Nine Times, No

The ninth time Ethan Hayes rejected me, I was finally ready to give up.

That's when the Comments appeared, scrolling across my vision like a ghostly news ticker only I could see.

【Just one more time. The last one. He says yes on the tenth try.】
【He's just aloof and bad with words. He's crazy about her, you can tell.】
【Oh my god, his eyes are practically glued to her.】

I remembered my past life. The tenth time worked. We dated, got married, had a son. He built an empire.

And then, one day, he'd said to me:

"Ava, do you have any idea what it's like for people who weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouth?

"I'm just helping her out. Stop being so dramatic."

So, no. Not this time. There would be no tenth time.

1

I wasn't surprised to see the Comments flicker to life.

But I didn't turn around.

I had no interest in confirming whether or not Ethan Hayes's eyes held any trace of me.

【Why isn't she turning around? Please! Just look at him!】
【His eyes are getting red. He's about to cry.】

I remained unmoved. In fact, a wave of relief washed over me. Thank god he hadn't said yes yet. Thank god it was only the ninth time.

What I hadn't expected, though, was for someone as proud as Ethan to come looking for me.

He was standing at the edge of my family's driveway, a silhouette against the manicured lawn. His lean, cool frame seemed to shimmer under the oppressive summer sun, making it hard to look away. When he saw me, he held out a cardboard box.

"These are yours," he said. "The things you gave me. I thought… you should have them back."

The June air was thick and hot, clinging to my skin even in a thin tank top. I wasn't in the mood for a conversation. I gave the box a cursory glance and took it.

His lips parted, as if he had more to say. The Comments erupted again.

【She totally did that on purpose. The tank top. Smart move.】

Seriously? It was ninety degrees out. Nobody sits around their house in a turtleneck.

【He worked up so much courage just to come here. She should be grateful.】
【So what if there's a wealth gap now? In a few years, he's going to be the new star of the Boston tech scene.】
【Her family will be the ones trying to get on his good side then.】

Right. All true. The Comments were absolutely right.

Except for one tiny detail they always left out: his startup capital, in that other life, came from me. The investment strategy was a tip from my father.

2

Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to argue with a ghost-commentary feed.

I just looked at Ethan, my expression a blank question. "Was there something else?"

He frowned, a sheen of sweat dotting his pale forehead. His gaze darkened with a hint of displeasure.

There was no denying Ethan was beautiful. Devastatingly so. It was the only reason I'd chased him so relentlessly in the first place.

Nine times. The last one was right after graduation.

"It won't interfere with our studies now," I'd said, my smile wide with hope. "You can at least give me a chance, right?"

He'd just shaken his head, his voice firm. "We're not a good fit."

The first eight rejections were all variations of "we can't get distracted from school." For the ninth, he'd finally changed his excuse.

In my past life, I had been ready to give up then, too. But that's when the Comments had appeared. I listened to them. I turned around.

And just as they'd said, I saw his cool eyes brimming with unspoken emotion. They told me his pride was the only thing in the way, that he felt he wasn't good enough for me. So I followed him to his college town, lived a sparse life just like his to prove I didn't care about the money.

On my tenth attempt, he finally said yes.

"I'm planning on going to school in Boston," Ethan's voice pulled me from the memory.

When I looked up, all I saw was his back as he walked away.

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