History Main / OldFlameFizzle

* This happens for Scully in ''Series/{{The X-Files}}'' in episode "[[AllLowercaseLetters all things]]". In medical school, she had an affair with a professor. Once she found out he was married, she was horrified and left her medical career to join the FBI. Ten years later, she runs into this professor, who is in the hospital for a heart condition. She is understandably perplexed as to why he's in Washington D.C., and he explains that his wife is now dead and he's come to invite her to run away with him. However, Scully is now ten years older, wiser, and has a life of her own now. It's an episode that is a major reality check for Scully about where her life has gone and what it could have been. In the end, she [[spoiler: turns down the offer and realizes she ''likes'' the way her life has turned out. This also marks the start of Mulder and Scully's sexual relationship. Probably.]]

* In Nick Hornby's High Fidelity the main character has never really got over Charlie, the girl that broke up with him at university. When he meets up with her again years later, it takes a few hours for him to come to the conclusion that "Charlie's awful".

** At the reunion he meets the woman who reveals that she ''did'' have a crush on him, and is conveniently recently divorced...and is now grossly overweight, not one bit pretty and a sloppy drunk. He decides to bail out early. [[spoiler: On his way to the train, the men meets the actual girl he was thinking of (both women have the same given name) who is just as pretty and likeable as he remembers...and is happily married with several children who made her late for the reunion. He returns home somewhat heartened and determined to make his own marriage work.]]

* This happens for Scully in ''Series/{{The X-Files}}''. In medical school, she had an affair with a professor. Once she found out he was married, she was horrified and left medical school to join the FBI. Ten years later, she runs into this professor, who is in the hosptial for a heart condition. She is understandably perplexed as to why he's in Washington D.C., and he explains that his wife is now dead and he's come to invite her to run away with him. However, Scully is now ten years older, wiser, and has a life of her own now. It's an episode that is a major reality check for Scully about where her life has gone and what it could have been. In the end, she [[spoiler: turns down the offer and realizes she ''likes'' the way her life has turned out. This also marks the start of Mulder and Scully's sexual relationship.]]

* In LMMontgomery's ''ATangledWeb'', used twice.

* {{Patlabor}}: In the New Files series, it's revealed that Takeo Kumagami once had a relationship with [[spoiler: [[AffablyEvil Richard Wong.]]]] This naturally leads to a confrontation between the exes, just before he makes his escape. [[spoiler: Wong]] [[{{Troll}} trolls]] her by pretending to give himself up, because of his feelings for her. She falls for it, he [[BridalCarry scoops up her up]], [[CrowningMomentOfFunny then dumps her... in a laundry basket]] and runs off. Needless to say, Kumigami considers them [[ShipSinking DONE.]]
* A chapter of ''High School Girls'' has Takahashi going to her grade school reunion only to find that her old crush has grown fat, ugly and arrogant.

* This happens for Scully in {{The X-Files}}. In medical school, she had an affair with a professor. Once she found out he was married, she was horrified and left medical school to join the FBI. Ten years later, she runs into this professor, who is in the hosptial for a heart condition. She is understandably perplexed as to why he's in Washington D.C., and he explains that his wife is now dead and he's come to invite her to run away with him. However, Scully is now ten years older, wiser, and has a life of her own now. It's an episode that is a major reality check for Scully about where her life has gone and what it could have been. In the end, she [[spoiler: turns down the offer and realizes she ''likes'' the way her life has turned out. This also marks the start of Mulder and Scully's sexual relationship.]]

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* An episode of ''RumicTheater'' has a man being invited to a school reunion by a girl he remembers having a crush on, and who might just have reciprocated, but he was transferred out before he could learn the truth. His current married life is...disappointing, and he fantasizes about having a fling while simultaneously realizing how unlikely that would be.\\
At the reunion he meets the woman who reveals that she ''did'' have a crush on him, and is conveniently recently divorced...and is now grossly overweight, not one bit pretty and a sloppy drunk. He decides to bail out early. [[spoiler: On his way to the train, the men meets the actual girl he was thinking of (both women have the same given name) who is just as pretty and likeable as he remembers...and is happily married with several children who made her late for the reunion. He returns home somewhat heartened and determined to make his own marriage work.]]

[[AC:Literature]]

* ''HowIMetYourMother'': After years of searching, Ted found the "Slutty Pumpkin," a girl he fell in love with at a party but he never saw again. Both Ted and the girl found the relationship awkward, but neither wanted to break it off because they thought the other person was into the relationship.

[[AC:Music]]

* In RobertAHeinlein's ''IfThisGoesOn --'', John's DearJohnLetter inspires brief agony before Maggie asks him to remember the girl, and he realizes that she had not impressed herself on his memory.

* Shameless (US version): Fiona starts flirting with the guy she had a crush on in high school, but once the have a very awkward sexual encounter Fiona doesn't feel the same anymore.

* In EdgarRiceBurroughs's ''[[JohnCarterOfMars Fighting Man of Mars]]'', Tan Hadron has this twice: the first time, he convinces himself that the woman is just dispirited from her captivity, but the second time, he realizes the truth and repulses her.

* In PGWodehouse's ''A Damsel In Distress'', Maud meets her beloved Geoffrey -- who's turned fat and obsessed with food, and her heart is breaking at the thought she has pledged herself to him, when he gets a break of promise suit served on him. She goes off to find the man who helped her meet him and propose marriage.

* In PGWodehouse's ''Jill The Reckless'', Jill had deliberately thrown herself into work, far from Derek, to recover from him, and just before the meeting, noted that it had worked. Nevertheless, meeting him again reinforced that.

* In Jack Campbell's ''TheLostFleet'' series, an old love of Captain Desjani is one of the prisoners they rescue. Desjani soon realizes that he changed in the prison camp, and he starts to have an affair with a subordinate, for which he was transfered.

* {{Patlabor}}: In the New Files series, it's revealed that Takeo Kumagami once had a relationship with [[spoiler: [[AffablyEvil Richard Wong.]]]] This naturally leads to a confrontation between the exes, just before he makes his escape. [[spoiler: Wong]] [[{{Troll}} trolls]] her by pretending to give himself up, because of his feelings for her. She falls for it, he [[BridalCarry scoops up her up]], [[CrowningMomentOfFunny then dumps her... in a laundry basket]] and runs off. Needless to say, Kumigami considers them [[ShipSinking done.]]

* {{Patlabor}}: In the New Files series, it's revealed that Takeo Kumagami once had a relationship with [[spoiler: [[AffablyEvil Richard Wong.]]]] This naturally leads to a confrontation between the exes, just before he makes his escape. [[spoiler: Wong]] [[{{Troll}} trolls]] her by pretending to give himself up, because of his feelings for her. She falls for it, he [[BridalCarry scoops up her up]], [[MomentOfFunny then dumps her... in a laundry basket]] and runs off. Needless to say, Kumigami considers them [[ShipSinking done.]]

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