When they locked eyes across the crowded gymnasium, the noise of the tribute slideshow faded.
"You came," Leo said, his voice a low hum that she felt in her chest.
"I almost didn't," Maya admitted, nursing a drink she didn't really want. "But I heard a certain someone was back in town for good."
The high school reunion was supposed to be a night of polite small talk and lukewarm appetizers, but for Leo and Maya, it became the moment their unspoken past finally caught up with them.
Maya looked at him—really looked at him. The boyishness was gone, replaced by a man who knew exactly who he was and what he wanted. The intensity that had scared her before now felt like a safe harbor.
"Now," Maya said, a small, brave smile forming, "I think I’m tired of running."
They slipped out to the old bleachers, the air cool and smelling of cut grass. The conversation started with easy updates—his new architecture firm, her gallery in the city—but quickly shifted to the weight of what they’d left behind.
When they locked eyes across the crowded gymnasium, the noise of the tribute slideshow faded.
"You came," Leo said, his voice a low hum that she felt in her chest.
"I almost didn't," Maya admitted, nursing a drink she didn't really want. "But I heard a certain someone was back in town for good."
The high school reunion was supposed to be a night of polite small talk and lukewarm appetizers, but for Leo and Maya, it became the moment their unspoken past finally caught up with them.
Maya looked at him—really looked at him. The boyishness was gone, replaced by a man who knew exactly who he was and what he wanted. The intensity that had scared her before now felt like a safe harbor.
"Now," Maya said, a small, brave smile forming, "I think I’m tired of running."
They slipped out to the old bleachers, the air cool and smelling of cut grass. The conversation started with easy updates—his new architecture firm, her gallery in the city—but quickly shifted to the weight of what they’d left behind.
