Another Monday came.
Hanna was actually a little disappointed because Caleb hadn't called her or anything during the weekend. She didn't know why she felt disappointed since she and Caleb weren't a thing, at all, but she knew she felt like that. She had spent a nice Saturday evening in a pub with her friends from college, Spencer, Aria and Emily, and when they had asked how she was feeling about her break-up with Sean she had honestly replied she was kind of fine now. And that was true, she was feeling a lot better. Then, on Sunday, she had slept in and then studied a bit for her exams, staying home with her mom for the whole day.
And now, on Monday, after going to college in the morning, she was on her way to work. She went with her car, finally fixed, and she entered the studio. Before getting into her office, she stopped at the door of Caleb's studio, slightly opened. She was about to knock to say hi when she caught a glimpse of Caleb shirtless. He was taking his shirt off to put his work clothes on. Hanna found herself staring at his bare torso, perfectly defined. His abs were surprisingly toned for a man who worked as a simple dentist, and his skin was particularly tanned. When he began unzipping his jeans, Hanna felt her cheeks redden and understood it was enough. She quickly walked to her studio and decided to say hi later.
God, she couldn't think about Caleb that way. He was her boss. He was over thirty years old. He was married. On the other hand, he was handsome —to her mind, it also came up the word sexy after seeing him half-naked a few minutes earlier— kind, nice, charming, and he actually was not still into a relationship.
Hanna just sighed and opened the agenda. It was time to work...just work.
Caleb came into Hanna's office a few hours later, bringing her a coffee.
"Hi, Hanna." he said, placing the coffee on her desk.
Hanna lifted her head from the papers she was working on and smiled slightly.
"Oh, hi. Thank you." she replied.
Caleb nodded and took a seat.
"You didn't stop to say hi today." he furrowed his eyebrows.
Hanna lifted her eyebrows and nodded.
"Oh, yeah... Sorry, I saw your door closed, so I thought to come back later and then... I guess I just forgot. There's a lot of planning to do here, I was too focused, probably." she replied quickly.
"Right. I know, that's a lot of work for you to do today, I'm sorry..."
"No problem. Coffee's gonna help me." she smiled, before taking a sip.
"So, besides work... Everything okay?"
Hanna smiled again and nodded, placing her coffee back on the desk.
"Yeah, thanks for asking." she said then.
Caleb nodded as well, smiling slightly.
"What about you?" Hanna blurted out.
He raised his eyebrows and let out a small laugh.
"I'm fine, Hanna. Don't worry about me." he added.
Hanna instinctively glanced at his hands. He didn't have his work rubber gloves on at that moment, and at his left hand there was his gold wedding ring, as usual.
"You know, I was wondering... Yeah, during last weekend I thought about what you told me on Friday night, and... You said you're alone. What about your family? Like, your mom and dad... Do they live far from here?" she asked then.
"I'm orphan. My parents died when I was in high school." he shrugged.
"Oh, Caleb, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"It's okay, Hanna." he cut her off, giving her a small smile.
She nodded and smiled back slightly.
"However, I'm supposed to meet a patient in five minutes. I just wanted to make sure you were fine. If you need something, knock on my door." he continued, standing up from his seat.
Hanna nodded quickly and he smiled at her before getting out of the office.
It was around half past seven when Caleb came back into Hanna's office. She was still immersed in work to do.
"Hey... How is it going?" he asked.
"Uhm, I think I'm gonna stay here for a couple of hours more. I need to finish the planning for next week, because that's still completely messy right now." she sighed, momentarily roaming an hand through her hair.
"Oh, c'mon... Go home now. You've already done more than enough for today, don't worry."
"No, Caleb. I need to finish or tomorrow I'm gonna go crazy with this shit."
Caleb sighed.
"Everyone's gone home. I guess it's time for us to go too." he told her.
"Caleb, you can go home. I'm gonna lock here when I'm done. They gave me the car back, so you can relax, I won't take the bus. But I need a couple of hours more. So go home, I'll be fine."
Caleb grinned.
"You won't change your mind, will you?" he asked.
Hanna shook her head, focusing herself back on the agenda.
