his hardened shell. He figured out a schedule that included late nights and early mornings of studying so he could maintain superior grades and still be able to spend time with her. He had never wanted to be with another human being so much in his whole life, but there was something about her. So carefree and full of life… she had this way about her that drew people in. It was like she was hypnotizing with her big smile. And her big boots, he laughed inside.
Since that summer, Jordan watched Dazed and Confused at least once a month. If he happened past it when scrolling the channel guide, he’d stop and view it, commercials and all. He’d even do the things… like count how many times Mitch touched his nose or shout at the top of his lungs, “I wanna dance.” That’s what it was like at the midnight showing, silly and interactive. And, years later, Jordan still pretended he was in that theater with Melody, sharing a popcorn and feeling like the star quarterback with his arm around the captain of the cheerleading team. Which was totally laughable since he would have never been athletic enough to play football, and there was no way anyone could have pried Melody out of her Docs long enough to put on a uniform and cheer on the sidelines.
Jordan lost his chance to make it right with Melody. Luna was waiting for her mom on the second floor when the elevator doors opened.
Maybe next time.
Yes.
There was going to be a next time.
Chapter 6
MELODY
After a long day, Melody was finally lying in bed, trying to quiet her thoughts and fall asleep. It seemed like a pointless task. There was no way in hell she could stop thinking about her mom or Jordan. Mama Annie was home now, just down the hall and sleeping like a baby. The biopsy went as planned, but waiting for the results would prove to be difficult. Her mama needed to share her drugs. Maybe then Melody wouldn’t have to count sheep or any other animal. She’d be so far deep into slumber she wouldn’t have to worry about the C word or the constant flow of Jordan images that flipped like endless pages in her mind.
What were the chances that he would be her mom’s doctor? Was the world messing with her? What kind of karma was it that brought him back into her life? Because, really, as much as she tried to fight it, he was back.
He was back the moment he called “rapid fire” and even more so when he said his favorite movie. Besides them, who even ranked that film in their top twenty?
If it hadn’t been for the interactive midnight showings, the ability to stay out past curfew, and the chance to snuggle up to Jordan, she would’ve maybe seen it once in her life. Not the too-many-to-count number of times she really had watched it.
When she tired of tossing from side to side, from her back to her stomach, Melody tried punching her pillow to make it more comfortable. She wasn’t sure it would work, but what did she have to lose other than the minutes that passed painfully slow, like a sloth was turning the time in her bedside clock.
Eventually, she unplugged her phone, slid her glasses on her face, and fired up social media. She scrolled through her timeline on Facebook, then double-tapped on pictures of her friend’s dogs and babies on Instagram. She got sucked into Tik Tok for a good half hour before she retreated to Facebook, which was more her speed. She flipped back and forth to Amazon, pre-ordering ebooks that appeared in her feed and caught her eye.
A notification popped up, and she wondered who else she knew couldn’t sleep at this hour. She smiled, thinking it could be Luna. More often than not, her daughter would share a funny video in the middle of the night, or text her to see if she was up and wanted to meet in the kitchen for a late-night bowl of ice cream. She could never turn that request down. Spending time with Luna and ice cream… What more could a mother want?
When she tapped on the notification, she tossed off her comforter and sat up in bed in one swift motion. Then, she twisted the light switch on her bedside lamp to get a better look. Her eyes had to be deceiving her. This was not real. Was she