They received their drinks, but instead of continuing into the booming center of the party, the boy lead her to a window seat. He sat across from her in the little alcove. She thanked him for the drink and leaned back onto the pillow with her legs crossed. He leaned forward as he observed her, his elbows balancing on his knees with his drink in his hands. His gaze started, infatuated with every little detail of her, from the bottom of the pastel shoe all the way until he met her eyes.

"How about we make it a game?" His dark eyes grew more intrigued. "First to correctly guess the other wins."

"And the prize?" She matched his smirk.

It was a rather cute smirk.

"Winner's choice." He declared.

"My choice then." Lexus smiled sweetly. She made her voice sound confident, but it was not so sure about the mystery man in front of her. Her gut reminded her not to doubt someone you know so little about. On the other hand, the poor thing had no idea who he was dealing with.

He held his hand out and then shook it. He was cool and collected, a sudden confidence that Lexus could appreciate. He was good, almost as good as her. Just when she thought he was going to drop her hand, he switched his grip around and started leading her to the dance floor.

In defense of the butterflies in her stomach, any lady would swoon at a move so smooth. He pulled her close, following a simple step around the other students. When he caught her studying him, he opened her up for a twirl. He sidestepped slightly, a unprofessionally trained ballroom dancer would have probably missed it.

"The snake tattoo, I'd bet my last galleon on the matching house."

"Wow, I'll add outstanding intelligence to your list of traits." She commented playfully.

He rolled his eyes, "And sarcasm to mine."

She wondered out loud, hoping for helpful hints. "This isn't your normal height, is it?"

She imagined it was pretty common for the boys of Hogwarts to give themselves a few more inches in height when the opportunity arose. This boy was six feet tall, she could only recall a few boys that were that height.

"No, it is not." He admitted.

"You, on the other hand, are dancing quite well for a girl in very tall heels. Almost too well. You're trained, highborn even."

"What if I just like dancing?" She countered, trying not to give anything away.

She remembered the last person she taught to dance. She tried to push him from her mind but somehow he slithered back in. Even when in the arms of a stranger. She focused on the details she knew so far.

This was not hit true height. He was not trained in ballroom dancing. Which likely meant he did not find himself in an etiquette class as a child. That canceled out all the purebloods she knew. With few exceptions. He had a charming smirk that was part of his personality. No potion could change that.

"Why are you alone tonight?" She asked next.

"A classic case of letting the right one get away. She was out of my league, too smart for my own good, and probably half-Veela. I made mistakes that I have to live with, unfortunately, she does too." He looked down at Lexus with a flirt gaze that she was sure he used on every pretty girl he came across, "Oh? You think I'm too charming to be single?"

She noticed the shift in the conversation, she could recognize and understand someone trying to forget their past connection. He needed a distraction and she was in the perfect place to be distracting.

"You know, up until right now that confidence was incredibly attractive and then you had to ruin it with your mouth," Lexus replied.

He leaned in, his lips gracing the top of her ear, "My mouth makes up for it in other places."

Before he could pull away, he grabbed his tie to keep him there, "Perhaps it will be my prize."

His widening eyes confessed his surprise. Licked his lips, trying to regain the shifting power that she stole from right under him.

His warm hand laid flat on her bare back, pulling her in a little closer. Lexus snaked her arms around his neck, there was something so comforting about the space between them. It felt familiar here.

Pansy might have been right.

It was his turn to ask questions. "And whose heart did you break to be here tonight?"

She rolled her eyes, "All hearts remain in one piece."

"Liar." He remarked, "Come on, confide in a little ole stranger. Without a doubt, you have stabbed, shaved, and ripped hearts."

"I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. I'm the one with the refurbished heart." She put on a dramatic pout. "I've been sewn, reconstructed, and glued to fill the cracks of betrayal. Cracked from infidelity and then shattered to pieces by deception."

"Were you in love?"

His eyes danced across her face as she searched for the answer in herself. "I can't say no, but I also can't claim the assurance in yes. The first time around I thought I was in love, it was natural, and everything you think love is going to feel like. It was innocent and easy, we didn't even fight once until it was all over. I felt cared for."

She looked up, the explanation made sense in her head, she hoped it would once they left her tongue as well. He glanced down at her like she was the most interesting creature in the world, patiently waiting for her to continue.

Her cheeks felt hot, "And the second... The second boy made me feel everything. Even when it was the last thing I wanted. I thought we would be unstoppable. And in return, I wanted to make him feel the same way I did. I felt so selfish for keeping at that ecstasy. I wished my feelings were contagious. And I felt pity on those who had never experienced it the way I did."

"That sounds like love to me..."

Lexus caught herself, grinning like a fool. That was the feeling she was trying so hard to forget. Her face fell as she remembered how their story ended.

"But I callously was taught the unique vulnerability of that kind of that sensation. A lesson I'll only need to learn once. He only wanted me for one thing, I wanted him for so much more."

He raised his eyebrows, slightly, putting together the pieces of the puzzle. It was disgustingly common for boys to use a for sex and then discard her soon after. Only making her more annoyed that she fell for it.

"Do you miss him?"

"Do you miss her?" She countered, not ready to answer that question.

"Every moment." He admitted. He smiled, but I could tell he wasn't truly present in the conversation with me. He was thinking about her. Quite adorable to see a boy so in love. "I was content with myself and my future before her. I thought I knew everything my life would hold. But after you meet someone who makes you feel truly alive, 'content' feels like a death sentence."

"I came here to try to forget him. I think you were the worst person for me to meet tonight." Lexus spoke carefully.

The somberness in both of their voices made the near future painfully clear. They may have been masked strangers but their broken hearts were identical.

He chuckled lightly, knowing the truth between them. "Come on, we may be single, but we are anything but available."

"Where are we going?" She laughed as he linked their hands and weaved through the crowd of grinding teenagers.

"Somewhere with stronger drinks." 

--

Fuck after this I'm going to need a stronger drink. I assume we are catching on by this point? Are we all on the same page?  We have no idea who the mystery man is?? RiGhT?

B