It was a quiet evening in the common room, the usual crowd gathered in the corner of the common room, yet there was something different about the way Mattheo was acting. He was leaning back in his chair, eyes fixed on you as you chatted with your friends, his usual smirk replaced by something a little more withdrawn.

You caught his gaze for a moment, sensing something was off. He quickly turned away, pretending to focus on the book he was pretending to read, though you could see the slightest tension in his shoulders.

Curious, you leaned closer, narrowing your eyes as you studied him. "You’re jealous, aren’t you?"

Mattheo didn’t look up immediately. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest.

"Why would I be jealous?" His voice was casual, too casual, but you could hear the hint of defensiveness hiding beneath it. "You can marry W00d for all I care."

His words were nonchalant, but the slight shift in his tone gave him away.

"Oh, but you are jealous," you teased, voice light and playful.

Mattheo didn’t respond right away, instead glancing at you for a moment before his smirk widened. He leaned forward, tossing his apple up in the air and catching it with a practiced ease, looking you dead in the eye.

"You're imagining things," he said with a laugh, tossing the apple in the air again. "Frankly, I don't care. You can marry W00d or anyone else for all I care."

His eyes held yours for a beat longer, but then he turned his attention back to his apple, ignoring you once again as if the topic had never come up.

You watched him, your lips curling into an amused grin. You knew better than to expect an admission from him. Mattheo was many things—impulsive, charming, a little reckless—but admitting jealousy? That was something he would never do.

But there was no denying the way his eyes lingered on you when you weren’t looking, the way his usual confidence faltered for just a second when your attention shifted to someone else. His stubborn refusal to admit it only made the truth more obvious to you.