Miles Between Us

Years after high school, Bianca returns to Colorado after a failed relationship and a dead-end attempt at becoming a beauty influencer in Albuquerque.
One snowy night, her cousin drags her to a crowded house party in Denver.
Sebby is there too.
Except neither of them recognizes each other at first.
Bianca has changed:
tattoos,
dyed hair,
confidence sharpened by adulthood.
Sebby has changed too:
taller,
more confident,
beard,
quieter in a way that makes people lean in when he speaks.
They flirt naturally all night without realizing who the other person is. What begins as sarcastic banter slowly turns vulnerability. Bianca likes how genuine he is. Sebby likes that she's actually listening to him.
After too many drinks and too much tension, they hook up.
The next morning becomes the emotional trainwreck that launches the story.
Bianca wakes up first, sees an old yearbook on Sebby's desk, and realizes exactly who he is.
Then Sebby wakes up.
And realizes exactly who she is.
Neither knows what to say.
The room becomes painfully awkward.
Because now every moment from the night before feels complicated.