The rest of the week went by rather quickly. Caleb and Hanna always went for frappuccino after work, and they were beginning to know each other better day by day.
On Saturday, since Caleb didn't have classes in the weekend, he worked in the afternoon with Toby, from four to midnight. There had been a small change of shifts for that day, and Hanna would work with Emily when he and Toby would be done. Anyway, Toby was a nice guy, and Caleb found himself comfortable around him too.
"So... How are things going? You're okay here or you think we're all crazy?" Toby asked at some point as they washed some mugs.
"Dude, if you guys are crazy, I should be in a nuthouse. I'm doing really good, thanks for asking." Caleb replied, smiling.
"I'm glad. You know, I was hired later than anyone here, and... And this is one of my first jobs, so I was kind of nervous about it. I thought I wouldn't have been able to settle in and that I would have lost this chance. But it went okay, eventually."
"Have you bonded with anyone during your first days? I mean, maybe someone who helped you settle in..."
"Hanna, more than anyone." Toby replied immediately.
Caleb nodded shortly, silent.
"She's the most friendly of us. Not that we're all assholes, but she just loves being with people, you know. What about you, have you bonded with anyone in particular? I mean, besides me." Toby continued, grinning.
"With Hanna. Evidently, she's nice with everyone at the beginning." Caleb replied, with a slight tip of disappointment in his voice.
Toby shook his head lightly before replying.
"Hanna just wants to be kind. Plus, she's just like you see her, she's not a pretender. If she told you something nice, it's because she really thinks that. Believe me, if she couldn't stand you, she would've already stopped being nice to you."
Caleb nodded as he wiped his hands on his apron.
"What did she do with you to make you settle in during your first days?" he asked Toby then.
"Well, pretty much what I'm doing with you right now. Small talks during the quiet moments, you know, nothing big, but... It helped me."
"So... Have you two ever...gone out together?"
"What? No! Sometimes we went to some discos, you know, but we were all together, I mean, us from the bar... That's something we do quiet often when the bar is closed, but always all together." Toby replied.
Caleb nodded, then Toby furrowed his eyebrows.
"Man, are you thinking about asking her out?" he asked then.
"No." Caleb chuckled awkwardly.
"Well... Last time I checked, she wasn't dating anyone. Are you sure you don't wanna give a shot?"
Caleb just rolled his eyes.
"C'mon, dude, I saw the way you look at her. I'm not stupid." Toby smirked, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Well, okay, she's gorgeous. That's why I look at her like that. But it's not like I have a crush or something." Caleb replied quickly, shrugging, not completely sure if he was being honest.
"Yeah, maybe not yet. Anyway, in my opinion, if you ask her out, you would actually have some chances."
"Uh... And what does make you think that?"
"Oh, you know, I saw the way she looks at you as well." Toby slightly rolled his eyes, laughing with himself.
"What... What do you mean?" Caleb was genuinely intrigued by then.
"Well... She's always smiley and everything, yeah, but when she sees you, she seems doing that even more. And... I might've also overheard some conversation between the girls about you. Hanna has always good words for you." Toby shrugged.
Caleb shook his head quickly and took a deep breath before replying.
"Well, actually... Hanna and I already went for coffee together. But just a couple of times."
"You seriously went out with her?" Toby raised his eyebrows.
"Well, the first time we just kind of ran into each other at the Starbucks around the corner of the street, after work. Oh, speaking of which... Please, don't tell Jason that his bartenders go for coffee at the rival bar. Anyway... I bought her a frappuccino and then we just talked, for hours. Then I kind of told her that she owed me, so she would have to buy me something to Starbucks the next day. That's how we saw each other again, the following day, after work. But I paid that time too, so... You know, now it has become kind of a habit to spend some extra time together after work. I always manage to pay before she has even the chance to find her wallet."
"Sounds nice. You guys seem to have grown pretty close to each other, despite it's just your first week." Toby smiled.
"Nothing happened, we just had something to drink together after work." Caleb shrugged.
"Yeah, but... Look, throughout these months, I learned how Hanna is, I think. She's friendly with everyone, sure, but... I mean, it's not like she goes for coffee if she doesn't really appreciate the company, especially if she has already spent her last eight hours with that same company."
Caleb smiled at him and nodded.
"Anyway, dude... I would appreciate if this conversation stays between you and me. I mean, the girls are great and everything, but—" he started then, but Toby patted his shoulder and gave him a wink, cutting him off.
"I got it. No worries, man. And, to be completely honest, I often stop by that Starbucks too. We're all guilty, but neither Jason nor Ezra will ever know, don't worry."
