People stood.
The applause lasted long enough that Evan eventually stepped away from the microphone and walked toward her.
She hugged him.
According to one classmate who later messaged me, there weren’t many dry eyes left in the room.
When Evan came home that night, I was still awake.
He loosened his tie and sat at my kitchen table.
“How was it?”
He smiled.
“Good.”
“Awkward?”
“Very.”
I laughed.
“Did anyone apologize?”
“A few people tried.”
“How did that feel?”
He thought about it.
“Smaller than I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
He leaned back.
“When I was eighteen, I wanted those people to notice me so badly.”
I stayed quiet.
He looked down at his hands.
“I thought if enough of them liked me, maybe I’d finally feel like I belonged.”
Then he smiled.
“Tonight, I realized I don’t need that anymore.”
My eyes filled.
He continued:
