The late afternoon sun filtered through the towering arched windows of the ancient stone halls, painting golden patterns across the courtyard. The air was crisp, tinged with the faint scent of autumn leaves, while the hum of student laughter echoed off the weathered walls. Mattheo lingered in the shadows, leaning against a cool column, his arms crossed loosely over his chest.

His usual bravado was nowhere to be found. Instead, his dark eyes, usually alive with mischief, were solemn, fixed on a single figure standing by the fountain. You.

You laughed at something Blaise had said, your voice carrying on the breeze, soft and melodic. Your head tilted back slightly, the sunlight catching in your hair, casting you in a glow so radiant it made Mattheo's chest ache.

His fingers tightened against his forearm as he fought the urge to close the distance between you. But he stayed rooted in place, invisible in the crowd. He knew better.

"And you will never know how much I really like you," he thought bitterly, jaw tightening. "I never even told you... and I know I never can."

A weight pressed against his ribs as that unspoken truth wrapped itself around his heart like iron chains. His father’s presence loomed over his life like a curse, reminding him of what was forbidden—who was forbidden.

A soft gust of wind swept through the courtyard, brushing a strand of hair across your cheek. Without thinking, you tucked it behind your ear, that simple, graceful motion more captivating to Mattheo than any spell he'd ever witnessed.

He wanted to be reckless, just this once, to speak the words that clawed at his throat. But he swallowed them down, burying them with all the other secrets he carried.

Because loving you was impossible.