Hanna was tidying the living room and Charlie was sleeping on the carpet when Ashley came home.
"Han, I'm—" she began, but she abruptly stopped when she saw a dog sleeping on her favorite carpet.
"Mom?" Hanna called from the living room, walking to the door.
"What the hell, Hanna?" Ashley asked, nodding toward Charlie.
Hanna took a deep breath before trying to explain.
"Yeah, I know, I should have told you. This is Charlie... Mona's dog. She's one of my friends from college, do you remember her? Well, she left for her vacations and she asked me to look after her dog for the time she's away. He's adorable, mom, don't worry."
"Hanna, we can't take care of a dog! I mean, what does he eat? Where will he sleep? We never had a dog, and our house is not even suitable for a dog, I guess."
"It's just for a few weeks, mom. Plus Mona told me he eats leftovers as well. And I think you already have an answer for where he's gonna sleep. It's not a big deal, mom. He'll be fine." Hanna shrugged.
Ashley raised an eyebrow, looking from Charlie and then back to her daughter.
"Hanna, whose this dog?" she asked then.
Hanna froze.
"It's Mona's, I told you." she murmured then.
"I know you told me, but now I want the truth."
Hanna sighed, nervously scratching the back of her neck.
"Okay, mom, look... It doesn't matter whose this dog. It's just a dog and I need to look after him for a few weeks...I think. But I'll take care of him, you won't have to worry about anything." she replied then, praying her mom wouldn't want to know more.
Ashley opened her mouth to reply but then Hanna's phone started ringing. She reached out for the pocket of her jeans and grabbed it.
It was Caleb.
"I need to take this. Sorry." she blurted out then, walking away to pick up.
Ashley sighed but didn't stop her.
"Hello?" Hanna picked up.
"Hey... Sorry to bother you, but... Do you think you can come over like...now?"
"What?"
"Please, Hanna. I really need to talk to you."
"Well, I'm not coming over there knowing who's there with you."
"That's exactly what I need to talk you about. Please, Han."
Hanna sighed.
"My mom just got back home and she also doesn't believe that Charlie is one of my friends' dog. I really can't deal with another third degree when I come back, I'm sorry." she said then.
"Look... I'm sorry if I'm causing you all of this trouble, but... Please, just come over here. I really need to talk to you."
"Can't it wait until tomorrow? You already asked me to go out with you after work, if I remember correctly..."
"It can't wait. I wouldn't have called otherwise."
Hanna sighed and bit her lip, thinking about what she wanted to do.
"Alright. I'll be there as soon as I can." she finally muttered.
"Thank you. See you later."
And then, she hung up, confused.
Caleb jumped off the couch as soon as the doorbell rang. He walked to the front door and opened it, seeing Hanna standing there.
"Hey. Thanks for coming." he told her, making her room to come inside.
She just gave him a brief nod, walking inside as he closed the door. He invited her to take a seat and he sat next to her.
"Do you want some wine?" he asked softly.
"Caleb, just tell me what you need to. I didn't come here to drink wine and chill." she snapped, feeling uncomfortable just at the thought of Melissa being somewhere in that same house.
He sighed and wiped his hands against his thighs before start talking.
"Okay, well... You were right about everything. I can't believe I've been so naive these last days. I should have just remembered what she did to me, I... I shouldn't have supported her like I did and I've always done."
Hanna raised her eyebrows.
"Well, congratulations. You finally got it." she just said.
There was an awkward silence after that, which he suddenly broke.
"She kissed me."
Hanna froze. Caleb took a deep breath before continuing.
"I pulled away immediately, though. She wanted me to feel her baby kicking, so I approached her, and then... She made her move. But you know what surprised me? I honestly thought I would feel something kissing her. But I... I just felt bad then. Really bad. Nothing else. It was like that made me realize how wrong the choices I made lately are, all in once, and... I thought about you, realizing how wrong I've been acting these days. That's why I called you, right away."
She stayed silent.
"What are you...thinking about?" he asked then.
"I don't know. I'm confused... I would have never imagined that my life would become sort of a soap opera..." she muttered.
