Hey so here's another chapter because I couldn't leave for a break like that. So here you go! It's really kinda short (more than 1,000 words but still it could be a bit longer) but it's going to get better I promise. I found inspiration for a chapter a bit further in so I have to get to that chapter before I break. Anyway, on with the story! I hope you enjoy it!
Hanna wandered around the festival aimlessly. Mona had been called home for some family emergency hours ago and she couldn't find any of the girls anywhere. Finally she had found Spencer but she was too busy with her own drama. She hadn't bothered trying to find Aria because she was probably locked up in Mr. Fitz's apartment for the rest of the night. That just left her with Emily who once she had found muttered something about going home early and a fight with Paige and some Samara girl. Hanna had tried to comfort her but she wouldn't have it, so the two hurt girls did their own thing. Hanna gave up on finding anyone to take her mind off Caleb and realized she was alone for the night. She hated that. It was a Friday night and she was all alone wandering around the festival heartbroken.
She continued to walk around looking at the booths for awhile until she got bored. She thought about going home but she didn't feel like sitting home alone, especially because she would probably end up doing something she regret if she did. She bought herself a small sliver of cake at one of the booths, mainly because it was cute and supported a good cause; she sure as hell wasn't going to eat it. She was sitting alone at a table when he came up to her. She hadn't expected it but here he was, making the first move toward forgiveness.
"Can I sit down," he asked and her eyes snapped up to meet his.
"Uhm…yeah…sure," she stumbled motioning to the seat across from her, "I didn't think you would ever want to talk to me again."
"Yeah…I didn't think I would either," he said letting out a sigh.
"Not that I mind but you haven't talked to me in forever. What changed Lucas?" she asked genuinely curious as to why he would all so suddenly just start talking to her again.
"I know it wasn't all really you. Emily explained it to me. She said you didn't mean to do what you did. I've been meaning to talk to you for awhile but if Mona was around I wasn't going to. Plus it seems like you really need someone right now," Lucas said as if it was all obvious. Hanna didn't really care the reason, she was just glad he was back to talking to her.
"Thanks, I should've spent more time trying to apologize," she said weakly trying to smile.
"Hey it's all good now. That's all behind us. So get me caught up. Why are you sitting here alone on a Friday night?" he asked with a smile. He seemed to understand better now, they were just friends and that's all they would be and he should've realized that a long time ago.
"Well…it's a very long story," Hanna said playing with the slice of cake she had in front of her.
"I've got time," Lucas said happily.
"You sure you want to hear this? Its kinda girl drama," Hanna warned although she was happy to have someone outside the situation to vent to.
"I'm sure I can handle it. Just spare the unneeded details," he said happy to be lending an ear to a hurting friend, he had to keep reminding himself that's it. They had both learned from the past and as long as he remembers they would only be friends, they would be great friends again.
"Ok…" Hanna said launching into the shortened Hanna-approved version of her Caleb drama, leaving out the sex details and the details related specifically to A and Jenna, preferring instead to refer to the Jenna thing as 'something really bad that made me wonder if any of it was real' because Lucas didn't need to know everything.
"Wow…" Lucas began unsure of what to say. He knew he had to phrase this right or Hanna might think he wanted to be more than friends-granted that was true but he wouldn't sacrifice being friends with her over that.
"Hanna! Why haven't you answered your phone?" Aria exclaimed when she spotted Hanna at the table.
"What? My phone hasn't gone off," the blonde responded pulling her phone from her pocket to see the multiple missed calls and texts from Emily and Aria.
"Emily needs us," Aria said, trying not to reveal too much in front of Lucas.
"I'm really sorry about bailing like this but Emily really needs me again. Can we talk again later?" Hanna said careful not to hurt him again. She hated that she was basically doing exactly what she did the last time.
"Sure," he said reluctantly knowing he should have known better, that she hadn't changed.
"Hey, I promise we will do this again ok?" Hanna said trying to make him see that she meant it.
"Deal," he agreed as she ran off with Aria in a hurry.
"So what's wrong with Em?" Hanna asked having a suspicion it had something to do with Paige.
"She found the key…Caleb...?" Aria said stopping in her tracks.
"What about him?" Hanna grumbled trying to pull Aria along.
"Is he going somewhere?" Aria asked pointing to the bus line where about four people back, Caleb stood with a bag on his shoulder and a ticket in his hand.
"Uhm…I don't know…Arizona I guess," Hanna offered looking away from where Aria was pointing.
"You guess?" Aria questioned forcing Hanna to look at her.
"Well we aren't exactly talking right now," Hanna said making the mistake of looking at Caleb. It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been scanning in his body trying to memorize every little detail when she realized he had seen her and was doing the same thing to her.
"Well I think you can break that to say goodbye," Aria said as Caleb met Hanna's eyes with a silent plea to forgive him before he left and hope that she would ask him to stay. Her eyes were begging him to do the same, to step out of line and put his bags down showing her that he would stay and to tell her he would never leave her again.
"If I say goodbye it means he's gone for good and everything is done. I don't know if I can do that just yet," Hanna said with her eyes still locked on his. Blinking was not an option. She had to soak in every second of their last look. She knew he was leaving and she was too damn stubborn to give in even to his emotional gaze that practically drew her to him and shut out the rest of the world.
"Well if you don't go say something, he will leave. Don't you want to take the risk and maybe he'll stay. Just go forgive him. He at least deserves a goodbye," Aria said looking between the two lovers stuck on each other with nothing else interrupting their staring standoff.
"I told you I can't. Let's go. Emily is waiting for us," Hanna said giving him one last sad smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before turning and pulling Emily. She knew this was for the best. If she had stood there looking into his eyes for one more instant she would've lost it and ran into his arms. She would've begged him to stay and made a fool of herself. This way he could get out of her life and the drama that came with it.