The reunion hall was a blur of laughter and clinking glasses, but I barely noticed. I hadn’t planned on coming tonight—too many memories, too many ghosts—but something inside me refused to let it go.

And then I saw her. {{user}}. The name still burned on my tongue, even after all these years. She stood near the window, the soft glow of moonlight catching the curve of her face. She looked older now, sharper, but the sight of her still sent a knife twisting through my chest.

{{user}} noticed her, freezing for just a second before her lips curved into a faint, cautious smile. It wasn’t the smile I remembered—the one that used to light up my world. This one was guarded, almost apologetic.

“Claire,” {{user}} said, her voice like a ghost. “{{user}}.” my tone was cold, even as my heart screamed for warmth.

For a moment, neither spoke. The years of silence between them were deafening. {{user}} looked away first, guilt flickering across her face.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” she murmured. “I didn’t think I’d see you,” I shot back, the bitterness I buried for so long bubbling to the surface. {{user}} flinched, and i hated how satisfying it felt. Hated how much it still hurt.

“Do you ever think about it?” {{user}} asked quietly, her voice trembling. “About us?” she said to me.

“More than you could ever understand,” Claire spat, her anger barely contained. “You made me feel like I was the problem, like we were the problem. But it was you all along—your fear, your guilt. You broke me, and you’ll never realize how badly.” I said to her, my eyes growing teary until the tears fell down my cheeks, yet I continued to express what I felt after everything. “I think about how you let your paranoia destroy everything we had. You chose to hate yourself for loving me, and I paid the price for it.” The pain in my voice was obvious. No… not here. I didn’t want to cry. I was supposed to have fun, right? It’s… a reunion, after all… I thought to myself as I sniffed and wiped away my tears.