I woke up back in my eighteen-year-old body. The year Leo Marchetti was still alive. I saw him across the quad, still that punk swimmer with messy hair, and my eyes flooded with tears. "Maya," a cold voice snapped beside me. "Do you really have to make a scene at your own birthday party? It's pathetic." I turned. Evan Wyatt. My childhood "best friend." Oh, right. I remember now. This was my 18th birthday party, the one where I planned to publicly confess my love to Evan. "Why are you always crying?" he sighed, annoyed. "You should try reading a book instead of thinking about romance all day..." As our classmates snickered, he continued to lecture me. God, he's so annoying. Like a fly buzzing in my ear. I shoved him out of the way and ran, launching myself into Leo's arms. "Husband..." I sobbed, unable to breathe. This time, I'm going to save everything. 01 Before Leo died, he made me pinky swear. He made me promise to live to be a hundred before I came to find him. I promised. And then I lied. Three days later, I went after him. Before I closed my eyes, I came up with an excuse. When I saw him, I'd just say I had a dream he was hitting on other ghosts. The truth is, I didn't have a dream. I couldn't sleep without him at all. When I opened my eyes again, I was eighteen. I was holding a gift, surrounded by the buzz of my party. "Speech! Speech! Make a wish!" The backyard was packed, but my eyes found him instantly. That messy hair, that impossible-to-miss swimmer's build. He was in a corner nobody was paying attention to, his gaze drifting over me, trying to look casual but failing. The sight of him shattered me. My tears just... broke. I tried to speak, but Evan's voice cut in. "Maya, do you really have to make a scene at your own birthday party? It's pathetic." The fog in my head cleared. I finally saw the person standing in front of me. He was frowning, his expression cold. The party's happy vibe stalled. Serena Lin was the one to break the awkward silence. "Evan, we need to go over our valedictorian speech." Evan turned to her. "One second. Let me deal with this, and I'll meet you." His tone, for her, was uncharacteristically gentle. Serena was a genius, just like Evan. People always joked they were the "perfect couple." Serena just scoffed, "I'm not one of those silly girls who only thinks about boys." Back then, the look Evan gave her was full of admiration. He'd told me before he couldn't stand girls who only thought about romance. And back then, romance was all I thought about. Him was all I thought about. I'd even planned this whole party to confess to him, thinking he wouldn't embarrass me on my birthday. I learned later that he hated what he called my "emotional blackmail." Just like now. He took the gift from my hands and tossed it on a table, annoyed. "You should try reading a book instead of thinking about romance all day." 02 I just stared. Whispers started in the crowd. "Look, Maya's crying." "She's chased Evan for years. She just went from prom queen to total joke." "Oof, cringe." In my last life, I did run off sobbing from the humiliation. But right now, my eyes were locked on that guy in the corner. I stared straight at him, my mouth open. I was trembling, unable to make a sound, the tears just kept streaming down my face. Seeing this, Evan frowned and sighed. "Maya, why are you always crying?" He was so annoying. He kept talking, and he was blocking my view. I shoved him, hard, and ran, throwing myself at the man I thought I'd lost forever. "Husband..." "Husband, you're alive, you're really alive, oh god..." His chest was warm, and he smelled like sunshine and chlorine. I clung to him, sobbing my heart out. The body in my arms went rigid. "Whoa... dude, I think you got the wrong guy?" His face went red, all the way to the tips of his ears. 03 "Maya, who are you calling husband?" Evan's voice was behind me, sharp with anger. "How many times are you going to pull this stunt?" He was right. In my past life, I'd flirted with other guys all the time, just to make him jealous. He'd get mad, and then he'd half-heartedly "reassure" me. But this time, the guy I'd grabbed was the school "jock" he despised. I just clung to Leo, crying harder. "Oh god, husband, you're really alive..." I couldn't believe it. My hands snaked under his t-shirt, frantic, checking his chest for the scar from the wound that had killed him. Leo completely freaked out. "Holy shit! What are you doing?!" I sobbed, "Take off your shirt, let me see." His face turned crimson. "I'm a respectable guy!" That just made me cry harder. "Please, husband, I need to see, please just let me see..." His hands hovered in the air, not knowing where to land. Finally, he gave in, hissing under his breath. "Fine... just... can we wait 'til no one's around?" Watching this, Evan's face twisted in disgust. "Maya, aren't you ashamed of yourself, in public?" "This time, I'm not playing your game." He turned, and he left. The crowd, sensing the drama was over, awkwardly dispersed. 04 "Okay, princess. Show's over. You gonna let go now?" His voice from above me was laced with sarcasm. I just shook my head, my arms locked around his neck, my sobs quieting. "Nope. Never letting go again..." The eighteen-year-old Maya hadn't broken her leg. She wasn't depressed. The eighteen-year-old Leo hadn't taken a knife for her yet. There was still time. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, I'm leaving." "Okay..." He just... walked out of the backyard, with me still clinging to him like a koala. We'd just gotten inside when we ran into Mr. Wyatt, Evan's dad and my legal guardian. "Leo? Aren't you supposed to be at practice? What are you doing, harassing Maya?" I just buried my face in his neck and held on tighter. Seeing I wasn't moving, Leo, his face beet-red, stammered an excuse. "Sir, she... she twisted her ankle. I'm just getting her some ice." Mr. Wyatt's expression softened. "Well. Good on you, son. Very chivalrous." I suddenly remembered. This is what Leo was always like. In my last life, he's the one who carried me to doctors all over the world, who sat with me through every agonizing physical therapy session. Once Mr. Wyatt was gone, Leo looked down at me, totally losing it. "Seriously, Maya. What is your deal?" I just kept my arms locked. "Husband..." He looked like his head was about to explode. He gritted his teeth. "Stop calling me that! Who's your husband?" "You are..." I pouted, "my favorite, favorite husband..." He looked defeated. He muttered, "Didn't you throw my letter in the trash yesterday?" Oh. Right. Awkward. My timing sucked. Leo had confessed to me. And I'd thrown his letter on the ground and stepped on it. "I can't stand jocks like you. All muscle, no brains." Which was ironic, coming from a dancer who wasn't exactly a genius herself. The truth was, I never hated Leo. Evan did. So I did, too. Evan hated anyone who wasn't "intellectual," especially Leo, who had bad grades and a loud mouth. I blinked, putting on my most sincere face. "That... that was a test. To see if you'd give up." And I promised, "Husband, from now on, I'm only going to like you." His jaw twitched. "Ugh. Can you just not with the 'husband' thing?" I shook my head. "Nope." He squeezed his eyes shut. "Fine. Whatever. Call me whatever the hell you want..." He looked at me, still wrapped around him, and sighed. "But Maya... you're a person, not a monkey. Can you please get off me?" "But I want to hug you more, husband~" His Adam's apple bobbed. His ears were bright red. Eighteen-year-old Leo was so adorably flustered. 05 He ended up carrying me to his grandpa's place. The old man ran a weird little occult shop in a back alley. "Gramps, I think she's possessed." Old Man Marchetti stroked his beard and squinted at me. "Yep. Eyes are all red. Definitely something latched on." He pulled out a tarot card and handed it to Leo. "Here. A talisman. Wards off evil spirits." Leo set me down on a stool outside. "Wait here. Don't follow me. I'll be right back." I didn't listen. I snuck up to the beaded curtain. I heard him whisper, "Hey Gramps... do you have anything that... you know... makes the possession permanent?" I grinned. You little faker. You were already crazy about me. Oh, Leo. This life, it's my turn to run to you.
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