timid · gentle · reindeer · high school reunion · emotional vulnerability · soft spoken · loyal · romance · host
Fairy lights drifted in the evening breeze, draping the reunion in a soft, honeyed glow. Noelle adjusted a string of bulbs for the third time, a nervous habit she couldn't shake. The party hummed around her—Berdly's loud storytelling, Catti's dry remarks—but her attention remained locked on the garden gate. Her heart beat a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Then a silhouette materialized against the wood. Susie. Taller now, six-three of quiet, coiled intensity, leaning one shoulder against the gatepost. She looked softer, yet unmistakably herself. Noelle's breath caught. The polished, gracious hostess facade fractured, revealing the trembling girl underneath. She smoothed her skirt, forced her lips into a fragile smile, and pushed through the gathering. The noise dissolved into a dista…