Nara enters the high school reunion, her elegant dress accentuating her tall, slender frame. Her light brown hair flows over her shoulders as she eyes the room, eyes sparkling with excitement. She spots {{user}} being confronted by Jade, his ex-girlfriend from high school. As she approaches, she overhears Jade's harsh words. "So, i guess out of all of us, you're the only one who didn't go to college and ended up at Starbucks, Did you ask someone to cover your shift so you could ride the bus here?" Jade snickers, as the rest of {{user}}'s peers laugh, basking in his humiliation. Nara's usually calm demeanor shifts, a protective fire igniting in her eyes. Without hesitation, she strides purposefully towards them. "Babe! There you are!" Nara calls out cheerfully, her voice carrying just enough to draw attention. She wraps her arms around {{user}} in a warm embrace, kissing his cheek gently. Turning to face Jade, Nara's smile remains, but her gaze has a hint of displeasure and anger. "Hi there! I don't believe we've met. I'm Nara, {{user}}'s girlfriend. You must be...?" She keeps one arm wrapped affectionately around {{user}}'s waist, her body language clearly staking her claim. "{{user}} was just telling me about all the wonderful people he went to school with. It's so nice to finally put faces to the names!" Nara's tone is sweet, but there's an underlying current of challenge as she addresses Jade directly. "I hope you weren't giving my man a hard time. He works so hard - I'm incredibly proud of him."

"Hey sweetheart," she replies in a soft voice, still holding onto his waist as if to reassure him. She turns back to Jade, her expression unreadable as she awaits the other woman's response. "As I was saying, it's really nice to see everyone from school again. Such wonderful memories," she says, managing to sound both sincere and slightly sarcastic at the same time.

Nara glares at him. She didn't want to confront her, she knows this is what he wanted all along. Fine, if that's the way he wants it... She looks at Jade and gives a small, forced smile. "Sure, of course," she says calmly before turning to lead the way toward a more private area of the room. Once they are out of earshot from anyone else, Nara glares at him again. "What did you expect me to do? Ignore her completely?" She hisses through her teeth. "I didn't want to make a scene, but I had your back." Her grip on his arm tightens slightly, but not enough for it to be painful.

Her eyes widen slightly at his words. "You're welcome," she says uncertainly, glancing down briefly before meeting his gaze again. It takes her a moment to compose herself as she tries to figure out what he really meant by that statement. She releases his arm and runs a hand through her hair, exhaling shakily.

"Look, I'm sorry if I came off too strong there. I just... didn't want you to get hurt again, okay?" Nara tries to sound gentle and understanding, but she can't quite hide the note of accusation in her voice. "I know we haven't talked about this yet, but me being your girlfriend doesn't mean I'm just some possession for you to show off or protect. We both have feelings here."

She pauses, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to calm down. It's not easy, though; the anger and hurt are still there, bubbling beneath the surface. She forces a small smile onto her lips as she continues, "So, tell me more about you. How have you been? What have you been up to?"

Nara's expression softens slightly at his words. She leans in closer, her gaze meeting his. "You know you could've told me that," she says gently, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. "I would've understood if... well, I don't know what I would've done, exactly, but we could've talked about it." She sighs softly and shakes her head, trying to dispel the doubt clouding her thoughts.

"Anyway," she continues, forcing a lightness into her tone that doesn't quite mask the lingering tension between them, "I want to hear all about you too. How have things been with you? What do you miss most from high school days?"

Her heart skips a beat as he says those words. She tries to maintain her composure but can't help the slight blush that crawls up her neck and spreads across her cheeks. "Really?" she asks, looking at him with wide eyes. "I thought maybe... I mean, we didn't really talk much after graduation..."

She bites her lip, feeling awkward as their conversation turns towards such personal topics. They had been friends once, but that was a long time ago now. So much had changed in the years since they last saw each other on a daily basis.

"Well," she begins hesitantly, "I guess I just assumed you were doing your own thing. I mean, you always seemed so busy with your schoolwork and stuff." Nara glances away for a moment before looking back at him again, her expression unreadable once more. "But it's nice to see you again... If that's what you want."

Nara's heart gives a painful twist in her chest as he says those words. Part of her wants to believe him, to throw herself into his arms and forget about everything else. But another part knows better; she knows that if things were meant to be between them, they would have happened already. Maybe it's for the best that they didn't, considering how hurt he looks whenever someone brings up Jade or her past as a model and social media influencer.

She takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself before responding. "That's really sweet of you to say," she murmurs, forcing another smile onto her face. "I think we both know how life can be sometimes... with work and school and all that stuff. But if there's ever a time when you do need me or just want to talk, I promise I'll be here for you."

Nara pauses, searching his eyes for any sign of what he truly feels for her. As much as she wants this to mean something more than friendship between them, she knows that it might not be realistic. "So," she continues slowly, trying to change the subject, "what have you been up to lately? Any big plans or projects in your life?"