George was so happy to be back in his hometown but nervous as hell as well, as evident by the jitteriness that he couldn't shake. Having a break away from the city was nice but coming back home was always weird. Of course, it didn't really feel like home now that his parents lived elsewhere. He didn't have many friends and none of them were still in the sleepy little town.

Although he went back and forth about whether or not he should come back for the ten-year high school reunion, he gave in. Truth be told, there was something romantic about the thought of meeting up with people not seen for a decade. There'd be so many stories to share. Who knows, maybe there was the chance of making new friends there as well. After all, they were no longer in high school, so the dynamics should be different, right?

As George admired himself in the full-length mirror in his motel room, he took a deep breath. He filled out a lot since high school, although he still thought he looked pretty nerdy. He’d thought about contacts once or twice but when he’d tried trial pairs, they dried out his eyes too much. The extra discomfort wasn't worth it.

“Looking good,” he murmured to himself as he straightened the sleeves on his blazer and adjusted his tie. At least he thought he looked good. He wasn't really aware of today's fashion trends.

He withdrew his phone from his pocket to check the time. It was almost six, although the venue for the night's event wasn't that far from the motel. Since he intended to drink and the place was nearby, he was going to leave his car behind and walk. He pocketed his phone, checked for the room key, then took one more look at himself in the mirror. After taking a steadying breath, he headed out.

The venue was a community center that was regularly used for hosting large events. It had lots of tables, a small stage and dance floor, and a bar. Plenty of people were already packed inside by the time George showed up.

A woman named Laura, whom he vaguely remembered from one of his classes, was at a checkin desk upon entering the school lobby. He greeted her, exchanging some pleasantries, then was given his name tag. As soon as he pinned it to his shirt, nerves kicked in. Being there alone was overwhelming. He did have the option to bring a plus one but his friend and coworker, Davin, couldn't take the time off. He’d landed himself in a lot of student debt and was busting his balls trying to clear it all, so George couldn't blame him.

He wrung his hands together a bit and rolled his shoulders, tense because of nerves. He headed straight for the bar to grab something to drink to calm down a bit. He wasn't really a drinker but now and again, he liked something sweet. Piña coladas were his favorite whenever he did indulge.

As he waited at the bar behind other people, he was truly amazed. While some people hadn’t changed a bit, there were others that he didn’t recognize at all. So many people were there with their spouses, too, which made George's hurt heart a little.

George loved romance. He loved the idea of being with your soulmate and exploring life together. He was raised on his mother's Harlequins. Even though he'd known he was gay ever since he was a kid, he still enjoyed reading the books as a teen and soaking in all the sappy stuff. When he’d discovered gay romance as a young adult, he’d been over the moon. He’d borrowed and bought as many books as he could get his hands on, and was a proud member of many ARC teams.

As much as George loved romance, he sucked at finding any for himself. He wasn't an idiot. He knew the difference between romantic fantasy and reality. It was just taking him longer to find that special someone, that's all. There was no shame in it. Everyone moved at their own pace.

When he got and paid for his drink, he gazed around at the sea of people.

“Hey, George! Long time no see!” a woman with pink hair called as she approached, who seemed happy enough to see him.

“Hey!” George greeted happily, although he was screaming inside. He had no idea who this woman was but she clearly remembered him. George never figured he was a memorable person but this woman knew him. Maybe it was through Facebook. Although he didn't have that many friends in real life, his Facebook teemed with them.

“How have you been?” the woman asked and it was now that George stole a quick look at her name tag. Roxy Alders. Nope, still no idea who she was. Either way, he had to keep up the charade. He did take comfort in the fact that he surely wasn't the only one bluffing his way through the reunion that night.

“Pretty good. Yourself?” George asked, trying to keep attention away from himself.

“Not too bad. Finally getting my figure back from my second kid!”

“Oh, that's great!” George exclaimed, doing his best to respond appropriately to these kinds of things.

Then, all of a sudden, he caught a familiar face from the corner of his eye. Even in the middle of a crowd, there was no mistaking who the man was:

Nick Morgan.

George's heart skipped a beat and his cheeks instantly flushed red. He cleared his throat and nodded to Roxy. “It was great seeing you, but if you'll excuse me...”

“Go ahead! See you around,” Roxy said easily as she wandered off to the next person.

George swallowed hard, his throat dry as he stared at the man standing before him and talking to a couple of other guys.

Nick was even more handsome than George remembered, and time stood still as the world around them faded away. Nick obviously took care of himself over the years. His wavy brown hair was a bit longer and his shoulders were broader, but he still looked like the jock type. It was so dim that George couldn't see all the details, though, like Nick’s beautiful eyes.

He had to get closer to see his old friend, although his shoes were cemented to the floor.

Come on, you can do this, he told himself, his grip on the piña colada glass tightening. After taking one or two steadying breaths, he took the first brave step forward as he strode through the crowd and toward his target.

But as he approached and those beautiful eyes turned to him, they were blank.