Jun attends his high school reunion and rekindles a romance with his former crush, Minghao.
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Jun's heart was pounding as he stepped into the high school gymnasium, transformed for the night with glittering string lights and table centerpieces that were far fancier than any he remembered from their school days.
It had been ten years since he last walked these halls, and everything seemed smaller now, a little more ordinary, but the energy of the room brought him right back to those days of sneaking glances, whispered conversations, and wondering where he'd end up.
"Wow, they went all out."
Jun murmured to himself as he took in the room, his eyes moving from the dance floor where a few early attendees were swaying to old songs, to the tables scattered with photo collages of their high school years.
He felt a strange pang looking at them; there he was in the top left of one picture, gangly and self-conscious, laughing with friends.
And just a little to the side, barely visible in the background, was Minghao.
Jun was still looking at the photos, memories rushing back, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He turned, and his breath caught. It was Minghao, smiling at him, looking even better than he remembered.
Minghao's hair was a little shorter than it had been in high school, and he wore glasses now that made him look both sophisticated and warm.
"Jun!"
Minghao exclaimed, pulling him into a quick hug that felt both unexpected and natural.
"I was hoping I'd run into you."
Jun laughed, hoping his nerves weren't too obvious.
"Likewise. I saw the yearbook pics and was already feeling nostalgic."
"Oh, I know,"
Minghao chuckled, glancing at the collage.
"It's strange how everything looks the same but feels so different. How have you been?"
They fell into an easy conversation, catching up on the past decade as if no time had passed.
Jun told him about his work in the city, the ups and downs, the little things that had brought him back to this reunion tonight.
And Minghao shared his own journey, teaching, his love for traveling, how he'd spent a year in Europe just wandering from place to place.
They laughed over shared memories, old teachers, inside jokes, the pranks they'd helped pull during senior year.
Jun felt himself relaxing, the initial nervousness melting away with every word.
But there was something else there too, lingering beneath the surface.
