“You ready for the reunion?” she asked.
My hesitation wiped the grin right off her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I saw an old picture of Dorian,” I admitted. “Stirred things up.”
She groaned dramatically. “You’re still hung up on him?”
“I’m not hung up,” I insisted. “It just… hurt. He cut me off like I didn’t matter.”
Kerensa squeezed my shoulder. “He might not even show up. And even if he does, you’re not there for him. You’re going because you deserve to go.”
I knew she was right. But my heart didn’t care.
The drive to the reunion felt longer than it was. I kept adjusting my dress, checking my hair, trying to keep my nerves in check. As we walked inside, the gym buzzed with old classmates greeting each other with laughter and disbelief.
For a moment, I actually relaxed.
Then I saw him.
Dorian.
Older, a little rugged, a faint beard, but unmistakably him. When our eyes met, he smiled — the same soft, warm smile I remembered.
My breath caught.
Kerensa hooked her arm through mine and steered me away. “Ignore him,” she whispered. “Tonight isn’t about him.”
Easy for her to say.
We moved from conversation to conversation, laughing, catching up, listening to people talk about their kids, their jobs, their lives. I started to enjoy myself again — until Kerensa accidentally spilled her drink all over her skirt.
“I’m going to clean this up,” she muttered, rushing away.
Suddenly alone, I stepped outside for air. The schoolyard hadn’t changed much. I sat on the old bench where I used to imagine my future — usually one that included Dorian.
Funny how life loves a plot twist.
Footsteps approached behind me. I turned.
Dorian.
“Hey, Pomeline,” he said gently. “Mind if I sit?”
I nodded, trying to keep my heartbeat from announcing itself.
“I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me,” he said.
“Well,” I replied, “I didn’t think you would. Considering senior year.”
His expression shifted. “Senior year? I thought you were the one who didn’t want to see me.”
I blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“I left you a note,” he explained slowly. “Asked you to meet me at the park. You never showed. Then Kerensa told me you’d said you weren’t interested.”
My entire body went still.
“I never got a note,” I whispered.
Before he could answer, more footsteps echoed. Kerensa stood a few steps away, face pale, expression filled with regret. She had heard everything.
“Keren,” I said quietly, “tell me he’s wrong.”
She swallowed. “Pomeline… I liked him too. I didn’t think he liked you back. I thought if I kept you two apart… it would just fade.”
My heart broke in a way I didn’t expect — for the girl I used to be.
“You told him I rejected him?” My voice trembled.
Kerensa looked down, tears gathering. “I didn’t think it would matter twenty years later. I’m sorry.”
“Please go,” I said softly. “Just… go.”
She backed away, disappearing into the lights and music.
Silence settled between Dorian and me.
“I’m sorry she did that,” he said quietly. “I wanted to see you that day. I would’ve shown up every day if you asked.”
I swallowed hard. “I spent years thinking you didn’t care.”
“And I spent years thinking you didn’t want me.”
We both sat with that truth — twenty years of misunderstanding hanging between us.
Then Dorian reached out, hesitating for only a moment before placing his hand over mine. His touch was steady, familiar, and unexpectedly comforting.
“We can’t rewrite the past,” he said softly. “But we can start something new if you want to.”
I looked at him — really looked at him. The boy I’d loved was gone, but the man beside me still carried the same quiet sincerity.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I think we can.”
We stayed on that bench long after the reunion ended — talking, laughing softly, discovering pieces of each other we’d missed.
And for the first time in years, I felt the weight of the past ease.
Maybe this time, the story could finally unfold the way it was meant to.