Reborn Grandpa, My College Wife Is Different

I passed away at seventy-eight years old. When I opened my eyes again, I realized I had returned to my twenty-year-old self.

In this new life, I decided to have nothing to do with my former wife, Xena Huxley.

That was the plan until one day, while I was chatting happily with a younger student from my club, Xena appeared with a dark, thunderous expression.

Xena hissed, "She is younger than your granddaughter. How can you even live with yourself? "

I was speechless. "??? "

At 7:20 AM, I finished my morning jog. My three roommates were already awake, getting ready for our 8 AM lecture.

Leo checked his watch and looked at me in shock. "Yates, man, which girl are you trying to impress? You haven't missed a morning run in two months! "

He wasn't wrong to be surprised.

I used to be the biggest sleeper in our dorm. But two months ago, I suddenly became the most active person on campus, shocking everyone I knew.

I grabbed my towel to take a shower before class. "A good run just makes me feel alive, " I replied casually.

It wasn't that I didn't want to sleep. It was because my twenty-year-old body was currently inhabited by a seventy-eight-year-old soul.

My internal clock was stuck in my old habits. I naturally woke up at six every morning, so I decided to make use of the time.

Who would have thought that just two months ago, I was an old man on my deathbed?

After passing away peacefully, I woke up and found myself back in my college days.

In the beginning, I got tired very early in the evening. I couldn't focus at all during night classes.

Eventually, I adapted, but the early rising remained. I didn't mind it, though.

At 7:40 AM, the four of us headed to the dining hall for breakfast.

I was sipping my coffee when Leo suddenly nudged me hard with his elbow. I nearly spilled the hot liquid all over my shirt.

"Yates, look! Your goddess is buying breakfast! " Leo whispered urgently.

All three of my roommates turned their heads in unison, their synchronization as perfect as a military drill.

It was Xena Huxley.

She wore a simple white hoodie and blue jeans that made her legs look incredibly long and straight.

She was naturally beautiful, the kind of woman everyone envied. With her perfect proportions, even a simple outfit looked like high fashion.

She had her airpods in and was slowly moving through the line, scrolling through her phone.

She looked like she was checking messages, occasionally taking a sip from a carton of milk in her left hand.

I looked away and corrected Leo calmly. "She's not my goddess anymore. To me, she's more like a granddaughter. "

Xavier stared at me in horror. "Yates, why are you being so mean? "

I looked at him, confused. "What? "

I wasn't being mean.

When I died, my granddaughter was already older than Xena was right now.

Thanks to her family's strong genetics, even our granddaughter looked quite a bit like her.

Seeing the twenty-year-old Xena now made it impossible not to think of my little granddaughter.

Yes, Xena and I were husband and wife in my past life.

It was a cold, calculated business merger. We spent our entire lives resenting each other, bickering until the very end.

Of course, I never won a single argument against her.

She was a high-functioning workaholic with a competitive streak that never quit. I still wonder how I managed to stay married to her for so long.

The only time I ever 'won' an argument was when I made a grim prediction.

I told her I would die before her just to finally get some peace and quiet.

Usually, she had a sharp tongue that could cut through steel.

But in that moment, Xena just stared at me for a long time, her eyes turning red before she stormed off to her room.

She wasn't as ruthless as me; she didn't dare to curse herself.

It turned out I was a prophet. I really did die before her.

Xena and I had a son and a daughter, and three grandchildren who were all adults.

They were all by my hospital bed when I passed. Everyone except that heartless woman, Xena.

I had been her partner for over fifty years. Yet, she wouldn't even step into the room to see me one last time.

I wonder how she lived after I was gone.

Actually, it didn't matter. It wasn't my problem anymore.

When I first came back, I secretly went to see the twenty-year-old version of her.

She didn't know me, of course. When we crossed paths, she didn't even spare me a glance.

Even though I had a massive crush on her throughout my actual college years, I had successfully kept it a secret.

I was a coward back then. It was pathetic.

"Holy crap, she's looking this way! " Leo yelped.

I was about to tell him to calm down, but then I saw it too. "What the hell? "

The word slipped out effortlessly, even though I hadn't used such language in decades.

What was Xena doing?

She seemed frozen in place, staring directly at our table. Her eyes looked suspiciously watery, as if she were on the verge of tears.

Xavier whispered, "I feel like she's about to start crying. "

Meeting her gaze made my heart skip a beat, an old, familiar reflex I couldn't suppress.

I felt the same way Xavier did, but why on earth would she be crying?

She was the campus celebrity. Why would she make a scene in public?

