I've been wanting to write an AU one-shot for a very long time, and I think I've finally found a good prompt idea. This is by FAR the longest one-shot I've ever written; almost 7k words! RIDICULOUS! That alone makes me SO proud! Anyway, I hope you like this, it's loosely based off of my parents relationship (ie how it began and came to be) and the correlation it has to their own best friends' relationship as well. Hopefully I haven't spoiled it, but I just wanted to make clear it's origin. I LOVE the story of their best friends, it's so adorable.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading this, and I hope there's enough incentive for you to click that review button at the bottom of the page. Onward!
- she's like a California sunrise on a winter day -
Night club music bumped profusely inside the basement of the Rosewood Country Club, as the night fell later and later. Two strangers, four that is, danced to the music's patterned beat.
"Hanna, it's almost one, my parents are going to be home soon!" Privileged lawyers' daughter, Spencer Hastings called out over her reverberating surroundings.
Her equally well-raised best friend, Hanna bobbed her head, ignoring Spencer's concern.
After a moment of attempted summoning, the brunette gave in to her impatience and shoved at the blonde's sundress-clad side. Hanna rolled her eyes, finally turning to face her. "What?" She asked, clearly irritated.
"We need to leave, it's almost twelve forty-five!" She replied.
Hanna's eyes went from glazed over to puppy dogged. She stuck out her Popsicle-red lip in a pout and whimpered. "But we just got here!"
"We've been here an hour, and all I've done is talked with that middle aged cart boy and sipped on the un-spiked punch. I think it's time to call it a night." She took the solo cup from her friend's grip, sniffing it suspiciously. "Is this vodka?"
The blonde nodded giddily, taking the beverage back into her own hands and dipping it back to gulp the last of it. "Mine. My vodka." She slurred.
"Han, lets go!" Spencer stepped forward to grab Hanna's hand to drag her out to their car, but instead, her body collided with a man's who had suddenly wedged between the two girls. Spencer ended up head butting him head-first, straight into his chest, her face coming in contact with his toned pectorals. The pair lost balance and fell on the ground in an awkward pile-up.
"Oh, my God!" Spencer managed to say as she clambered off of him, rolling herself onto her back. "I am so sorry! I'm such a klutz, and these shoes are really not my best friend." She gasped, referring to the five inch wedges she had stolen from her older sister's closet.
"That's ok," he replied sweetly, his voice running into her eardrum like smooth, velvety perfection. "As long as you're not hurt, we're good."
She got a glimpse of his eyes, shimmery pure pools of light blue, with those dreamy flecks of silvery white, and instantly melted. Clumsily, she shifted her weight onto her elbows, and reaching out her shaky hand, she obliged. "I'm Jill Hastings. Wait, no Spencer Jill... Uh, I'm Spencer! Spencer Hastings." She corrected herself.
"Toby," he said back, shaking her pale hand in his. "Nice to meet you, Klutzy... I mean Spencer Hastings."
And then he smiled, and she felt her whole world brighten, like a firework had exploded and her low, uncertain spirits were instantly lifted. He had the smile of a million heart-throbbing angels.
"You too, Tony." She stuttered a little, smacking herself on the forehead, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Toby!"
He smirked and laid a palm to her brow. "You sure you're ok? It was quite the collision."
"Mmhm!" She assured him, letting him pull her to her feet.
"Spencer, are you ok?" Hanna asked as she rushed over to her friend.
Spencer nodded awkwardly, trying to hide her blush. "Yeah, I'm fine." She pointed at Toby. "This is Toby, he somewhat cushioned my fall."
Hanna internally purred as she nodded and stuck out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Hanna Marin. You're hot."
"Hanna!"
"No, it's fine." Toby butted in, laughing at the tipsy girl's introduction. "I'll take it as a compliment. Nice to meet you, Hanna. You have a very klutzy friend, did you know?"
"Hey!" Spencer defended herself, ignoring Hanna's look of utter confusion. "It's the shoes, I told you."
After their exchange, Hanna got bored and left to fill her cup up with more liquor. Spencer and Toby were left, staring sheepishly at one another.
Finally, Spencer spoke up. "Do you live here? I feel bad, I don't recognize your face."
"Nah," he shrugged. "I work in the gold shop during the week and go to college in Pittsburg."
