the Return
1588 Words
--
He grinned. “Noted.”
And just like that, he turned and walked off, hands in his pockets, whistling something off-key that made two freshmen stare after him.
I stood there for three seconds too long, watching the space he left behind.
“Chen? You coming?”
Ama’s voice snapped me out of it. She and Dave were already halfway down the hall, both looking back at me like I’d grown a second head.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing my feet to move. “Coming.”
I didn’t look back at Kai again.
Liar.
---
The project group chat blew up five minutes after we split up.
*Mrs. A:* _Group 4, please confirm you’ve met and have a shared doc set up by Friday. First check-in is Monday._
*Dave:* _On it. I’ll make the doc. Google or Notion?_
*Ama:* _Google. Easier for everyone._
*Kai:* _Whatever you say, boss. Just @ me when it’s done._
*Me:* _I’ll send the brief breakdown tonight. Don’t ignore it._
Kai replied instantly: *Kai:* _Yes ma’am._
I didn’t reply to that.
Eva caught me at my locker after last period, eyes bright. “So? How was the first meeting with His Royal Recklessness?”
“Productive,” I said, slamming my locker shut. “We split the work. I’m doing market and cost. He’s doing financials and risk.”
Eva paused. “He agreed to do work? Without a bribe?”
“Apparently I’m scarier than his dad.”
She laughed. “Careful, Lila. If you keep being scary and competent, people might start thinking you’re hot.”
I rolled my eyes and walked off.
Her words stuck anyway.
---
That night, I stayed up later than I should have, building out the market analysis section.
It felt good. Clean. Control. Numbers didn’t lie, didn’t change their mind, didn’t look at you like they’d known you in another life.
At 11:42 PM, my phone buzzed.
*Kai:*
_You sent 4 pages on market trends. Did you sleep at all?_
*Me:*
_Did you finish the financials?_
*Kai:*
_Halfway. Your numbers are vicious. Did you take an accounting class without telling me?_
*Me:*
_I read the brief._
*Kai:*
_Right. ‘Reading the brief.’ Sure._
I stared at the screen for a minute, then typed:
*Me:*
_Send me what you have. I’ll check it before bed._
*Kai:*
_On it. Don’t stay up too late. You’re scary when you’re tired._
I didn’t reply.
But I didn’t sleep until I’d checked his numbers and sent back notes.
---
Monday came fast.
Check-in with Mrs. A was right after second period. Her classroom smelled like old markers and coffee. She had a reputation for being sharp, fair, and allergic to excuses.
“Group 4,” she said, glancing at her clipboard. “Progress?”
Dave went first, talking through the project scope and timeline. Ama handled the competitor analysis. I did the market section, kept it short, data-heavy.
Then it was Kai’s turn.
He stood up, slouched a little, and started talking.
And he was good.
He explained the financial model without reading off the slides, pointed out the break-even risks, and even suggested a backup supplier we hadn’t considered. His voice was calm, confident. None of the usual sarcasm.
Mrs. A nodded along, making a note. “Impressive, Mr. Mercer. I didn’t expect this level of detail.”
Kai shrugged. “Group effort.”
His eyes flicked to me for half a second when he said it.
After class, Ama grinned at me. “Okay, I take it back. He’s not useless.”
Dave nodded. “If he keeps this up, we might actually win.”
I packed my bag slowly. “Don’t get comfortable. One good meeting doesn’t fix a reputation.”
Ama bumped my shoulder. “Since when are you the cynic?”
“Since always,” I said.
But even I could hear the lack of bite in my voice.
---
Lunch was chaos, as usual.
I sat with Eva in our corner table, picking at a salad I wasn’t hungry for.
“You’re distracted,” she said, not looking up from her phone.
“I’m fine.”
“You keep looking at the door.”
I stopped.
Kai walked in a second later with Tolu and his crew, laughing about something that happened in PE. He didn’t see me. He never looked for me in the cafeteria.
That was normal. That was safe.
“Stop it,” Eva said quietly.