"I don't know if she's crying, " Chase said, handing a napkin to Xavier. "But I know if we don't leave for class now, we'll be the ones crying. "

Leo groaned, "I hate these 8 AM lectures! "

I looked away, forcing myself to pack my things and follow my roommates.

Being reborn into my college years wasn't all bad. My decades of experience running the family business made my major feel like child's play.

If I had been reborn into high school, I probably wouldn't even have a story to tell. I would have just slept through it.

After the first two hours of Statistics, we rushed to the large lecture hall for Political Science.

We grabbed a row of seats near the window on the third level, perfect for a quick escape to the cafeteria later.

Outside the window, I could see the golden leaves of the maple trees lining the campus paths.

It was a combined class for three different majors. Even as the bell rang, the hall was still half-empty.

Leo leaned in, finally circling back to our breakfast conversation. "Seriously, why don't you like Xena Huxley anymore? "

I pulled my gaze away from the autumn scenery.

I remembered Leo asking me the same thing years ago: "What do you see in her? She's rejected every guy on campus. "

What had I said back then?

Oh, right. I had given him the simplest, most honest answer: "She's beautiful. "

Leo had scoffed, "Beauty doesn't put food on the table. "

I had replied, "No, but it makes the food taste a whole lot better. "

So why didn't I like her now?

Leo pressed on, "Do you think she's ugly now or something? "

Not at all. Despite our rocky marriage, I had to admit she was stunning at every stage of her life.

However, thinking back on our long, exhausting life together, I had a different perspective.

If we could just live our lives without interfering with each other, wouldn't we both be happier?

After a few seconds of thought, I answered, "She has a heart of stone, and I've decided to cut my losses. "

There was no drama between usDno cheating, no secret lovers, no lingering resentment.

It was just that Xena didn't believe in romance. Her heart was harder than a diamond and colder than a glacier.

You couldn't break it, and you certainly couldn't melt it.

Leo burst out laughing. "A heart of stone? That's cold, man! "

The professor started the lecture, and a few more students hurried in. I glanced toward the door.

Even in a crowd, Xena was easy to spot.

Her eyes scanned the rows of seats until they locked onto mine.

A second later, her roommate pulled her toward the back of the hall.

I tilted my head to watch her walk away. I noticed she pulled her hand back and clasped both hands behind her back as she walked.

It was a strange, contradictory sightDsomeone so young walking with such an old-fashioned posture.

For a moment, she looked exactly like the old Xena I knew.

I shook the thought away and turned back to my notes.

During the mid-class break, I opened my thermos and took a few small sips of warm water.

I had bought the thermos a few weeks ago. My roommates teased me, saying no college kid carries a thermos everywhere.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over my desk.

I looked up and jumped, accidentally swallowing a huge gulp of hot water that burned my tongue.

I fought the urge to stick my tongue out to cool it down. Instead, I looked up at the person in front of me with annoyance.

I had no idea why Xena was standing there, staring at me. We had never spoken during our university years in my previous life.

My tongue felt numb. I managed to ask, "Can I help you? "

A flicker of disappointment crossed Xena's eyes, but she masked it quickly. She reached into her pocket and placed something on my textbook. "You dropped your ID card. "

Our student IDs had our photos and personal info on them. I must have dropped it in my rush this morning.

I thanked her, but she didn't leave. She seemed to be waiting for something.

I gave her a look that said: "Is there anything else? "

Xena bit her lip, then turned and walked away without a word.

"Whoa, Yates. You really aren't into her anymore. That was freezing cold. " Leo said.

I hadn't blushed or stammered. I didn't act like a guy seeing his dream girl at all.

"It wasn't cold, " I argued. "I was perfectly polite. I said thank you. "

Leo just stared at me. "...That's not the point, dude. "

I tucked my ID away, my hand subconsciously moving to my chest. My heart was thumping way faster than normal.

How could I stay completely indifferent?

This was the woman I loved as a boy and the woman I lived with for a lifetime.

Even if I was twenty again, to me, we had only been apart for two months.

But I had lived for seventy years. I had decades of business experience.

There was no way I was going to let a twenty-year-old girl see my real emotions.

In the past, I would only see Xena in shared lectures unless I purposely went to places she frequented.

But now that I wasn't trying to see her, she seemed to be everywhere.

The next morning, I went for my usual jog at the track.

I went to set my thermos down in my usual spot, only to find a brand-new thermos already sitting there.

How strange.

To be fair, if I hadn't developed the habit of drinking warm water in my thirties, I'd be drinking soda instead of herbal tea at twenty.

I shook off the thought, put on my earbuds, and started my run.

Before I finished my first lap, a figure in white blurred past me.

I focused on her back. That silhouette... it was definitely Xena.

I had spent years staring at her back; there was no way I was mistaken.

But why was she running?

