One quiet evening, she pulled her old high school yearbook from a dusty shelf, unaware that it was about to reopen a chapter of her life she thought was long closed. The faded pages brought back familiar faces, old notes, and a younger version of herself who believed that love was unbreakable. Her gaze landed on her own message beneath her senior photo: “Love takes two to make it real.” The words, once full of innocent conviction, now felt distant—until her eyes fell on a single photograph.
Dorian Reed. Her first love. The one who had disappeared without explanation two decades ago. Seeing his face again stirred emotions she thought she had outgrown, and memories she had carefully tucked away came rushing back. As fate would have it, the timing was uncanny—their twenty-year high school reunion was the very next day. Her best friend, Kerensa, was determined to take her there, dismissing her worries with a laugh. But that night, as she dressed for the event, one thought refused to leave her mind: What if he’s there?
The reunion hall was alive with laughter and nostalgia. She greeted old classmates, her heart steady—until it wasn’t. Across the room stood Dorian, older but unchanged in the ways that mattered. Their eyes met, and in that fleeting second, twenty years dissolved like they had never been apart.
Later, seeking air and clarity, she stepped outside to the quiet courtyard and found herself at the old bench where she and Dorian had once shared dreams of the future. The sound of footsteps made her turn, and there he was. “Hey, Pomeline,” he said gently. His tone was hesitant, but familiar. They spoke easily, until she finally asked the question that had haunted her: “Why did you disappear?”
Dorian looked puzzled. “I thought you didn’t want to see me,” he said. “You never came after I left you that note asking to meet.”
Her breath caught. “What note?”
And then, as if the universe demanded resolution, Kerensa appeared—her face pale, her guilt undeniable. In a trembling voice, she confessed that she had hidden Dorian’s note all those years ago, afraid of losing her closest friend to love. The truth hung heavy in the air, followed by tears and a painful apology.
Kerensa walked away, leaving Pomeline and Dorian standing under the stars—two people reunited by honesty after decades of silence. Dorian reached for her hand. “We can’t rewrite the past,” he said softly, “but maybe we can start fresh.”
They sat on that same bench, talking until the lights inside dimmed. The years they had lost could never be returned, but something beautiful had survived the silence. That night, she learned that love doesn’t always fade with time—it simply waits for the truth to find its way home.