"Listen, Hanna... I still think that it would be a good thing to bring Wren back in town, obviously for the baby. But... I don't want to live with Melissa anymore. But I can't kick her out now given her condition, so I'm gonna ask Lucy to be here 24-7. I will pay whatever she will ask me. And if she can't, I'm gonna figure something out, but... I'm not living here until the woman who's currently upstairs is stuck in the bed of my guestroom. I know it was my idea to bring her here, but I made a mistake. She's taking advantage of the situation when I wanted to believe she wasn't going to. She wasted her chance. So I... I'm just going to live in my boat. And... I know that this is probably not what a good man would do, leaving a pregnant woman here alone when he was the one to tell her she could stay with him, but... I'm tired of being the good man. I don't want to be the good man anymore, because it's just causing myself trouble. I just made a mistake telling Melissa she could stay, a huge one, but now I finally understood. But maybe it's too late, because that mistake made me lost you, and... I will never forgive myself for that."
Hanna blinked at him.
"I wanted to tell you about the kiss, so I did. I don't want any more lies or secrets between us. I'm waiting for Lucy to come, and... If she's willing to do what I'll tell her, I'm gonna move to my boat immediately. If not, I'll figure something out in the morning. Either way, if you want to come with me, I swear I'll close the studio for vacations earlier, and then we could even leave the country, immediately, for how long you want. We can even stop by your house first to tell your mom the whole truth, and if she's not okay with our relationship, I'm willing to run away with you. After all, you're adult, it's not like I would break the rule. Clearly, if she's okay it'd be better, anyway... I'm ready to drop everything for you. What I have right now is not what I want. What I really want is you, everything else can screw itself up, I don't care. That's it." he continued.
Hanna sighed deeply, lowering her gaze.
"I don't know what to think anymore..." she muttered then.
"I-I get it, absolutely. I recognize I've been changing my mind way too often lately, so... I understand you."
Once again, a deep silence fell between the two.
"Are you...mad about the kiss?" Caleb asked then, biting his lip.
"No. I was sure she would try to do that, so I was prepared, I guess. Plus, it's not like I can get mad. We're...done, after all."
"Are you sure we are?"
She sighed again, getting up from the couch. He got up as well, stopping her from leaving.
"Look... I know I've acted like an idiot these last days and I've let you down, and I feel awful about that, but now I finally made up my mind. Like I said earlier though, I'm not expecting you to do anything, just... I'll be in my boat, probably starting from tonight. It's at the dock. I'll be waiting for you, if you'll ever want even just to talk to me. Take your time, okay? Maybe it's not too late, just... I'll be there." he told her sincerely.
She nodded.
"Good." he whispered.
Then, he raised a hand to move a lock of her hair off her face but she took a step back before he could touch her. He sighed and retired his hand, shoving both of them into his pockets.
"Bye." Hanna murmured before exiting his house, as he watched her.
He sighed deeply, cursing himself. He knew how stupid he had been to make things go that way, because he couldn't blame anyone but himself for his current situation. He had wanted to be good, but he had ended up only being stupid.
But he wanted to believe that there still was a chance for him and Hanna, maybe it was small, but he was sure there was.
Hanna got back home to find her mom sitting on the couch, watching a movie, with Charlie lying at her feet. She instinctively smiled at that sight, before approaching the pair.
"I told you he was an angel." she said then, bending down to stroke the dog's fur.
Charlie began to move his tail excitedly, as Hanna giggled.
"He seems to know you." Ashley commented.
Hanna sat next to her mom and shrugged.
"I saw him a couple of times. Mona brought it to the campus. I guess he remembers me from then." she lied.
Ashley sighed.
"Hanna, what's going on with you?" she asked then, turning the volume of the TV down.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I know you. In the last month I saw you really happy, and I think I understood it was because of this new guy you met. But these last days you've been acting weird, and you sure don't look so happy as I saw you before... I guess that's because of that guy as well. And, to be honest, this dog thing doesn't really convince me either. So... Do you want to talk about...everything, maybe?"
Hanna sighed deeply, rubbing her temples. Maybe talking could make her feel better, she thought. So, she finally turned to her mom and tried to say something.
