"Ok, I'll see what I can do on my end. Yeah sounds good. Love you too. Bye," Caleb overheard as Toby walked back over to him in the bar, ending his call.
"So, how is Spencer?" Caleb asked.
"She's good. She and the girls are just getting ready to go to bed, and she wanted to say goodnight," Toby replied
"We'll aren't you two just sickly sweet," Caleb rolled his eyes as he took a drink of his beer.
"Hey, just because your relationship sucks right now, doesn't mean you get to rag on mine."
"Who said my relationship sucks?" Caleb raised an eyebrow.
"Dude, you took the week off from work, but didn't go back with Hanna and Stella to Rosewood. Plus, I've been here for two days and all you've done is mope around and drink beer. How about you go out and join the real world?"
Caleb look around at their surroundings. "Uh, I am out."
"The bar does not count," Toby laughed, giving his friend a pointed look.
"Well, sorry. I'm not in the mood to go gallivanting around town," Caleb shot back with a sarcastic tone.
"Then why exactly am I here? To keep you in line so that you don't run off and join the circus? Or so you have an excuse not to go and talk things out with Hanna," Toby mocked him.
"Do you DVR Oprah or something?" Caleb was so over this conversation already, "And besides, Hanna doesn't want to talk to me."
Toby sighed, "That's not true. You know Hanna loves you."
"Her running one hundred miles away with my daughter sure paints a different picture," Caleb retorted, before pressing his lips together.
"That wasn't because of you. It was -"
"- because of Alison. I know. That's exactly what she said too," Caleb snapped back.
Toby was trying his hardest to get through to Caleb, but he knew that his friend was as stubborn as they came. "What about Stella? Hanna let you facetime her last weekend. She can't be avoiding you that much," He reminded him.
"Only because she had her mom send me the request while she was off running errands," Caleb rolled his eyes, "Then I had to try to explain to Ashley why her daughter didn't want to talk to me. Or at least explain enough so that she would stop asking questions. And besides, as mad as Hanna is with me, she's not the type of person that would not let me see my child. They'll be back at the end of the week and we'll just work it out then."
"Well, we're not just going to sit around and do nothing until then. Pack your bag. We leave first thing in the morning," Toby chirped as he stood up.
"Where exactly are we going?" Caleb asked.
"Fishing."
Hanna woke up the next morning feeling just as exhausted as she had when she went to bed. She wasn't sure if it was due to the amount of alcohol that she'd had to drink the night before, or the fact that she'd cried herself to sleep. Hanna had thought that she had everything under control until Spencer's interrogation had broken her down. She would have to thank her friend later – it had felt good to get everything off of her chest, but it still hadn't brought Hanna any closer to figuring out what to do about her relationship with Caleb. As much as she wanted to take Stella and go back home now that Charlotte's case was closed, she just couldn't bring herself to face Caleb after walking out on him.
Hanna reached over to the end table to check the time on her phone. She was surprised to see that it was quarter past ten in the morning. She hadn't slept in that late in a long time, Stella wouldn't have allowed that. Hanna turned to her other side to look at the cot that her daughter had been sleeping in, only to find it empty. Thanks to the laughs and giggles coming from the other room, Hanna had a pretty good idea of where Stella was. She got out of bed and put on her robe, before opening the door to the living room; the sight in front of her reminded Hanna of the fact that she had the best friends in the world.
All of the cushions had been removed from the couch, and the chairs had been moved into the center of the room. Blankets and sheets were draped over all of the furniture to complete the fort, which was occupied by four bodies. Hanna had no doubt that this had been her daughter's idea; one of Stella's favorite things to do with Caleb back home, was to build a tent in the front room and lay underneath it as Caleb read a story too her. It was no mystery as to why her family had an odd obsession with tents and camping – she and Caleb were counting down the days until Stella was old enough to take on an actual camping trip, one that she would be able to enjoy. Hanna's smile faded. She hoped that she and Caleb would get past whatever was going on between them so that they could still take that trip as a family.
Hanna cleared her throat in order to announce her presence. The giggling ceased, and Stella's head popped out from underneath the blanket. "Mommy!" Stella yelled as she crawled out from under the side of the tent and ran to her mom.
