Chapter 25. 'Cause baby you look happier, you do. My friends told me one day I'll feel it too

"So what brought you to New York, Clay?" Hannah asked as they strolled down Broadway.

"Do you want the real answer or the fake answer?" Clay asked back.

"Fake answer first."

"I really wanted to work with Dr. Hackett. He's a genius and I didn't want to do grad school unless I could work with him."

"And the real answer?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Do I?" Hannah turned to look at Clay thoughtfully before turning her gaze ahead. "I see," Hannah said.

"Actually it's pretty pathetic. I followed my girlfriend college. I wanted to go to Stanford but she got into NYU for med school so I came to Columbia."

"How'd that go?"

"Columbia or the girlfriend?"

"We'll start with the girlfriend."

"Not well unsurprisingly. Broke up with me at the end of summer about two days before I moved into my apartment. Rather horrible timing on her end. I guess that's why Mike identified me as a kidnapping victim." They walked for several blocks, the silence growing heavier with each passing moment. "Go ahead and ask it."

"Was the I the reason it didn't work?"

"Wow, you really said it. I didn't think you would say it," Clay said in disbelief and though at the same time he was not surprised all all.

"But was I?" Hannah pressed on.

"Mostly no. Turns out we didn't actually have all that much in common beyond ballroom dancing. She was the reason I kept doing it when I got my gym credits. But I guess yes, a bit. You were a factor," Clay said, the walk making him honest. "'Sometimes I feel like you believe I'm your ex girlfriend,' was thrown out in our last fight." Clay shook his head. "That one stung."

"I really messed you up good didn't I?"

"Just a bit. Threw my heart on the ground and stomped on it." He chuckled to himself and caught a glimpse of Hannah who looked horrified. "Nah, wasn't too bad." He grew serious again. "But someone's got to mess you up and if I'm going to be scarred for life, I honestly couldn't have picked anyone better than you."

"Back at you. Glad you were the one to 'scar me for life' as well," Hannah smiled at him and nudged him with her shoulder.

"It's all good though, no major lasting damage. Katie and I are much better as friends than we were as a couple. We dated for nearly two years and we were over it by the end of the next month. That probably says something unflattering about our relationship but it worked out," Clay said with a sigh. "She's tried to set me up with her classmates, I think she feels guilty because she started seeing someone seriously right away, but med students are too crazy. Never date a med student." He paused, considering. "Or actors. Horrible schedules both."

"Personal experience?"

"Oh yea. You don't even want to know about that particular train wreck. I have permanently crossed them off."

"I will keep that in mind. What about grad students?" she teased.

"Oh they are even worse."

"That so?"

"Horrible dressers all of them with rather disgusting tootsie roll habits. Stay far away from them."

"Can't be that bad. I've heard poli sci phd candidates are rather cute," Hannah said cheekily. Was she flirting? They turned down 81st street toward the park.

"I will report back if I find such a creature." She smiled at that and changed the subject.

"How do you like New York?"

"I thought I would hate it but it's been good for me. It forces you to get out of the grad school bubble. I haven't decided if I this is where I want to be after I graduate but I'm glad I'm here right now. I think it fits."

;

"I've always loved the planetarium here. Whenever I'm sad, I come here and I cannot help but marvel at the universe," Hannah said as they passed the Natural History Museum.

"You always loved the stars," Clay replied in agreement.

"True. I'm fascinated by it all. To think that somewhere the atoms that make up me and you and everyone were formed all together in a star that died and then we were born, it's somehow miraculous," Hannah said with wonder, staring at the models of planets and stars. "I'm always fascinated to know how people learned about it. I ended up majoring in history, I had to take a ton of summer credits to switch and got to finish a year early. I wrote a my thesis on the history of science."

"I wondered how you had the masters already," Clay replied. "That's really awesome you found something you love."

"That's why I became a research librarian, I want to tell other people about science. They're setting up a special exhibit on the history of astronomy here sometime in the next few years. Think of that opportunity," she said, lost in her own world.

"Would you stay to do that?" Clay asked, breaking Hannah's reverie. Hannah looked at him sideways. Clay coughed and changed the subject. "Should we head into the park?"

Title is Happier by Ed Sheeran. Much Ed Sheeran was listened to writing this entire fanfic. My partner (and probably my cats) will be VERY happy when I stop listening to him.