WARNING: THIS MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME READERS. PLEASE BE CAREFUL.
It's dreary inside her mind; it's a thunderstorm, lightning slashing at the pieces she still tries to protect from being marred by the disease plaguing her every thought.
Her routine has always been consistent: an apple for breakfast; coffee at lunch (which the girls never seem to question; she's always cranky then, the exhaustion of her morning classes weighing down on her, so it only seems reasonable for her to get her caffeine boost); when she returns home from school, she claims to have already eaten dinner by the time her mother walks in the door after a grueling day at work, who's too lethargic to think anything of it.
But then there are some days when the girls invite her to hang out at the Brew, and it would look suspicious if she didn't order anything; so she'll order a salad. She won't eat most of it, just shuffle the lettuce idly around on her plate; she distracts her friends from questioning her by talking fast and often, her hands flailing and twirling around to focus their attention to the words tumbling from her mouth and not how little she's put in it.
Still, she's not happy with herself.
She stopped forcing herself to throw up, once she found out how much it will ruin her teeth (a dentist? She can forget about going to one of those. She's seen enough children having their molars examined for a life time). Now, it's strictly cutting down her caloric intake, reminding herself not to go over a certain amount every day.
Spencer hasn't noticed; she's too busy to slow down and assess her. With all those AP classes, and her family breathing down her neck to get into UPenn, she doesn't blame her. Spencer has her own problems; the last thing she wants to do is burden her with her own. Aria hasn't, either, mainly because she's not around them enough to do so. She's always with Ezra, which is understandable; mending a rocky relationship can be tough; she wants Aria to focus on getting her life together, not be doting on her at every second.
Emily seems to notice, though, and it frightens her. She always comments, discretely, about how she's looking ill, or appearing too tired to be trying to study for an Algebra test. Since she and Emily are the closest, they hug more often, and even when each embrace blossoms a sweet ache in her chest, it's instantly tarnished when Emily comments on how cold her skin feels.
She always catches Emily watching her with a worrisome expression. Sometimes, she thinks she's been found out. Yet, Emily never is upfront about whatever she's thinking when she looks at her in that way, and it only brings to her more paranoia. She doesn't want to be - can't be - found out; becoming a Radley patient is not something she wants to list off as an extracurricular activity on her résumés.
The silent but powerful sobs she exerts alone are only her knowledge, and she intends to keep it that way.
Emily had the wonderful idea to drop by on a weekend, when Hanna's mom was out on a business trip, and she knew the blonde would be alone.
Hanna had barely heard the knock on the front door over as she examined herself in the mirror, tugging on the paling skin just next to her hips. It took a few moments for her to recognize that someone was, indeed, knocking, and it wasn't just her imagination. She snatched the robe hanging from her chair, wiping away a stray tear that has escaped without her realizing, and bounded down the stairs.
Swinging the door open, she was greeted by the sight of her best friend, who was gleefully smiling down at her. Hanna's emotions reacted on their own accord, a grin pulling at her lips as she cocked her head to the side.
"Hey Em, I didn't know you were coming over."
"I just decided on a whim," shrugged Emily, lifting the brown paper bag in her hands to Hanna's line of vision. "I figured we could spend the night, hanging out, just the two of us."
"What's in the bag?"
"Movies and stuff."
"And stuff?"
"I'm making you dinner," Emily's smile widened; Hanna felt her gut churn.
"Oh, well," stalling, she rubbed the back of neck, "I wish you would have said something. I've eaten already."
"Oh..." her smile faltered. "What did you have?"
"A salad."
"You're always eating salad," pondered Emily aloud. Hanna's cheeks warmed as she stammered over an excuse.
"Well, I just.. It's just that..."
"Are you going to let me inside?" Emily interrupted with a small smile. "It's freezing."
"Yeah, sure, sorry." She stepped to the side to let her friend slip past her. "Come in."
"Thanks." Emily hung her coat and scarf on the end of Hanna's railing, kicking her shoes off by the end of the stairs. They stood in silence, Emily trying to look Hanna in the eyes and Hanna looking anywhere that Emily wasn't.
"So, what were you planning in making?" Hanna asked before the quiet became awkward.
"Chicken Cacciatore."
"Uh..?"
Emily shook her head in amusement. "It's just a fancy word for chicken in tomato sauce with some veggies."
