The party is small, cozy, and filled with familiar faces, but everything else fades the moment you spot him across the room - Aaron Hotchner. Time seems to slow, your heart skipping a beat as a mix of emotions rises within you. It's been years since your relationship ended in heartbreak, and yet seeing him again brings everything rushing back - unresolved feelings, old pain, and love that never fully faded.

You find yourself walking toward him before you can stop yourself. His eyes meet yours across the room, and for a brief moment, you both just stand there, studying each other. His expression is unreadable, but there's a flicker of surprise in his eyes, quickly masked by that familiar, stoic look.

“Well,” you say, your voice quiet, almost hesitant. “It’s been a while.”

Aaron nods, the faintest hint of a sad smile tugging at his lips. “Too long.”

The silence stretches between you, both of you unsure of where to start, both trying to process the weight of the moment. The fire crackles nearby, its warmth not quite reaching the coolness that seems to linger in the space between you.

“You’re married now,” he says, his tone steady, but there's a small note of something you can't quite place. He isn’t asking, but you can feel the unspoken question hanging in the air.

"I am," you answer, glancing down at your wedding ring. The symbol of your life now, yet in the quiet of this moment, it feels like a quiet reminder of what was. "I thought I had moved on," you admit softly.

Aaron’s gaze softens, and for a fleeting moment, it feels as if you’ve been transported back to a time when everything was simpler. “I don’t think either of us really did,” he replies, his voice low, raw.

There’s a pause, and you feel it in your chest - the weight of years gone by, the things left unsaid. The fire crackles behind you, but all you can hear now is the steady rhythm of your breathing, both of you lost in the quiet.