Page 60 of A Thousand Second Chances

Neither of us speaks for a long moment. Then, I sigh, dropping my act. “Was there a point to this intervention, or are you trying to make us both die from awkwardness overload?”

Percy’s cheeks flush, but at least he stops shuffling and meets my eyes. “I thought we should talk. Quinn agreed.”

I cross my arms. “Of course, she did. About what?”

“About why you’re acting like this.”

“Like what?”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m not an idiot. You’ve been withdrawn and moody all day.”

I scowl. “I’mnotmoody!”

Instead of shrinking back like I expect, he cocks an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Then, what would you call the way you’ve been ignoring both of us to sit in sullen silence?”

“I’m not ignoring you.” My eyes flick away, and I rub a hand over the back of my neck. “It’s just…”

He takes a step toward me, and my body reacts involuntarily to his nearness, my skin tingling as if it yearns to be pressed against his. “Just what?” he asks softly. “Come on, Chris. You know you can talk to me.” He chuckles darkly. “Who else have we got right now, if not each other?”

I think he means the words to be comforting, but instead, they stab into me like jagged shards. He makes it sound like he resents our proximity. Like the only reason he’d evenconsiderspending time with me is that the universe didn’t give him a choice.

Not that I have any high ground to stand on. We’d both lived through that first Saturday before either of us knew the time loop existed and seen how disastrously it would have gone without the universe’s intervention. We’d have woken up on Sunday, ignored each other during the ferry ride back, and then never spoken again.

Once upon a time, that outcome would have seemed inevitable. Now, it fills me with melancholy. What happens when all this ends and we return to our normal lives? Do we goback to being virtual strangers? Friends who sayhiwhen our paths cross on campus?

“Is any of this actually real?” I whisper. Percy doesn’t answer. I can’t bring myself to look at his face, so I focus on his chest instead and notice the way his body has stilled. I hate how my voice quavers when I add, “Does any of this matter to you?”DoImatter to you?

“Chris.”

Percy’s voice comes out strangled, and my eyes flick up to see his face pained. He takes another step toward me, and he’s so close now we’re practically pressed together. Part of me wants to slide back to put some much-needed distance between us. Another part wants to close those last few inches and press my lips to his, damn the consequences.

I do neither, remaining perfectly still as he tentatively raises a hand, his fingers hovering over my cheek. His eyes are wide, pupils dilated. I’m frozen, unable to do anything but wait with bated breath for his next move. Delicately, so light it could almost be the chill October wind, his fingertips brush my cheek. I close my eyes, shifting my head to lean into the touch.

A loud buzzing noise shatters the moment. My eyes fly open, and I stumble back. Percy does the same, shifting to face away from me so I can’t see his face. Back stiff, he fumbles his phone from his pocket and taps the screen. Whatever he reads there makes his back stiffen further.

“Your dad?” I ask as he types out a response. We’ve spent enough time together these past Saturdays that I’ve got a pretty good guess what would make him close up like that.

“Yeah,” he sighs, lowering the phone and rubbing his eyes.

He shoves his phone in his pocket, opens the car door, and retreats into the back. I watch him for a moment, deliberating. My eyes flick from the car to the gas station. No sign of Quinn yet. Before I fully register what I’m doing, I reach up and press ahand lightly to the spot where Percy’s had been mere moments before. I can still feel the heat of his touch seared into my skin.

Dropping my hand, I open my door and climb into the passenger seat. Rather than buckling my seatbelt, I spin around, prop myself on the center console, and poke my head through the gap between seats.

Percy looks up, startled.

“You don’t have to read or respond to his texts if you don’t want to,” I say.

He frowns. “I can’t just ignore him. He’s mydad.”

“So? My parents call every afternoon like clockwork, and that hasn’t stopped me from ignoring them each and every time.” All except that original Saturday, which had been more than enough. Why put up with their shit when I don’t have to?

“We’ve been over this,” he retorts. “I can’t do that to him. This trip meant a lot to him. Mackinac Island was a huge part of all our lives, but especially his and my mom’s.”

“Then he should’ve come himself,” I scoff.

Percy fixes me with a glare. “He wanted to, but he couldn’t. We talked about coming here all last year, but when the time came, it was too hard for him to be here without her. So, he sent me a list of all the places he wanted me to visit in his stead. Places that were important to them.”

“Like that rock in the woods,” I guess, a few things clicking into place.