Hanna knelt down to catch her daughter in her arms. After she released Stella from her hold, she was able to get a good look at what she was wearing. On one of her feet, the toddler was wearing a pink sock, and on the other a blue one. Stella also was wearing a pair of red leggings with a purple shirt, that was on both backwards and inside out. To top it off, her hair was tied in a set of pigtails, which were standing straight up on her head. Hanna couldn't help but laugh at how crazy her daughter looked.
"We made a tent, mommy!" Stella said excitingly. Hanna looked over at the contraption to see Aria, Emily, and Spencer emerging from the front.
"I see baby. Are you having fun?" Hanna asked. Stella nodded her head with a smile as she ran off to finish watching cartoons on the TV from her fort.
"Morning Hanna. Sorry about the mess," Emily smiled, a guilty look plastered across her face.
"No worries," Hanna laughed, "It feels more like home now."
"We tried to get her dressed too, but she insisted on doing it herself," Spencer chimed in.
"I should have warned you, she's at that stage where she wants to do everything herself," Hanna chuckled, "I figured it was either that, or that Aria's teenage fashion sense was coming back."
"Hey!" Aria reached over to grab a pillow off of the chair before throwing it at Hanna, "My fashion sense wasn't that bad."
Emily raised her eyebrow, "Aria, you wore forks for earrings and a skirt made of of ties."
"Well, what about Spencer and her Sailor Moon outfit?" Aria argued back.
"I'll admit, that wasn't the best outfit choice," Spencer rolled her eyes, "But at least I didn't own a jumpsuit that had every color of the rainbow in it. I needed to wear sunglasses every time you wore it," She finished, looking at Hanna.
"Wait a second. How did this get turned around on me?" Hanna asked, laughing a little.
"That's what you get for trying to pick on the littlest one in the pack," Aria shot back, folding her arms across her chest.
Emily sighed, "How did I end up the only normal one here?"
"I don't know how you call owning twenty pairs of sneakers normal but whatever," Spencer rolled her eyes as all of the girls laughed.
"I miss this," Hanna confessed after the laughter had subsided, "Why did we all have to move away?"
Before anyone had a chance to respond, the room phone rang. Hanna walked over to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hanna, it's me," Came Ali's frantic voice from the other end.
"Hi Ali," Hanna mumbled back.
Ali's voice sounded even more frantic this time, "Did Charlotte come to your hotel room last night?"
"No, she didn't. What's wrong?" Hanna asked, now curious.
"I don't know where she is."
Hanna's heart skipped a beat. This couldn't be happening. "You don't know where Charlotte is?"
"Dr. Rollins brought her home last night, we talked for hours, she was so happy and grateful. We went to bed and this morning she was gone," Ali explained, sounding tearful, "All of her stuff is here but she isn't. Dr. Rollins wants me to call the police."
"Yeah, you should," Hanna encouraged her.
Ali sighed, "Can you call the others and come over?"
"Yeah, I will but Ali, don't wait. Call the police." Hanna was starting to panic now; she'd never trusted Charlotte.
"Please hurry," Ali whimpered before hanging up.
"Well, I guess I just answered my own question," Hanna rolled her eyes as she put the phone down. "Charlotte was there when they went to sleep and now she's gone," She explained to the others, "So much for everything in this town going back to normal."
"Are you ever gonna tell me where we're going? We've been on the road for almost three hours now," Caleb asked from the passenger side of his jeep as Toby drove.
"I told you, we're going fishing," Toby answered.
"Yeah, I gathered that from the poles and gear in the back," Caleb mumbled sarcastically, "Why do we have to drive so far to this particular spot? Heck, I could have driven to Rosewood and halfway back by now and- wait, you're not taking me to Rosewood are you?" When Toby didn't reply, Caleb looked over and noticed the smirk on his friend's face. "I swear to God Toby."
Toby laughed, "How long has it been since you and Hanna last had sex, man? Cause you are crabby."
"And you aren't answering my question," Caleb shot back. His question, however, was answered when he saw the large green sign ahead. WELCOME TO ROSEWOOD. Caleb slumped back into his seat. He had been tricked by his best friend and had fallen for it.
"What can I say? I like the long scenic route better," Toby smiled as he turned into the driveway of his family's cabin.