"And I was supposed to fire you, huh? You work more than anyone else in here!" he continued, laughing slightly.
Hanna laughed slightly too at that.
"But... You know what? Since I'm the boss, I take decisions for this studio. So, if you really want to keep working on this, you will have to do that with my help." he continued.
Hanna lifted her gaze from the agenda and raised her eyebrows.
"Caleb, you don't have to do that. I can handle it." she said.
"Oh, I perfectly know that you can. But I want to help you, okay?"
Hanna smiled.
"Okay." she breathed out then.
After working for around an hour, they noticed they needed a certificate that happened to be at Caleb's. He suggested they could fix those last things the next day, but Hanna was determined to finish that night, so she just asked him to go home and then bring it back to her. But Caleb had another idea.
"Okay, you know what? It's half past eight and we're both hungry. It's late and we need to have dinner. You want to finish the planning tonight, that's okay, but we're gonna take a dinner break. And since we need something that is in my house, well, just come home with me and let's have dinner there. Then, I swear we're gonna finish this. Alright?"
Hanna leaned back in her chair and sighed.
"No, Caleb. I can't." she said.
Caleb furrowed his eyebrows.
"And why is that?" he asked.
"I've been bothering you enough lately. I can't have dinner at your place again when I was there just last Friday."
He laughed loudly and stood up.
"Hanna, look... If you don't want to come, that's okay. But if you really think that you're bothering me and that's the only reason why you don't feel like coming, well, let me just tell you that you're wrong. You're not bothering me, absolutely. I told you, it's nice to have someone around, especially for a lonely person like me. And...especially if that's someone...like you. So, c'mon, grab your things while I'm going to get changed. I'll wait for you outside." he said.
He didn't give her time to reply that he had gotten out of the office to go into the studio to get changed. Hanna stayed still for a moment, wondering what he exactly meant for 'someone like you'. She felt a shiver ran through her spine as she realized she actually wanted to have dinner with him.
What the hell was happening to her?
She texted her mom telling her she was going to have dinner with Emily —because she didn't want her mom to know she was going to spend the evening with her married older boss, again— and collected her things, then got out of the office just when Caleb got out of the studio. They went to their respective cars and drove until his place.
Once again Charlie was very happy to see Hanna, and once again Caleb cooked a delicious dinner, and once again they talked about everything and nothing, starting from funny episodes at the studio and coming to what Charlie liked eating. They laughed and finished their dinner before going back to their planning, finding the certificate and fixing the last things. They used just twenty minutes and the work was done. Like last Friday, they ended up sitting on the couch with two glasses of wine, relaxing a little.
"So... How's college going?" Caleb asked, swallowing a little of his wine.
"Pretty good. If I'm lucky, next year I'm graduating."
"That's great. You know, I would have liked to study Commerce too. I think it gives you a lot of opportunities for the future."
"Why did you study Dentistry, then?"
He shrugged slightly.
"I liked the idea of having a lot of money, I guess." he chuckled then.
Hanna laughed and took another sip of wine from her glass.
"Well, despite everything you told me about having money but being alone, your house is awesome, that's for sure. You know, when I will have my own house with my own family, I absolutely want a pool outside too." she stated then, nodding toward the window where his pool could be seen from.
"Yeah? Well, you'll be susprised to know that I never tried it. No one ever did, actually. It's still...virgin."
"Seriously?" Hanna widened her eyes.
"Yeah. Neither Charlie did, he's scared of water. And when Melissa and I moved in here it was fall, so it was too cold to jump in the pool. After that, I just didn't. I don't even know why."
"That's a pity. But I see you take care of it anyway..."
"Of course I do. After all, this house is the only thing I have. I care about it, so I want to keep it tidy and clean everywhere...pool included, obviously."
"It makes sense." Hanna commented.
"But now we're in May, and it's warm despite it's evening, so... You can try it." Caleb smirked.
Hanna laughed loudly.
"Thanks but that's not gonna happen!" she added, placing her empty glass on the coffee table.
"Oh, c'mon. You worked really hard today. You deserve to relax, and I think that jumping in that pool and swimming a little will help your nerves."
"I've already relaxed with your excellent wine. And with your dinner, obviously. I'm not gonna invade your pool too." she laughed.
