A Decade Late

Late one night, an Oscar winners unhinged confessional blew up the internet.
Time flies. Shes on her second kid, and I havent even made it to the backup-boyfriend list.
Heard shes into the puppy-dog type. Is it too late for me to become a lapdog?
Im a traditional man. Im willing to be the other guy.
Netizens pulled an all-nighter, determined to unmask the mother-of-two who had humbled a global superstar.
I was up late, scrolling through the gossip.
Suddenly, someone tagged me.
You went to high school with Henry Vance. Do you know who his secret crush is?
1
After Henrys private social media account was exposed, my own page was flooded with curious onlookers.
We need to know who this woman is! The one who made a top-tier actor lose his mind in the middle of the night!
I thought for a moment, then typed a reply: I have someone in mind.
The second I hit post, before the speculation could even catch fire, my agent called and ordered me to delete it immediately.
So, I obediently shut my mouth.
And went back to scrolling.
It wasn't just my social media that had exploded.
Our usually dormant high school alumni group chat was on fire.
Henry had been a legend even back then.
I was his little sidekick, the designated collector of his love letters. The girls all tried to butter me up, and I happily skimmed a few perks off the top.
Henry wasn't in the alumni chat, so everyone was speaking freely.
I never knew Henry was such a romantic. The untouchable campus king, brought down by love!
It has to be Sophia, right? I remember she just got divorced, and she has two kids. It all adds up.
Definitely! Sophia was the girl every guy had a crush on back then.
The chat was moving a mile a minute. Everyone started tagging Sophia, demanding confirmation.
Soon, Sophia herself appeared.
She sent a voice message, her tone a perfect blend of embarrassment and feigned exasperation.
"Oh, you guys, stop guessing. That was all so long ago."
Her vague response was anything but a denial.
It was a confirmation.
The chat filled with messages of congratulations.
I joined the chorus: Congrats, cant wait for the wedding invitation.
I had just closed the app when a private message from Sophia popped up.
Clara, are you still in touch with Henry? Could you send me his contact info?
I was surprised. They hadn't spoken in all these years?
Henry really knew how to keep a secret.
I scrolled through my contacts, finally landing on his name.
Henry had changed his number when he entered the entertainment industry. This old account hadn't been active in nearly five years.
I opened our chat history. The last messages were from a heated argument wed had right after graduation, with him demanding to know why Id changed my university choice without telling him.
Looking back, the fight seemed so childish.
Id even given him the silent treatment.
I typed and deleted my message several times before finally sending it.
Hey, superstar. How have you been? I saw the news. Sophias single again, by the way. Thought you might need her number?
Is your mom feeling better? I was at the hospital a few days ago and heard shed been discharged.
Youll never guess, but were kind of in the same business now. Though Im still a nobody actress, haha.
And about what happened back then I owe you an apology.
If you ever see this, would you be open to meeting up?
2
I chose a high-end restaurant for our meeting.
The tea went from hot to cold, then hot again. The heavy pendulum of the grandfather clock in the corner swung its way to eight p.m.
Henry never showed.
I let out a bitter laugh.
Of course he wouldnt. Hed changed his number ages ago. Hed never even see the message. And even if he did, after how badly things ended between us, why would he come?
The late autumn wind was sharp. I hunched my shoulders and stood by the curb, waiting for a cab.
A sleek black sedan pulled up, stopping perfectly in front of me.
A valet rushed to open the door.
A pair of red-soled leather shoes hit the pavement, followed by a pair of impossibly long legs.
My breath caught. I froze.
It was Henry.
A thousand different versions of this reunion had played out in my head.
I frantically smoothed my hair and forced a smile.
But Henrys gaze swept over me without a flicker of recognition.
Like he was looking at a complete stranger.
The smile froze on my face.
A famous director got out next, followed by a beautiful young woman. She looped her arm through Henrys, and they walked past me, their shoulders brushing against mine.
Even after they were several feet away, I could still hear her bright, clear voice drifting back.
"That private account definitely isnt yours. Youd never say things like that. Its so off-brand for you!"
"The internet is so wild. They even dug up your supposed high school crush."
