Second Chances Don’t Look Like You — Episode 3

Once they disappeared from sight, I finally looked down. Fate really played a cruel joke on me. For 19 years, I thought those numbers never changed. Ever since I could remember, I could see numbers above people's heads.

I didn't get it as a kid, but I eventually figured it out. They show how many times I will see someone. Dad's number meant he'd be with me until I was 88. Mom's would last until 89.

And Jack, the cute boy next door, would be there until old age. His number was so long, bigger than everyone else's combined. When we were five, I asked him, Jack, what does 31,000 days together mean?

He scratched his head, ran to ask his mom, and came back grinning like he'd won It means we'll be together forever and get married. So, I treated him like my soulmate and set strict rules. He always went along with it, but never accepted my confessions.

If we actually date, I'll be so wiped. When we turned 18, he poked my forehead and laughed. Bossy girl, wait until I'm 25. I'm not ready to settle down.

I kept waiting, thinking we'd be together forever at 25. But after a single year in college, he grew impatient with me. I sighed, not heartbroken, just a little sad. If I knew the numbers could change, I wouldn't have tried so hard.

God all those years babysitting him, honestly exhausting. The massive number Jack just lost was now hovering above this guy. I instinctively sped up my pace. With every step I took, my heart beat faster.

I approached him and opened my mouth, completely blanking out.