"Let me pound away at that. This house is huge, you saw it, that's why I have a guest room where there is a closet which contains some clean towels, bathing suits and stuff never used. Something's telling me that you're dying to jump in that pool. And you're welcome. Then, if you want, you can also take a shower. There isn't any problem." he smiled, placing his glass on the coffee table too.
Hanna stayed silent, awkwardly. She didn't really think it was the case. Then, she blushed slightly thinking back at his shirtless body. Was he gonna jump in with her?
"If I'm gonna jump in... You are too?" she asked then.
Caleb grinned.
"No, of course not. Women need their space, right? The pool will be all yours. Consider it my way to thank you for your excellent work of these last months. And, yeah, you'll be my...guinea pig for the pool." he said then.
"Wow... Classy."
Caleb laughed and stood up before offering an hand to her.
"C'mon. I give Charlie his dinner while you go to the guest room to get changed. You remember where it is, right?" he asked.
Hanna looked at him. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the someway exciting feeling at the thought of swimming in his boss' huge and wonderful pool, but she just accepted it and smiled at him.
"I remember." she stated before letting go of his hand and walking upstairs.
Hanna came back downstairs after a while. She had taken a nice green bikini from the closet of the guest room, and now she was wearing it underneath a towel wrapped around her body. Caleb wasn't there, he probably was in the back garden with Charlie. Hanna knew he didn't have bad intentions. She knew he wasn't offering his pool just to see her only clad by a bikini. He had always been a gentleman and she trusted him. And she had also started enjoying spending so much time with him.
She wasn't seeing him as just her boss anymore. She didn't know how exactly she was seeing him, but she just felt comfortable around him. They weren't working anymore, they were just hanging out in his house as...friends, or something like that. After all, they had known each other for two months. It's not like they were strangers. And the one knew about the other more than anyone else did. So, after being a little hesitant at first, she had decided there wasn't gonna be anything bad if she had actually took a swim in his pool.
She got outside the house and the warm air of May hit her bare shoulders, left exposed by the towel. She approached the pool slowly, enjoying the view of the large garden, until she reached the edge of the pool. It was then that she let the towel fall to the ground and jumped in.
The water was perfect. Not too cold, not too hot. It felt okay. Hanna came back to the surface and roamed an hand through her wet locks, catching her breath. Then, she started swimming, enjoying the feeling of the water caressing her bare skin. She still couldn't see Caleb, but she assumed he was still giving Charlie his food. So she stayed in the pool, relaxing her nerves. Caleb was right, the feeling on being in that pool really helped her calm down.
After a good fifteen minutes, she got out of the pool, seeing Caleb walking to her, smiling slightly. She smiled back and before she could pick the towel from the ground, he had already bent down.
"Enjoyed?" he asked, unfolding the towel for her.
"Yes, it was really good." she replied.
Then, she turned around to let Caleb wrap the towel around her shoulders. He did so, wrapping it carefully around her wet body without staring at her perfect silhouette like a creep or taking advantage of the situation to touch her in any bothering way. She turned around again and he just kept his right hand lightly pressed against her small back, covered by the towel, nodding toward the front door.
"Let's go inside, I don't want you to get cold." he told her.
Hanna smiled at him and he led her inside. Then, he closed the front door behind their backs and crossed his arms over his chest.
"So is everything fine with my pool, yeah?" he asked.
"I'm positive. Your guinea pig did what she had to." Hanna joked.
Caleb laughed.
"Well, she sure was a gorgeous guinea pig." he added, raising his eyebrows.
Hanna bit her lip, half-smiling.
"I should have dragged you in the pool too, though." she said then.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah... Definitely."
"I thought women needed their space and privacy."
"Well, most of the times it's like that. But not always."
Caleb smiled and nodded.
"Okay, then... Next time, I'll jump in too." he added.
"Next time?" Hanna raised her eyebrows, tightening the towel around herself.
"Yeah... Next time you come here." he stated quietly.
She smiled again, then she remembered she was only wrapped in a towel with a bikini underneath.
"Uhm... Do you mind if I take a shower? I'll use the bathroom for the guests, of course." she asked then.