"Ah, well I haven't tried to golf in like, six years at least. No wonder. Where do you study?" She asked sheepishly.
"Carnegie Mellon, I graduate next spring." he mumbled.
"Really? Quite the brain, I see." She replied, stepping just slightly closer. "What are you studying?"
"Mechanical and Electrical Engineering." He said shyly, obviously not wanting to come off cocky at all. "What about you?"
"Pre-Law at UPenn. I'll be a junior this year." She beamed. It had been so long since she had met a man who was smart and a gentlemen, right off the bat.
"So, Spencer Hastings... Is there a chance that I could take you out sometime?" He proposed.
"Definitely, I'd say so." She replied, pulling a mock business card out of her pocket book. "My parents gave me these as a grad present, I never use them."
Toby guffawed, studying it. "Well now I don't have to go through the awkward process of asking for your fax." He teased.
Spencer groaned as she saw Hanna stumble out the back doors of the building and hesitated. "I should go. Call me?"
He nodded politely, waving the piece of card stock he had received.
- her voice is like a fire cracker, stinging and soothing all at once -
"Hannie, slow down. You're going to choke on your salad." Tom Marin sternly requested.
"Yeah, Hanna. Don't wanna choke." Her evil stepsister repeated under her breath. She then made a taunting move and pretended to shove her finger down her throat, and winked.
Hanna slowly lowered her fork back to the salad plate and felt heat rise in her cheeks. "Kay."
"Isabel, what's our tee time for the-" her father began, but was startled when a pitcher of lemonade suddenly splashed out over Hanna.
"Ohmygosh!" Hanna gasped, wiping the citrusy liquid running down her face, out of her eyes.
"Oh wow, I am sorry!" A man in a waiters uniform stammered. He set down the tray and picked the pitcher out of her lap. "Are you okay? I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking."
"Clearly," Kate, the stepsister, hid her sly smirk behind her water glass and slid her leg back user the tablecloth.
Hanna stood out of her seat and struggled with whether she should ring out her clothes, or change in the bathroom. "Uh, would you excuse me for a minute?"
Tom looked from her, to his wife and then to his stepdaughter. "Kate still keeps her tennis uniform in the locker, doesn't she?" Isabel nodded. He looked to Kate. "Would it be a bother to let Hanna change into them?"
Kate hesitated a moment, but figured it was the least she could do. It wouldn't look appropriate if Hanna had stayed soaked at the table. She reached into her tote and pulled out a pink keychain with a shiny, metal key on the end.
Hanna snatched it and rushed away from the table, out of the clubhouse dining room. As she power walked down the elegantly carpeted hallway, she sensed hurried footsteps coming from behind her.
"I could show you where the locker room is," The handsome waiter suggested, trying to catch up.
She scoffed. "I used to be a member here, I think I know where the Ladies locker room is."
"Okay, okay." He backed off respectively, letting her continue toward the stairs. "But you should know, they renovated the downstairs last winter. And you're headed for the break room..."
Almost instantly, the white heeled flip flops that adorned her feet came to a loud vault against the concrete step. Huffing out a sigh, she turned around and looked at him sternly. "Of course they did."
He raised his eyebrows and sent her an I-Told-You-So look in return. "It's all the way down the other end of the hallway, through the lobby, downstairs, and to the left." When he stopped, he noticed her complete confusion regarding his directions.
"I'll just pick up a dress the golf shop and charge it to my dad." She told him frustratedly. "Or did they move that to the other end of the earth, too?"
He chuckle and nodded. "Yeah, I'll show you where it is."
"That would be great." She replied through her teeth.
Smirking, the waiter waved her over to him, and began leading the way. "I'm Caleb, by the way."
"Hanna," she replied.
"So, Hanna. I'm guessing you don't come around here often, do you?" Caleb asked.
"What? Oh, well I used to in junior high, I took Pilates and tennis. Then my parents divorced and my dad married the step-monster. My mom and I sort of went broke afterward - and why am I telling you this? You probably don't want to hear my life story."
"It's ok." He shrugged. "I owe you that. I really am sorry, I think I tripped over your sister."
"Step-sister." She corrected him sternly. "And that doesn't surprise me. I'm pretty used to her pathetic antics. Once though, she tried to accuse me of taking a naked picture of her and texting it to everyone in our school at the time. Luckily, I found a loophole, but ever since... She's never going to back off."