"After what happened with Sean, I didn't think I was gonna be able to fall in love again. He hurt me so much, and I thought I couldn't trust any man in this whole world anymore. But then I met someone who understood me. In every single way. You know, he has a story similar to mine, and... It was like we had found each other. It was like we were meant to be. He... He's sweet, caring, and he's probably the kindest man I've ever met. He made me feel so good, mom. It was like I was living a dream, I... I couldn't believe I had been so lucky to have such a person in my life, especially after being cheated on."
"What happened then?"
Hanna pursed her lips and took another deep breath before going on with the story.
"Well... A person from his past came back. The person of his past, actually. He had been so in love with her before she cheated on him. So she suddenly came back, and... Well, at first he kept it from me, anyway he had already rejected her, but then... Let's say that she took advantage of a series of situations to picture herself like a victim, and since he's a man too good, he just... He wanted to help her, but he definitely crossed a line. He kind of...took me for granted by helping her, and... I couldn't stand it."
"You guys broke up?"
"Sort of, I think. We had this huge fight, I told him to choose between her and me, but... He didn't let her go. He kept telling me he loved me and not her, but for some reason he didn't let her go. And that was the breaking point. I left his place slamming the door shut, yelling at him that he had only been an illusion. That's pretty much what happened."
"Have you been with him tonight?"
"Yeah. He wanted to talk, and I didn't manage to reject him."
"So?"
"He told me he made a huge mistake by doing what he had done. He apologized and he kinda ended things with the other person for me, at least that's what he said. Apparently she kissed him, and that made him realize his mistakes, her bad purposes and the fact that he actually wants me and only me. But, honestly, I'm afraid to give another try, mom. I don't wanna get hurt again."
Ashley sighed but gave her daughter a small smile.
"This dog is his, isn't he?" she asked then.
"Yeah. It'd be complicated to explain you why Charlie ended up being here now, but... It's his dog. That's why he knows me, right, buddy?" Hanna replied, stroking Charlie's fur again.
Ashley stayed silent for a minute before asking something else.
"What do you think you're going to do with your guy?"
Hanna sighed, leaning back against the couch cushions.
"Honestly, I don't know." she muttered.
"Well... Let me just say that I think you're still totally into him."
"Of course I am, but... I don't know what to do. I mean, why do I always have to share someone with another girl? Is that my destiny?"
Ashley couldn't help but laugh a little.
"C'mon, sweetheart. He said he chose you now, right? Well, make him wait. See if he's really willing to wait for you. And if he is, well, maybe he was honest. And maybe deserves a second chance. If not, I guess you'll know what you have to do then. Anyways, it's all up to you. I'm just giving you some advice. I'm sure this break, if it's just a break, is gonna be useful for you both." she said then.
Hanna smiled at her mom's words. She sure had a point, and she made things look easier by the way she talked.
"Sounds cool. Thanks, mom. I think you're totally right." she replied then, still smiling.
"Yeah, well... Everyone makes mistakes. But not everyone recognizes them. Your guy apparently did, so... Let's hope that's not just apparently. If he really loves you like he said, though, I'm sure he will wait for you, no matter what."
"I hope so."
"You love him too, don't you?"
Hanna blushed a little.
"Uh... Mom, I appreciate everything, but... I'd rather not going there." she mumbled then.
Ashley laughed again.
"Okay, whatever, missy. I recognize that's probably too private for me to know. Anyway... I'm going to bed, I'm pretty tired. I also ate too much at the restaurant." she announced then, standing up from the couch.
Hanna did the same, chuckling.
"Yeah, I bet you did. Goodnight, mom. Thanks for the talk." she said then, smiling at her.
"Anytime. Men are pretty weird, you just have to be a little patient with them all."
"Very patient, I'd say."
"Well, that's probably more correct. Night." Ashley laughed.
"Night."
When Hanna went to bed, she kept thinking about what her mom had told her. And of course, she couldn't help but think of Caleb. She wondered if he had really moved to his boat, if he had all he needed there and everything else.
She stared at the mobile on her nightstand, considering to give him a call, just to know if he was okay. She was still mad as hell at him, but she couldn't help but worry for him.
