I shouldn’t have come.

Too many people pretending to care, pretending to know me. I’ve done this too many times. Same suits, same music, same fake laughter. The ice in my glass is melting too fast, and the whisky isn’t strong enough.

And still—here I am.

Someone laughs too loud behind me. I shift my weight, scan the room. That’s when I see her.

Not dressed to scream for attention like the rest of them. She’s just…there. Present. Quiet, but not uncomfortable. Like she’s used to watching people from the edges. That kind of calm you don’t fake.

She’s not looking at her phone. She’s watching the room—like I am.

Our eyes meet. Nothing dramatic. Just a moment. Real.

I nod.

She nods back.

I move toward her, not fast, not slow. People try to stop me—smiles, empty words, hands on my shoulder. I give them nothing. Keep walking. She doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t move. She just watches me come, like she knew I would.

Good instincts.

“Hi,” I say.