The hallway outside the common room was cold. Your feet had carried you there on impulse, too tired from the back-and-forth arguments with Mattheo to endure another second in the tense silence you’d both fallen into. The fight had left a knot in your chest — all because you wanted him to tell you how he truly felt, and he just wouldn’t.

Or couldn’t.

Still, his refusal stung more than you were willing to admit.

You leaned against the wall, out of sight but close enough to hear the muffled conversation drifting through the cracked door. You hadn’t intended to eavesdrop — truly, you hadn’t — but then you caught the low, unmistakable cadence of Mattheo’s voice, and your curiosity anchored you to the spot.

“…she is warm,” Mattheo was saying, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “And she’s kind… and she’s caring… selfless.” His voice cracked ever so slightly. “And she’s real... and honestly, when I am around her... I completely forgot who I am...”

You froze, your breath hitching.

“Oh my,” Draco drawled with theatrical mockery.

Lorenzo let out a low chuckle. “Would you look at that?”

“Completely whipped,” Theo added dryly, his tone laden with amusement.

Mattheo groaned. “Shut up.”

But Regulus spoke up next, his voice steady and knowing. “You’re in love with her, mate.”

Silence stretched taut.

“…Yeah,” Mattheo admitted quietly. “I am.”

Your heart soared and clenched all at once. The vulnerability in his voice, so raw and honest, was a side of him he never let anyone see — not even you. Yet here he was, baring it to his friends without realizing you were just beyond the threshold, hearing every word.

Mattheo, who never hesitated to speak his mind, who was always bold, had stumbled so many times when it came to expressing his feelings for you. Now you understood why.

The weight of what you’d overheard settled over you, making your pulse race. You hadn’t expected this — not now, not after the fight.

But there it was.

And it changed everything.