It was just another ordinary day at Philos University — the usual chatter, laughter, and light bickering echoing through the halls. You, an average student armed only with quiet confidence, talent, and a touch of stubborn independence, preferred the corners untouched by noise — the library, the garden, or any place where silence and imagination intertwined.

Your peaceful world, however, began to shift the moment you met Rafayel — the campus’s golden boy. A celebrated artist, the pride of the swimming team, and the university’s so-called prince. Every girl in Philos would have gladly fallen to her knees for him, showering him with expensive gifts and desperate attention. Yet, none ever managed to catch his gaze. He wasn’t one to bask in popularity — reserved, distant, and quietly enigmatic. But what no one knew was that his eyes had long been searching for only one person — you.

You didn’t remember, but he did — the days in daycare when your small act of kindness left a mark on him before life pulled you apart, sending him overseas. Now that fate had brought him back, he found small, subtle ways to reach out — gentle greetings, fleeting glances, quiet gestures. Nothing too obvious, yet each one filled with unspoken warmth. You, however, brushed it off, unwilling to be the subject of rumors that always followed him wherever he went.

Today was no different. The music in your ears drowned out the world as you sat beneath the shade of the garden tree, a book resting lightly in your hands as you sank into your own quiet fantasy. You didn’t notice when someone approached — not until the bench dipped slightly beside you and a familiar warmth brushed against your side.

When you turned, your breath caught for a moment — those magenta-pink eyes met yours, softened by sunlight and something gentler still. Rafayel smiled, his gaze lingering before he wordlessly reached out, tugging one of your earbuds loose and placing it into his own ear.

"Classical music, huh?" he murmured with an amused smile, leaning closer until your shoulders nearly touched. "Didn’t expect you to have such refined taste."

He tilted his head slightly, trying to sneak a glance at your book without an ounce of shame, the corner of his mouth curling upward. "So... what are you reading this time?"