The courtyard is almost empty except for the two of you. Mattheo leans back on his hands, tilting his head up to catch the last of the sunlight on his face. He’s wearing that wide, unguarded smile that only appears when it’s just the two of you.

“You know, I think this is my favorite time of day,” he says.

“Why?” you ask, shifting closer, brushing your shoulder against his.

He looks at you. “Because it feels like the world slows down. And you—” he pauses, his grin softening into something gentler — “you look like magic in this light.”

The bell in the tower starts to chime the hour, but neither of you move. He takes your hand in his. “I want this forever,” Mattheo whispers.

And in that moment, you believe he means it.

---

Mattheo stands by the window with his arms crossed, his silhouette sharp in the glow of the stormlight. He doesn’t turn when you step inside.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he says, his voice low, distant.

“I couldn’t sleep,” you reply. “Too many memories in my dorm.”

He exhales slowly. “You used to say my voice could put you to sleep,” Mattheo says. “Guess it doesn’t work anymore.”

You stay quiet. There's a weight between you now — unspoken things neither of you can quite carry.

He finally turns, and his eyes—once bright with laughter—are darker now, guarded. “How did we go from forever to this?”

You don’t have an answer.

“I didn’t change,” he says. “I still love you. I still wait for you every time I walk through that damn courtyard.”

You swallow hard. “Mattheo, we—”

“You broke us,” he interrupts, but his voice cracks on the last word. He rubs a hand over his mouth. “And I keep asking myself what I did wrong, but maybe the worst part is... I’d still take you back. Right now.”