Page 77 of Ghost of a Chance
Her first response was the 1997Cinderellastarring Whitney Houston and Brandy…but that wasn’t the kind of movies they’d been talking about.Would it make her sound childish?Aside fromStar Warsshe mostly watched TV shows so she had to cast her memory back to when she’d been a kid.
“Not sure.I don’t go to the movies that often.”
“Come on, you have to have a go-to movie that you put on when it’s a crap day,” Gia said.
If they insisted.“Howl’s Moving Castle,” she said.It just slipped out.But that movie with a cursed lonely girl who doesn’t fit and finds her own path was her go-to.
“I mean I preferPrincess Mononoke,” Jasper said.“But yeah that’s a good one.”
“I was sure you’d say Brandy’sCinderella,” Gia said with a cheeky grin.“You are always putting it on when we travel.”
“I do like it.A lot.But when it’s crunch time I do default back to Howl.”
“It’s Howl then?”Gia asked.“I like him too.My favorite is anything with Jennifer Lawrence.That girl can act.”
The conversation moved on to actors and Dan and Gia had strong opinions while they were arguing over which was the best Chris: Pine, Hemsworth, Pratt.Jasper turned to her.
“When this is over, what do you say to aStar Warsmarathon at my place?”he asked.
He’d asked her quietly, his voice drowned out by Gia’s and Dan’s playful arguing.After this.Right now it felt like they were going to be living here and dealing with ghosts for the rest of their lives.But it would end.
She’d go back to her life, and he’d go back to his.But he was asking her to make plans with him after this was over.
Her heart raced; her lips felt dry.It wasn’t like he was asking her for anything other than to watch movies with him, right?The rational part of her brain tried to rein her in.
But the other part of her brain had latched on to Jasper and wanted more.More than she was truly ready to admit even to herself.
“So that’s a no?I really thought you’d understand aboutLast Jedi—”
“It’s not a no.I do understand.I just wanted to give you a hard time about it because it seemed like it would be fun, and I wanted to see if you’d back down from your opinion.”
“I usually don’t,” he admitted.“I mean, I will if I’m wrong, but it takes a lot to sway me.”
“Like with Paul and the book?”He was a stubborn ass sometimes.
“Exactly.So, are you going to come to my place and watchStar Wars?”he asked her.His eyes grew large and…was he pouting?
She wanted to.It was scary how much.“Will you be wearing a droid costume?”
“No.But I do have a huge T-shirt collection and I will change them with each movie,” he said with a grin.
God, this guy.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good enough.”
* * *
Dan and Gia wanted to go to a new club that opened near campus, but Jasper and Kirsty didn’t go with them.Jasper wanted to continue their investigation while he had the chance.
The Uber dropped the two of them off in front of his old frat house.It was one of those October nights that was crystal clear and cold.A huge moon hung in the sky, casting light across the quintessential college street.
The large redbrick building had four Doric columns in the front and the arch over the portico had been shaped to look like a Greek temple.The white marble steps led to the front door which was open.There was a fog machine and a large ghost that flew down whenever motion triggered it.
Kirsty had the collar up on her coat.He was bundled in his own, a big heavy wool number.Winter was right around the corner, and by the time it arrived, he expected they’d be back to their real lives.
“So this is it?”