Caleb chuckled.
"You can use whatever bathroom, shower or bathtub, Hanna. Help yourself." he told her then.
Hanna smiled slightly and excused herself, going upstairs to take a quick shower.
It was weird taking a shower at Caleb's. Her boss, nine years older than her. The charming gentleman all smiles on the outside, while he was sad and alone on the inside. It felt weird, but for the nth time Hanna had to repeat herself that she wasn't doing anything bad or forbidden. First of all, it's not like they were fooling around, plus if they actually were, there wouldn't be anything too bad about that. Because yes, he was still married, but he and his wife weren't together anymore. But why the hell was she thinking about the possibility of sleeping with Caleb? They were just keeping each other company, nothing else...right?
There was even a Jacuzzi, but Hanna had chosen the normal shower. She wasn't used to all of that expensive stuff. She let the water jet hit herself straight to the face, shaking all those thoughts off her mind. As soon as she was gonna finish her shower and put her clothes back on, she needed to go home.
She came back downstairs after her shower, dressed with her clothes and with her hair still a little damp. Caleb was on the couch, watching a movie with Charlie half-sprawled on his lap, while lazily stroking his fur.
"Hey, everything okay?" he asked, lifting his gaze from the TV to her eyes.
Hanna quickly smoothed her dress and smiled at him.
"Yeah, yeah... T-Thank you so much, Caleb." she stammered.
Why the hell was she stammering?
"Anytime. Hey, that's just started. Wanna join me and Charlie?" he said then, nodding toward the screen.
"No, thanks. It's getting late, I have to go home."
"Oh, are you sure?" Caleb sounded almost disappointed.
"Yes, I already did enough in here for one day."
He laughed slightly and turned the TV off, patting Charlie's back to make him jump off him, then he finally got up and came closer to Hanna.
"I want you to know that you're not disturbing in here. At all. I'm gonna tell you until you get it." he smiled.
"I got it, and I'm glad about that, but... We ate, finished our work, drank wine, got relaxed and everything, so... I think it's time for me to go now." she murmured, nodding.
Caleb nodded as well.
"Okay. Let me just walk you to your car." he stated then.
Hanna nodded and got on her knees for a moment to say Charlie goodbye. The dog licked her face and she giggled loudly before standing up and following Caleb until her car.
"So... Thanks again for everything." she told him, opening the driver door.
"You're welcome, Hanna. I told you, it's nice to have someone other than Charlie around."
They both chuckled at that.
"Can I just ask you something?" she asked.
"Sure." he nodded.
"Before coming here, when we were still in my office, you said that it's nice to have someone around, especially if this someone is like me. Well... What did you mean with that?"
He raised his eyebrows and slightly opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't say anything eventually. He just made this awkward smile and looked down at his feet. Hanna waited for him to say something, even though she knew he wasn't going to. After an awkward minute of silence, he leaned in and kissed her cheek, lingering his lips on that spot for a few seconds before pulling away.
"Goodnight, Hanna. See you tomorrow." he whispered before turning around and walking to his front door.
After the shiver that the kiss had caused her traveled through her whole spine, Hanna blinked a couple of times and then hopped into her car, driving away.
A/N: Hello people! I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to be published, it's just that I barely have time to breathe lately. Anyway, here it is ;) So, I read all of your amazing and lovely reviews and it makes me so much happy knowing you're enjoying the story :D cherryschnapps, you're totally right, I haven't let you know anything about Caleb's feelings but I wanted it to be like that. For now, you just see Hanna's view of things, not knowing the way Caleb sees them instead, but there's gonna be a point in the story where he finally "breaks through" and from then you'll find out definitely more about his thoughts and everything. If I'm not wrong, it should be in just two or maybe three chapters, so we're not too far ;) What about this chapter? It was full of Haleb moments, so... I hope y'all liked it! Don't forget to let me know! :) There was even their "second round" of glasses of wine ;) –and no, it won't be their last :P– By the way Tuesday's premiere was AMAZING! Haleb just melted my heart :') They're the cutest, period :D Well, I guess that's all... I'll be waiting for your opinions :) Have a nice day everyone! Love xx -Atramea.
