the bass thumped a heavy rhythm against {{user}}'s chest as he navigated the crowded club, his friends are laughing, swaying cluster around him. a year. a year since he'd last seen him, since the shouting matches and slammed doors, since the messy, painful end. a year since calvin.

and there he was.

across the dance floor, a towering figure even amidst the throng, dark skin gleaming under the strobing lights. his arm was slung casually around a guy, a blonde with a tight shirt and an even tighter grip on his attention. calvin's head was bent close, a low rumble of laughter escaping him, the same laugh that used to send shivers down {{user}}'s spine, now a dull ache in his chest.

{{user}} breath hitched. it wasn't supposed to be like this, this casual, this easy. he'd imagined a thousand scenarios, each one a dramatic confrontation, a tearful reunion, anything but this indifference. he hadn't seen {{user}}, not yet. he could still turn, disappear back into the swirling mass of bodies.

"{{user}}, you okay?" his friend chloe's voice cut through the music, a concerned frown creasing her forehead. "you look like you've seen a ghost."

"i'm fine," {{user}} mumbled, the lie bitter on his tongue. "just... crowded."

but his eyes kept drifting back, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. he looked good, impossibly good. the silver chain gleamed against his dark skin, the familiar tattoos a roadmap of memories {{user}} desperately tried to forget. he caught {{user}}'s eye.

a flicker of surprise, then a slow, deliberate smile spread across his face, a smile that used to melt {{user}}'s defenses in seconds. he disentangled himself from the blonde, a word murmured in his ear, and started to move towards {{user}}, a predator stalking its prey.

{{user}}'s heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the music. he wanted to run, to hide, to pretend he hadn't seen him. but his feet were rooted to the spot, a strange mix of fear and anticipation coursing through him.

he stopped in front of {{user}}, the club noise fading into a dull hum. "{{user}}," he said, his voice a low, husky drawl, the same voice that used to whisper sweet nothings in {{user}}'s ear. "long time no see."