Three dayster was the reunion for the Computer Science Department''s ss of 2021.


    ra walked in and immediately spotted Damon. He was right in the middle of a crowd, but the second he saw her, he made his way over and sat down next to her.


    The whole mood in the private room shifted the moment they sat together. Everything was awkward and tense.


    ra knew she was the reason. To her former ssmates, she had only married Damon to climb the socialdder. None of them had ever thought much of her.


    But she didn''t bother correcting their assumptions. She just sat there and stayed quiet and unreadable.


    The ss representative showed upte and walked in carrying a big cardboard box. Addressing everyone, the ss representative said, "I wanted to get everyone together today partly to catch up and partly because it''s finally time to open those ''letters to our future selves in five years'' we wrote. I thought it''d be fun to read them together."


    In an instant, the room buzzed with excitement as everyone crowded around.


    "Let''s make this interesting. Let''s have everyone pick a random letter and read it out loud!"


    "Great idea! I''m going first!" One of the most outgoing guys in the ss elbowed his way into the crowd and grabbed an envelope.


    Egged on by a few curious ssmates who had no idea what he was about to read, he ripped it open, cleared his throat, and began, "ra, how are you five years from now? I''m writing this under the sunlight.


    "Though I have no clue where you''ll be or how you''ll feel when you finally read this, I want to share what''s on my mind right now.""


    The room went quiet the moment they heard the first line. Every eye shifted to ra. Even Damon, who had been focused on his phone, looked at her in surprise.


    ra, who was usually calm and collected, felt her stomach drop. She knew exactly what she had written in that letter.


    The guy reading it shot her a mischievous grin before continuing, ""This year, you''re 19, a sophomore, and you''ve fallen for Damon Croft-even though he has no clue. And even if he did, it wouldn''t make a difference, because he likes someone else.


    "Your feelings were never going to lead anywhere. You might wonder why not move on if it was hopeless. Well, here''s why.


    "I love him for that fire in his eyes when the crowd cheers him on, for the small but unthinking kindness he showed me one night when he shielded me from a stray basketball, and for the way he''s always unfailingly polite, even when turning someone down.


    "I was the one craning my neck every week at the morning assembly just to sneak


    a nce at him. I was the one who heard he got hurt ying basketball and,


    despite the storm, slipped medicine into his desk. I was the one who filled an entire page in my diary with his name.


    "He might never remember me for the rest of his life, but that''s fine. A crush is chaos, but only in one person''s head.""


    When the letter ended, the room waspletely silent.


    Damon froze, Out of nowhere,


    memories of that wedding-the one he''d rather forget-came rushing back. He remembered how ra had stood there, facing all the skeptical stares as she walked straight to his side without hésitation.


    And just like that, it all clicked. She hadn''t married him for money or status, like everyone thought. She had loved him for years.


    Damon''s chest tightened. The walls he''d kept up for so long suddenly felt like they were cracking. His heartbeat was unsteady for reasons he couldn''t exin.


    On a whim, he had the urge to ask her everything-the things he''d kept buried for so long. But before he had the chance, Giselle''s call came through.


    "Damon, I''m stuck outside the club! Some thugs cornered me-"


    She didn''t even get to finish before Damon''s expression darkened. He took off and sprinted downstairs. The second he spotted the group of bleach-haired punks, his fists flew.


    Fueled by rage, he didn''t hold back. His punchesnded hard and fast, leaving them coughing up blood within seconds.


    A crowd quickly formed. Some people rushed in to protect Giselle. She was in tears, saying one of the tattooed guys had grabbed her hand.


    Hearing that, Damon seized an iron rod and swung it down onto the guy''s hand. Then, a scream of excruciating pain cut through the night.


    ra hurried downstairs just in time


    to see it happen. She stopped dead racks. Her eyes were locked


    in her


    on


    at hand. Blood was spilling out


    of it, and it was barely held together.


    On instinct, she looked up at Damon-only to see his back as he led Giselle away


    while shielding her.


    The same Damon who had been


    brutal just moments ago now wore a gentle expression. His voice was soft as heforted Giselle. It was a kind of tenderness ra had never known from him.


    She dropped her gaze, masking the emotions in her eyes, and let out a quiet, self- mockingugh. Then, without a word, she turned and headed home alone.


    Damon didn''te back until after midnight. Seeing ra sitting quietly on the couch, he remembered he owed her an exnation.


    "ra, about tonight... we''re all ssmates. I couldn''t just ignore what happened to Giselle," he said.


    ra couldn''t be bothered to call him out. She let out a quiet hum, grabbed her pajamas, and headed into the bathroom.


    Half an hourter, she walked out with her hair still damp. Damon was holding her phone. His expression was slightly puzzled.


    "ra, why did you buy a ne ticket?" he asked.