I had to get out of this dress.

It was too short, too tight, and most offensively, a dress. I had always been more of a tattered jeans, T-shirt and boots kind of girl. For some reason, I’d convinced myself that I needed to dress up for my ten-year high school reunion, although high heels were where I drew the line. Boots were so much more me.

I’d give this reunion five more minutes. The only person I’d wanted to see, my best friend in school, didn’t seem to be showing up. I hadn’t seen William in ten years, not since we fucked up our friendship. I don’t know why I’d thought he’d show up tonight.

A pretty blond woman whose face I couldn’t quite place sat down at my otherwise deserted table in the darkest corner of the ballroom. “Hey, Anna! Nice dress!” she said.

As surreptitiously as I could manage, I glanced down at her name tag. Simone. Right. I remembered her. She’d once “accidentally” spilled her Coke all over my hair.

“Thanks, Simone. How’s life?” I asked.

She sat up straighter and beamed. “Life is really great! Did you know I’m a flight attendant?” She mimed motioning for the exits. Sadly, there seemed to be no exit from this conversation.

“Cool. I did not know that. I can see it though.”

She leaned forward. “So where’s your other half?”

I tilted my head. “William?”

She giggled and pushed my knee. “Of course, silly! I thought you two were attached at the hip!”

“I haven’t seen him in a long time. I doubt he’s coming.”

She tsked. “That’s a shame. What happened?”

There was no way I would be telling this woman what happened. I doubted she actually cared anyway. She just wanted a juicy story.

“Oh, you know, we were dumb kids. And we went our separate ways for college. Nothing salacious.” If she only knew.

“Well, I hope he shows up. That’s what reunions are for—reuniting with old besties! I’m super happy I got to see you!” She rested her fingertips on my knee. “And I am self-aware enough to realize I was a total bitch to you in school. I’m really sorry about that. I have no excuse other than being a teenager.”

Huh. I hadn’t seen that coming. “Well, that’s...very nice of you to say. Thank you, Simone.”

She beamed again. “I’m so glad we had this talk, Anna! I hope William shows up!”

With that, she waved and walked off, stopping at another table to talk to more former classmates.

Maybe people really could change. I certainly wasn’t the same mad-at-the-world punk girl I’d been ten years ago. Granted, I still had my surly moments, but mostly I was happy. I’d found my place. High school sucked for me, but I opened myself to the possibility it sucked for most people, just in different ways.

After downing the last of the champagne in my glass, I grabbed my bag and stood. I’d spent two hours in this ballroom, waiting, hoping he’d show up. But it seemed I wouldn’t be getting my wish today.

I weaved my way through the maze of tables to the exit. Several more people stopped me on the way out to say hi or ask about William, so my escape wasn’t as hasty as I’d wanted.

When I finally pushed open the doors and walked into the hotel lobby, I felt like I’d just been released from a long, rough prison term and now I had to acclimate to life on the outside. Everyone had been perfectly nice, but reunions just weren’t my scene. I had no need to rehash the most miserable years of my life.

Except William. He was the highlight of high school and I’d go to a thousand reunions if he showed up too.

As I walked across the grand lobby, my steps were sluggish with disappointment. I hadn’t let myself admit how hopeful I’d been tonight. I’d imagined all these scenarios where we’d see each other and our time apart would melt away.

“Anna!”

I stopped in my tracks and turned. A man in a slim-fitting gray suit strode toward me. Even from thirty feet away, he was gorgeous. And the closer he came, the harder my heart pounded.

“William?” I croaked. My throat had become desert-dry when I recognized him.

His smile hadn’t changed. It still took over his whole face, from the crinkles around his deep brown eyes, to the stretch of his full lips, to his straight white teeth. I never could resist smiling back ten years ago, and that hadn’t changed either.

“Anna,” he said again as he drew near. “I thought I’d missed you.”

I held up a hand. “Here I am.” Oh my God, am I waving at him? Get yourself together, man!

“Anna,” he breathed when he was right in front of me.

I had to tip my head back to look up at him. Damn, did he grow up. In high school, he’d been slight for a boy. I’d towered over him at 5’10”. He’d always been striking though, even then. His mom was Korean, his dad Venezuelan, and he’d gotten the best of both their features. His skin was a golden brown and the angular jaw that had been baby-smooth ten years ago was covered in thick, black stubble. His eyes had always been my favorite feature. Slightly upturned in the corners, with a slash of dark brow above, they were a window into his heart. His eyes danced when he was happy, and when he was down, his sorrow was so clear it physically pained me.

“I didn’t think you were going to show,” I said.

“I wasn’t. But then I saw your name on the guest list. I couldn’t believe it. Anna Rainer at a school event? Unheard of.”

I smiled. “I came to see you. Well, and I wanted to see if those awful girls grew an extra appendage or something.”

He threw his head back and laughed, a deep sound that travelled from his chest to mine, constricting my insides. “And did they?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Of course not. They’re all more gorgeous than before. But they’re, like, nice now, which really annoys me.”

He smiled that William smile. “I’m glad to see you haven’t changed.”

“Well, damn, I hope I’ve changed at least a little!”

This is surreal.

How were we laughing and talking as if we had days between us instead of years? I couldn’t keep my eyes off him. There was a distinct possibility that it would turn out this had all been some kind of hysterical hallucination brought on by the stress of spending the evening surrounded by the very people that had helped make my life miserable for four straight years. If this turned out to be some elaborate hoax my brain was playing on me, I was going to be glad I’d soaked up every second of it.

He raked his eyes over me. “You’re wearing a dress. I don’t think I’ve seen that before.”

I held up a finger. “Except prom.”

He nodded. “Except prom.”

I pointed at my feet. “Look!”

“Combat boots. Thank fuck. I’d started to think the world had turned upside down.”

I glanced over his shoulder and saw Simone making a beeline for us, so I grabbed William’s hand—that was so solid and warm, it had to be real—and said, “Run, Lola, run!”

His eyes went wide, but he laughed and let me pull him through the lobby and out into the night.