"I told you, Hanna and I will figure it out when she and Stella come home," Caleb sighed.
"And what if she decides that she doesn't want to come home? This town does have its own particular gravity. We both know that," Toby concluded, looking over at his friend.
Maybe Toby was right. Every time he and Hanna had fought, even back in high school, they had taken time apart and had always found their way back to each other. That was just what they did. Caleb had assumed that this would be like all the other times. But what if he was wrong? He couldn't risk losing both Hanna and his daughter. Caleb didn't think he could survive it.
As they pulled up in front of the cabin, Caleb noticed Spencer, sitting on the front step. He got out of the jeep and pulled Spencer into a hug. "Leave it to you two to pull and intervention on me," He laughed.
"Nice to see you too, Caleb," Spencer quipped.
"You can stay here until you make up with your lady and go back home," Toby said, tossing the keys at Caleb as he pulled Spencer to his side.
"Oh, and as you know, there's a bed in the cabin. So when you and Hanna make up, could you please spare the couch? People do actually sit there," Spencer teased Caleb.
"Are you ever going to let us live that down?" Caleb asked, a little embarrassed.
"Nope," Spencer smiled, "I would have burned the damn thing if it didn't have sentimental value."
"Ok, changing the subject," Toby interjected, "I'm starving. Who wants some lunch?"
"Actually, I can't stay," Spencer sighed, pulling away from him.
"Why, what's wrong?" Toby asked, noticing a shift in his girlfriend's behavior.
Spencer looked at both of the guys, and took a breath before she spoke, "Charlotte was released yesterday and now she's missing."
"How is she missing? Why was she released?" Both guys asked at the same time.
Spencer continued, "I don't have time to go into detail right now because I need to get going to Ali's to meet the others, but basically, we told the judge that we were ok with her being released. Ali called us this morning and said that Charlotte was there when they went to bed but was gone this morning when she woke up."
Caleb ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Great! They let -A escape. So does that mean that she's going to come after you girls again? You're going to go back to flinching every time your phone rings?" Caleb's heart dropped as he heard Spencer's phone suddenly go off in her pocket.
"Tell me that did not just happen?" Toby asked.
"Relax boys, it's just Emily," Spencer rolled her eyes as she walked away to answer the call.
The guys watched intently as Spencer received new information from her friend. When the phone call was over, Spencer rejoined Caleb and Toby.
"Well?" Caleb asked nervously.
"The cops found Charlotte. She, uh," Spencer hesitated, "She killed herself. Apparently, she jumped out of the window of the bell tower at the church. Ali is a wreck. She wants to be alone but Emily is going to go be with her."
"Where is Hanna?" Caleb asked. As much as they weren't getting along, he knew that Hanna would be taking this hard. Especially since she and the others were responsible for getting Charlotte released.
"She should still be at the hotel. Room 229. Emily is calling her next to let her know," Spencer informed him.
"Ok, I'm going to go see her," Caleb decided, making his way to his jeep. He paused before he opened the driver's door and looked back at his friends. "Thanks, you two," He smiled, before he jumped into his vehicle and drove off down the road.
"Let me know if Ali needs anything. Ok, thanks Emily. Bye," Hanna hung up the phone and walked back over to the couch, which had now been put back together. The girls had left not long after Ali's frantic call; Spencer had said something about having to meet Toby, so they were all going to meet at Ali's afterwards. Now that Charlotte had been found deceased, all of their plans had been canceled.
Hanna sat down on the couch as Stella climb up to join her. Stella handed Hanna one of her new stuffed animals, which Grandma Ashley had given her recently. With all of the new toys that Stella had been given on this trip, Hanna knew there was no way that she was going to be able to take all of them back with her.
"Here, you hold Pop Pop," Stella said, shoving a stuffed blue horse towards her mom as she placed more stuffed animals on her lap. Hanna was surprised at how well Stella had adapted to not having a set routine and being away from home, away from Caleb, for so long. They had had a few nights whilst in Rosewood during which Stella had cried for her dad. But Hanna had played Stella a few videos of Caleb that she had saved on her phone, and that had seemed to satisfy her. She had also had her mom FaceTime Caleb for Stella whilst she was watching her. Of course, Hanna had gotten an earful about her broken relationship when she had returned. She had failed to remember that Caleb could never lie to Ashley, especially after everything that she had done for him when he had first come to Rosewood.
