Thank you for beta'ing, Emilie2601
"Are you sure you don't want me to do your nails?" Hanna asks Aria's mother the day of her remarriage to Byron.
Ella shakes her head at the young blonde girl. "That's okay. You've done so much already. I can give myself a mani-pedi."
"I could do your hair," Hanna offers almost desperately. "Please let me. I was born for this."
"Okay," Ella agrees after a few seconds of pondering. She wonders why Hanna is all of a sudden being so helpful. It's not that she used to be useless in her teenage years or anything, but outside of school, Aria's blonde friend has never had a full-length conversation with her. Neither have the other girls, for that matter, but Hanna was the most anti-authority figure person she had ever met. Now after five years, Hanna's respectful to her elders. Something has changed about her, but Ella's not sure what it is. It's like she's trying to distract herself from something that's bugging her.
Hanna smiles as she stands behind a seated Ella in front of a full-length mirror. "God…I can't stop admiring your dress. It's so shiny and I was right…you're beautiful in it," the twenty-three year old compliments Ella. "How you managed to look the same five years later, I'll never know."
"Oh, please," Ella murmurs, "I'll have you know that I found a few gray hairs this morning and I looked a lot skinnier in my twenties. There's wrinkles-"
"Don't worry about that, Mrs. Montgomery. As your assistant, I did a damn good job, and as your daughter's best friend, I'd say you're in your thirties. Now…what kind of hairstyle would you like?"
"I'll have a half pony braid, thank you." Ella gathers a clump of her hair that she wants Hanna to braid and puts her hand under it once Hanna's holding it.
"Okay, got it." Ella watches Hanna make it with much concentration in her eyes. "Hey…you know that thing you said about your first love?"
"Yeah, we drifted-"
"Did he move out of Rosewood?" Hanna interrupts her.
"Yes."
"Well, Caleb did too, but he returned," Hanna says quickly. Her fingers move through Ella's hair gently. "I have no idea why I'm talking about him when I'm engaged. I'm about to marry some guy I met in Europe!"
Ella notices that Hanna's on the verge of tears and she's close to yanking the older woman's hair out with her rapid movements. "Ow! You're panicking. Maybe you should take a break."
"I'm sorry. I'm almost done." Hanna winds an elastic around the end of Ella's braid and starts pacing the room. "Have you ever agreed to go out with someone you didn't love just because you were lonely?"
Ella shakes her head no. "I can't recall."
"Okay, I am officially the dumbest human being on the planet! I let him go, Ella! I shouldn't be this upset seeing him with someone else, especially one of my best friends, but I am! I gave her the green light to date him because I didn't actually think he'd go for her! Oh my God, just seeing them together…it makes me want to vomit." Tears are streaming down Hanna's face as she clutches her chest with one hand and her stomach with the other. "As much as I want to be over him and happy for my best friend, I'm not! I never will be! Listen to me, I'm with Jordan, and yet I feel empty without Caleb. I'm dead inside!" She collapses on the Montgomerys' couch while sobbing into a pillow and Ella glides over to her. "I got my veil and my dress and everything!" she blubbers as the brunette wraps her arms around her shaking body. "Do you know how much this ring cost?" Hanna gasps and wails for a minute or two. "He treats me well, too, Jordan does. You know what his last name is, though? It's Hobart! How does Hanna Hobart sound to you? This is the biggest mistake ever! I don't even love him that much. I should've never done it…if I hadn't, I'd be Hanna Rivers and we'd have two kids by now! Caleb supported me through college and my job, you know. He did everything for me, Ella! I-I was just so busy…so wrapped up in my thriving career…that I had no time to be with him! Of course, he had his own work, but our lifestyles didn't match." Hanna sniffles and Ella strokes her hair. "He wasn't into all the fashion stuff and he called every one of my bosses a Sybil. He said I let the fame get to my head and I told him if it bothered him that much, then he could leave. I guess you know what happened after that. I mean…I suppose Spencer's more down to earth than I am, but come on! It's not like I was trying to be a Sybil…he just couldn't stand not being as popular as me. I don't know what to do now. I really don't. I got fired…so I'm not in the fashion industry anymore. It was my dream career, but maybe I'm not cut out for it. I couldn't even keep my man with it."
Ella listens to Hanna's story. "I think you should have a long conversation with him about this before it's too late and he and Spencer get hitched."
"Ew! Spencer Rivers? No. I'm not having that."
"I advise you to break up with Jordan if you're not a hundred percent happy with him. I wouldn't want to be with a person who's thinking about someone else."
"You're right…I don't want to lead him on. It's just that if things don't work out with Caleb, he's the best I got."
"Okay, well, the wedding isn't for a few hours. I wish you luck in talking to Caleb."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Hanna drives to Spencer's barn and knocks on the door, but nobody answers. She waits for a minute, but just as she's about to leave, the door opens to reveal a shirtless Caleb. She can't take her eyes off him. She's ashamed for checking him out at such an awkward time like this. She knows he wasn't in the shower since his hair isn't wet.
"I'm sorry," they mumble at the same time. Hanna peeks around him and then suddenly wishes she hadn't. Spencer's in his shirt and she has nothing else on. The blonde's heart cracks. "Yeah, I'll just come back later."
"No, no, come on in," Spencer says while struggling to get into a pair of jeans. Caleb throws on a shirt that was previously hanging from an open drawer.
Hanna cautiously walks further inside the barn and sees Spencer's bra dangling off one of the bedposts. She takes a deep breath to calm herself down. "So…Caleb, you're…you're living here?"
"Yeah," he says casually. "I don't have anyplace else to stay."
"Right…well, um…Jordan rented this really romantic motel room with a heart-shaped bed. There were red satin sheets…the whole room was red, actually. You would've thought it was totally cheesy, but it was actually pretty cool."