"She sounds pretty relentless." He added.
Hanna giggled. "I could see her pulling the plug when I'm on my death bed."
"I don't have any sisters. I have brothers, but I don't see them more than three times a year. They live with my mom in California."
"You're from Cali?"
"Uh, no. I'm from all over the place. Right now, I'm living here for college. I go to Hollis." He informed her.
She stopped him for a second, recognition painting her face. "You go to Hollis?"
"So you've heard of it?" Caleb replied.
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm actually going to be attending in the fall. I started at Rose Falls Community College, but I'm transferring. My friend Aria goes there, she's my roommate."
He looked up. "Aria Montgomery?"
"Yeah, you know her?"
"Yeah, she was in my philosophy class in our freshman year. We've been studying together ever since."
"So you've lived here a while?" She asked, intrigued. Despite being drenched in lemonade by him just minutes earlier, Hanna was beginning to find this Caleb guy cuter and cuter as they continued to talk. She couldn't believe Aria had never mentioned him before. She was always asking for possible dates for parties and such.
"Um, yeah. My mom sent me to live with my aunt and uncle when I was little. She suffered from...issues." He paused, not wanting to get too into his mothers embarrassing past. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Anyway, I've lived here since high school. I was home-schooled with my cousin. My aunt died a couple years back, so it's been just my cousin and I for a while."
"Ah," she nodded. Before she knew it, they had arrived out front of the golf shop. Hesitating, and not wanting their conversation to end, Hanna turned toward him. "I guess this is where I leave you."
"I'm gonna come in. My cousin actually manages the shop, I have to talk to him." He said as he opened the door and led her inside.
A minute later, Hanna was dressed and freshly dry in a pink tennis dress she had picked out. As she walked to the register, she noticed the familiar face at the counter talking with Caleb. Approaching the two, she spoke up. "Toby, right?" She asked.
Toby turned around and smiled. "Can I help you?"
She furrowed her brow and pointed at herself. "Hanna Marin? I met you at the Memorial Day party last weekend."
It took him a while, but he soon recognized her as well. "Oh yeah! The drunk girl."
She nodded. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that... Bad break up."
He took the tags she had clipped off the dress and made the transaction and typed on the keyboard, nodding. "I getcha. But it seems like you've gotten over it."
"Huh?" She looked at him, confused.
Toby wiggled his eyebrows and glanced at Caleb, who was writing on a pad of paper in the back room. "You're with..."
She shook her head and Toby blushed. "You're not. Awkward. Okay then," he handed her receipt. "Thanks for stopping by."
Hanna gave him another odd look and thanked him. As she was walking toward the door, something stopped her. Suddenly she turned around and marched back to the register.
"You're dating Spencer, right?" She asked.
Toby looked up alertly and nodded. "Yeah, we're going out tonight."
"Oh, well that's nice." She let her voice wander off, waiting for Caleb to come back.
When he did exit the break room, he noticed that she was still in the shop. "Anything else I can help you with?" He asked.
Hanna nodded, resting her elbows on the counter. "Would you like to go out sometime?"
He stayed silent, a little taken aback. His mouth hung slightly ajar as he blinked repeatedly.
After a few seconds of unbearable silence, she frowned. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. We barely know each other."
"No, I just... It's cool. I mean, yeah I'll go out with you." He sent a sideways glance at his cousin who simply shrugged.
"Okay," she replied. She scanned the counter for any kind of scratch paper she could find, but there was nothing. Finally, she took a business card from the compartment on the counter and fished out a pen from her purse. She quickly scribbled down her contact information. "Here's my number, text me a date, time and place and I will see you around."
Caleb smiled and took the card. "Cool, I will."
"Excellent," she breathed. "By, Toby."
Toby waved back, an amused look on his face as she strutted away confidently. Once Hanna was out of sight, he turned to Caleb, who was awestruck. "Dude, what the hell was that?"
"I dunno." Was all the waiter could string together.
- and then her angelic ways mesmerize you and you're hypnotized -
"What do you mean, you're dating Toby's cousin?" Spencer asked Hanna as they sat in the barn outside Spencer's parents' house.
Hanna sighed. "I mean, I need a distraction from Sean, and I didn't know he was Toby's cousin until...wait, he told me before that. I dunno, it just slipped out. Sorry..." She faltered.