Caleb laughed slightly, but then a sudden thought crossed his mind, so he just told Toby.
"Speaking of 'I see the way you look at her'... What about you and Spencer?"
Toby's face suddenly became flushed as he turned to Caleb with a shocked look on his face.
"What?" he asked in a whisper.
Caleb laughed again.
"Man, I'm not stupid either." he added then.
"Uhm... S-She has a boyfriend." Toby mumbled awkwardly.
"But you like her."
The blonde guy sighed and scratched the back of his neck.
"It's complicated. She's in a really serious relationship, she's been with her boyfriend for several years." he murmured then.
Caleb gave him a sad smile and patted his shoulder.
"Well... Never say never." he told him then, before turning to the shelves to take a bottle of gin to make some drinks.
Around half past nine, Caleb was surprised to see Hanna entering the bar, despite she and Emily would take over for him and Toby only at midnight. She rushed to the counter and kissed Caleb's cheek with a big smile on her face before doing the same with Toby.
"What are you doing here already?" Caleb asked smiling, leaning forward over the counter as Toby walked away to answer a phone call.
"Well, it's Saturday. There's always some good live music at ten on Saturdays. I like coming to watch that, whatever shift I have. Jason probably forgot to tell you." she explained as she took a seat on a barstool.
"Oh... Nice. Where's Emily?"
Hanna slightly rolled her eyes.
"Enjoying her last couple of free hours with that idiot of her boyfriend in what's supposed to be my apartment too before getting her ass to work." she muttered then as Caleb let out a short amused laugh.
"Alright... So, what do I get you, miss?" he asked then, smirking.
"Oh, don't worry, you don't need to." she replied, smiling.
"C'mon, it doesn't happen often that I'm working while you're not... You should take advantage of that." he grinned.
She laughed slightly as she finally decided she could actually enjoy something to drink.
"A beer would be good."
Caleb nodded before bending down to pick a jar of beer from one of the shelves under the counter.
"Shit." Toby muttered, walking back to the counter after the phone call.
"What's up?" Caleb asked, looking up at him.
"It was Ezra. The dude who was coming to play tonight had a small car accident. He's okay, but... He called Ezra and told him he's in hospital to get checked, so... He can't come." Toby sighed.
"What? Are you serious? There's a bunch of people here and they're all waiting for tonight's live music!" Hanna exclaimed, widening her eyes.
"I can see that, Han, but I'm afraid we just have to tell them that tonight's show is cancelled." Toby shrugged, biting his lip.
Caleb pulled the jar full of beer toward Hanna, who thanked him.
"We're gonna lose all the customers...and their money." he pointed out then.
"Well, it's not our fault. Jason will understand." Toby commented.
"Yeah, he sure will, but... I don't know, it just feels wrong. I mean, from what you guys said, tonight's live music is a pretty good thing for this bar. Cancelling it, just do that, well, I think people will get kind of mad. They will just go somewhere else." Caleb continued.
"Well, dude, doesn't look like we have much of a choice here." Toby replied.
Caleb licked and then pursed his lips, looking around the bar full of people and then focusing on the small platform at the bottom of the room. He took a deep breath and turned to Toby.
"Is there a chance that you guys have a guitar somewhere here?" he asked then, biting his lower lip.
Toby furrowed his eyebrows.
"Yeah, I think there's one in Ezra's office, in the back. Why?" he replied then, slightly confused.
Caleb took a deep breath and wiped his hands on his apron.
"Hanna, will you please cover my shift for a little while?" he asked then, smiling toward her.
"What do you have in mind, Philly boy?" she smirked, even though she had an idea.
"I'm saving the night... You'll be surprised." Caleb replied, grinning and raising his eyebrows as he took his apron off.
Toby watched confused as Caleb walked to the back, and Hanna smirked as she put her own apron on.
"What is he up to?" he asked her.
"Let's see." she shrugged, grinning.
Minutes later, Caleb was making his way to the platform with a guitar. Actually, it wasn't his very first live performance, but the thought of Hanna watching him kind of made him feel nervous. As he stepped on the platform, he crossed her gaze and she smiled at him.
Caleb tried to stay calm as he approached the microphone and greeted everyone, as the people started clapping their hands from their seats. He didn't even bothered himself to explain that the guy who was supposed to perform that night wasn't him, he just focused on what he was doing. He played many different songs by many different artist. An hour and half later, at midnight, Toby signaled him he could stop there, so Caleb concluded his last song and said thanks to the clapping crowd. He caught sight of Hanna behind the counter who was clapping her hands loudly and smiling widely at him, with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. He smiled back at her, then he left the platform and quickly made his way back over to the counter.