“Stop what?”
“Pretending you don’t care. I saw you with him on Friday. You were different.”
I set my fork down. “Eva—”
“No. I’m serious. You’ve been different since you woke up weird that morning. Quieter. Sharper. And he notices.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You dream-talked again last night. Said ‘not this time, Kai.’ Who’s Kai?”
My blood went cold.
I’d forgotten. In my first life, I’d talked in my sleep sometimes. Usually it was nonsense.
“I don’t know,” I lied. “Bad dream.”
Eva didn’t look convinced, but she let it go.
“Just… be careful, okay? You’re playing with fire.”
I didn’t answer.
Because she was right.
---
After school, we met in the library again.
Dave and Ama came for twenty minutes, dropped off their parts, and left for basketball practice.
That left me and Kai. Again.
He was already at our table when I got there, laptop open, a half-empty energy drink next to him.
“You’re early,” I said, setting my bag down.
“Beat the traffic,” he said, sliding a printout toward me. “Risk analysis draft. Don’t tear it apart too bad.”
I skimmed it. It was solid. Too solid.
“You actually did this?” I asked, looking up.
He leaned back, arms crossed. “You think I can’t?”
“I think you usually don’t.”
He was quiet for a second. “Maybe I’m tired of ‘usually.’”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I went back to the paper.
We worked in silence for a while. The only sound was the tapping of keyboards and the occasional page turn.
Then he spoke, low enough that only I could hear.
“About what I said Friday…”
I didn’t look up. “What about it?”
“That you were chasing me. In your first life.”
I froze.
“You remembered,” I said quietly.
“I didn’t forget.” He leaned forward. “Lila, what did you mean? Was I awful to you?”
I closed my laptop.
This was dangerous territory. Too much truth and I’d lose control of the story. Too little and he’d keep pushing.
“You were reckless,” I said finally. “You didn’t think about who you hurt. I was one of them.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m sorry.”
“You said that already.”
“And I mean it now more than I did then.” He paused. “Because now I actually know what I’m losing.”
My chest tightened.
“Kai—”
“Don’t,” he said, holding up a hand. “I’m not asking for anything. I’m just telling you. If you ever want to give me a second chance, I’ll earn it. If you don’t, I’ll back off. But I’m not pretending I don’t feel this.”
Feel this.
The words hung in the air between us, heavy and honest.
I stood up before I could say something stupid.
“It’s late,” I said. “Let’s finish this tomorrow.”
He nodded, disappointment flickering across his face but he didn’t argue.
We walked out together, the school quiet and empty around us.
At the gate, he stopped me again.
“Lila,” he said.
I turned.
“Whatever happened in your first life… I’m not that guy anymore,” he said. “Give me a chance to prove it.”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
Because part of me wanted to say yes.
And that terrified me more than anything.
---
Back home, Dad was waiting in the living room.
“You’re late,” he said, not unkindly.
“Project meeting ran long,” I said, kicking off my shoes.
He nodded. “Mercer Holdings called. They want the joint team to present next Friday. Your group will be there.”
My stomach dropped.
Presenting in front of both boards. In front of Mr. Mercer. In front of Kai’s father.
“Understood,” I said.
Dad studied me. “You’ll be fine, Lila. Just remember—this isn’t about impressing people. It’s about proving you can lead.”
Lead.
Right.
I went upstairs and closed my door, leaning against it for a second.
Lead. Don’t fall apart. Don’t give him the chance to hurt you again.
I repeated it like a mantra.
It didn’t help as much as I wanted it to.
---
That night, I dreamed of the hospital again.
The beeping machines. Dad’s hand in mine. The regret sitting like a stone in my chest.
And Kai’s face, older, tired, saying, _I’m sorry I was too late._
I woke up at 3 AM, shaking.
Eva stirred but didn’t wake.
I lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling.
This time, I wouldn’t be too late.
I just had to figure out how to keep my heart intact while I did it.
---
_End of Chapter 2_
- Writer
