Sitting cross-legged on my living room floor, I flipped through my high school album, each page releasing the faint scent of dust and memories. There I was at seventeen, smiling under my senior quote, “Love is a two-person job,” which felt naive now—until my eyes found Chad Barns. He had been my high school love, the one I left scented notes for, only to have him vanish without a word before graduation. For years, I wondered what I’d done wrong.

That night, Lora, my best friend, dragged me to our reunion despite my reluctance. The gym was lit with string lights and buzzing with laughter, and then I saw him—older, familiar, smiling like he was relieved to see me. Lora whisked me away, warning me not to talk to him, but later I slipped outside to the old oak bench. That’s where Chad found me, and we stumbled through small talk until he mentioned a letter I’d supposedly ignored.

I never got that letter. His face shifted as Lora appeared, and Chad revealed she had told him I wasn’t interested. Lora’s pale expression and whispered confession—jealousy—hit like a punch. She had intercepted the letter, keeping us apart. The betrayal was sharp, but I asked her to leave. Chad and I stood there, realizing we’d both believed the other didn’t care.

We didn’t try to rewrite history right then, but we didn’t walk away either. We sat on that bench, talking until the lights dimmed. Two people who had lost decades to a lie, finally sharing the truth. Maybe love really was a two-person job—one we were just now getting the chance to begin again.