Reunion - Valentine's Day 2020

valentine's day reunion

The last time I saw her, she didn't see me. I wasn't being a creep and stalking her or anything, but our paths just hadn't crossed during that night.

Our high school reunion took place in our old school's gym and I expected anything but the extreme and excessive amount of pink and red glitter on the banners and table decorations. In fact, I think I swallowed more sparkling dots than food or drinks.

Whose idea was it to have our high school reunion on Valentine's Day anyway?

That was the least of my worries though. When I saw her blue eyes shinning in the dark as she laughed along with two of her girlfriends from back in the day, my heart stopped beating. The world stopped, my world stopped.

She was exquisitely beautiful and time had apparently stopped for her because she looked as stunning as she did back in the day, in 1990. 

I must have been lost in thought and lost in my memories of that fateful year because I only noticed her when I heard my name roll out of her tongue. That was undoubtedly my favorite sound. 

"James!" I felt my knees going week at the sound but when I laid my eyes on the woman standing in front of me, I could melt into a puddle.

I was an absolute sucker for her.

"Lauren, hi. How are you?"

"I'm good, how are you? I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Yeah... I know. Too long, am I right?"

"Yes!"

This is the part of the story where you're thinking what the history between us is, am I right? 

"You wanna go outside and talk for a minute? It's getting too loud in here."

Without having to reply to her, I simply put my glass of champagne down and made my way outside with her by my side. We found a little bench behind the school building and when she sat down, I simply followed suit.

It took me one good look at her to confirm my suspicions that her eyes out shinned all the stars in the dark, night sky.

"What's been going on with you?"

"Nothing much... I moved away to college. Found a job in New York. Been living in Brooklyn ever since."

"Oh, what's that like?"

"It's good. I like living in the big city. Where have you gone to?"

"Stayed in Philadelphia." She was talking but I was unable to register the words she was saying when the gold ring in her finger caught my attention. 

"You're married?" By the time I meant to control my bluntness in asking her, the question was already out there.

Her mouth was in the shape of an "O"  while she looked down at her hand, after she heard my question. "Oh, that." When she looked back up at me, I knew I shouldn't have asked her.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"I was. Married, I mean. I was married. Daniel died in a car crash."

What?

"Oh, geez. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay... You didn't know."

I could tell by the way her bottom lip was trembling and the way her clear blue eyes were getting watery that she was on the verge of breaking down and without thinking twice, I wrapped my arms around her, and engulfed her in a tight hug.

The smell of her hair filled my nostrils and by that time, I didn't know who was hurting more. 

"Enough about me. What about you?" She asked while she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.