Chapter 2: The First Name on the List
1041 Words
Olivia stared at her laptop screen, Jason Carter’s social media profile staring right back at her. His smile was still as perfect as she remembered from high school—charming, slightly lopsided, with just enough mischief to make any teenage girl swoon. Except now, instead of an awkward prom tux, he was rocking a well-fitted suit and standing in front of what looked like a high-rise office building.
“So, what’s the plan?” Natalie asked, perched on Olivia’s couch with her legs tucked under her. “Are we just gonna message him and say, ‘Hey, remember me? I almost kissed you in high school. Wanna finish what we started?’”
Olivia groaned. “That sounds *horrible*.”
“Okay, fine. Then what’s *your* approach?”
“I don’t know.” Olivia sighed, closing the laptop before she talked herself out of this ridiculous plan. “I could just… reach out casually, see if he wants to catch up.”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “You’re overthinking it. Just send a message.”
“What if he doesn’t remember me?”
“Liv, he liked your photo *two months ago*. That’s basically the modern-day equivalent of sending smoke signals of interest.”
“Fine,” Olivia muttered, pulling out her phone. She typed out a message quickly, her fingers hovering over the send button.
*Hey Jason! Long time no talk. I was just thinking about high school and thought it’d be fun to catch up. Hope you’re doing well!*
Before she could second-guess herself, she hit send and immediately tossed her phone onto the couch as if it had caught fire.
Natalie smirked. “And now we wait.”
---
Two hours later, Olivia was pacing around her apartment, chewing on her bottom lip while Natalie scrolled mindlessly through her phone.
“Maybe he’s busy,” Olivia reasoned. “Or maybe he doesn’t use this account anymore. Maybe he saw the message and thought I was a total creep.”
Before Natalie could answer, Olivia’s phone dinged.
Her stomach lurched. “Oh God.”
“Don’t just stand there—read it!”
With shaky hands, Olivia grabbed her phone and opened the message.
*Hey Olivia! Wow, this is a surprise. I’d love to catch up! Are you free for coffee sometime this week?*
Natalie let out an excited squeal. “Oh, he is *definitely* interested.”
Olivia felt her pulse quicken. “It’s just coffee.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
---
Three days later, Olivia found herself sitting in a cozy little café, her hands wrapped around a warm latte as she waited for Jason to arrive. The place was exactly how she remembered it—a quaint little spot tucked into the corner of downtown, the smell of fresh coffee and pastries filling the air.
She checked her phone again. No messages. He was supposed to be here five minutes ago.
Just as she started wondering if she was about to be stood up, the door swung open, and in walked Jason Carter.
He looked *good*. Too good. Tall, broad-shouldered, with just enough scruff to make him look effortlessly handsome. And when his eyes landed on her, he broke into that same easy grin that had made high school Olivia weak in the knees.
“Olivia Parker,” he said, sliding into the seat across from her. “Wow. You look amazing.”
She smiled, ignoring the flutter in her chest. “You too, Jason. It’s been forever.”
He laughed. “Tell me about it. I think the last time I saw you, we were about to dance at prom before—”
“The fire alarm went off,” Olivia finished with a groan. “God, I had almost forgotten about that.”
Jason chuckled. “I haven’t. I remember thinking, ‘Well, that’s just my luck.’”
“You’re telling me. I had spent an embarrassing amount of time working up the nerve to let you kiss me.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “*Let* me? I was the nervous one, you know.”
She smirked. “I doubt that.”
He leaned back in his chair. “So, tell me, what made you decide to reach out after all this time?”
Olivia hesitated. She couldn’t exactly say, *Oh, you know, I found a list of guys I never kissed, and you happened to be first.*
Instead, she went with, “Nostalgia, I guess. High school feels like a lifetime ago, and I thought it’d be fun to reconnect.”
Jason nodded. “I get that. Life moves fast.”
They talked for over an hour, reminiscing about high school, catching up on their careers—Jason worked in finance now, which somehow made sense—and laughing over the absurdity of the things they used to worry about as teenagers.
Finally, Jason leaned forward, his expression turning more serious. “So… are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”
Olivia blinked. “Which elephant?”
“The one where we never actually got to have that prom kiss.”
Oh.
Her breath hitched slightly. “I mean… it *was* a long time ago.”
Jason smiled. “Yeah. But I think we should fix that.”
Olivia’s heart pounded. This was it. The first name on her list. The moment she had been waiting for.
Jason reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes warm and searching. “What do you think?”
And for a split second, Olivia considered it. Really considered it.
But then, as if on cue, her phone buzzed loudly on the table. And before she could stop herself, she glanced down.
A message from Ethan.
*Hey Liv, just checking in. Hope your “reunion” is going well.*
Jason followed her gaze and chuckled. “Bad timing?”
Olivia hesitated, then sighed. “Yeah… something like that.”
Jason pulled back slightly, his expression unreadable. “Well, if you change your mind…”
She smiled softly. “I’ll let you know.”
As she walked out of the café, Olivia couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, she had been chasing the wrong past all along.
- Writer
