Chapter 5: Apologies Across Timelines

With a loud smack, Mason slammed his textbook on his desk. He looked annoyed, and the noisy classroom instantly fell silent.

He pushed past the people in front of him and walked straight to my desk.

Mason wore a crisp white shirt. He was tall and lean, looking even more youthful than he would later on. For a second, I had to remind myself to breathe. His beautiful eyes were full of complicated emotions.

He slapped his notebook on my desk, face flushed, eyes burning, and asked:

“Harper, what’s one plus one?”

Even after all these years, I still couldn’t help but feel my heart race at his handsome face.

I paused, then answered:

“Six.”

“Wait, why was our question so hard and hers so easy?”

“Can’t you tell? Mason’s totally going easy on Harper Lane.”

“Ugh, why did she reject him?”

“….”

All the chatter buzzed in my ears.

Mason’s expression didn’t change; he showed no emotion at my rejection. His deep brown eyes were unreadable as he stared at me.

“Harper, could you help me write the lyrics for ‘Typhoon’?”

He flipped open his notebook, revealing the melody he’d composed.

“I want this song to belong only to you.”

Wait—‘Typhoon’ was a song he didn’t write until sophomore year of college. My mind spun. Did he remember, too? Was this déjà vu, or something more?

Could it be… Mason had been reborn too?

I looked up at him.

His eyes, long and narrow, lifted slightly, and the little freckle beneath his brow seemed to rise with them. He reached out and ruffled my hair, his voice choked with emotion.

“I’m sorry. Give me another chance. This time, I won’t lose you.”

The Mason in my memory—who never apologized—overlapped with the stubborn boy in front of me. It felt like a lifetime ago.

I shook my head.

“Mason, are we even close?”

He was clearly stunned, as if he hadn’t expected that.

Then, he reached out his long, beautiful hand and sighed, his low voice carrying a hint of danger.

“Harper Lane, hi. I’m Mason Hale. I want to get to know you all over again.”

“I had a really long, really awful nightmare. In it, the twenty-year-old jerk version of me made you suffer so much.”

He paused, his gentle tone layered with complicated, dark emotions.

“This time, I won’t let that happen.”

I remembered what he’d told the reporter: if he had a time machine, he’d go back and never take me to Venice Beach—never let us get caught.

But the moment I wanted to go back to was right now, before we ever crossed paths.

Was a time machine really all we were missing?

Venice Beach was just a coincidence.

If not there, it would’ve been somewhere else. As long as we went out together, we’d get caught eventually. And when our relationship went public, we’d get no public support.

“Mason, maybe our lives would be better if they never intersected.”

My voice trembled, and I forced a smile, afraid he’d see through me.

“I’m really scared your nightmare will come true.”

Sunlight spilled over Mason’s delicate features, his dark hair tousled by the wind, a hint of despair in his expression. His deep, dark eyes never left my face.

“Waking up and seeing you makes me feel awful.”

“So awful I can only do two things.”

He smelled like soap and something familiar—like the past.

“First, breathe.”

A bitter smile tugged at his sharp features.

“Second, think about you.”

Ding ding! Ding ding!

The bell rang for class.

“Maybe dreams are just a parallel timeline. Don’t repeat the same mistakes.”

I took a deep breath, though my heart still pounded hard.

After forcing myself to calm down, I changed the subject, keeping my face neutral.

“Mason, class is starting.”

He was silent for half a second, then suddenly said:

“I’ll make up for all your regrets.”

His eyes were full of wild, uncontainable affection and a guilt so deep it was almost suffocating.

It seems we only learn to cherish what we have once we’ve truly lost it.