Page 13 of Her Second Chance

The kiss is over before I can close my eyes. I place my fingertips on my lips. It was nice, but if I’m being honest, we’re still lacking that magical spark I remember us having. Something isn’t quite right.

“Good night, Hannah.”

He gets on the elevator, but I stop him. “Wait, don’t you want my phone number?”

“Sure.” The way he says it doesn’t feel flirtatious. It’s like he never thought about calling me until I mentioned it.

Instead of focusing on how hard it feels syncing up with Jason this time, I dig into my purse for something to write on, only to remember I used the one piece of paper I had to give Brock my number. Shit.

I frown. “I don’t have anything to write on.”

He thrusts his palm at me.

I take his hand, scribbling my number on his wrist so it won’t rinse off when he washes his hands.

He looks at it and then back at me. “I’ll call you.”

I grin. The smile stays on my face the entire walk to my dorm.

Yep. My second chance is going to be different. This time everything changes.

Chapter 5

Hannah

At 4:41 PM on the dot, Brock shows up outside my dorm. True to his word, he called earlier to make sure I was still planning to meet him. When the phone rang, I was hoping it was Jason. Surprisingly, I wasn’t disappointed when I heard Brock’s husky voice on the other end of the line. I swear I can still hear his voice whenever my mind silences. It’s almost as if he’s holding my hand and whispering in my ear. As much as I want to lean into that feeling, I know I’m here because of Jason.

Brock wears jeans and a fitted orange polo shirt with our school mascot on the breast. The words Cowboy Football are embroidered beneath. An endless supply of school spirit wear must be a benefit of being on the football team, since that’s all I’ve seen him wear. With the way they mold perfectly to his chest, I won’t complain. He looks like he just got out of the shower, as his hair is still wet.

My mind immediately goes to thoughts of him in the shower. I press my lips into a tight line. Get it together, Hannah.

I’m glad I dressed up a little. I know tonight’s not a date, but I would’ve felt silly in jeans and a t-shirt now that I see him. I’m wearing my favorite sundress with a cardigan over my shoulders since the temperature dips lower after dark now that it’s fall. It was my favorite dress the first time around. Something about the way it swishes when I walk makes me feel pretty.

“Hey, you,” I say, immediately recognizing the flirtatious tone in my voice. I snap my lips shut. As much as a passionate fling with Brock Martin would be a great story for future Hannah to tell, I can’t forget Jason’s the reason I’m here. I can never forget that. Just the thought of forgetting how Jason brought me here causes a dull throb at the base of my skull.

“You look. . .” He smiles, looking me up and down. “Wow.”

I scrunch up my shoulders, feeling my cheeks heat at the compliment. “Are you always such a charmer?”

He shrugs. “Maybe I am. Or maybe you bring it out in me.”

I roll my eyes, refusing to let myself get swept away by him, or rather, my attraction to him. Friends are all we’ll ever be. “I believe you promised me steak and lobster,” I remind him.

Brock glances at his watch. “We’re going to be late.” He takes my hand, leading me toward the athletic dorm. “Let’s go.”

I have to jog to keep up with him. He’s so tall it takes three steps for me to move the same distance as one of his strides. I tug my hand out of his, laughing. “Slow down, Speedy. My legs aren’t as long as yours.”

He slows his pace. “Sorry about that. I forgot you didn’t grow right,” he teases, patting me on the head.

I elbow him in the ribs. “Oh, shut it.”

His loud laughter draws the attention of the students walking in front of us. I recognize one of them as the girl Misty from last night. She wears dark blue scrubs and the same surly look from last time I saw her.

Great.

Now she’s going to run back to Jason and tell him she saw me with another guy. He’s going to think. . . wait. That could be a good thing. Maybe he’ll call me sooner if he thinks there’s competition. I press my lips tight to suppress the smile that thought brings.

Brock squints at me. “What’s that grin for?”

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