Xena did have a habit of morning jogs, but that was a habit we started together after we got married.

Shortly after our wedding, my parents stayed with us and forced us to get up early to exercise.

It was hard at first, but we both grew to love it. We kept it up long after my parents moved out.

Of course, she always complained that I ran too fast, and I complained that she was too slow.

As we got older and our joints started to ache, we switched to walkingDusually with me two yards ahead of her.

Seeing her here now, I figured she just couldn't sleep and had a sudden whim.

I didn't think too much about it and kept my pace.

After six laps, I walked over to the spot where I left my thermos, breathing heavily. I opened the lid, waiting for my heart rate to settle before drinking.

The owner of the other thermos returned at the same time.

My eyes traveled from the slender fingers on the bottle up to the face.

It was her.

We stared at each other in silence.

I felt my lip twitch.

Has Xena lost her mind? Where was her precious iced Americano? Since when did she start using a thermos this early in life?

I remembered when I started my health kick in my thirties; she had mocked me relentlessly.

I had told her, "When you're stuck in a hospital bed one day, I'm going to livestream myself dancing in front of you. "

She had sneered, "Are you sure you'll be dancing and not just wheezing like an old dog? "

The very next day, she had bought her own thermos. I couldn't help but tease her. "I thought you looked down on this? "

Back then, she had just smirked. "I need to stay healthy so I can outlive you and laugh at your funeral. "

Thinking about the past made my teeth itch with frustration. I regretted being so bad at winning arguments. I picked up my thermos and stepped around her to leave.

It wasn't until I reached my dorm that I realized something was off.

I had stepped around her?

She had stepped toward me, but I was so lost in my thoughts that I instinctively dodged her and kept walking.

Well... whatever.

Who cared? I dodged her, so what?

It was Thursday. We only had two classes in the morning. The afternoon was free for campus clubs and activities.

During my actual freshman year, I had joined the Sign Language Club, but I lost interest after a few meetings.

Usually, I spent this time in the library.

Leo's Photography Club was organized a trip to the local park behind the campus, and he asked if I wanted to go.

Since I had nothing else to do, I agreed.

The fastest way to the park was to hike over the campus hill.

It wasn't a steep climb, just a winding path through the woods.

Everyone decided to walk.

When I saw Xena at the back of the group, I remembered she was an officer in the Photography Club. She was actually a great photographer.

I had seen her portfolios in her study many times.

But she had never taken a single photo of me.

Leo wasn't in great shape. We slowly drifted from the middle of the line to the very back.

"Leo, your lace is untied again. "

He was wearing new sneakers today, but the laces were slippery. They had come undone twice already.

"This is so annoying, " Leo grumbled, frowning. "I'm throwing these shoes away as soon as we get back. "

"Move over, let me show you. " I knelt down and quickly tied a secure surgeon's knot for him.

I used to have a pair of shoes with the same problem. Xena had been the one to impatiently teach me how to tie this specific knot. It was actually very useful.

When I stood up, I found Xena standing right next to us. She was frowning at me, her expression unreadable.

"Yates Miller, " she said, her voice clear. "Can I have your number? "

Those words felt like a punch to the gut. They were exactly what she said at the end of our very first blind date.

Back then, she had acted like it was just a chore. Her polite smile had been a perfect mask. "Mr. Miller, can I have your number? "

But now, her expression was different. There was an emotion swirling in her eyes that I couldn't quite identify.

"Sorry, " I said with a polite smile. "I don't think that's a good idea. "

Xena's face went dark for the rest of the trip. No one dared to go near her.

But I was used to that look. I had seen it for fifty years.

The only thing I couldn't understand was why she suddenly wanted my number.

"Hey, Yates! You're here too? " A voice interrupted my thoughts.

The group had started to disperse for free time. I saw a familiar face I hadn't seen in years walking toward me.

It was Eliana.

She was a year younger than us. We went to the same high school and met in the student government.

We ended up at the same university and crossed paths occasionally.

In my previous life, after we started working, her father's company did business with Xena's. She became one of the few mutual friends Xena and I had.

I smiled and waved. "Eliana! What a coincidence. I'm here with my roommates. "

I pointed toward Leo, who was busy taking photos. "He's over there. "

Eliana nodded and then smiled. "I need a model for a few shots. Would you mind? "

I remembered that in my past life, she had remained a successful, wealthy, and very single woman. I couldn't help but tease her. "Eliana, you don't need a model. You need a boyfriend. You can't stay single forever, you know. "

Eliana looked stunned. The conversation had taken a very sharp turn. She opened her mouth to say something, but a cold voice from behind me cut her off.

"What? Is she younger than your granddaughter? How can you even live with yourself? "