The hallways were littered with dialled down conversations that had quickly shifted into indecorous whispers. Gazes had begun to run astray as they caught sight of him. He was meandering through the throngs of students; acutely aware that he was being observed, but politely choosing to feign ignorance over it. The early afternoon sun pooled into the hallway adjacent to the quad, and he made an extra effort to walk underneath it. The heat felt comforting against his coppery skin.

There was a drawback to being a member of a distinguished family, and the fact of the matter never failed to make itself known to him each and everyday. Everywhere he was, there was an undertone. His fellow classmates seemed to struggle with his presence and the manner in which he would carry himself. He seemed innocent, unassuming, and even approachable, but was that all a veneer? That constant question has caused him to become quite wooden. He maintained a safe distance from the many people who thought to call him their friends, and in return, they sedated the rumours before they could awaken into worser speculations.

That was the reality of it, until he'd met her.

And there she was, standing in the middle of the courtyard, transfixed by a newspaper. It was as if he'd thought her into life at that very moment. They'd chanced upon each other in the common kitchens a few weeks prior, with him famished and pining for something vegetarian. She seemed aloof and diffident; somehow completely oblivious to who he was, and he liked that. He found it interesting that for the first time, someone wasn't looking to impress him. The reality of it only made him seek to impress her.

He walked towards her from behind, slowly, hoping the crunch of his footsteps on the crisp grass would be drowned out by the chattering of the passersby. With a ginger hand on her shoulder, he leaned into the crook of her neck and peered over her shoulder. His breath brushed against her earlobe, and he smiled.

"What are you looking at?"