Hannah finished the last of her fries and leaned back in her chair. A moment later she covered a yawn with the back of her hand.
“Sorry,” she said, blinking. “Long day.”
Jason smiled. “Opening a new office sounds exhausting.”
“It kind of is,” she admitted.
He glanced toward the window where the evening had settled into a deep blue. “Do you want me to walk you back?”
Hannah nodded almost immediately. “Yeah. That would be nice.”
Jason signaled for the check before she could say anything else. When it arrived, he picked it up without hesitation.
Hannah leaned forward. “Oh no, we’re splitting that.”
Jason shook his head. “Not happening.”
“Jason—”
“I invited you.”
She reached for the check anyway, but he had already pulled out his card. “You can get the next one.”
“The next one?” she repeated.
He shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Optimistic planning.”
Hannah laughed despite herself. “Fine. But next time I’m paying.”
“Deal.”
A few minutes later they stepped outside. The night air had cooled, and the streetlights cast soft pools of light along the sidewalk.
The hotel wasn’t far.
They walked slowly at first, talking easily about small things like the weirdness of living out of a suitcase for work and Jason’s growing list of “essential burger stops” across the country.
Hannah realized halfway down the block that she was hoping the walk would take longer.
There was something about Jason she couldn’t quite explain.
She kept trying to place it. A class. A conference. A mutual friend.
But none of the possibilities fit.
Still, the certainty remained.
She knew him.
Or she should.
Which made no sense. Hannah liked certainty. Numbers, models, probabilities. Things that could be measured and explained.
This, whatever this was, didn’t belong in that world.
Jason said something about a hospital project and she smiled automatically, but part of her attention stayed fixed on the strange pull she felt standing next to him.
He just felt… important.
The hotel came into view sooner than she wanted.
“Well,” Jason said as they stepped into the lobby, “that was quick.”
“Yeah,” Hannah said, a little disappointed.
They rode the elevator up together, the quiet hum filling the small space between them.
When the doors opened onto their floor, they walked down the hallway side by side until they reached the spot where their rooms were across from each other.
Jason hesitated.
“Hey,” he said.
Hannah looked up at him.
“Can I get your number?”
She smiled.
“Sure.”
Jason pulled out his phone and handed it to her. Hannah typed quickly, entering her name and number before saving the contact.
When she handed the phone back, their fingers brushed.
The contact lasted less than a second.
But Hannah froze.
A strange warmth shot up her arm, sudden and disorienting. Not electricity. Something softer, older. Familiar.
She looked up at Jason, surprised.
For a moment neither of them said anything.
Jason seemed to notice the pause. “Everything okay?”
Hannah blinked and forced a small laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, I just—”
She shook her head slightly, trying to dismiss the strange feeling.
“Long day,” she said.
Jason nodded slowly, though his eyes lingered on her a moment longer than usual.
“Get some rest,” he said.
“You too.”
Hannah stepped toward her door, but before she unlocked it she glanced back.
Jason was still standing there, phone in hand, watching her with a thoughtful expression.
The feeling of familiarity lingered long after she closed the door behind her.
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