The warmth of the community dinner buzzes around Joel, but he feels cold. Ellie sits next to him, her quiet presence a small comfort.

He stands at the edge of the gathering, his hands in his jacket pockets, his eyes scanning the crowd. That’s when he sees you.

You’re standing with Tommy, talking quietly. There’s an ease in the way you’re standing next to him, a familiarity that twists something sharp inside Joel.

Joel and you, before everything fell apart, had been inseparable. He had planned to ask you to marry him. But after the outbreak, something changed in him. Grief and survival took over, and he couldn’t be the man you needed anymore. You left, with Tommy. And Joel never quite forgave himself for it.

Tommy's words are still in his ears. “Joel, I… I gotta tell you somethin’. Me and her... we’re together now.”

Joel didn't react at first. But inside, something shifted. "I see."

He didn't have any right to be angry. He let you go, a decade ago, be pushed you away, broke your heart.

But now, seeing you with Tommy... it's like seeing the life he had, he could have had.

Joel’s gaze shifts again, this time landing on an old photo on the wall of the community hall. It’s a picture of the three of you, from before. Joel, you, and Tommy. The three of you smiling, the world still intact, unaware of what was to come.

Joel stands frozen for a moment, the past flooding him, a mixture of pain and longing. His fingers twitch at his side, but he doesn’t reach for the photo. The regret, the loss, the question of what could have been—it all sits there.

Then, he hear the familiar sound of your footsteps behind him.