Page 16 of Her Second Chance

Not waiting for my response, he places a quick kiss on my cheek, then turns and jogs back toward the athletic dorm. I bite my lip to hide the smile on my face.

I turn to walk into my dorm, plowing into Jason so hard he has to grip both my arms to keep me from falling.

“Who was that?” His tone is accusatory.

Well, fuck. “That was my friend Brock.”

“Brock?” He scoffs. “What kind of name is Brock?”

I frown. Who the hell is he to grill me about my friend? It’s not like that Misty chick doesn’t hang on his every word. Double standard much?

I clear my throat, shaking my head. Now is not the time to act self-righteous. “What are you doing over here?”

“I came to see you.” His voice is stilted, telling me he’s still upset about Brock.

My heart warms at the thought of him making the effort to come see me. “Really?” I grin, biting my lower lip.

“Yeah, but I guess you were on a date.” I don’t miss the venom behind his words.

“Brock and I had dinner at his dorm as friends. I’d hardly call that a date.”

He smiles, tucking his hands into his pocket and rocking on his feet as if he’s nervous. “Maybe I can take you for dessert?”

The thought of eating more makes me want to puke, but I’m not about to say no to time with Jason. “How about coffee?”

He holds out his elbow. I slip my arm through his, and we head across the lawn toward his dorm.

Maybe we can get things back on track so I can get out of here. I never thought I’d say this, but I miss my thirties. Being an eighteen-year-old girl is harder than I remember.

Chapter 6

Hannah

The Bean is crowded this time of night, so Jason and I have to share a table with his roommate. So much for a date. In our original timeline, this coffee meet up didn’t happen, so I have to wing it. That shouldn’t be too hard, since Jason and I are meant to be. Right?

His roommate Griffin is exactly how I remember him, even though I’d completely forgotten about him until this moment. He and Jason had, or I guess in this timeline will have, a falling out sophomore year. I’m not sure what happened because Jason refused to tell me. All I know is one day Griffin moved out of their apartment, and they never spoke again. Once, Griffin tried to approach me on campus to talk, but Jason walked up, forcing Griffin to leave. After that, Jason made me promise not to speak to his former best friend. He told me Griffin was a liar and would say anything to come between us. Looking back, the whole thing seems suspicious now. I was way too in love to question anything.

“What do you think?” Jason asks, nudging me with an elbow to respond.

“Huh? Sorry, I zoned out a bit. What was that?” Pull it together, Hannah.

“I asked if you wanted to come up to my room and watch some TV.”

Griffin smirks.

I turn to Jason and smile. “Um, yeah, sure.”

He winks at his roommate. “See you later.”

Griffin salutes. “Don’t wait up. I’m going to Kayla’s tonight.”

I forgot about the Delta Kappa Griffin dated freshman year. She was a junior, and they made the perfect couple. I was surprised when they broke up right before summer vacation. I wonder what Griffin’s up to now, or in the future, rather. Is he married? It’s hard to imagine the Gavin Rossdale lookalike ever being married. After Kayla, he burned through women like they were tissues.

“You’re awfully distracted tonight,” Jason says, reaching out and pulling me closer as we wait for the elevator.

“Sorry, I’m full from dinner.” My excuse sounds so dumb, but it’s not like I can tell him the truth. I got drunk and woke up in the past. Pretty sure I’m here because we never should’ve broken up. Now, I’m trying to change history, so we’re still together in the future. Except there’s one teeny complication in the form of a tall, sexy quarterback. Yeah, that’ll go over well.

He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I thought maybe you were thinking about that guy I saw you with earlier.”

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