"Congratulations?" Spencer poses it like a question. "That's nice, but why are you telling us this?"
It's to make Caleb jealous. "This place is a total mess," Hanna blurts out.
"You didn't exactly arrive announced. We weren't prepared for guests," Caleb answers her.
"I know. What I'm trying to say is…I wasn't exactly telling you the truth. I lied about being fine with you two hooking up, Spence. It destroys me every single day when I see you holding hands, kissing, or even touching each other in a non-sexual way. I did not expect him to fall in love with you-I'm not saying that you aren't pretty…you are…but you two were strictly platonic best friends since we've all known each other. I can't get behind this new relationship. I know that sounds totally selfish since I'm engaged and you're gonna date no matter what I say, but…I just wanted to be honest. I'll leave you two in peace now." Hanna's starting to choke up. She stands and begins to walk out of the barn, but Spencer stops her. Caleb sighs and runs his hand over his face.
"Han…your happiness means more to us than anything. We can break up right now."
"We'll just put this behind us," Caleb agrees. "We both felt guilty after…"
"How did you two even…ugh, I don't want to know!" Hanna exclaims. "I'm not about to ruin this romance you have going on-"
"No, it's okay. I've always rooted for you guys to make it. Who am I to stand in the way of the most together high school sweethearts I've ever known? Believe me, this was…Caleb and I are close friends and that's it."
"Hanna, I thought you were in love with Jordan. Did he hurt you?" Caleb asks.
"No, nothing like that…it just hit me. I couldn't take it anymore. I adore you so much more than Jordan. I said yes to his proposal because I thought there would be nobody else who wanted me forever. Seeing you in Rosewood after such a long time…it brought back old feelings. Suddenly, I was sixteen and madly devoted to you. It's crazy, but I…I want us to rebuild our relationship. Remember everything we had together…see, Jordan could never handle this A stuff like you can. He doesn't know what it's like to camp out at school overnight or have a family he rarely sees. This new tormentor…it would be too much for him. I don't think he deserves that kind of life. You, though…you're strong, brave, and you were always there for me through all the good and bad times. You're friends with my girls…Jordan barely knows them. You call my mom by her first name…Jordan hadn't even met her until recently and we've been together for like, two years. Caleb, I know that our lives went separate ways because of our flourishing careers, but if our relationship was special to you at all…could we please start over? Pretend we're just two stupid kids trying to escape A like we were five years ago. I got fired, so you don't have to worry about any Sybils. We're not in New York. Look, I just did Ella's hair and designed her dress for her wedding and poof, no big fancy party happened that I had to drag anyone to. I like it here better."
"I do too, and I missed you so much, Hanna," Caleb says. He wraps her in a hug and rocks her back and forth. The butterflies in her belly return and she feels warm. He kisses her once, and then twice. She closes her eyes and moans.
In the background, Spencer's crying, but she assures Hanna and Caleb that they're happy tears. "You guys are such a beautiful couple!"
Damn right, Hanna agrees. She's glad that she talked to Ella about this because if not, none of this would've happened. She finally has her man back. There's just one more thing she has to do. She's technically cheated on Jordan, and she doesn't want to ask him to come back to Rosewood just to dump him, so she leaves him a voicemail, asking him if they can talk over the phone later.
Hanna and Caleb laugh while holding hands in the car. He's driving them to the Montgomerys' place. "So…I don't mind being your date at the wedding. In fact, I'd be honored."
"I'll make sure you don't get bored. Ella isn't a high-class bitch like all those Sybils."
"Yeah, and I know you aren't either, baby. I'm so sorry I said that shit. It was rude."
"Well, if I was in your position, I'd feel out of place too. You know I love working in fashion…but without you, none of it matters. It can't get too big in Rosewood, right?"
"Mm-hm. Besides, we need to get rid of the new stalker. I hacked their computer."
"Whoa, you did? Awesome!" Hanna gave him a high-five and giggled when he pulled her close to his side. "Oh, and by the way, you can help Spencer with her mom's election."
"I know that, and if she needs me, she can always text me. Right now, though, I'm with you."
Hanna nods and rings the doorbell. Ella answers it. "Hey…I see that you're back together!"
"Yeah!" the blonde says excitedly. "It's a clean slate for both of us. I don't care about making it big if it doesn't include Caleb."
"Good for you! However…I've been staring at my reflection in my bedroom mirror for the past half hour…and I got cold feet. I do not want to marry Byron again. He betrayed me…I can't be with someone I don't trust. I'm sorry, Hanna…you worked so hard, and here I am, being an ungrateful snob."
"Ella, it's okay, really. I know that you appreciated my help, it showed on your face, and I enjoyed our time together. You can still use that dress for another special occasion…"
"Yeah, our wedding, for example," Caleb says and squeezes Hanna around her middle. while kissing the top of her head.
Hanna gasps. "Wait, are you-"
"I am."
"I would be proud to wear it when you two get married!" Ella exclaims.
Hanna's friends are extremely overjoyed for her and Caleb and they're all shrieking and fanning themselves. Jordan is disappointed after Hanna cancels their engagement and she returns her rock. Caleb gets her one that's a bit smaller but just as shiny. They give Spencer time to move on from her fling with Caleb and they make sure she's not too upset about it before they set the date. Ashley is relieved to hear that Hanna and Caleb have rekindled their passion for each other.
Emily has moved into Spencer's barn and as for Hanna and Caleb, their legs are tangled beneath sheets in Lucas' fancy place every time they get a chance to be alone, which is often. They live there now and they're perfectly and genuinely happy. The sparkle in Hanna's eyes have returned, Caleb says. Even though he cares about Spencer, he's always felt weird about fucking one of his best female friends.
She can't contain her giddiness and he hasn't felt this good in forever.