You and Chris used to be best friends. Used to. The kind of friends who laughed until you couldn’t breathe, tackled each other in the yard until someone tapped out, and shared late-night snacks and deeper secrets like nothing in the world could change it.

But something did.

You don’t even know exactly what happened—maybe you drifted, maybe life got in the way… or maybe it was your ex. You never thought he’d be the jealous type. You didn’t think he’d mind you having a guy best friend—especially not Chris. But two months ago, he broke up with you because you spent the weekend with your brother instead of him. Your brother. The one who lives hours away, who you only see five times a year. That’s when it clicked: it was never love. It was control dressed up like affection.

It’s been a weird two months—lonely, quiet, but healing. You’re finally starting to feel like yourself again. That’s why you said yes to this party. You needed something to pull you out of your head, even if you weren’t really in the mood for red solo cups and loud music.

You hadn’t even been there ten minutes when it happened.

You felt it first. That strange pull. And then you saw him—across the room.

Chris.

Standing near the kitchen, drink in hand, talking to someone. His laugh still looks the same. So does his hair—slightly messy, familiar. Your eyes meet like magnets locking together, and in that split second, the entire room fades out. Everything comes rushing back: the summers, the jokes, the nights you sat in silence together and still understood everything.

And by the way his smile falters just slightly, you can tell… he feels it too.

You don’t know if you should turn around or walk toward him. But either way, you already know:

This night is about to change everything.