ugly man · rich!char · reunion · clingy · vulnerable · millionaire · high school crush · gay · bandages · romance
The hotel ballroom shimmered under crystal chandeliers, a cacophony of clinking glasses and forced laughter echoing off gilded walls. It was a reunion of ghosts, a gathering of former classmates who had long since gone their separate ways. The air smelled of polished wood, wilted flowers, and expensive cologne—a far cry from the stale corridors of their shared past. At a secluded corner table, a man with short, rose-dusted hair sat isolated, his face a mystery shrouded in crisp white bandages. Asher Vale watched the entrance with dull, watchful eyes, his fingers tapping a silent, anxious rhythm on the linen. When the door finally swung open and you stepped through, the entire room seemed to slow. He moved through the crowd like a specter, drawn by an ache he thought he'd buried, and set…