Hanna heard a soft knock at the door. She removed all of the animals that were piled on her lap, and stood to answer the door. She wasn't expecting company, but her mom had made a habit of stopping by when she had a free moment – Hanna knew that her mom had enjoyed having her daughter and granddaughter around for the last two weeks. She opened the door and was surprised to see who was on the other side.
"Hey," Caleb smiled nervously.
"Hey," Hanna replied in a quiet voice. They both stood there, staring at each other for a moment, until her brain finally caught up with her. "Sorry, I thought you were my mom."
"I haven't changed that much have I?" Caleb attempted to break the ice.
Hanna smiled slightly. "No you haven't"
"Spencer told me what happened," He admitted with a sigh.
"You talked to Spencer?" Hanna asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah. I saw her when she came to see Toby. I was actually with her when she got the call from Emily." Caleb glanced over Hanna's shoulder to see Stella playing on the couch. Hanna followed his gaze. She knew that Caleb was itching to see his daughter. "Can I come in?" He asked.
"Yeah," Hanna nodded.
"Thanks," Caleb smiled, meeting her eyes as he walked past her into the room.
"Hey, Stella. Look who's here," Hanna told her daughter. Stella look up and her blue eyes instantly brightened. She climbed off of the couch and ran straight into Caleb's arms as he crouched down.
"Daddy!" Stella exclaimed, "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Bug," He smiled as he kissed her cheek.
Stella wiped her face with her arm. "You tickle, dad," She giggled, rubbing her hand on his stubble.
"I do? How about I tickle you here?" Caleb said, before moving his hand to tickle Stella's stomach. The toddler screamed with delight.
Hanna couldn't help but smile at their interaction. She instantly felt guilty for keeping them apart for so long.
Caleb walked over to the couch with Stella still in his arms. "Wow, look at all these animals you have."
"I have a zoo," Stella said proudly.
"I can see that." Caleb sat down on the couch, and sat Stella in his lap so that she could continue to play with her animals. Hanna stayed on the other end of the couch, leaning on the arm.
"Why are you here?" She finally spoke. Her question had come out a little harsher than she had expected. Caleb looked up at her, slightly surprised by her tone. "Sorry, it's been a very wrong day and I didn't expect you to show up on my doorstep."
"Yeah, Spencer told me about Charlotte and, um, I don't know," He fumbled nervously, "Maybe it was a conditioned reflex but I thought I could help."
"Well, I'm glad to know that your reflexes still work," Hanna retorted.
Getting Hanna to let her walls down was going to be harder than Caleb had anticipated. But he wasn't going to give up easily. "You ok?"
Hanna took a deep breath as she moved to sit on the couch cushion. "Well, we came here to help Ali, and Charlotte killed herself. We could have just kept our mouths shut and she would still be in a nice, safe hospital. Instead, we have another funeral to get through."
"Yeah, I thought I might stick around for that. Toby said I could stay at his cabin." As much as Caleb want to be by Hanna's side, he still wanted to give her the space that she had asked for.
"Don't you have to work?" Hanna enquired.
"No," He confirmed, "I took the week off."
"Since when do you take time off of work?" Hanna was shocked.
"Since I realized that I was an idiot and missed my family." Caleb saw Hanna lower her gaze and smile. He knew that he was starting to break her down. "So, what have you and Stella been up to, except for the Charlotte stuff?"
"Mostly just catching up with the girls. They have been spoiling Stella a lot, if you hadn't already noticed," Hanna chuckled, pointing to the pile of animals between them, which was growing bigger by the minute.
"I can tell. We might have to leave some with your mom, I don't think they'll all fit in the nursery. I see you've been working on some new designs," Caleb nodded towards the open sketch pad on the end table.
"Yeah, I forgot how colorful this town is. I've been finding inspiration in a lot of different places."
"That's great, Han," He smiled back at her, sincerely.
Hanna's phone lit up with Spencer's name, interrupting their conversation.
"I should get going," Caleb sighed, standing up, "You've got a lot going on with your friends right now. Let me know if you want me to take Stella, you know where to find me if you need anything."