"Hanna, I'm not mad if that's what you think." The brunette told her. "If you want to date him, I say go ahead. It sounds like fun."
"Really?" Hanna asked nervously. "Cause I can take a rain check."
Spencer nodded. "Yeah, it's cool. Toby and I haven't even gone out yet. Tonight is our first date."
"Aw, where's he taking you?"
Spencer made a disappointed face and shrugged. "He actually hasn't told me yet. Oh God, I'm so nervous! What if they're like, serial killers and we're the perfect prey?"
Hanna clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes. "They are not! Both of them are super sweet, and totally normal. Well, normal for us. We're not exactly the best at choosing men."
"Can you come along, then? We can make it a double date." The brunette suggested.
She hesitated for a moment. She wanted Spencer and Toby to have a good first date. But on the other hand, it might be easier to break the ice if she and Caleb tagged along.
"Why not? Just text Toby and make sure it's alright with them."
Spencer typed away at her cell and sent a message. Two minutes later, she got a reply. "Toby says that's a great idea!"
Suddenly Hanna's phone beeped. She clicked it open and read the message. After typing a reply, she smiled. "So does Caleb. They're going to meet us at 5."
Three hours later, the foursome sat in a booth at a diner, laughing at each other's stories.
Spencer and Toby sat cuddled up to each other while Hanna and Caleb kept their distance, both too shy to make any moves.
They had just finished a hilarious round of miniature golfing, and had gotten the chance to really bond as a foursome.
"I can't believe you had never been mini golfing before!" Toby said to Hanna, surprised.
She laughed and nodded in agreement. "I've never had so much fun failing miserably at something, either."
"I still think you should have gotten extra points for knocking that creepy clown's tooth out in one shot." Caleb added.
Spencer caught her breath from giggling so much, and spoke up. "I think the point of the entire mini golf game is to laugh your ass off at whatever goes wrong."
"We did a lot of that tonight." Toby agreed.
A waitress came to the booth with a tray of their order. After everything was distributed, the gang dug in.
Hanna sat back and took her time eating each French fry slowly, not wanting to look like the pig she had unknowingly been at lunch, while everyone else went about eating normally.
When most of their food was gone, Spencer plucked the maraschino cherry out of her chocolate milkshake and dropped it on Hanna's plate.
"For you, Tricky." She said, nodding at the miniature fruit.
Hanna furrowed her brow at her friend, to which Spencer returned a discreet move of sticking her tongue out. Toby and Caleb were both very confused, and though they'd never admit it, a little turned on.
Hanna made an 'O' shape with her mouth and nodded. She took the cherry from her dish and placed it on her tongue, looking at both guys, and making sure they saw it there. She then closed her mouth and moved it around slightly, puckering her lips. About thirty seconds later, she opened up and stuck out her tongue.
"Eh, eh?" She showed off the cherry stem which she had tied into a little knot with her teeth.
"Impressive." Toby said. "Must be a good kisser."
She nodded cockily, adding. "You should see what I can do with my-"
"Hanna!" Spencer kicked at her under the table, but only to see Caleb wince instead. She knew she had hit the wrong area. "Oh, God. I'm sorry, Caleb!" She apologized.
"It's okay," he whispered, shifting in the booth seat. Hanna gave him a weird look.
Changing the subject, Toby butted in. "So, Caleb tells me you know Aria Montgomery?"
Spencer nodded. "She's our homegirl."
Hanna rolled her eyes and glanced down in embarrassment over her best friend's lameness.
"Ah," he sang. "Did you go to school together?"
"Yeah, through junior high. She moved to Iceland in the eighth grade, but came back for her junior year." Hanna replied.
"Is she still dating Fitz?" Spencer asked.
Caleb nodded, finally relaxing from being kicked in the junk. "How long have they been dating?"
Hanna shrugged. "We're not sure, it just sort of happened. One day she was charming up Noel Kahn, and the next she was hooking up with our American Lit teacher."
"People thought Ezra and I were dating first." The lawyer-to-be added.
Toby perked up surprised. "Really, who?"
"Aria's mom. She didn't approve of he and Spence either, so you can imagine what it was like when she found out the whole truth." Hanna teased.
After they had talked a lot more and made plans to get together again, both couples walked out separately. Spencer and Toby held hands, surprising each other by becoming so close in such short time.
