I print it up, I join the dots
I fill in any empty spaces I should stumble on
Here in this, trapped in this tale
Of love gone wrong
I hold my heart, I hope to die
Or wake to find that all of this
Has passed me by
Here in this, trapped in this unfolding tale
I'm doing my best at
Wishing you, wishing you, wishing you
Wishing you well

***

New York City
May 2011

"Good morning. What can I get you today?"

"Café Mocha, grande, skim." The order rattles automatically out of my mouth as I smile and hand her a $5 bill, knowing that she probably recognizes me by now. She flashes back a ragged smile while she rings it up.

At least six other people are waiting impatiently behind me, and I myself had been standing in line for ten minutes. I grab the tall cup of coffee as soon as it's ready and rush out the door.

"Shit!" Someone exclaims as my cup jostles wildly in my hand. He'd been coming in, and we narrowly missed crashing smack against one another, but my arm had caught his elbow and the cover on my drink was the only thing keeping me from having to go to work with a huge brown spot on my blouse.

"Sorry." He mutters. I nod dismissively and continue on my way, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. This is what I get for waking up late.

I walk the two-block distance to my office building in less than fifteen minutes. Lauren, my assistant, is waiting at her desk for me when I arrive, a worried look on her face.

"Rough morning?" She asks. She's a few years younger than me, and I'm supposed to be her boss, but over time we've come to treat each other more like close friends. She follows me into my office and stands near the table.

"Slept through the alarm." I reply, already going through the things that need to be done today.

"What time did you leave last night?"

"I don't know, ten maybe?" I answer distractedly.

She sighs in exasperation, but doesn't say anything. She'd been nagging me a lot lately to do something besides work all the time. "Mr. Carter wants to see you."

I stop sorting through the papers on my desk and look up at her, a flicker of alarm going through me. "Did he say why?"

Lauren shakes her head. "No, but Maggie said he doesn't seem to be in a bad mood, so I think you're clear." She smiles and winks, then goes back out to her desk.

I take a long drink of my coffee and check my appearance quickly before going to my boss's office. Maggie, his assistant, smiles and ushers me inside.

"Good morning, Mr. Carter," I greet him. Philip Carter is a kind man who could almost be a father figure to me, but when it comes to work, he's all business. Whenever he wanted to see someone, it could only be because he was either happy with something that you've done, or the exact opposite. "I'm sorry I'm late."

He shakes his head and invites me to sit down. "Not at all, Ms. Potter." He takes a puff of his cigar before leaning back in his chair. "I heard that you stayed late last night?"

"Yes, I was working on the designs for Mr. Peterson's country house - "

He nods, and I pause. "Yes, yes, he's very pleased with the way that's progressing. You're doing a fine job on that, Ms. Potter."

"Thank you, sir," I answer awkwardly.

"Well. I wanted to speak with you today because I have a very good friend who needs assistance with his newly-acquired condominium on Central Park West. He's an attorney. Nicholas Shafer. His firm is having a party this weekend, and I thought it would be a good time for you to meet him."

I nod, suppressing the elation I feel. "Of course."

"Maggie will provide you with the details," he finishes, and I take that as my cue to leave.

"So? What was it about?" Lauren asks as soon as I get back.

"He wants me to design a condo on Central Park West for some lawyer named Nicholas Shafer."

"Oh my god. Nick Shafer? You're kidding."

The name doesn't ring a bell. I wrinkle my eyebrows. "What?"

Lauren rolls her eyes. "You've been working too much, Joey. Nick Shafer only happens to be one of the few men in New York City whom numbers of women dream about every single night." She flashes me a wicked grin. "If you know what I mean."

"This guy is famous?" I ask incredulously. He's a lawyer.

"Yup," she nods. "He dates models, or something like that."

This time I'm the one who rolls my eyes. "Sounds like a real winner. How come I've never heard of him before in my life?"

"Well, his name pops up all the time in the papers. And everybody who's seen him says that he's gorgeous. Plus, he's rich." She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

I make a derisive sound and proceed to my desk. I haven't been seated for ten seconds before Lauren comes in again, holding an envelope in her hand.

"By the way, this came in this morning." She places it in front of me and leaves.

The return address jumps out at me from the stark white paper, making my insides feel like they're being stirred around. Capeside High School, Capeside, Mass.

I stare at the envelope for a few moments before tearing it open. A single card comes out, printed with dark blue calligraphy.

You are cordially invited to the 10th Year Reunion of Capeside High School Batch 2001, to be held on the 12th of June, 2011, at the Grand Ballroom of the Capeside Yacht Club.

Wow.

Has it really been that long?

My mind flashes back to the day we graduated and a familiar, dull ache constricts in my chest. I still remember the look on his face just before he turned around and disappeared from my life forever. And it still hurts.

I wonder where he is right now? What he's doing? I wonder if he still hates me? And I wonder if he'll be there?