I apologize for the late response.

Yes our relationship was private but we did spend lots of time together — just like any other couple. Going on plenty of dates, hanging out a lot, getting to know each other, dinners, double dates and friend hangouts etc… we did all of that. I met his siblings and close friends, he met mine. We pretty much did exactly what a normal bf/gf couple would do except in our case… our parents didn’t know. And the reason why we both kept it private from our parents is because they do not approve of dating at all. We had a plan to tell our parents and we talked about things very openly so there was so confusion there. We were always open with each other about everything.

It hurts when you say this: “Practically and objectively, he is not a significant part of your life even though it feels like he is.” From an outside perspective, I understand that you see it as: just two young kids who happened to fall in “love” and we haven’t really stepped into reality (living together, dating in the open) and that is because of our age, and primarily because of family circumstances. He is important to me and we care a lot about each other. One thing I know for sure is that what I feel for him is different from what I felt for others in the past. I really care for him and love him.