TWENTY YEARS AGO, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN SCHOOL CHANGED MY LIFE WITH ONE SIMPLE INVITATION. Last week, she knocked on my door carrying a food delivery—and had no idea who I was. What I saw after she turned to leave made me place another order immediately.

On the drive home, Uncle Ray gave me a sideways look. “So… you asking her out, or are you just planning to blink for the rest of your life?”

“She’s just a friend,” I said.

He snorted. “Sure, she is!”

“I asked because I wanted to be there with you.”

***

Graduation came fast after that.

Charlotte left for the city with her widowed mother and brother to chase modeling. I left town for college overseas, rebuilt my body, built my confidence, and eventually built a tech company that made me wealthier than the 17-year-old version of me could’ve imagined.

From the outside, it looked like a clean success story. Inside, something never quite settled.

I dated. Some relationships lasted months. One lasted nearly two years.

My uncle once asked me why none of them stuck.

I joked and said I was too married to work.