Henrys soft laugh followed. "Well, my new movie is about to be released. I guess someone decided to give me some free publicity."
I remained rooted to the spot long after their voices faded.
A sharp pain lanced through my chest.
It seemed he didn't need my apology after all.
We weren't in the same world anymore.
An old friend, and not even a simple "long time no see."
3
The alumni chat had been buzzing lately. They were organizing a reunion.
Big news! I got in touch with Henry, and he said hes free on Saturday. Hes coming!
Sophias still got it. The second I told him she was organizing, he asked for the address.
@Sophia, the campus queens charm hasnt faded a bit. No wonder hes been hung up on you for all these years.
If you two get back together, dont forget about us old classmates who played matchmaker!
Amidst the teasing, Sophia popped up: I just missed you all and wanted to get together
The teasing only intensified.
Suddenly, someone tagged me.
@Clara I almost forgot we had another actress in here! You look amazing now, girl. I saw you in a show the other day and almost didnt recognize you!
Remember how people didnt believe you and Henry were cousins? Looking at you two now, your familys got some seriously strong genes. Both of you ended up in showbiz!
@Clara, your big bro is coming, so you have to be there too!
A sour feeling churned in my stomach as I read the messages.
It was true, I had called Henry brother for two years.
But that was a lifetime ago.
I was about to decline when a video call from Sophia came through. Her voice was pure saccharine.
"Clara, you must know what's going on with me and Henry. You have to come to the reunion and witness us get back together!"
For some reason, I heard myself say yes.
The reunion was loud and lively.
When I pushed open the door to the private room, my eyes immediately found the striking figure in the center of the crowd.
And right beside him, her head tilted towards his in conversation, was Sophia.
Sophia saw me first and waved enthusiastically.
"Over here, Clara! We were just talking about you."
Talking about me?
My gaze instinctively darted to Henry.
Our eyes met for a fleeting moment before we both looked away.
Other classmates noticed me and gasped.
"Oh my god, Clara, is that you? You look incredible!"
Sophia pulled me over to a seat.
"Leo was just looking for you. If you were any later, he would have burned a hole through the door with his staring."
Leo was my high school deskmate.
He just smiled sheepishly, not denying it.
They sat me down next to him.
Which, as fate would have it, was also right next to Henry.
4
I was sitting on pins and needles.
The man beside me had an overwhelming presence. I could only distract myself by making small talk with Leo.
We talked about school, about work, about our pets.
Henry took a call midway through and didn't come back until dinner was served.
The moment he sat down, my spine went ramrod straight again.
During the meal, Leo kept putting food on my plate. I was too polite to refuse.
Suddenly, a hand with long, elegant fingers reached over and took my bowl.
Before I could react, Henry had replaced it with his own empty one.
He looked directly at Leo. "She's allergic to shellfish, and she can't eat anything with ginger."
Leo blinked, then smiled. "My mistake. You're a much more attentive big brother."
Others noticed the exchange and started teasing.
"You two are still as close as you were in school!"
My heart was in turmoil.
If he wasn't going to deny our "sibling" relationship, then why had he pretended I was a stranger the other day?
I excused myself to the hallway for some fresh air.
Coming out of the restroom, I saw him leaning against the wall, waiting.
It was just the two of us.
Pretending not to know each other now would be ridiculous.
His dark eyes settled on my face. He spoke first.
"You're divorced?"
After all these years, his first words were completely out of left field.
He pressed on. "Are you dating Leo?"
"No."
I answered the only question that made sense.
Henry looked down, nodding slowly. His expression was unreadable.
The silence was getting awkward. I tried to break it.
"I heard your mom was in an accident. Is she doing okay?"
"It wasn't serious. I'll take you to see her sometime."
"Oh, okay. I don't have your number."
His Adam's apple bobbed. "Yes, you do."
I was still trying to figure out what he meant by that when Sophia appeared out of nowhere.
I instinctively put some distance between myself and Henry.
She linked her arm through mine, playfully scolding him.
"It's been forever since I've seen Clara. You can't monopolize her! She's all mine tonight!"
With that, she pulled me away.
I couldn't help but feel that her grip on my arm was a little too tight.
