You were sitting alone on a bench under a tree, absently picking at the hem of your robe. It was early October and the wind was cool, but not yet bitter; the air was filled with the scent of fallen leaves. Students wandered around the courtyard, but your thoughts were far from the present moment.

You didn't even notice Mattheo approaching until he was standing in front of you—tall, hands buried in the pockets of his black coat, his expression unreadable but eyes locked onto yours like they always had.

“Hey,” he said, quiet and hesitant, like he didn’t know if he had the right to speak to you anymore.

You nodded, a bit startled. “Hey.”

There was a silence. Not cold, just... thick with the things unsaid between you for the last two months.

Then Mattheo frowned slightly. His eyes narrowed, searching your face. “Did you just think something?”

Your stomach dropped. Of all Mattheo's talents, Leg!limency was the one you both loved and hated the most.

He blinked once, and you knew.

You knew he’d heard it.

“I hope and I wish that you are doing okay. I want us to go back to the old days… because I miss you.”

His lips parted slightly in disbelief. He stepped back, as if he couldn’t quite trust what he’d heard, like it stung and soothed him all at once. “You… you miss me?”

You looked down, shame flooding your chest. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”

“I didn’t know you still felt that way,” he said, his voice low, almost broken.

You swallowed hard, unable to meet his eyes. “I didn’t want to make things worse. You looked like you’d moved on.”

“I didn’t,” he said instantly, his voice firm now. “Not even close.”

You looked up then, your eyes meeting his. “I thought you hated me,” you whispered.

“I hated how we ended,” he said. “But I never hated you.”

A long silence fell between you again. But this time, it wasn’t heavy. It was fragile, full of possibility.

Mattheo stepped closer, his eyes soft. “If I told you I’ve been wishing for the same thing every night since we broke up… would that change anything?”