"Yeah, thanks Caleb," Hanna smiled genuinely at him.
Caleb knelt down to talk to Stella, who was currently occupied by her toys on the floor. "Hey Bug. Daddy has to go now, but I'll be back soon, ok? And then, maybe, we can go back home."
"Ok, bye daddy," Stella turned to Caleb and puckered her lips to give him a kiss goodbye.
Caleb gave his daughter a kiss, then stood up straight before heading towards the door.
Whilst Caleb and Stella were saying their goodbyes, Hanna opened her phone to read the message from Spencer.
You're welcome :)
Hanna rolled her eyes and closed her phone. They owed it to themselves to make their relationship work, they owed it to Stella. When Hanna looked up, Caleb had just walked into the hallway and shut the door. She raced to the door and opened it to find the hallway empty.
"Caleb!" She shouted, hoping that she wasn't too late. When she didn't get a response, Hanna hung her head and began walking back into her room.
"Hanna?" Caleb appeared from around the corner. She let out a sigh of relief as Caleb approached her. "What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.
"Nothing. It's just that, would you like to have lunch with me and Stella?" She fumbled, nervously.
A grin spread across Caleb's face, "Of course. Do you wanna eat at the hotel or go out?"
"Let's go out. I could use some fresh air."
By the time they had finished eating lunch at The Apple Rose Grille, the tension and issues between them had been long-forgotten. Hanna couldn't remember the last time that they had been able to sit down and enjoy a meal together like this – Stella even seemed to be on her best behavior.
Exiting the restaurant, Caleb lifted Stella up onto his shoulders as they continued down the sidewalk. "I can't believe how much this town has changed since we moved away," He pointed out.
"I know what you mean. Every time we visit here, it's only for a day or two. It's been nice to able to relax here and take it all in. No horns blaring, people pushing. Hey, did you see that someone bought the Lost Woods Resort?" Caleb laughed as Hanna rambled on, "They should just tear that place down. It gives me the creeps."
"Says the girl who's staying in a hotel that used to be a nut house," Caleb joked.
"Ok. I get your point. What do you say we go see if the old playground is still standing? You want to go play on the swings, Stella?" Hanna asked, looking up at her daughter. Stella nodded in excitement. Caleb grabbed ahold of Hanna's hand as they crossed the street.
They reached the playground to find it exactly how they remembered it. Hanna reached up to grab Stella off of Caleb's shoulders. When she placed her daughter on the ground, Stella ran towards the animal rockers behind the swings. "Up, mommy, up," She demanded, giggling.
Hanna and Caleb walked over to Stella, and Hanna placed her on the toy. Stella began to sway back and forth whilst Hanna held onto her waist for support. Caleb took the opportunity to take his phone out and snap a few pictures of his girls.
"Stella, look at daddy and say cheese," Hanna told her, pointing towards Caleb. Stella gave Caleb a toothy grin as he snapped the photo.
"I want to swing," Stella told them, trying to climb off of the animal. Caleb helped her down and they made their way over to the swings. Since the playground didn't have baby seats, Caleb sat down on the swing first and pulled Stella onto his lap. He pushed his feet off the ground and the swing began to move. Caleb glanced up at Hanna to see her wiping a tear off her cheek – she caught his eye and waved him off with a smile. He knew that Hanna got very emotional when it came to moments like this. It was one of the things that Caleb had always loved about her.
The sound of Hanna's phone echoed through the park. Hanna reached in her bag to pull it out and frowned at the ID. She should have known that this call would be coming. After a quick chat, Hanna hung up the phone and looked at Caleb. "That was the police. They want me to come down for questioning."
Caleb could tell that Hanna was not looking forward to talking to the cops. He stood up from the swing, with Stella still in his arms, and placed his hand on Hanna's cheek. "Hey, you've got this. You have nothing to hide. Go deal with the police and I'll stay with Stella. Call me when you're done and maybe we can go out to dinner? A date out on the town like old times," He suggested with a chuckle.
"Sounds great," Hanna smiled, looking up at him. It was amazing that, after all these years, he could still make her feel safe, even with a few simple words. Caleb leaned down and kissed her on the forehead as she turned to walk into town.