Hanna and Caleb walked over to her car and stood awkwardly.
"I had a very fun time tonight, I'm really glad Spencer convinced me to come." Hanna said, breaking the silence.
"Me too. You're really a unique mini-golfer. Very entertaining." He agreed.
She smiled and sighed, falling back against the car door. They were so close now and she could smell the mint off his cool breath and it nearly made her melt right there. Suddenly she felt her chin being lifted slightly by his insistence and he kissed her chastely, slowly. Both adding more and more want into the gesture. She rested her hands easily on his shoulders and his hands found her lower back shortly after.
They pulled back slightly at the same time and she gazed into his beautiful, green eyes. The kiss was gentle, and sweet, but warm and romantic as well. Exactly what she needed to be sure of anything continuing with him.
She could do this. This was easy.
- and these hectic things have ways to mess her up -
It's many months later, January. Winter is bitter and it whips at the tip of Hanna's nose as she navigates the streets of Philadelphia. The Christmas decorations are still in the process of being taken down over the city, and the feeling of the season coming to a close merely adds to her depression.
As she passed the little chocolate shop on Redan Avenue, she grew sad with memories of her and Caleb stopping there at Thanksgiving on their way to visit their friends. She can almost taste the sweet sting of the cherry cordial as she had licked it lovingly off his lips mid-kiss.
Her heart sinks a little as she rounds the corner and passes the Neiman Marcus she had bought all his Christmas presents at. The velvet tie, the cologne that she loved smelling on her clothes in the morning; everything.
Finally she reaches Spencer's apartment. The UPenn student had moved in with Toby in November, their summer romance blossoming fast.
The door's button was icy and stiff against her fingertip as she buzzed up to them.
There was a scratchy noise before she finally got an answer. "Hanna?" The muffled tone of Spencer's voice asked.
"It's me." She replied to the speaker.
She stood back and waited, scuffing her boots along the pavement. The door then made a loud bell tone and the lock inside popped open.
Hanna secured her Marc Jacobs tote around her shoulder and pushed the heavy door open and walked inside. She walked up the slick wooden stairs, and followed them up as they twirled in a twist to the next floor.
She found the couple's red door instantly, having spent many nights and days there over any breaks she got from Hollis and from her job at the salon. With Caleb. And then everything hurt all over again.
Knocking on the titanium structure as hard as she could, she waited until Spencer came.
"Hey," her friend greeted her, sliding the door to the side.
Something was different about her, Hanna could tell. Something exciting. She seemed to be in high spirits, despite finals and the stress of the holidays.
"Well hello there, Smiley." Hanna greeted her friend and entered the flat. "Where's Toby?" She asked, looking around.
"He's out getting groceries." Spencer answered quicker than usual. Her eyes were a little red, but not extremely bloodshot. And her cheeks were puffy from allergies.
"Okay, what's up?" Hanna asked sternly, eyeing her friend. "You high? Did Toby make pot brownies again?"
"That was once, and he felt really bad when you puked all over your new heels. He paid for them to be cleaned!" She defended.
Hanna glared at her before continuing. "Seriously, what's up?"
Spencer raised her hands over her head in mock confusion. "Whatever do you mean?"
And then Han spotted the difference. The slight glint on her left hand floated around in the light.
"SPENCER!" She squealed, grabbing her hand.
"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Spencer replied giddily.
Hanna nodded furiously. "Absolutely! When? Where, how?"
"His sister's New Years party last weekend. He did it at the stroke of midnight, it was so romantic!"
"Which sister?"
"Jules, the older one. She's married with two precious kids. You've met her." She replied, cluing Hanna in. "Anyway, I digress. I know it's super fast... but I love him, so much."
The blonde nudged her friend playfully and sat down at the kitchen table in the middle of the loft. Her feet were completely tired of doing anything, and she needed to rest. "I think that this is wonderful, Spence. Seriously, this is amazing. You two weren't meant for each other."
Spencer blushed and looked at her now heavy jeweled finger. "I know. So are you and Caleb though, the two of you are so sweet it literally gives me a tooth ache!"
"Oh," Hanna frowned, staring at the table in front of her.
Sitting down across from her, she quietly asked. "What happened?"
"I dunno," she shrugged. "It was all so fast. Christmas was amazing. He and my mom got along so well, it was allreally more pleasant that I could've imagined. He got me a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings, and we just enjoyed ourselves the whole time."