5
After dinner, we moved to a karaoke bar.
Someone suggested we play Truth or Dare.
A few drinks in, the questions got bolder.
The bottle spun on the coffee table and landed, perfectly, on Henry.
The room erupted. Everyone was eager for some celebrity gossip.
"I'll ask something direct! Henry, are you in love with one of the women in this room?"
Every eye in the room turned to Sophia.
She blushed, her eyes shining with anticipation.
I sat quietly in the corner and heard Henry answer without a moment's hesitation.
"Yes."
Someone grumbled, "That's a lame question! You should have just asked who it is!"
Henry leaned back into the sofa, a smile playing on his lips. "That's for the next round."
Unfortunately, the bottle never landed on him again.
Instead, I became the unlucky one, getting picked round after round.
The first time it pointed to me, Sophia asked with a sweet smile, "Clara, everyone's always been curious. Are you and Henry actually related?"
I instinctively looked for Henry in the dim light.
He was shrouded in shadows, his expression impossible to read.
I answered calmly, "We're not related."
A wave of murmurs went through the room. Even Leo looked at me in surprise.
Only Henry remained silent.
The second round, the bottle pointed to me again.
Sophia jumped in with another question.
"Clara, the person you had a crush on in high school is he here tonight?"
6
A jolt went through my heart.
I never thought Sophia would expose my secret in front of everyone.
When I first transferred schools, I was bullied and isolated because of my weight.
It wasn't until Henry publicly declared that I was his sister that things changed.
Because of that connection, the other girls started trying to get close to me, to find out what Henry liked.
Only Sophia was different. She told me my smile was cute.
We became inseparable, telling each other everything.
I even told her my biggest secret: the name of the boy I liked had two syllables.
But in the end, I discovered that Sophia had befriended me for the same reason as everyone else: to get to Henry.
She cried and begged me to ask him to meet her in the lecture hall.
My heart softened, and I agreed.
I don't know what they talked about in that empty hall that night.
I only know that the next day, the entire school was buzzing with rumors that the campus king and queen had kissed.
Now, Sophia was staring at me, a faint hint of hostility in her eyes.
I took a deep breath and nodded.
"He is."
Instantly, all eyes turned to Leo.
After all, everyone had just seen him putting food on my plate.
The game continued.
The bottle seemed to have it out for me, landing on me a third time.
Sophia took a long time to think of her question.
"The person you like is it Henry?"
The room went dead silent. People looked at Sophia as if shed misspoken.
Leo frowned.
Every single person was staring at me.
My blood ran cold. It felt like I was being stripped naked in front of everyone.
Sophia was doing this on purpose.
She wanted me to confess my secret, only to be laughed at by the guests of honor at her reunion: her and Henry.
My throat was tight. I couldn't make a sound.
The seconds ticked by.
I was so tired. I didn't want to answer anymore.
I picked up my glass and downed the drink.
In my peripheral vision, I saw Henry striding towards me.
His eyes were a storm of emotions. He snatched the glass from my hand.
"We're leaving. You all have fun."
7
The wind was biting. Under the dim glow of a streetlight, I yanked my hand out of Henry's grasp.
I knew my makeup was ruined from crying. I must have looked a mess.
I didn't want him to see me like this.
But Henry stayed right behind me.
I spun around and yelled, "What are you following me for? Sophia is back there!"
"You're drunk. I'm taking you home."
He reached for me, but I shoved him away.
"You knew I was waiting for you at the restaurant that day, but you walked right past me like nothing happened."
"But I guess that makes sense. My dad and your mom are divorced. We're not related anymore!"
"If I still owe you an apology for not going to Westwood, then I'm sorry. Okay?"
"From now on, we don't owe each other anything!"
Henry's hand froze in mid-air, his eyes filled with hurt.
"Clara, we"
The rest of his words were lost to the wind.
I had already flagged down a cab and disappeared into the night.
I got home in a daze and collapsed, sobbing my heart out.
After I cried myself out, I pulled a dusty wooden box out from under my bed.
My fingers trembled as I entered the old, rusted combination

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "323089" to read the entire book.