"Oh, okay," Hanna smiled, leading them both into the kitchen. Emily set the bag down on the island counter, skimming over to the sink to wash her hands.
"Where does your mom keep the wine?" questioned Emily, back still towards Hanna.
"Why? Trying to get me drunk?"
Sniggering, Emily turned around to face her friend. "It's for the sauce, dummy. Will she mind?"
"She probably won't even realize it's gone," Hanna smirked. "It's all in the cabinet to your left."
Emily reached up to open the cupboard to snag one of the bottles, the hem of her sweater sliding up and revealing the jut of her hip. Hanna's eyes were glued to the sliver of exposed skin until it was shielded once more by cloth when Emily's arms descended.
"Can you play some music?" Emily asked, shuffling around the kitchen in search of a cutting board. "Something jazzy. It's more fun to cook when there's music on."
Biting her lip to keep herself from grinning, Hanna grabbed Emily's phone from off the counter and walked across the room, plugging the phone into a docking station and scrolling through her friend's playlists, selecting something she hoped Emily was looking for.
Music pumped softly though the speakers, filling the space around them with a soft melody that put Hanna at ease. She gazed at Emily slaving over the stove, hips gently swaying, humming along to the beat.
Emily glanced behind her, seeing Hanna watching her with an adorable grin on her face. Her cheeks reddened as she beckoned Hanna over with a soft jerk of her head. The blonde trekked towards her and rested her hip against the counter closest to the stove, a mere foot away from where Emily was positioned.
"Who's this playing?"
"Louis Armstrong," responded Emily with a smile.
"I like it," Hanna nodded. "It's soothing."
"It helps me focus. Hey, you can finish whatever you were doing earlier before I came over. I can call you back when it's ready."
Hanna's smile tightened. "I'll be upstairs, trying to finish some homework."
"Have fun!" Hanna rolled her eyes and stalked off towards the stairs, gut growing heavier with each step.
She sat on her bed, textbooks untouched as they lay open across the comforter. Her mind was reeling; she was attempting to give herself a mental pep-talk, one that would hopefully allow her to squash her growing sense of dread and enjoy a meal with her friend. With Emily; sweet, loving Emily, who had gone out of her way to prepare Hanna dinner.
Eating in front of Emily; Hanna's hands began to tremble at the thought of having to put food into her mouth that wasn't a part of her routine. Her breathing was labored and her heart constricted; she felt her body begin to fall into a panic.
"Hanna!" Emily called from down stairs. "It's ready."
"I'll be there in a sec!" she answered, stilling her hands by wringing them together. "You can do this," she mumbled to herself as she stood, making her way down the stairs on shaky limbs.
Emily was putting down the last bit of utensils when Hanna came into her view. She beamed brightly, and Hanna noticed the way her heart seemed to slow from its frantic pace.
"Here," Emily pulled out a chair, gesturing for Hanna to sit. "What do you want to drink?"
"Water, please."
"You don't want wine with dinner?" Emily smirked.
"Maybe you are trying to get me drunk."
She heard Emily laugh from behind her and some glasses clank together as she grabbed them from the cupboard. The fridge opened she listened to the sound of water filling up a glass and Emily shutting the door and padding back towards the table. She set Hanna's water down beside her platter, along with two other cups in the center of the table and disappeared again to collect something else.
Hanna looked down at the plate in front of her and her throat constricted. It looked delectable, but she was overcome with such a powerful wave of nausea that she didn't believe she could stomach it, even if she wanted to.
Emily came back with another the wine bottle in hand, filling the two glasses halfway with the silky red substance and set it down on the table when she was finished.
"In case you do want some," she winked at Hanna, and put the glass to her lips, taking a long, slow sip. Hanna grew jealous of the wine that was able to melt across Emily's tongue.
Emily dipped her fork into the chicken and lifted a bite to her mouth, lips enclosing around the metal as she chewed thoughtfully.
"This is really good. I'm actually surprised with how well it came out," Emily mused aloud, glancing in Hanna's direction.
"It looks good," Hanna agreed with a tight nod and moved to grab her fork. Her fingers hovered over the daunting metal, and she inhaled deeply to keep them from quivering.
"Hanna?" Emily's call fell on deaf ears as an inner conflict continued to rise within her. "Han?"
