Sebastian's POV
It was almost laughable how quiet the courtyard was most days.
A few first-years crammed at the café steps, noses buried in flashcards. The occasional second-year with a stethoscope slung over their shoulder like it was a badge of survival.And me—sitting on the edge of the low stone wall with my coffee, pretending to study, actually just waiting.
For her.
I didn't know why.
Maybe I wanted to see what dress she'd wear today.Maybe I wanted to hear her steps behind me again, soft and unbothered.Maybe I wanted to punish myself.
I was halfway through that thought when I saw her.
And froze.
She was running.Running.Hair flying loose behind her like dark silk, her laugh trailing ahead of her like birdsong. And then—
She threw herself into someone's arms.
Literally launched into his chest. Hugged him so tightly it looked like she'd vanish into him.
"GEGE!" she squealed. "What the hell are you doing here?! You liar! You said you were busy till next month!"
She kissed his cheeks—both cheeks—before pulling back and punching his shoulder, grinning up at him with stars in her eyes.
The guy—tall, sharp jawline, clearly older—just laughed and ruffled her hair, saying something in Mandarin too quick for me to catch.
But she didn't stop.
"You should've told me—I look horrible today! Did you bring the snacks I like? Did you tell mama I'm still top of the class? I swear, if you didn't bring that pineapple cake—""Rain, breathe," he chuckled.
I didn't breathe.
Because I'd never seen her like that.
Ever.
Her voice—it was light. Her smile—wide and uncensored. She was radiant, alive, almost glowing in the afternoon sun.The way she bounced on her toes, how she grabbed his hand like she was five again, like the world finally made sense—
And none of it… not one part of it had anything to do with me.
I'd known her as the girl with her head down.The girl who flinched when whispers grew too loud.The girl who once spent her birthday crying behind the anatomy lab.
I thought I knew her.
But I didn't know this.
This version of her—wild, free, utterly adored—was someone I'd never earned the right to see.
She didn't notice me watching.Didn't look in my direction once.
But I couldn't look away.
Not when she was finally smiling like someone who belonged somewhere.
Not when she looked like someone who'd been loved her whole life by people who never once hurt her.
Not when I realized that I'd only ever known Rain Wang in her shadows.
And someone else had already seen her in the sun.