"Sounds like a pretty great holiday to me,"
Her voice shook with nerves and feelings of confusion and anger. "It was. Then there we were on New Years night, we were laying in my bed together, just a post-sex cuddle, and he had to ruin it all." Spencer gave her a confused look. "He asked if, when we got back to Hollis for the spring semester, I would like to live together. Just the two of us, in his apartment. It's really the perfect situation, since Ari and Ezra are shacking up and I'm going to be roommate-less..."
"What'd you tell him?" Spencer asked from the edge of her seat.
"I panicked. I told him that I didn't think it was a good idea – we've only been together for a few months – and he completely freaked out. He claimed it was because I didn't know if I loved him. But I did – I do."
"And?"
She shrugged. "And he got upset when I didn't immediately tell him the truth, that I'm just not ready for such a big commitment. I love him, and I like where we are. But I don't feel like we have to do anything so huge to prove that. We're only 21, for God's sake! I need time to be independent, you know? We still haven't even graduated college! I'm not ready to get into stupid arguments over who's supposed to clean out the dishwasher, or who forgot to wipe the water from the floor after showering. I didn't want us to become my parents."
Spencer rolled her eyes and laid into her friend's. "Han, that's not going to happen."
"Well, it could! My grandparents were only together til my mom was in high school, and then my parents had to go and mess my life up with a big unexpected split. It's easy for that stuff to happen. We'd be totally happy, yes, but there could come a day when we wake up and can't stand the sight of one another. And I don't deserve that either." Hanna grabbed a kleenex from the box on the counter and wiped her eyes free of tears.
It was so shocking to Spencer how her friend had let the love of her life get away so easily. Hanna was not the type to sit around and let someone else tell her how to live her life; Hanna was a go-getter. And it was obvious how much she wanted to get him back. "This isn't the end of you two. I'll make sure of this."
- the tears in her eyes speak the truth of her past -
"Just talk to her, man."
"Why? What more is left to say, Toby? Hanna straight up said we weren't meant to be, and it's pretty obvious that she's right. I don't know why we wasted so much time on each other."
Toby and Caleb were in the kitchen of a little restaurant outside of Rosewood, where they were holding his and Spencer's engagement party. The women of the group were out in the actual dining room with the rest of the guests.
The muscular man placed a hand on his sullen cousin's shoulder. "Dude, do you even hear yourself right now? Clearly the two of you want each other, it's obvious because you're really over-douching it this time. Just go out there and tell her you love her and that she was right and you weren't. Women love that."
Caleb hesitated and shifted his weight to his other foot. "I don't know. I don't think I can take rejection twice in a matter of a month."
"Stop being a little douche-baby. Just get out there and do something," Toby ordered him, turning him by his shoulder and walking them out into the populated area.
Hanna heard them coming from behind and stiffened. She wasn't ready to be told off for the split. Caleb hadn't returned any of her phone calls and she had no clue as to what was going to come out of his mouth.
Caleb circled around the table and took the empty seat next to her, sitting himself down. Hanna couldn't take the audible silence between them. She looked for her friend, but only found Spencer had moved to the end of the table with her fiancee. Everyone in the room was focused on the guests of honor to care about the other couple's rift.
Suddenly, Hanna felt warm breath in her ear and immediately shuttered.
"I'm sorry," Caleb mumbled into her ear.
She turned to the side and stared at the man who sat there, with so much love for her. Leaning a little closer, she whispered back. "No, I am. I freaked out and it was stupid."
He spoke out loud this time. "No, I was the stupid one. I shouldn't have walked out so easily. And I shouldn't have made you feel like I was pushing you into something that you clearly weren't ready for."
Hanna smiled and took his hand. "I want this to work, believe me."
"I do,"
"Then can you trust me? I love you, okay? I love you. We shouldn't need to commit to something so big just to confirm our love. I don't, at least."
Caleb smiled and brought their hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles. "You're right." It wasn't that hard to admit.
She sighed and wrapped her hands around his neck. Leaning in, she kissing him tenderly but with meaning. She couldn't take all the angst between the two of them; she needed them back.
- and then there she goes, defying her own odds -
And suddenly, it's November of that same new year. Spencer Hastings stands in the little bridal suite at the Rosewood chapel, dripping in white.