Hanna stood in front of the mirror in her hotel room, trying to decide what to wear. When she had called Caleb to let him know that she was done talking to the police, he had informed her that their date called for casual attire. She had no idea why she was so nervous – it was Caleb, for crying out loud. Her boyfriend and father of her child. They had been together since they were sixteen years old, and knew more about each other than anyone else in their lives. Something about being back in town made Hanna feel so free, yet so vulnerable at the same time.
She finally settled for an off the shoulder, black chiffon top with a pair of skinny jeans and ankle boots. She chose to leave her hair down and wavy – Caleb always liked it when she wore it that way. As she was applying the last of her make-up, Ashley Marin walked into the bathroom and joined her daughter. "You look beautiful Hanna. Try to enjoy tonight," She smiled at her.
"Thanks mom, I will," Hanna nodded back. Both women turned to look into the living room as they heard a knock at the door. Hanna tossed her mascara onto the counter, and went to answer it. The sight in front of her caused her to cover her mouth in an attempt to disguise her laughter.
Caleb stood before her looking like he had just stepped out of time machine, having come from seven years ago. He wore a faded green flannel shirt over a grey t-shirt, dark ripped jeans, and combat boots. He was carrying Stella, who was now sporting a grey beanie on her head, with her blonde hair poking out from underneath.
"Wow, when you said casual, you weren't kidding. Though, why does our daughter have the beanie on and not you?" Hanna asked as she reached out to take Stella from Caleb.
"She kinda stole it from me. And besides, now that I have short hair, it looks much better on her," He chuckled.
Stella removed the hat from her head and placed it on Hanna's. "Mommy, you wear the hat."
"No, I changed my mind," Caleb teased, looking at Hanna, "It looks much better on you."
Hanna took the hat off of her head and placed it back on the toddler's. "You can have it back, baby. Now go play," She laughed, placing Stella back on the ground before she ran off. She turned back to Caleb, "I have to say, I feel like I'm over dressed for the occasion. You're dressed like you used to be for our dates back in high school."
"That was the plan," He grinned, "Although, if that was the case, your outfit would require a lot less clothing and five-inch heels."
Hanna swatted Caleb on the chest and laughed, "I can't believe you just said that."
"I can't believe I just heard that," Ashley sighed, walking in from the other room.
"Ashley, I didn't know you were here," Caleb mumbled, turning red with embarrassment.
"I came here to watch my granddaughter whilst you two go out," She smiled at him kindly, "My house is still a disaster area, so I figured I would just come here."
"Well, thank you," He said sincerely, before turning to Hanna "You ready to go?"
"Yeah, just let me grab my purse," She nodded at him.
"Stella, come say goodbye to your mommy and daddy," Ashley yelled into the bedroom, where the toddler was now playing.
Stella came out of the bedroom with the beanie still on top of her head. Caleb knelt down to give her a kiss, and then Hanna did the same. "You be good for grandma, ok?" She told her.
"Ok. I love you, mommy," The toddler beamed up at her.
Hanna reached out to hug her, "I love you too, baby," She mumbled.
"Love you, Bug," Caleb said from behind Hanna.
Stella grinned up at him, "Love you, daddy."
Hanna stood up, brushing her jeans off with the back of her hands. "Thanks again mom," She smiled as she hugged Ashley.
"Go have fun. You deserve it," She whispered in her daughter's ear.
Hanna pulled away, and walked towards the door to meet Caleb. He opened the door as they walked out together with his hand on the small of her back. When they reached the car, Caleb walked in front of Hanna to open the passenger door; once Hanna was in the jeep, Caleb shut the door and got into the driver's seat.
"So, you could have warned me that your mom was in the next room," Caleb looked at Hanna, who was in the passenger seat.
"And miss your face turning all kinds of red? No way," She chuckled.
"For that, I'm not telling you where we're going to eat," He retorted, smugly.
"Then I get control of the radio. Two can play this game, mister," She shrugged, "So what will it be? Katy or Justin?"
Caleb pulled up his jeep in front of a small restaurant on the edge of town. If it wasn't for the neon lights illuminating the top of the building, no one would even know it was there.
"Tivoli's Pizza? Really Caleb?" Hanna laughed as she got out of the jeep.
