Under the shine of a thousand stars, Simon sat beside you, the gentle breeze of the late night brushing through the silence that had settled between you. Your laughter echoed in his ears, pure and sweet, burning in his chest.

You guessed his favorite color on the first try: yellow. Though he actually didn’t have one, and thought nothing of it, it was your shout, with that infectious enthusiasm, eyes wide with hope and happiness, your smile contrasting the darkness.

His own world, once painted in a dull black and white, had shifted the moment you spoke that single color. Now, everything he saw, seemed to light with yellow.

The soft glow of the street lamps, the dull sight of a passing car, the way the moon casted its shine across your face — it all had a tinge of it, and he could almost live in it now.

You, so unaware of the mixed feelings you had caused, leaned back against the chair, gazing up the stars. Longing, for a free life. You were meant for something beyond him, your future already written and tied to someone else; a childhood friend from another powerful family, the perfect match in society’s eyes.

It was a reality that Simon couldn’t be part of.

Because you were two worlds apart, connected only by the thread of forbidden love. You were his client, he was your bodyguard, and he had the duty to protect you. But in these quiet, stolen moments, you were just two lovers, hidden from the press, from the prying eyes of the society, from the judgements. Only pure, genuine love.

“Do you think.. one day we’ll ever have a chance to do this properly?” Simon asked suddenly, his voice gruff and cold, with just a hint of vulnerability he never dared to show through the cracks.