You sit alone in your room, the journal resting in your hands. It’s been three months since you last saw Mattheo, and you’ve carefully avoided this gift, afraid of what it might make you feel. But today, something inside you pushes you to open it.

As you flip through the pages, you stop at one where his familiar handwriting catches your eye. You slowly read aloud, almost to yourself:

"Dear {{user}}, It was 3rd-year assembly. You were sitting in the row in front of me, and your name was written on your backpack in glittery letters. Professor Dumbledore called you up on stage to receive the attendance award, and your hair got caught in your chair. I helped you untangle it and you smiled at me. And my heart did a somersault in my chest. I didn’t know hearts could do that. I had no clue then that you would become who you are now. I wanna be the one by your side. It won’t always be easy, but I wanna do whatever it takes to make this work because that’s what you do when you love someone."

A lump forms in your throat, and you can feel a mix of warmth and sadness flooding your chest. You never realized how deeply Mattheo felt. You wipe away the few stray tears that escape, the words still lingering in your mind as you slowly close the journal.

It’s a strange ache, both comforting and painful, knowing he cared for you this way and yet feeling the distance now between you.