A shift in fate | Mattheo Riddle

Song: Bed Chem- Sabrina Carpenter

I took a shaky step back from Mattheo, my breath still uneven, heart still hammering against my ribs. But before either of us could say anything else, a loud, incredulous voice rang through the rain.

"Oh, you two are a bunch of fucking hypocrites!"

We both snapped our heads toward the sound, only to see Lya standing a few feet away, arms crossed, drenched from the rain. Luke was beside her, looking equally smug and amused.

Mattheo's expression darkened instantly, his jaw tightening. "Oh, fuck off, Devereux."

Lya scoffed, stepping forward. "You storm in like some self-righteous prick when we're caught having a little fun, but meanwhile, you've got your hands all over her like you're seconds away from—"

"Shut the fuck up," Mattheo growled, flipping her off without hesitation. His voice was sharp, cutting through the rain like a blade. "Unlike you two shitheads, we weren't about to fuck in the middle of the goddamn forest like wild animals."

Lya gasped, looking genuinely offended. "Excuse me?!"

Luke chuckled beside her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Kinda seems like you were, mate," he drawled, nodding toward me. "Didn't exactly look like innocent studying was happening over there."

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face, trying to compose myself. I was still breathless, still too aware of Mattheo's body heat despite the cold rain, and now we had an audience.

Mattheo scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, alright, Ashford. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Then, he shot Lya a look, his voice dripping with mockery. "Now, if you're done being a nosy little brat, why don't you and your boy-toy fuck off and find a proper bed like normal people?"

Lya flipped her wet hair over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes. "You're just mad we caught you looking like you were five seconds away from ripping her clothes off."

Mattheo tensed beside me, his fingers twitching at his sides. I could see the way his jaw clenched, the way his nostrils flared slightly like he was actually restraining himself from snapping.

I decided to step in before he actually lost it.

"Okay, enough." I exhaled, giving Lya and Luke a pointed look. "We all just pretend this never happened, and we move on with our lives, yeah?"

Lya smirked, glancing between Mattheo and me like she was thoroughly entertained. "Oh, this isn't getting forgotten." She tilted her head. "I think I'll be reminding you of this forever, actually."

Mattheo let out a humorless laugh. "Remind me all you fucking want, Devereux." He smirked, but it was the dangerous kind. "I might have been close, but at least I wasn't already halfway there."

Lya's smirk dropped instantly.

Luke choked on a laugh, turning his head away to hide it.

I bit my lip, trying so hard not to laugh as I grabbed Mattheo's arm, tugging him away. "Okay, that's our cue to leave."

Mattheo let me pull him, but not before flashing Lya one last smug grin.

And with that, we walked away, leaving them fuming behind us.

"What the actual fuck," I muttered, chuckling as I ran a hand through my damp hair. "We came out here for some peace, and instead, this is our afternoon."

Mattheo scoffed, shaking his head. "Yeah, well, it could've been a much better afternoon if we had gone to one of our dorms instead." His voice was smooth, teasing—but the look he gave me sent heat straight to my cheeks.