You had never expected to see him again, not really, he’d moved to the US while you stayed in London, but then you saw him, you were in your senior year at high school, you had a boyfriend, Chase, it was a regular day until you locked eyes with him Adam, your ex, in that instant, it was like the ground beneath you shifted.

You blinked, thinking maybe you were imagining things. But no—there he was, standing by the school gates like something straight out of a movie. Same crooked smile, same dark eyes that used to make you forget whatever you were saying mid-sentence. Only now, he was taller, broader… older. The boy you remembered had disappeared, and in his place was this almost-stranger who still somehow made your stomach twist.

He looked just as surprised to see you. For a moment, neither of you moved. It was like time pressed pause on everything—on the chatter of students, on the passing buses, even on the ache in your chest.

You felt Chase’s hand find yours, warm and familiar, grounding you. “You okay?” he asked, glancing between you and Adam, picking up on the sudden tension.

You nodded too quickly. “Yeah. Just thought I saw someone I knew.”

But Chase followed your gaze, and when his eyes landed on Adam, something flickered behind his expression. “Who’s that?”

You swallowed hard. “That’s… Adam.”

Chase raised a brow. “Adam?”

You nodded again. “My ex.”

And then Adam started walking toward you.