The fork had manifested into a sword in Hanna's eyes, changing something docile into a deadly object. She tried to force her fingers to work, to just grab the fork and take a bite like she was longing to do, but a nagging the back of her mind kept her movements at bay.
"I can't," she stammered, hand falling to her lap in shame. "I... I can't."
"Are you ill?" Emily voiced was laced with concern, which had Hanna feeling worse.
"No. I mean, yes. I mean..." she shook her head. "I don't know what I mean, actually."
"I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to," her words wavered at the end of her sentence, and Hanna's head snapped up to look at her. "It's just an option; you don't have to. I won't make you if you can't."
Hanna's throat went dry. "What?"
"Hanna," Emily turned to face her, swallowing the bite of mushroom on her tongue. "I love you, you know that?"
"Em, of course."
"It's just... It really hurts me when I see you not eating. I know what you're doing," the tone of her voice hold not the faintest hint of accusation, which perplexed Hanna; that wasn't how she had expected to hear it. "It scares me to death."
"Emily..."
"I don't know what I was thinking," Emily shook her head. "I thought that if I came over and made you something, that maybe you would eat it."
"I..." Hanna couldn't manage a sentence.
"I know it's not your fault. You're just so special; I don't want anything to take you away from me."
The pounding of her heart drowned out the sounds of her own soft cries as she began to crumble.
"No, please don't cry," Emily cupped her face with both hands, the tips of her fingers rubbing gentle, comforting circles on Hanna's temples.
"I'm so sorry." Her body shook as she let herself be warmed by Emily's warm hands against her icy skin.
"Don't be sorry," Emily sniffled, holding back tears of her own. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
"I'm just so afraid."
"Of what?"
"Hefty Hanna. I'm afraid of her."
Hanna opened her eyes and stared into Emily's. She saw them gleaning with unshed tears and found herself unable to look away.
"Can I tell you something? Honestly, from the bottom of my heart?"
Hanna nodded.
"You are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on." Emily nodded frantically when Hanna shook her head in disagreement. "You are. You are! You are so absolutely stunning; it's hard for me to look away sometimes." Hanna watched a tear fall down onto Emily cheek; her heart rammed against her ribcage.
"It's so hard for me to look away from you," she continued, "because all I ever want to do is look at you. You're so captivating, Hanna Marin. There are stars jealous of you; you're so radiant that you glow brighter than most of them. The first fall of snowflakes in December doesn't come close to compare with how breathtaking you are. It breaks my heart that your mind is treating you this way, because it's like it's trying to destroy the eighth wonder of the world. It's a horrible thing to witness, and I have no power to help you. And I want to so, so bad for you to feel beautiful again. Because you are. You are absolutely enamouring."
Without warning, Hanna smashed their lips together, throwing her arms around Emily's neck, tightening her grip. Emily's hands dropped to her back and hugged their bodies closer, until Hanna was sitting on her lap and there was practically no space between them.
"Wait," Emily mumbled against her lips and pulled away, Hanna struggled to gulp down air. "I'm sorry, this wasn't what I wanted."
"Oh," Hanna felt tears, ones that held rejection, welling up in her eyes once more. She twitched in Emily's arms, moving to sit back in her own chair, but Emily held her tighter.
"No, that's not what I meant." She licked her lips. "Hanna, I want you, but that wasn't about me getting what I wanted. It was about you."
"Were you being honest? About everything you said?" Hanna slowly asked, and Emily nodded quickly.
"Of course! Of course I was. I would never lie to you."
"Why, though?" Hanna touched Emily's lips, locking their gaze. "Why did you say all those things, instead of just trying to force me to eat?"
"I wanted you to be comfortable. I wanted you to feel safe with me."
Hanna's tears leaked onto her cheeks, but a smile, one of happiness, formed on her lips. "You did."
"I'll spend every day of my life making you feel beautiful until you beat this monster taking over your brain if I have to. And even the days after, when it's gone and you're able to feel beautiful on your own again, I'll still be there, telling you how gorgeous you are, and I'll mean every word."
Emily's lips sought out her own again in a much more delicate dance. Hanna's tongue flicked out to taste her, and Emily goaded in into her mouth gently.
Kissing Emily brought a new confidence to Hanna she hadn't felt in a long time. She wanted to keep kissing her, and keep kissing her, and when they would grow tired of it, she wanted to kiss her more.