"Oh God, where's my something borrowed? Mom!" the bride panicked. The blue garter had already been placed around her leg, and she was wearing brand new shoes, and her great grandmother's pearls. Yet, nothing borrowed. It was the apocalypse.
"Calm down, darling. We'll find something." Veronica Hastings gripes and sips another long drag of red wine.
"Mom," Melissa Hastings hisses. She pulls the flute of alcohol from her mother's grasp. "It's not even five o'clock yet!"
"It is in England..."
Hanna swiftly navigates through the heap of clothes and bags and makeup trunks. "Here, I have something you can borrow!"
"What?" Spencer cries.
"Take my earrings. We can switch, and that's sort of the same things as borrowing." She moves to remove the diamonds from her earlobes.
The bride frowns and shakes her head. "No, those are from Caleb. They're special."
Hanna shakes her head in reply. "I insist," she places them in Spencer's hands and pulls a pair out of the back-up kit. "I've got my whole life to wear them."
"You're the best!"
At the reception, everyone is out on the dance floor. Even Caleb and Ezra and all of the boys, everyone is dancing..
All the couples are dancing together, making the most of the night while they're still sober and there's no drama. Spencer and Toby share loving exchanges as they cling to each other through every song.
Hanna sighs and lays her head on her boyfriend's shoulder when a slow song comes over the speakers. "You're perfect." she whispers.
He pulls away and looks at her. "What?"
"You're perfect." she repeats.
Caleb chuckles. "Where is this coming from? I mean, I'm very flattered, but seriously..."
"Am I not allowed to think out loud?" she teases. She blushes when he continues to giggle, and lightly swats at his shoulder. "I just really love you, and I think you're perfect."
"Wow," he smiles, truly impressed at her compassion. "Thanks."
They sway a bit longer, but soon take a break. Spencer gets ready to throw her bouquet, and all the women gather 'round, except Hanna.
"Go on," the overly demanding photographer urges her. She blushes and refuses, but the woman shoves her over. "No, you're the Maid of Honor, go!"
Hanna waltzes over to the crowd of girls, offended by the gesture, but stands with them nonetheless. As Spencer tosses the bushel of flowers over her shoulder, she makes her best attempt to look distracted by something. Little does she know, things don't work that way. Suddenly, she 's pushed to the floor by a bony woman who dives for the prized object beneath her.
When she wakes up, she's back in the lobby of the reception hall, sprawled out on the loveseat, a damp wash rag on her forehead.
"Han?" a deep voice lures her to open her eyes.
"Caleb, what happened?"
He smirks and stifles a laugh. "Spencer's co-worker knocked you over on her journey to catch the bouquet. But no worries – she was beat out by Aria. You should've seen the look on her face!"
She giggles and sits up slowly. "God, this is embarrassing. How many people saw me go down?"
"A couple." he shrugged. "I brought you out here right after, it wasn't a big deal. No one saw."
He leaned down and placed a soft, gentle kiss on the now-forming bruise just above her eyebrow. She smiled up at him groggily and leaned forward, resting her head square in the middle of his chest, to where she stared at his crotch basically. He sighed and ran his fingers through her long, soft curls. They sat there in silence a minute, just together.
Spencer then rushed in, panicking. "Oh Han, are you ok? I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention!"
"No, I'm fine," Hanna replies, waving her off. "Just a little woozy. Caleb is taking care of me, isn't that sweet?" she teases him, pinching his cheeks. He jokingly shoves her hands away and walks into the restroom with the rag, mumbling something under his breath.
Spencer huffs out a breath and sits down on the seat next to Hanna. She turns to her blonde friend and smiles, wagging her eyebrows suggestively. "You guys are adorable, I bet you'll get married next."
"Aria caught the bouquet, if you'll remember." Hanna scoffs.
"Still, I can see it."
- she's addictive, and you want her constantly -
Hanna blows at the steam rising from her mug of hot chocolate. She brings her feet up to her chest and stretches them back out, propping them up on the dashboard of her boyfriend's car.
"This was a really great idea." Caleb admits from the driver's seat.
She laughs and nods. "Spending New Years Eve in a big noisy club with a bunch of drunk, middle-aged married couples is so last year! Drive-in movie theaters are really the way to go."
"Tell me about it," he adds. "Happy New Year, by the way."