When he finally got there, he was about to ask Hanna what she thought about his performance, but he couldn't because, before he could say anything, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He felt slightly caught off guard by that warm hug and he stayed still for a second, but then he returned her hug.
That was their first hug.
"You were amazing..." she murmured then, slowly pulling away from his body.
Caleb smiled awkwardly.
"Thanks, I... I just thought I could help, then I also thought that you would appreciate to listen to me, or at least that was what you told me when we first met, I... I hope it wasn't stupid of me." he mumbled then.
"Not at all, Caleb. I liked the surprise."
"I'm glad you did." he smiled.
"God, you totally saved us... But I shouldn't have expected anything else from you. I only used a few days to understand how nice of a person you are and tonight didn't prove me wrong at all. I like you, Caleb." she smiled back.
Those words made Caleb's head spin. It was clear they were sincere and spontaneous words which didn't have to be misunderstood, however he just felt really happy to hear them.
"Wow, thank you. And, just for the record... I like you too." he replied then, smiling, and he meant every word.
She smiled again, but before she could have the chance to reply, Emily, who had gotten there a few minutes earlier, came up to compliment him, along with Toby.
Yeah, Caleb had definitely saved the night.
"Let me cover two of your work hours." Caleb said as he sat on a barstool in front of Hanna, an hour or so later.
She laughed as she poured some tequila into five shot glasses.
"Don't even think about it." she replied then, handing Emily the tray with the full glasses so she could bring them to the table which had ordered them.
"Please, just let me do that. You worked while I was playing up there."
"Well, that was work too. You basically saved our asses. Plus, I was already here doing nothing, so..."
"Oh, c'mon..." he was almost begging.
"No. Besides, what are you still doing here? It's one am. You should go get some rest or... I don't know, study, maybe?" she laughed.
Caleb rolled his eyes.
"Shit, don't remind me." he sighed then, running a hand through his short locks.
"See? You need to get home, Philly boy."
"Oh, so you just want to get rid of me... You don't want me around you." he teased, raising an eyebrow.
She stopped whatever she was doing to eye him.
"You know it's not like that." she said then.
He pursed his lips to contain a grin as he studied her expression. His phone ringing from his pocket, though, broke the moment.
"Sorry." he muttered as he reached out for his jeans to pull his phone out, then picked up. "Hello?"
"Caleb, hey." Samara's voice replied.
Caleb sighed and made a small smile toward Hanna before walking outside of the bar to talk with his girlfriend.
"Hey, hi."
"Hi... So, you said you would have called me when your shift was over, but... I think that was like an hour ago."
"Oh, yeah, uhm... I'm sorry. I just... I just got distracted. There were a few things to sort out at the bar, that's it."
He could hear Samara sigh deeply from the other side and he bit his lip.
"Caleb... What's going on?" she asked then.
"What do you mean?" he asked back, taking a seat on the sidewalk.
"I mean that ever since you started this job, I feel like you're using your whole time and energy in it. I spoke with Remy and Miranda too, they said you're kind of neglecting college too, and that's not a good thing. You even forget to call me afterwards... And we both know it's not the first time that it happens this week. I'm not sure that this job is a good thing for you."
This time, it was Caleb's turn to sigh. He didn't agree with her. That job was the best thing that had happened to him in a very long time, in so many aspects. And he wasn't neglecting college or anything, he was just trying to make all his daily things fit together.
"I'm sorry if I haven't called you right away, Samara, I really am, but... I'm actually loving this job. And college's fine, Remy and Miranda are just exaggerated, believe me." he replied then.
"I don't know, Caleb. You sound different."
There it was.
"Look, it's true, I barely have time to sleep, not to mention to study. But... It's just because this was only my first week, I mean, I'll get used to all of this and I'll be able to organize my days better. I'll figure it all out, it just needs some time." he tried to argue.
"Listen... This is getting harder everyday. I don't know if I can keep doing this. I mean, it was hard just not to see you, but... Now you're always working, we hear from each other barely once a day. You can't have time for me anymore, it's clear. We both know that you won't be able to figure it all out, Caleb."
"Samara, I'm not having this conversation by phone." he breathed out, knowing she was right at this point, though.
"I can get over here tomorrow, if you want." she murmured.
"That'd be great. I don't need to work tomorrow."
"Okay."
"Okay, thanks. I'll just see you tomorrow."
"Bye." Samara whispered before finally hanging up.
Caleb shoved his phone back into the pocket of his jeans and sighed deeply, rubbing a hand all over his face. Samara was right, they couldn't keep going like that. The distance was bad enough, and now he didn't have time to handle a relationship already that complicated anymore. He and Samara had shared two years together, true, but in all honesty, he didn't really miss her now. It sounded bad, but he had kind of gotten used to be without her. She wasn't his first thought every morning when he woke up, nor his last one when he went to bed. Not anymore.