Emily stood and Hanna wrapped her legs around her waist. Emily couldn't discern where she was headed, so occasionally her hand flew out to keep them from knocking into something. She tried guiding them to the couch, but Hanna shook her head as she felt her legs hit the back of it.
"No," she panted. "Upstairs."
Emily didn't hesitate on lifting her again, shifting her into a more comfortable position as she ascended each step carefully. They managed to make it up the stairs, still wrapped around each other, and into Hanna's room without having to pause for more than a few gasps of air.
The comforter was soft against Hanna's back, and Emily's sweater softer as she lied down on top of her, pinning her body to the mattress. Emily pulled away first, looking down at Hanna's flushed face, chest heaving. She reached forward and stroked Hanna's cheek with her thumb.
"What are we doing?" Hanna asked, and Emily smiled.
"I don't know."
"Did we go too far?"
"Maybe. Is that bad?"
"No," she smiled back. "It's not."
"What do you want to do now?"
"What do you want to do?"
Emily paused for a moment, looking down at Hanna with a loving gaze.
"I want every inch of you to feel beautiful, too. But, this isn't about me."
"I want this."
"You do?"
"I do."
"Okay."
Emily's fingers threaded into her hair and pulled her close, resting their foreheads together as her free hand traveled down Hanna's chest and to her hips. When she reached the ties of Hanna's robes, she gave Emily the okay with a subtle nod.
Emily undid the ties slowly and peeled them away, revealing Hanna to her. The blonde was only wearing her t-shirt and a pair of black underwear.
"You didn't think to change?" Emily whispered with a smirk into their tension filled atmosphere.
"When you came to the door, you caught me in the middle of..." she trailed off as she realized what she had almost said.
"Of what?"
Hanna swallowed and looked away. "Examining my body."
She expected Emily to pull away, to be as disgusted with her as she was with herself; she expected her to run away, which was what the demon that plagued her mind was telling her Emily would do.
What she didn't expect was Emily to press her body closer and place a kiss over her racing heart.
Emily tugged at the bit of cloth from the robe still covering Hanna's shoulders. Hanna sat up just enough for Emily to pull it away and toss it carelessly across the room.
Warmth spread throughout her as Emily ghosted her fingertips up and down Hanna's arms, goose bumps rising in their wake. Her body hummed pleasantly as Emily planted a kiss on her forehead.
"You're arms are so strong," she murmured. "They look so inviting; I want them wrapped around me all the time." She kissed her shoulder.
Her attention shifted to Hanna's legs as she sat back on her heels; Hanna grew nervous and began to fidget underneath her. They're too chunky, and disproportionate, she mused. What if Emily thinks so, too?
"Your legs," Emily rested her hands on Hanna's thighs and massaged them slowly. "Are so silky, and they stretch on forever." Her smiled fell as she hit a bump closer to the blonde's torso, and Hanna felt like she would throw up.
"Don't," she tried to protest, but Emily was already trailing her fingers across that scar and its identical.
"I want every inch of you to feel beautiful, remember?" She smiled again. "And these are just as beautiful as the rest of you." She moving downwards and kissed each one; Hanna decided then that these scars marring her skin should no longer hold terror of being seen. She wouldn't allow their meaning to taint her.
Emily's hands moved to the hem of Hanna's shirt, and Hanna shot forward to still them.
"Em, wait."
"What is it?"
"I'm... not comfortable without my shirt on."
Emily seemed to understand, and she brought Hanna's hand to her lips and kissed her palm.
Hanna's other hand had trailed up Emily side and was not resting against her belly outside her sweater. Emily noticed than Hanna was watching her hand's motions as she gently moved it in circles.
"Do you want me to take it off?"
Hanna's eyes snapped up to hers and she shook her head. "Can I?"
"Sure."
Emily released her grip on Hanna's hand and it moved to join the other, bunching up the end of her sweater and peeling it slowly off her body.
Black hair cascades back across Emily's shoulders after Hanna had pulled the sweater over her head. It was still resting inside her hands as she studied Emily's body.
Her chest was heaving subtly, her abs muscles contorting with each breath. Her caramel skin appears to be smooth to the touch, and Hanna reached up to feel it. Her stomach caved in as she sucked in a breath underneath Hanna's hand.