"Hey, I know it's not deep dish New York pizza, but tell me you haven't been craving this since we left Rosewood," He chuckled. Besides the Grille, this was the place that they had visited the most when they had wanted to eat. Caleb wanted to make this date reflect their younger days as much as he was able to. Anything to reignite the spark they had once had.
"Then pizza it is. Our usual?" Hanna asked.
"Sounds good."
After finishing their meal, Hanna began to tell Caleb about their week in Rosewood.
"Oh my gosh, Caleb. You should see how crazy she looked," Hanna laughed as she passed Caleb her phone, showing him the photo that she had taken that morning of Stella and her mismatched attire.
"Wow, she's really starting to style herself. Are you sure Aria didn't have anything to do with that?" Caleb asked jokingly, handing Hanna back her phone.
"No, but I did receive a pillow to the face for asking the same question," She rolled her eyes.
He shrugged, "You girls did have some interesting outfits back then."
"Well, I have to say, yours is pretty damn sexy tonight," She raised an eyebrow, looking him up and down.
"You digging the bad boy look?" Caleb chuckled, poking fun at her.
"Maybe a little bit," She smiled, before reaching across the table to take his hand. Caleb raised their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. "It's definitely something I could get used to again."
"Then it's settled. The suit and ties are going in the garbage as soon as we get home. I'll quit my job and go back to hacking phones for strangers," He teased her.
Hanna's face turned stoic all of a sudden. "Don't joke like that."
"Who's joking, Hanna?" He sighed, "I would do anything it get you back."
"Caleb, I'm right here. You still have me," She told him as she leaned forward, raising their joined hands.
"But not completely. I know you Hanna. Better than you know yourself. I know you're worried about the way things have been going between us, but we'll be ok. I mean, look at us today. You see how easy it was to get back into our groove?" He sighed deeply, "We've gotten through it before and we'll get through it again," Caleb removed his hand from hers and reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, "I promise."
Hanna met his gaze as her eyes began to fill with tears. "Can we go somewhere more private and talk?"
"Sure. I'll go get the check." Caleb squeezed her hand and stood up to pay the bill.
The whole ride back to the cabin, Hanna stayed silent. There was so much that she wanted to say to Caleb, to get off of her chest, but she couldn't find the right words. The last thing that she wanted him to think was that she didn't love him anymore. She loved him with all of her heart. He was her first love. He was the first guy that she had opened up to about her weight issues, and the first and only guy that she had ever made love to. There was no one better to be with. But she was afraid that they were growing apart, and the thought terrified her.
Walking into the cabin, Hanna couldn't believe how many memories it brought back. The place had brought Hanna a sense of comfort when her life felt like it was spiraling out of control. She had spent many nights here in Caleb's arms, trying to shut out the drama of Ali's return. Despite Caleb going through something at that time as well, they were still able to keep each other grounded.
"You want me to start a fire?" Caleb asked, bringing Hanna out of her thoughts. She gave him a slight nod as she wandered over to the old refrigerator, knowing that Caleb had most likely stocked it with her favorite champagne. She pulled the bottle out and poured it into two glasses. When she returned to the living room, Caleb was standing by the now lit fire, waiting for her. She passed him a glass and took a sip of her own.
Caleb observed as Hanna tried to avoid his gaze. The fire was casting a shadow across her face that he thought highlighted her beauty even more than usual, though he could tell that something was still bothering her. He placed his glass on the mantle and reached out to her, touching her chin with his fingertips, and turning her head to face him. He could no longer resist the urge to be with her again. His eyes drifted back and forth between her lips and her eyes before he closed the distance between them.
When she felt the light brush of his lips, she found herself responding willingly. It was less than a second before his lips caressed hers once more, just as gently, though this time the kiss was accompanied by a soft swipe of his tongue against her bottom lip.
Without breaking the kiss, Hanna adjusted her position, slipping her arms around his neck. When they both pulled back to catch a breath, she caught sight of his swollen lips and the dreamy look in his eyes. She groaned. Unable to stop herself, she leaned herself against him, searching for his lips once more. Her surrender was almost unconscious when she opened her mouth and sought his tongue with hers; she knew his taste from the million kisses that they had shared before, but never imagined how much it could still affect her. Two kisses turned into three, followed by four and five; each kiss seemed to last longer and felt a little more intimate than the last.
