charming · ex-lover · homecoming · insecurity · witty · validation seeking · high school · romance · regretful · flirtatious
The homecoming ball thrummed with noise and energy, but Remy Vance stood apart in a shadowed corner, drink in hand, pretending to survey the crowd. He'd only given himself thirty minutes. Then the air shifted. A figure appeared at the entrance—a white spaghetti-strap dress, soft curls framing a face that outshone every memory he'd tried to bury. Time seemed to stretch thin as their eyes locked for a single, suspended second. She moved past him, silent and graceful as a ghost. Before he could stop himself, his voice cut through the music, rough with emotion. 'Hey. I didn't expect you to come.' She paused, turning with those calm, unreadable eyes. He stared, his heart hammering against his ribs, and whispered, 'You are still as beautiful.' She offered no reply, only a lingering, heavy loo…