Emily's breasts were spilling from the top her bra from the two's jostling around before. Hanna trailed higher, hand skimming over Emily's chest to hook behind her neck and tug her back to her, seeking Emily lips in a heated kiss.
Hanna couldn't describe in words how wonderful Emily's almost naked body felt pressing against her own. She stroked down the swimmers back, feeling her spine beneath her finger dips, dipping into the dimples one her lower back. Emily moaned softly into her mouth and a new heat rose from between her legs.
"I want to feel you," Hanna gasped when their lips parted. "Against me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," she cupped Emily's cheek. "You make me feel comfortable. I'm not scared anymore."
Emily kept their gaze locked as she grasped the end of Hanna's shirt, pulling it up slowly, waiting for a signal that she should stop. As nervous as she was at Emily seeing her, Hanna didn't say anything, and allowed Emily continued. The fabric was just below Hanna's chest when Emily gave her a reassuring grin and tugged it up over her head, dropping it to the floor beside them.
Hanna felt the overwhelming urge to cover her body from Emily, but fought against it with every fiber of her being. Emily asked if she was allowed to look, and when Hanna nodded, she felt all the air leave her lungs and brown eyes trailed up and down her skin.
"You even more gorgeous than I imagined," Emily stated offhandedly, stroking the skin above Hanna's belly button with her thumb.
"So you've imagined me naked?" Hanna watched in amusement as Emily's cheeks flushed a brilliant crimson.
Emily shook her embarrassment and peppered kisses along Hanna's flesh, starting from her neck and traversing down past her exposed breasts and to her navel, where it dipped as Hanna gulped down much needed air.
Hanna stopped Emily's exploration to pull her back up, hands wrapping around her shoulders and moving to the clasp of her bra. She fumbled slightly, but she managed to pop them open, sliding the straps down her shoulders and chucking the garment away.
She pulled Emily flush against her, both gasping as their nude breasts pressed against one another's. The swimmer's head fell to Hanna's shoulder as she hugged her closer; Emily's arms wrapped around Hanna's neck.
"You're so warm," Hanna whispered into her ear; Emily shivered on top of her. Her hands skimmed across Hanna's sides, coming to rest against her hips, her thumbs pushing beneath the elastic band of her underwear.
"Is this still what you want?" Emily asked, voice trembling.
"I want this so much, Em."
Gently, Emily pushed herself back, guiding Hanna's last remaining article of clothing down her legs and off her body, letting it fall from her hands as she glanced back at Hanna, who was now completely naked, and squirming under her lust filled gaze.
"You too," Hanna squeaked, and Emily obliged, shucking off her jeans in underwear in record timing.
Both fully nude, they let their roam across each other's bodies, soaking everything in.
"It's hard for me to breathe right now," Hanna murmured.
Emily smiled softly in return. "Me, too. But, try putting yourself in my position."
"What do you mean?"
"You were so breathtaking to begin with and now... I don't think there's any oxygen flowing to my brain."
Hanna tossed her head back in laughter and Emily joined her, still beaming brightly as Hanna's cackles simmered down to mere giggles.
"Your body is magnificent, Hanna Marin, and don't let anyone - or anything - ever tell you otherwise. And you know what? The marvel of your body is nothing, compared to the sheer radiance of your soul."
Emily crawled back on top of her and wiped away a stray tear that had fallen onto Hanna's cheek, then leaned up to press a kiss to her forehead and smooth her hair back.
A tan hand trailed down between their bodies and came to rest against Hanna's inner thigh, tracing circles along pale skin with the pads of her fingertips. They settled on top of Hanna's center, the blonde's chest heaving as they slipped inside, moving along her slick heat.
"Em," she moaned into the swimmer's ear, pulling her body closer.
"You feel... wow..." Emily breathed out, words escaping her. She swiped her fingers over Hanna's clit and her hips arched into her touch.
They continued this for some time; Emily stroking her slowly, edging dangerously close to her entrance before crawling back up to circle her clit. Hanna's skin tingled from the base of her spine to the tip of nose, her body high on Emily's touch.
"I'm close," Hanna sputtered out and Emily's fingers picked up their pace, but Hanna shook her head and grabbed the swimmers wrist, effectively halting her movements.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just," she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I want to feel you, too."
Emily was frozen for a few seconds, paralyzed by the request, and Hanna immediately started to take it back, fearing she said the wrong thing.
