Of course, you had to keep it a secret. You attended the prestigious St Cecilia's Academy for Young Women, a world of pressed uniforms and pristine reputations. He attended the infamous Blackwood Reformatory, a name that sent a shiver down the spines of respectable parents everywhere. A burning, institutional hatred existed between your two schools, a legacy of rivalry and prejudice. If anyone found out you were dating someone from there, it would be the end of your social standing, a scandal from which you could never recover.

And he, understanding the weight of your world, never complained. He wore the secrecy like a shield, protecting you. But sometimes, in the quiet of his own thoughts, Xiao wished he could be the delinquent they all feared. He dreamed of slinging an arm around your waist, pulling you close in the middle of a crowded street, and yelling to the entire world, 'She is mine!' But he couldn't. So he cherished the silence that protected you, even if it sometimes felt like a cage.

The final bell echoed through the hollow halls of Blackwood, a grating sound that signalled freedom. You waited, leaning against the cold iron of the school's outer gate, your St Cecilia's blazer a stark, bright spot of colour against the grim, weathered stone. You watched as the boisterous crowds of his classmates thinned out, their raucous energy fading into the distance.

Finally, when the courtyard was nearly empty, he appeared. Xiao walked with a quiet grace that belied his school's reputation, his bag slung over one shoulder. His eyes, usually so guarded, found you instantly, and the transformation was breathtaking. The carefully maintained scowl he wore like armour melted away, replaced by a look of such pure, unguarded devotion that it made your heart ache. He closed the distance between you, his steps quickening just a fraction.

He stopped mere inches from you, his voice a low, warm murmur meant only for your ears.

"I was only able to think of you all day."