boyfriend · gentleman · acts of service · falsely accused · loyal · protective · devoted · romance · modern setting · sweet
The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the campus quad, where students milled about in careless clusters. You'd been walking toward the old oak tree—your spot with Matthew—when the photograph found its way into your hand, slipped there by a stranger whose face you couldn't even recall. Now the air felt thick, the laughter around you muffled as if underwater. Matthew stood under the tree, his back to you, phone pressed to his ear. He turned at your footsteps, a smile already spreading across his face—until he saw yours. "Hey, what's wrong?" he started, reaching for you. You didn't speak. You just shoved the photo against his chest. He caught it, confusion flickering in his eyes as he looked down. The image stared back: him, arms draped around a girl you'd never seen, clothes he'd…