Chapter Text
“Riddle, hello!”
In his life, there were only two voices that he dreaded of hearing. The first one was his mother’s, and the second was the voice of his inner demons. Both of them were rather manageable now; his mother was pleased to know that he’d flourished in the future she’d set for him, and his demons were quenched by the fact that he’d made her happy. Although, of course, he was a bit far from happy.
Regardless, his life had been going well so far. He had a wife who used to act bratty in her younger days, as expected from the typical rich girl, and a cute daughter who took after his features. Money flowed without a single hitch, and the servants always brought him invitations to various parties every day.
But he never expected your voice to become something that he dreaded, not when he used to listen to it for hours with a content smile on his face.
And yet, here he was, standing in the middle of the sidewalk with dilated eyes. Turning around, he was met by the sight of you waving to him. And with every step you took towards him, Riddle wondered if it wasn’t too late for him to just flee and never looked back.
“Man, you’ve grown a bit taller, huh?” Usually, he’d chop off anyone who dared to mock his height. But now, he could only gape at the sound of your chuckle. “How have you been? You never contacted me anymore.”
It wasn’t his fault, really. After his mother found out about your secret relationship, she demanded him to break up and cut all contacts with you. It was hard to do that when you belonged at the same dorm in Night Raven College, but he’d managed somehow.
And slowly, you began to drift apart. Just like it was meant to be.
“A-ah, yes. I guess I have.” Riddle didn’t know what to say. Should he continue the painful conversation? Should he excuse himself? The latter was tempting, for sure, but he couldn’t deny the flutter on his chest when he heard his name fell from your lips.
How long had it been since you called him by anything other than ‘Prefect Riddle’ again? Just thinking about the title itself felt nostalgic.
A sparkle grabbed his attention. Glancing down, he spotted a ring on your fourth finger – the same way he wore his. The lingering shock on his eyes disappeared and was replaced by melancholy instead.
You caught his stare and smiled woefully.
“We’ve been married for two years now.” That wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but he forced himself to listen anyway. And as if sensing his reluctance, you immediately hid your hand and turned the attention back to him. “How about you, Riddle? Does your wife treat you right?”
Snapping out of his brooding thoughts, Riddle coughed into his fist and nodded. “She’s definitely better now that we have our daughter.”
“Oh? You have a daughter already?” You clapped your hands excitedly, eyes twinkling like the ring on your finger. Riddle wasn’t sure if he liked that expression. Shouldn’t you feel… jealous instead? “Oh, I bet she must be cute like her father!”
“Yeah, she’s quite a sweetheart.” No, your love ended a long time ago. There was no reason why you should be jealous of him, especially when it was obvious that you were happier with your partner.
Happier than your relationship with Riddle.
You put a hand under your chin, assuming a thinking pose. “And… let me guess, she likes tart too?” you quizzed.
“Ah, yes,” he replied, scratching his temple bashfully.
“Oh, man. You just created your carbon copy, Riddle, but it’s in a girl form.” You giggled, and somehow, the sound was more beautiful than the chirping of the birds above you. “I really want to meet her now… Maybe she can have a playdate with my child too!”
For a moment, his heart plummeted to his stomach. So you had a child, too. “I guess she can…”
You didn’t seem to notice the turmoil inside him and put a friendly hand on his shoulder instead. “So, what do you say to a cup of coffee, hm?” you beamed. “It’s okay if you don’t want to.”
Staring at your patient face, Riddle realized that, even after all these years, nothing had changed.
Looking away, he tried to hide his eagerness by forcing himself to shrug nonchalantly. Though, your knowing smile let him know that his attempt was futile.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
His feelings were still as strong as in the past, and there was no denying it.