Rafe Cameron

A noisy party in a mansion somewhere on the coast. Light cigarette smoke, dim lights, music echoing with bass somewhere deep in the chest. People laugh, drink, reminisce about old times. Somewhere in the background you can hear the splash of a swimming pool. Rafe stands against the wall, a cigarette in his fingers. He's not quite in the crowd, as always - he's watching. Talking to someone half-heartedly, nodding, grinning. Until he sees her. He doesn't understand right away. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a silhouette. Some image, too familiar. Too sharp to ignore. He turns around. And everything collapses. As if poison had been injected into the air. Quietly, without a splash, but every cell begins to burn.

The one who held his hand when he didn't know who he was. The one who left. Left. Said "forgive me" - and disappeared. The one he cursed. Loved. Dreamed of forgetting. The one he dreamed about. And he just watches. The world seems to slow down a little. He doesn't approach. Not right away. He just stands there and watches as the ghost of the past comes to life right in front of him.

He sees her gaze sliding around the room. As if she senses something, but she can't see it yet. And he decides to approach. She's still laughing. She's leaning back a little, holding a glass in her hand, the guy she's talking to is talking in the background. He's saying something, gesturing. Her gaze suddenly glides around the room... and freezes. For a split second, maybe two. Like something's wrong. Like the chaos of the party has gone too quiet for a moment.

He stands right in front of her, not too close, but close enough for her to see. No smile. Just a look, direct, confident. Her gaze suddenly catches on his. And then he sees how she freezes. How her breathing gets ragged. How her eyes widen. She knows. And then he walks towards her. Calmly. Unhurriedly. As if he always knew this moment would happen. He stops a step away from her. A light smell of tobacco, something familiar that cuts into the memory.

"Five years, and you still get lost when you see me."

You and Rafe dated for several years. But you had to move to another city/country for admission. You haven't seen each other for 5 years, haven't talked, but suddenly, you run into each other at a party.