Someone else was now, actually.
Caleb got back inside after a few needed minutes on his own. He got to the counter and smiled at Hanna.
"Is everything alright?" she asked him.
"Yeah, yeah, just... I just need to sort some shit out." he nodded quickly.
She looked at him as she knew he wasn't telling her everything, but she also knew he didn't have to.
"Hey, you look really tired. Maybe it's best for you to go home and take some rest." she smiled softly at him, genuinely worried.
"Yeah, maybe I should." he shrugged slightly.
Noticing he wasn't leaving, Hanna laughed slightly before saying something else.
"Hey, if you're worried about me, I'll be fine. It's weird that I'm not working with you tonight, yeah, but I've been working with Emily for years."
He laughed slightly.
"I know you're a big girl. But, hey, can I have a soda with some ice before leaving, please?" he added then.
"Sure... But for you, it's on the house." she smiled.
He smiled back as he took a seat back on the barstool and watched her making his soda. But he couldn't help but think about Samara's phone call.
"Caleb... Seriously, are you okay?" she asked, placing his glass in front of him, not missing his lost look.
He shook his head quickly before raising his head to nod at her.
"I just... I was talking to my girlfriend earlier. And... I-I think we're over." he blurted out then.
"Oh..." Hanna mumbled, not sure about what to say.
He quickly shook his head again, giving her a reassuring smile.
"No, no, you know, I think that's for the best. I didn't mean to kill the mood, sorry. I... I haven't seen her in forever, anyway. I'm okay, it's just that... You know, when these things happen it's always...weird." he added, shrugging.
"Well, I'm sorry. I really am." she replied.
Caleb nodded again, taking a sip of his drink.
"It's fine, really. But thanks for asking if I was okay. It doesn't happen often that people get worried for me." he said then.
She smiled.
"Well... It doesn't happen often that people open up to me either." she added.
He smiled again before finishing his soda. He placed the glass back on the counter and took a deep breath.
"Alright, well... Maybe I should go home now." he said then.
"Okay... Get some rest."
"Yeah." he muttered before getting up from the barstool.
Hanna thought he was going to simply lean forward over the counter to say goodbye, but instead he made all the way around the counter until he was standing behind it, just like her. Then, he placed a hand on her arm and leaned in to place a soft lingering kiss on her cheek.
"Good work, Hanna. I'll see you on Monday." he added then, squeezing her arm.
"Goodnight, Caleb." she smiled up at him.
He nodded and mirrored her small smile, and only then he let go of her arm. He turned to Emily and quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek too before walking away for good, followed by Hanna's eyes.
"Hey... Is he okay?" Emily asked her when Caleb was gone.
"Yeah. Yeah, he is." she replied softly, hoping it was true.
A/N: Hi, beautiful people! :) So, finally something interesting happened here :P Speaking of which, I read your reviews and I'm happy you're enjoying this story even though things between Haleb are moving pretty slowly. I'd like to show how their relationship evolves, step by step, with no rush. Just be a little patient, I promise you're gonna like their path ;) Now, let's give you guys some answers to the questions you asked in the reviews... Guest: Well, here Caleb and Samara basically broke up, also because he realized his mind is focused on Hanna, so now he can probably go "a little further" with Hanna without feeling guilty. And I still haven't decided if Emily will realize that she has another sexual orientation, however I'm not planning on making her and Samara a thing like they were in the show :) Boris Yeltsin: I hope you were happy to see a little more of Toby in here. We also found out that he has a crush on Spencer :D Anyway, soon we'll learn more about the others too. prettylittleliarshaleb: luckily my exams went even better than I was expecting, thank you :) And to the guest who said that this story reminds of the rapport between Ashley and Tyler: I'm so glad you had this feeling because I felt inspired by them for some of the scenes in here, that's why you'll see some Tyshley references in the later chapters of this fic :) To everyone else who reviewed a huge thank you and a big hug for taking a little time to leave me your kind words. It's always and really, really appreciated :) Next chapter, Samara and Caleb will talk face to face, you'll learn more about Caleb's friends and there will be more Haleb —cute Haleb :D—, obviously :) So, I hope you enjoyed Caleb and Toby's little chat, Caleb singing and everything else! Tell me anything you want in your reviews, I can't wait to know your thoughts! :) Little reminder: please forgive me for any grammar mistake, you know English is not my native language but I do my best to give you good chapters! Love you guys, until next time! xx -Atramea.