Curtis didn’t want anything to do with the vast majority of the late-twenty-year-olds crowded into the gymnasium. Crowded exaggerated the atmosphere a little, but Curtis felt the walls closing in on him as group after group swarmed to hear anything they could about his life. He tried to sound as dull as possible, but even if he droned on about getting teeth pulled, his audience would’ve found it fascinating.

Being one of the most successful people among the group post-graduation made the reaction predictable. It didn’t mean Curtis had to like it. The crowd itself didn’t bother him. He dealt with crowds just fine almost every other day of the year, sometimes in the thousands. It was the stupid questions he had to come up with answers to that were annoying.

His love life wasn’t interesting, yet he’d had to tell people ten times that fact, as it seemed to always be the first question out of someone’s mouth. Everyone thought he had to have a secret affair going on behind the scenes that hadn’t made the gossip chain. The questions and comments made it clear that no one in the room had grown up beyond their high school persona.

Curtis didn’t have that kind of mentality even in high school, which was why he barely got along with any of the hundred or so former co-students and their spouses. He hadn’t spoken to a single one of them since graduating. There was no desire on his part, and frankly, he didn’t have the time.

The only reason he’d come to the reunion was because a teammate dared him to once he heard about it. Curtis’ teammates could be just as childish as his former classmates, but unlike the classmates, his teammates had the ability to make his life hell. Even with the dare, Curtis didn’t figure the punishment for not following through would be that bad, but the dare bolstered his resolution to finally do something he’d wanted to since high school.

As it was, listening to John Martin drone on about his kid’s dance recital was some form of hell. At least the conversation had turned away from Curtis so he could try to locate Hannah. They had been at the reunion for at least forty-five minutes and she still hadn’t found him. He wasn’t hiding, but he remembered from high school how easily she disappeared.

She was flighty then, and from the little interaction he’d had with her in the ten years since, she was still scared of her own shadow. The trait could be frustrating, but Curtis found it endearing. He couldn’t stand people like her friend Nina, who said anything they wanted without a care who it hurt. That particular bitch was someone he could’ve gone the rest of his life without seeing again.

Hannah’s red hair easily stood out as Curtis scanned the room. All he had to do was follow Nina’s voice and then look a few feet away to where Hannah was awkwardly holding up the wall behind her. A small part of him was jealous of the wall for being able to feel her body lean against its white cinder blocks. Being jealous of a wall was foolish, so Curtis tried not to think about it.

During the years they’d known each other, Curtis had never hinted he wanted to get to know her better. For one, he didn’t think the declaration would go over well when her best friend was busy throwing herself at him. Curtis didn’t like that Hannah followed Nina around like a lost puppy dog sometimes, but he didn’t have a say in what she did with her life, so he remained quiet. Necessity eventually made Curtis forget about asking Hannah out, but he was doing his best not to think about those days.

He’d expected to see them together, since he knew they worked together, but he’d hoped Hannah would have asserted herself at least a little over the years. The woman was beautiful in an understated way. She never wore makeup, and yet her green eyes popped and lit up a room. There was no fuss to Hannah, which was probably the number one reason Curtis had always had a crush on her.

“Excuse me for a second. I think I need a refill.”

Curtis’ clear plastic cup was only half empty, but the words rolled off his tongue before he could think of a better excuse. He didn’t bother waiting for questions or anyone to mention they’d tag along. The whispers that followed him tried to guess his sudden distraction. Not surprisingly, the consensus was his feet carried him towards Nina.

The distance between the group he left and Hannah was about twenty feet, and it didn’t take more than five feet for Nina’s loud mouth to be the only thing Curtis could hear. She had a group gathered two people deep all around her, so clearly, she had to speak up. Curtis briefly wondered if she’d brought her own microphone.

Hannah stared off into space. Curtis assumed when she did that she was deep in thought. He’d always played a game trying to predict what she was thinking. They were never serious thoughts, just funny things that might be traipsing around her mind.

“So.”

Curtis allowed a second to make sure Hannah knew he was speaking to her. They were on the outside of Nina’s fans, without any of them too close, so it should’ve been obvious. Hannah never seemed to believe the obvious, though, as he remembered her often questioning everything.

“Are you thinking a deep grave or cement shoes?”

The look that crossed Hannah’s face elicited a chuckle out of Curtis. He didn’t mean to laugh, but the way her eyes scrunched for a second and then her brows lifted, all while her mouth moved to form words that didn’t come out was pretty funny. She wasn’t running away, which was all Curtis initially hoped for.

“Did I miss something?”

Hannah started blinking rapidly as her eyes darted around while she tried to fill in the blanks. The fact that she wasn’t frozen in place seemed like a good sign as far as Curtis was concerned. She had a tendency to turn into stone anytime attention turned her way.

“No,” Curtis said as he smiled and shook his head. “You just looked like you were thinking about something serious, so I guessed it was how to dispose of a body. I’m guessing that isn’t the case.”

A smile or laugh would’ve been a nice reply, but Curtis didn’t expect them. The horrified look he saw was exactly what he thought would happen. It was a clear sign that nothing had changed since high school. As odd as it sounded, that was a relief.

“I’m just joking around, Hannah. Everyone here knows you are the least likely one of us to kill someone. If I remember right, the honor for the most likely was Nathan,” Curtis’ voice trailed as he tried to remember the guy’s last name. It wasn’t someone Curtis had ever gotten close to.

“Perkins,” Hannah provided. “And I’m pretty sure he’s in jail for killing someone in a drunk bar fight or something.”

Curtis wasn’t sure if there was hard evidence backing that up or conjecture, but he wasn’t going to argue the statement. He’d already made a decent mess of opening up a conversation between them.