Before she could speak, Emily removed her fingers from her clit and used them to spread her legs apart, settling herself between them. Hanna could feel her heat just above her own, along with Emily's heart as is pounded away in her chest as she lowered herself down, their erect clits brushing.
Hanna's moan was loud and unrestrained; Emily muffled hers by burying her face in the crook of Hanna's neck.
The swimmer ground herself down onto Hanna, each thrust more powerful than the last; Hanna's hands tangled in her hair and pulled Emily's face back in front her own, crushing their lips together. Hanna pushed tongue past Emily's lips and into her mouth, swallowing each of the swimmer's moans.
"Han..." Emily whimpered, igniting a slow burn in the pit of Hanna's stomach. It grew with each thrust of their each, each brush of their clits against one another's, each bite Emily left, sinking her teeth into Hanna's neck.
The orgasm had hit Hanna like a brick wall; she cried out Emily's name, nails digging into the flesh on the swimmer's shoulders, her skin set ablaze. Shortly after, Emily's washed over her, their bodies twitching and jerking as they clung tighter together.
The room echoed their heavy pants and, while Hanna's mind echoed Emily cries. Her mind was buzzing, body feeling light as her arms dropped to the sheets beneath her. Emily rolled off her and onto the bed beside her, hand grazing blindly down Hanna's arm to interlock their fingers.
Hanna crane her neck to look at Emily, who was already gazing at her and breathing slowly, a soft smile playing on her lips. She rolled onto her side and brushed the bits of blonde hair that had fallen into Hanna's eyes.
"I think this is the most gorgeous I've ever seen you." She paused to think then nodded to herself. "Yeah, it definitely is."
Hanna smiled back at her, but her expression fell as she seemed to remember something.
"What is it?" Emily asked, tucking a lock of hair behind Hanna's hair.
"I need to grab something, I'll be right back." She leaned over to kiss Emily, but hesitated a breath away from her lips. They were full and bruised from their kissing, parted slightly, breath escaping from them in labored wisps. She kissed her gently and smiled into it, loving the expression of happiness on Emily's face as she pulled away and shuffled out of the bed.
She returned a few minutes later and was greeted to the sight of Emily lying on her back, eyes closed, fingers tracing across her lips. She cleared her throat to gain her attention, and Emily turned to her slowly, brows rising in confusion.
"Can help me with these?" Hanna raised her arms. "I'm afraid I'll drop them."
"Is that...?"
Hanna nodded, setting the wine glasses down on her night stand. "I want to try something."
Emily's smile was blinding as she sat up and bounded over to Hanna, taking a plate from her and settling back on the bed, legs crossed. Hanna followed, albeit much more gradually, lowering herself into a seat position in front of Emily.
The swimmer reached behind her to grab a wine glass, dropping a kiss to Hanna's shoulder as she moved back.
The metal of the fork seemed less tantalizing than before, sliding between Hanna's fingers with ease. She poked a few mushrooms onto its spokes and lifted them to her mouth, taking a deep breath before biting down.
Flavors melted and exploded across her taste buds, each bite bringing a new taste to her senses. She moaned in appreciation.
"Oh my god, Em," she exclaimed, shoveling more of it into her mouth. "This is incredible."
After watching her wolf it down for a few seconds, Emily took the plate from her hands and set it beside her. She leaned forward and licked away a bit of sauce on Hanna's cheek, the blonde gasping silently.
Emily pulled back, beaming at her. Hanna's cheeks flushed.
"What?"
"I'm so proud of you," Emily melted off her tongue; she crane her neck upwards to press a kiss to Hanna's forehead, both their eyes falling shut at Emily's gentle caress.
"I know it's not much," Hanna said after they had eaten, plates, glasses and wine bottle (which Hanna had left to snatch about halfway through their meal) empty on top of the night stand, "but... I want to get better."
"I'm glad," Emily stated, staring up at the ceiling with a tiny smile, drawing patterns on Hanna's palm. "This is a really good thing, Hanna. I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, Emily." She rolled over and wrapped her arms tight around her torso. "Thank you for making me feel like I'm worth something."
"What did I tell you earlier?" Emily stroked her fingers through Hanna's hair.
"That you would spend every day of your life making me feel beautiful."
"Exactly."
"Well, today," whispered Hanna, pressing her ear against Emily's chest, listening to her heart thump softly, "you accomplished your mission."