"Oh hey, you two, babe. Here's to a year of us, just us. And hopefully a lot of fun and happiness... And also good sex."
Caleb laughs soundly and throws his head backward and it bangs on the seat. "That actually sounds like a very good wish for this coming year. I agree, let's hope for happiness and good sex."
"They kind of go hand-in-hand." she adds. She pauses for a moment and thinks, stirring her hot cocoa in deep thought. Looking up, she asks. "What do you really hope for, this year?"
His response is delayed. The question had caught him off-guard. Shrugging, he replies, "To be honest, I just want to survive, and I want us to stay together. It's sort of lame and unthoughtful, I guess."
She shakes her head. "No, that's completely honest and believable. I want that, too."
"You do?"
"Yeah, I do." she returns. "I want us... I want us like, forever."
"Really?" he asks. She nods. Caleb sits up in his seat, crossing his legs indian style. "Then there's something you should know..."
Hanna furrows her brow and stares at him with a look of utter confusion. Finally, she speaks. "Is this going to go down like the part in those My Horrendous Honeymoon where you tell me that you have like, seven other wives in different countries?"
"No," he breathes, grinning uncontrollably. "Just... Look in the glove compartment, there's something in there that you might enjoy."
"Ooh, like a present? I thought we agreed, no more presents until the credit card bill and rent are paid."
"Just look," he egged her on.
Hanna pretended to look offended by his musings, but to no avail. She then turned to face the front window of his car, and opened the glove box. Fishing around, all she could find were old gas station receipts and empty packs of gum. But something caught her eye suddenly. Something soft, velvety like his holiday tie. Taking in in her fingers, she pulled it out of the compartment and gasped.
"What is this?" she murmured, almost so low it wasn't audible.
"Open it." he ordered her.
The little velvet box clicked open on her command. It was like a dream, like the world around them had been shut off. Upon opening it, she found her suspicions to be true. There in the little indention of cushioning, sat a small diamond engagement ring. Hanna gasped.
Caleb took the box from her frozen grasp and lured her attention to him again.
"I'd get down on one knee, but we're in a car and it's minus three outside." he stated, holding the box in one hand, taking hers in his other. "I wanted to do this big, and romantic. But right now, it just seems too right to pass up. I love you, Hanna. I've always loved you. In fact, I knew I was in love with you the moment you walked in to the club dining room that one day in June. We're all that I have, and I don't know what my life would be like, without us. You're my everything, Han. You're it. You make me feel like I can do anything, like this world isn't as scary or as vast as it may seem, because I have you with me. I've experienced life without love, and it's not a life that I want to live. And a life without you, without what we have, isn't a life at all in my opinion."
"I love you," Hanna mouthed. She wiped the now flowing tears from her eyes and tried her best to smile, despite the emotions.
"I know," he nodded. "I know. So, this is my promise: I will do whatever it takes to spend the rest of my life with you, because that's the life I dream of. A life where we live in a big house, with a huge backyard. A life with lots of kids, and pets... Sex to die for." he stops to laugh at the statement. "Most of all, I just want you. I know you say that we don't have to pass huge milestones to prove our love for each other, but this just feels right. I want to marry you because not only do I love you more than anything in this world, but because I want to prove it to everyone I know, how furiously, uncontrollably in love with you I am. So, Hanna Marin, will you do the honor of being my wife?"
"Yes!" she shouted between joyful sobs. Hanna let's him slip the modest, yet stunning ring on her finger, then undoes her seat belt and launches herself into his awaiting arms. Attacking his mouth with heated kisses, she lets his hands roam over her body, up and down her tiny frame.
Minutes later, she cozies herself into his chest and the lights around them in the drive-in fade. The movie starts to roll it's opening credits, but all the couple can think about it each other. How much they loved each other, how they couldn't wait to be married; everything. Because that's what they were to one another. Everything.
- and in the end, she wants me after all -
What did you think? I'm sorry if this sucked, but I worked SO HARD to finish this. Please review and tell me what you really thought. I know it was totally all over the place, but that's jus the way I write. I've had the time of my life writing this, and it is so personal of a story to me that I love it to death.
Again, please review because I want to know if I have done this story and these gorgeous couples justice.
PS: I know it's based on the Michael Buble song, "Everything" and all, but the little snippets of line breaks are my original writing.