“I guess they should be more careful handing out those awards. They seem to be self-fulfilling prophecies, or whatever you want to call them.”

Having stood in front of Hannah to gauge her reactions, Curtis decided to turn and stand next to her with his back against the wall after he finished speaking. No one seemed to notice them, which was a little peculiar based on how much attention had been bestowed upon him. He wasn’t about to complain, but he’d planned on trying to find a space a little farther away from the others to talk.

“Yours was most likely to be on the cover of a sports magazine, which I believe you’ve done.”

Hannah paused as she held up her hand and counted four fingers. Curtis was surprised she went that high. Most people only brought up what was considered his “big interview.”

“Four times. I know there are other papers and rags you’ve been on the cover of, but I’m pretty sure only four of them were authorized interviews.”

The explanation was a little overkill. Curtis didn’t follow himself in the media, so which interview appeared where wasn’t on his radar. He only did them because his agent said it was good for his career. Curtis had played with the same team all of that career, and his contract kept him there for at least three more years.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Curtis stood close enough to Hannah that it was easy for him to “accidentally” brush his hand against hers. It was nothing more than a soft touch, but he wanted to gauge her response. Her hand didn’t move away. An audible intake of breath was all he could pick up. Curtis pictured some kind of facial expression, like a little eye widening or her jaw dropping open slightly.

He’d never been the one looking to pursue a relationship. The girlfriends he’d had over the years came after him, so he wasn’t sure exactly how to broach the idea of asking someone out. He couldn’t just come out and say it, not after ten years of not speaking and little interactions even before that. It was a mess, and he blamed Nina for it. She was the one who told him to stay away from Hannah in high school, and somehow he had to explain that. The task was much easier said than done.

“How long are you planning on staying tonight?”

Both of them had kept their voices down throughout the conversation, but Curtis lowered his even more when he asked the question. He tried to keep his tone mild, or at least that was the word that came to mind. He didn’t want to make her think he was just looking to fool around with her because it was convenient.

“I’m the designated driver.”

She didn’t have to specify she meant for Nina. Hannah was at the woman’s beck and call. The thought made Curtis grind his teeth together.

“So not only do you probably hate to be here, but you can’t drink either? I might have to kidnap you for your own good.”

It was easy to picture throwing Hannah over his shoulder and running from the building. The woman couldn’t weigh much more than a hundred and ten pounds. At two-twenty, much of it muscles, Curtis wouldn’t have an issue picking her up.

The concept of kidnapping was probably a little too strong for the conversation, but it still didn’t send her running from him. Hannah laughed slightly. The noise took Curtis a second to classify and register since she’d rarely made a noise even remotely similar in his presence.

“I actually forgot for a few minutes earlier and had a glass of wine in hand ready to drink before I was reminded of my purpose tonight.”

Curtis was happy he missed that interaction. It was bad enough he could picture Nina waltzing over and saying something rude. He could even see her grabbing the glass out of Hannah’s hand and guzzling it down in front of her.

“What if I order a car to take the princess wherever she wants to go? I assume she could do that herself, but is too used to you being around to pick up the phone.”

It was hard not to sound bitter. Nina’s actions had never really cost him anything, other than his chance with Hannah, but he had an inkling of the toll it took on Hannah over the years. All he wanted to do was whisk her away somewhere Nina couldn’t find her for a while. He wondered if she’d open up more without the constant presence of Nina blocking out the sun.

Hannah’s focus had remained in front of them, but as Curtis turned his head to look at her a little better, he could see her looking over at him out of the corner of her eye. Her bottom lip was firmly between her teeth as she nibbled on it.

“We both know you’re not going to kidnap me, so I think we can go without car service. I can give you a list of other women who would love for you to pull the kidnapping act.”

The thought turned Curtis’ stomach. He didn’t audibly make a barfing noise, but it was pretty loud in his own head.

“No, I wouldn’t kidnap you.”

Curtis let his hand caress hers again, this time keeping the contact for a couple seconds longer. The first touch didn’t reveal how cold her hand was. Curtis spent a lot of time on the ice, and that was exactly what her hand felt like. He fought the instinct to grab her hand and try to warm it.

He wondered whether that was normal for her, or if something about the situation chilled her. There were so many things he didn’t know, yet over the years had let himself imagine. Curtis needed at least a decade with Hannah just to figure out if his imagination was anywhere near the real thing.

“I would like to spend some time with you, though. I’m in town this week, so maybe we can go out for dinner some night.”

A little shrug meant to make the words casual. Casual wasn’t what he thought of when Hannah was on his mind, but he feared too much direct intent would scare her away.

“I don’t understand. Are you looking for intel or something? Nina isn’t dating anyone right now, at least not anyone serious. You don’t have to go through me to get to her.”

“I’m not going through you to get to anyone.” Curtis moved so he was back in front of Hannah, making sure she could see the intent in his eyes. “I’m asking you out on a date. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for years. The timing just never worked out for us.”

A slew of questions, and maybe a shocked expression would’ve been appropriate, given the suddenness of the request. Curtis could have dealt with those reactions without second thought. Seeing Hannah’s eyes drift close and her head rapidly gravitate towards the ground as her knees buckled wasn’t something Curtis had envisioned when he thought about the moment.

Even momentarily paralyzed from the reaction, Curtis was quick enough to catch Hannah before her body fully hit the ground. It wasn’t the way he expected to find her in his arms, but he didn’t miss the chance to let it sink in that she was. If only they were anywhere other than the reunion and she was conscious, he would’ve called it the perfect ending to the evening.