Suddenly, she extended an arm and grabbed her mobile, quickly going to the call list and touching Caleb's name with her thumb. Then she put the mobile over her ear, already regretting her choice, but she was already calling him, so the mess was done. And when his warm voice picked up, she felt a shiver run down her spine.
"Hanna?"
She stayed silent for a moment, not knowing what to do. She could pretend the call had been accidental, that she hadn't actually meant to call him and stuff, but she knew he wouldn't believe it.
"Hanna?" he called again from the other side of the phone.
"I... Uhm... Caleb?" she stuttered.
"Hey, is everything okay?"
"Yeah... Uhm... Yeah, I'm okay. I just... I just called you to know if you're still home."
"Yes, I am. I'm packing, actually. Are you...coming over or something?"
"No, no, I... Just... Are you really moving to your boat?"
"Yeah. Lucy said she's fine to be here with Melissa, at least until the end of this week, so... There's no need for me to stay here anymore, and I really don't want to. I was serious, Hanna... I'm moving out."
"But do you have everything you need on the boat? I mean, it's still a boat..."
She heard a light chuckle coming from his mouth.
"Pretty much. Not everything, sure, but that's the reason I'm currently packing something. Don't worry, I'm a big boy." he added then.
"I'm... I'm sorry."
"What? Why would you be sorry? You've nothing to be sorry about, Hanna, okay?"
"I didn't want you to move out from your house, I—"
He cut her off.
"You didn't ask me, Han. It's my choice. I made I mess all by myself, I'm just trying to sort it out now. And I'm not becoming a tramp, it's just a temporary thing. This house is still mine and it will always be. But, hey, my boat is a really nice place to stay, trust me. I'll be fine, and please don't feel guilty for any of this. I'm the only one who has to apologize here. Alright? I'm happy I'm doing this, actually, so... Don't worry."
"Okay." she whispered.
"Okay." he repeated, smiling a little.
"I-I don't even know why I called, I probably shouldn't have, I—"
He cut her off again.
"No, no, I'm glad you did. I missed seeing your name on my phone screen... And you know I'm always happy to hear your voice, even though I saw you not so long ago."
Hanna stayed silent, not knowing how to reply, then Caleb continued.
"So... Did you get home? Everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything okay."
"What about Charlie?"
"He's downstairs, and the last time I checked he was sound asleep on the carpet."
"Good. So... Are you in bed?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll let you sleep then."
"Okay."
"Well... Goodnight. Thanks again for calling. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep tight."
"Night." she mumbled before closing the call.
She sighed and put her mobile back on the nightstand before turning around in the sheets to try to get some sleep.
A/N: Hi guys ;) I'm so sorry for taking so long to update but trust me, I'm doing what I can to keep my stories up. Anyways, on to this new chapter... So, I know I didn't start from where I left off last time but that was on purpose. I want you all to find out the continuation of that scene just like Hanna heard from Caleb :P So, apparently Melissa kissing him made him realize how bad his choices were... FINALLY! He wants to prove Hanna that he's now aware of his mistakes by distancing himself from Melissa, that's why he decided to move in his boat. I'm curious to know how you feel about his decision ;) And I really hope you enjoyed the mom-daughter talk between Hanna and Ashley :D Be aware that Hanna WILL tell Ashley that the guy is Caleb sooner or later, so be prepared for that ;) And last but not least, I also hope you appreciated Hanna calling Caleb after their talk :) So... Are you happy Caleb finally understood that Melissa doesn't deserve all of his kindness? What will happen next? Will Hanna forgive him? Who knows :P Guest, I really don't know how many chapters are left, but I don't think this is going to be too long. FrenchBenzo, I'm studying foreign languges :) So, everybody, let me know your thoughts about this chapter! I know Caleb was starting to drive you nuts, so... I hope you appreciated the fact that he came around, someway – finally. I apologize one last time for my late and I thank you all for your amazing support despite everything, that's why I really hope the story is not disappointing you :) Oh, by the way, everyone should seriously take a moment to appreciate the sweetness of Ashley's birthday message to Tyler and his reply, which was absolutely cute as well. Sorry, I had to mention that :') Love you all, have a nice day! xx -Atramea.