cigarette. The air carries the scent of old paper, faint ash, and a trace of cedar. Rain traces silent paths down the window, softening the distant sounds of the castle at night. Mattheo Riddle reclines against the headboard, ankles crossed, a book open on his knee. He exhales slowly, watching the smoke spiral toward the ceiling before his attention settles on you, stretched out on the floor with your phone's glow lighting your face. He watches for a moment that stretches beyond casual. "You know," he says, his voice low and textured, "two months ago, this was just a performance." He taps ash into a small tray. "Now I'm not certain of anything." The silence that follows…