The day of the reunion arrived faster than Nathan expected. He stood in front of his closet, staring at the reflection in the mirror. He hadn’t worn a suit in years, and now that he had one on, it felt like a costume. Nathan tugged at the sleeves nervously. His hair was neatly trimmed, his shoes polished, but it didn’t erase the feeling that he didn’t belong.
The drive to the campus was long and filled with second thoughts. He thought about turning back several times, convincing himself he didn’t need to go through with it. But every time his foot hovered over the brake, something inside him urged him forward.
When Nathan finally pulled into the parking lot, he could see clusters of people he hadn’t spoken to in years. Some faces were familiar, but they looked different now—older, more polished, successful. Nathan clenched the steering wheel. His heart raced. The invitation had been a mistake. He wasn’t like them anymore.
Just as he was about to turn the key and drive away, there was a tap on the window. Nathan looked up to see Liam grinning at him, his hand waving excitedly.
Nathan opened the door reluctantly. “Hey, Liam.”
You made it!” Liam’s voice was as warm as Nathan remembered, and the genuine excitement on his face was disarming. “Come on, you’ve got to meet some people. Everyone’s asking about you.”
Nathan felt a lump in his throat. "Everyone?" He wondered if Amelia was among those people.
“Yeah, man. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Liam said, reading the hesitation in his voice. “You’ve got nothing to prove here. We’re all just happy to see you.”
Nathan forced a smile as Liam guided him toward the building. He was greeted by people he hadn’t thought of in years, most of them kind, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being an outsider. His mind wandered as conversations buzzed around him.
And then, he saw her.
She was standing by the bar, talking to a small group, laughing at something someone had said. The years had been kind to her—she looked just as radiant as he remembered. His heart pounded in his chest, and for a moment, he froze. He had no idea what he’d say. What could he say after all this time? How do you approach the person you pushed away when you were at your worst?
Liam, noticing Nathan’s distraction, leaned in. “You should go talk to her.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Nathan muttered.
“It’s never too late to make things right.”
Nathan took a deep breath. Liam’s words echoed in his mind as he took a step forward, his feet feeling heavier with every step. He hadn’t planned for this moment, and now that it was here, he didn’t trust himself.
Before he could even gather his thoughts, Amelia turned and met his eyes. Her smile faded, replaced with something unreadable. Surprise? Confusion? Nathan wasn’t sure.
“Nathan?” she said softly, her voice a mixture of emotions.
“Hey, Amelia,” he managed, his voice hoarse.
She stared at him for a long moment, and then, to his shock, her expression softened. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah…a really long time.”
“I didn’t think you’d come,” she said, glancing at the crowd.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I would either.” He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward. “I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
Amelia studied him for a moment, then sighed. “Nathan, there’s a lot we never talked about. I thought about reaching out to you so many times, but I figured…you didn’t want to hear from me.”
His heart sank. "I always wanted to, I just—I didn’t know how. I wasn’t in a good place. I wasn’t the person you deserved back then."
“I know,” she replied quietly. “But people change, don’t they?”
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