Chapter summaries Rewind It Back: The brand new 2025 sports romance from the bestselling author of MILE HIGH: with second-chance romance, found family, and a lot of spice… Liz Tomforde

Chapter 25 Summary: Rio and Hallie’s Late-Night Call

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

After a restless night before his game against Philadelphia, Rio texts Hallie that he can’t stop thinking about her. To his surprise, she calls him back. They begin a mutual phone-sex encounter in which Rio vividly describes a fantasy of being with her—kneeling behind her, touching her, going down on her, and finally entering her. Both reach climax, and afterward they stay on the line. Hallie admits she misses Rio, and he confesses he still feels her absence. She hints that she might not miss him for long, and they decide to keep the call going, sharing simple conversation about his day. The chapter marks a turning point: both characters lower their emotional guards and allow hope for reconciliation to surface.

Key Events

  • Rio lies awake at 2 a.m., unable to sleep because of pre-game nerves, household worries, and constant thoughts of Hallie.
  • He texts Hallie that he’s thinking of her; she replies immediately and then calls him.
  • Hallie admits she can’t sleep either and that her mind is on “mostly you. Mostly us.”
  • Rio asks if she wants to talk it through, but Hallie instead requests that he talk her through a sexual experience.
  • They engage in a mutual phone-sex session: Rio instructs Hallie to touch herself while he strokes himself, and he paints a detailed fantasy of being in her bedroom.
  • The fantasy includes Rio kneeling behind her, replacing her fingers with his, going down on her, and eventually entering her. Both climax together.
  • Afterward, Hallie says, “I missed you, Rio.” He replies, “I feel like I’m still missing you, Hal.”
  • Hallie gives a hopeful hint: “Maybe you won’t have to feel that way for long.”
  • They agree to stay on the phone, and Hallie asks Rio to tell her all about his day.

Character Development

Rio
This chapter shows Rio finally admitting to himself that he wants Hallie back and is done lying about it—to her and to himself. His internal monologue reveals that she remains the only person he visualizes during sex, and that he’s been “starving for her for six years.” During the phone call, he balances dominance with tenderness, making sure to emphasize that their connection was always “more than fucking.” After the climax, he doesn’t push for more meaning when she hints at hope, choosing instead to let the moment stand. This restraint signals growth; he’s learning to accept what she offers without demanding guarantees.

Hallie
Hallie initiates the call and takes control of the dynamic, insisting it’s her turn and that she only wants his voice. Her openness is striking—she’s not wearing the emotional armor she usually keeps on. By admitting she still feels “worked up” from watching him earlier and by telling him she wishes he were inside her again, she reveals a raw vulnerability. The post-orgasm confession that she missed him, followed by the tentative suggestion that the missing might end soon, marks a significant emotional shift. She’s allowing herself to hope again, even if she’s cautious.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Vulnerability as a prerequisite for intimacy
Both characters enter the phone call without their usual defenses. Rio admits his persistent longing, and Hallie drops her guarded tone, trusting him with her desire and her hope. The scene suggests that true reconnection requires emotional nakedness, not just physical.

Oral communication and imagined presence
Because they cannot be together in person, they rely on voice and fantasy to bridge the distance. Rio’s detailed narrative serves as a stand-in for touch, and the sustained call afterward (staying on speaker, sharing small talk) symbolizes a desire to remain connected beyond the sexual act.

Second-chance romance and the weight of shared history
The chapter is steeped in nostalgia. Rio recalls their long-distance past and how they “learned together by learning each other.” The fantasy he constructs deliberately mirrors their earlier experiences, emphasizing that their bond is built on years of memory—not just recent attraction.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 25 is a turning point in Rio and Hallie’s second-chance arc. After chapters of tension, avoidance, and sporadic physical encounters, this late-night call finally allows both characters to speak without pretense. The phone sex is a vehicle for emotional honesty: Hallie verbalizes her longing, and Rio acknowledges that he’s never stopped wanting her. The chapter closes with a fragile but sincere hope for reconciliation, setting the stage for the next phase of their relationship. It also deepens the book’s exploration of how intimacy can be rebuilt through trust and open communication, even across a phone line.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the dynamic of this phone call differ from Rio and Hallie’s earlier interactions in the book?
Answer: In previous chapters, their conversations were often laced with tension, avoidance, or playful banter that kept emotional distance. Here, Hallie explicitly states she can’t sleep because she’s thinking of “us,” and Rio admits he’s “done lying” about wanting her back. The call is marked by mutual vulnerability rather than game-playing.

2. What does Rio’s fantasy reveal about his understanding of their past relationship?
Answer: Rio’s fantasy emphasizes not only physical details but also emotional gestures—holding her hand, making her watch him touch her, reminding her that it was “always more than fucking.” This shows that he values the emotional intimacy they once shared and believes that re-creating that connection is essential to winning her back.

3. Why does Hallie’s post-coital admission—“I missed you”—carry extra weight in this chapter?
Answer: Unlike earlier moments when she might have downplayed her feelings, Hallie says these words in a vulnerable, unguarded state. She hasn’t put her emotional armor back on, and she follows it with a hopeful hint that she might not miss him for long. This represents the first clear signal that she is willing to consider a real reconciliation.

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