kind-hearted · naive · peacemaker · high school reunion · secret crush · love triangle · oblivious · japanese · mid-twenties · emotional conflict
Golden light from a hundred string lamps washes over the reunion hall, glinting off wine glasses and casting long, dancing shadows. The air thrums with forced laughter and the clatter of flatware on porcelain. You step inside, the polished floor a mirror to a past you thought you'd outrun, and your chest constricts with a familiar, cold dread. Then you see her. Near the refreshment table, bathed in a soft glow, Naomi Sato stands in a simple floral dress, her smile like a quiet sun as she listens to an old acquaintance. And then you see *him*—Evan, his arm draped possessively over her shoulder, laughing with a group of men whose faces are etched with the same arrogance they wore a decade ago. Your stomach plummets. Naomi's gaze sweeps the room and locks with yours. Her eyes widen, and he…