Always and forever- Matteo Riddle

I woke up with a sharp gasp, my chest rising and falling rapidly as silent tears streamed down my face. The weight of my nightmare still clung to me, the echoes of the past wrapping around my throat like a vice. My body trembled, my fingers gripping the sheets as I tried to steady my breath.

I turned my head, searching for the familiar warmth beside me—only to find an empty space. Mattheo wasn't there.

Panic flared for a moment, irrational and sharp, before I forced myself to push it down. He was probably just in the bathroom or had stepped out for a moment. Still, the absence of his presence left me feeling unbearably small.

I swallowed back a sob, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes. "Calm down," I whispered to myself. "You're okay. You're safe."*

But the words felt hollow, like an echo of something I wanted to believe but couldn't quite grasp. My breathing was uneven, my body still locked in the remnants of terror. I curled in on myself, gripping the sheets tighter, trying to will myself back to a sense of control.

Mattheo would be back soon. I just had to hold on until then.

After what felt like an eternity, my breathing finally evened out. The panic dulled to a quiet ache in my chest, the tears drying against my skin. I wiped my face with shaky hands, swallowing the lingering fear.

Mattheo still hadn't come back.

I glanced toward the door, half-expecting to hear footsteps, but the room was silent. The initial panic of waking up alone had faded, replaced by something else—an emptiness I couldn't quite shake.

I had calmed myself down on my own.

That realization settled deep within me. It wasn't comforting, not really, but it was proof that I could do it. I didn't need to rely on anyone. I wanted Mattheo here, but I didn't need him.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder where he had gone. And why he had left in the first place.

I pulled on a hoodie and joggers, my body still aching from everything, but the unease in my chest pushed me forward. Mattheo still hadn't come back, and now a new worry gnawed at me. Where was he? Where were all of them?

I knocked on Theo and Mattheo's dorm first, but the door was already open. The room was dark and empty. No sign of either of them. My stomach twisted as I moved through the halls, checking each of my friends' dorms one by one—Draco, Blaise, Enzo, even Pansy and Astoria.

Empty.

Panic crept up my spine. I felt more awake now, my exhaustion replaced with sharp confusion. Where the hell is everyone?

My pace quickened as I made my way to the common room. It was eerily quiet, the low glow of the fireplace casting flickering shadows along the stone walls. No one.

I swallowed hard, my hands curling into fists as I turned and made my way up to the Astronomy Tower. If they weren't in the castle, I had no idea where else they could be.

But when I pushed open the door and stepped onto the balcony, the cold night air hitting my face, I was met with nothing but silence.

No Mattheo. No Theo. No Draco.

Nobody.

My heart pounded, my worry growing stronger. Something wasn't right.

With nowhere else to look and exhaustion creeping back in, I made my way back to the common room. My mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last.

Were they in trouble? Did something happen? Or were they just out doing something reckless without telling me?

I sank onto the couch by the fireplace, curling up in the oversized hoodie. The warmth of the flames did little to ease the chill of worry settling in my bones. I told myself they'd be back soon—that I was overreacting—but the unease wouldn't leave me.