𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇𝐘; Draco Malfoy

XVI

It wasn't usual for Elena to feel more comfortable in her nightmares that she did in the real world. Because when she woke up, a part of her hoped she'd feel the sun on her face and with Elio kissing her goodmorning, but that didn't happen. And it would never, ever happen again.

So when she woke up from a nightmare, she sat up in bed, staring at a wall that wasn't her own with a body next to her that wasn't her boyfriend's. Draco woke up from her movement, his body shifting next to her. She wished she never woke up in the first place, feeling her wrist burn from wearing the ropes for several hours. They'd loosened a little.

"Hey, what's the matter, sweetheart..?" Draco whispered, making her shiver at the sound of his voice. She broke down into tears from the mere question. What was the matter— everything. Everything was how it wasn't supposed to be.

He sat up next to her, and wiped her hair that was damp from her tears she cried during her nightmare away from her neck. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked softly, pressing his chest against her back because he wasn't able to go anywhere else due to their wrists still being tied to each other.

She nodded, sniffing and unable to wipe her tears away. He placed a kiss on her temple. "Why don't you come lay back down with me, hm? I'll take care of you, my love." Draco whispered, stroking his thumb over her hand. "C-Can't.." She whispered hoarsely, her bottom lip quivering.

"I-I can't do this.." Elena cried, her throat burning. It felt unfair to Elio's memory to even obey Draco like this. He took everything from her. "It's alright." Draco tried to say, which was too much for her. "Don't— don't say that it's alright.." She snapped through her cries, trying to grab onto the loose end of the rope. "It's not. It's really not.."

Draco didn't know how to tell her that this was for the best. She wouldn't believe him anyway. He wanted to tell her that he could give her everything and more if she'd let him. "Everything I did was for you—  I did it for love.." Draco whispered, stroking over her upper arm to calm her down.

"If you truly loved me, you would've let me be happy with him.." She sobbed quietly, and looked down as Draco tried to hold her hand again. "You weren't happy with him. And it's okay if you're not ready to admit that to yourself yet. But I know, I know all of it." Draco whispered.

She stayed silent, while another tear fell from her eye. She could not get Elio's dead body out of her mind. It made her sick to her stomach. "I could always erase your memory of him." Draco suggested. She reached her limit of how much she could take. "What?! So I can fall in love with you again..?"

She yanked as hard as she could on the loose end of the rope, loosening it. "No fucking way.." She spat, getting up from the bed the second she was able to. "Falling in love with you," She said, pausing for a few seconds, taking a breath in. "Was the worst mistake I ever made." The words felt like poison for both of them. It didn't make her feel any better.

Draco furrowed his brows upwards, appearing desperate for a fleeing moment. "Don't say that.." He whispered, getting up from the bed. Hearing her say such things only made him want to fix this even more. He started walking towards her.

"Let me out of here!" She said fiercely, backing off as he continued to step towards her. Draco took a large step and grabbed her wrists, pulling her towards him. "I know that it's hard to love me again but I'll do my best—I promise. This is all just new and scary, I get it, I get it.." Draco said.

"I don't fucking love you!" She screamed, feeling like she never wanted to look in the mirror again. "When is that going to get inside of your head?!" The words left her mouth like vomit. She continued to speak and lie and ruin everything even more. Draco's gaze darkened with rage, tightening his grip.