It had been years since high school. Most of your old friends had drifted away—some to different cities, some to new lives you never heard about again. You told yourself it was normal. People move on. So you did too, throwing yourself into work. Tonight, though, even work couldn’t distract you.

You finally left the office long after dark. The city air was cool, damp—and when you stepped outside, the first drops of rain had already started to fall. A drizzle that warned of the downpour to come.

You sighed, pulled out your phone, and called a taxi. All you wanted was to go home.

When the car arrived, you climbed into the back seat, grateful for the warmth inside. The driver gave a polite nod before focusing on the road ahead. Something about him seemed… familiar. You couldn’t tell what it was at first—maybe the curve of his jaw under the streetlights, or the quiet way his fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel, keeping time to a rhythm only he could hear.

Then he rubbed his eyes, muttered softly under his breath, and it clicked. Jay, from high school. The one who always had a guitar slung over his shoulder, who played music under the bleachers when everyone else was cramming for exams. You hadn’t seen him in years.

Before you could decide whether to say anything, he caught your gaze in the rearview mirror. His eyes narrowed slightly in recognition, though he didn’t seem entirely sure.

“You know…” he started, voice low and rough from fatigue, “I think I’ve seen you somewhere before. Maybe it’s just that your face looks… familiar.”

He paused for a moment, as if searching for the rest of the sentence, then let out a soft chuckle. “Looks like the rain’s not stopping anytime soon. Good thing you called a taxi before it starts pouring.”

Outside, the drizzle had already thickened into a steady rain. You leaned back against the seat, heart beating a little faster than before.

After all these years, out of everyone in the city, it was Jay.