As her subconscious mind finally caught up with her brain, she pulled away from him – reality had hit her. "Caleb, we can't," She mumbled, turning away from him.
Caleb sighed as he moved towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Hanna, please look at me," He sighed, "Tell me what's wrong."
"I don't think I can do this anymore," Hanna sobbed. She turned around to face him with tears pouring down her face.
"You don't really mean that do you?" He asked worriedly, "I told you, we'll get through this."
"And then what?" Hanna threw up her arms in frustration, "Who says that once we get home, it won't all fall apart again? I'm tired, Caleb."
"I won't let that happen," He declared, "You and Stella mean everything to me. You were right to walk out last week; it was the wake up call that I needed. I'll talk to my boss first thing on Monday about decreasing my hours."
"I can't ask you to do that," She sniffed, "Your job is important to you."
"Not as important as my family," He started, emotionally, "Hanna, I never want to spend another day without you, ever, for the rest of my life."
Hanna's eye widened. "You're not proposing are you?"
Caleb let out a small chuckle, "No. Well, not yet, anyway."
"Good to know," Hanna sighed before closing the gap between them, wrapping her arms around Caleb's neck. She looked up into his dark eyes. "I love you," She murmured. She stood on her toes, connecting their lips, sending sparks throughout her body – she would never get tired of the feeling. She tightened her arms around him, pulling herself securely into his embrace; it felt so right being held by him this way, so incredible to be kissed by him. His taste, his smell, the feeling of his body pressed up against hers, the soft noises coming from the back of his throat… all of it combined to feed her senses.
Hanna wasn't sure whether the heat that she was feeling was coming from the built up passion or the fire, but either way, she felt a dire need to be undressed. Caleb must have felt the same way, as she soon felt his hands slipping under the hem of her shirt, before pulling it over her head. She reluctantly broke away from the kiss and raised her arms to allow him to completely remove her top.
Caleb's lips immediately reconnected with hers, then descended to her throat – she whimpered as she felt his soft, wet kisses trailing down her neck. "I love you too," He whispered into her ear, his voice hoarse.
His kisses made their way back to Hanna's lips as her hands slipped between their bodies, unbuttoning his flannel and pushing it off of his shoulders. Once it was removed, her hands splayed out on his chest, and she could feel his heart hammering just as wildly as her own. She allowed her hand to linger there for a minute, just enjoying how attuned to each other they were, and reveling in the pride that she felt at realizing that she still had this effect on him. The need to feel the skin beneath his shirt became overwhelming, and her hand quickly moved to his waist, yanking the shirt up over his head.
Their foreheads rested against one another's for a brief moment whilst they caught their breaths. Looking at her flushed face and swollen lips, and listening to her labored breathing, Caleb didn't have to think for long to know that he wanted to be with her right then and there. His fingers rounded to her back as he unclasped her bra – the material fell to the floor, along with the rest of the discarded clothes. His hands continued down the bare skin of her hips, before coming to rest on her bottom. Not wanting to be apart from his love any longer, Caleb grabbed her behind, forcing her body up against his.
Hanna wrapped her legs around his waist, and her hands found their way into his hair as he began to walk them towards the bedroom. When they approached the foot of the queen size bed, Caleb sat Hanna down on the edge of it. She reached out, grabbing his belt loop as she began to undo his pants, whilst planting kisses on his abdomen. Once she had completed her task, Caleb stepped out of his jeans and boots. He reached down to remove Hanna's shoes as she leaned back on her arms and scooted towards the headboard, making room for Caleb to straddle her. In a not-so-gentle move, he yanked her jeans and underwear down before giving her a light push. Hanna sank down onto the bed, lifting her hips in order to help him remove her remaining clothes. In the dim light of the cabin, she could see his longing gaze as he hurried to shed the last of his own clothing; it took him less than two seconds, and he immediately returned to exploring her body thoroughly, as if he was seeing her naked for the very first time.
In a way, he was. With everything that had been going on between them lately, there had hardly been any opportunities for him to show his love for her on a more physical level, beyond their routine hello and goodbye kisses. After all, she was still as sexy as she had been before Stella was born. If anything, she had gained infinitesimal amounts in all the right places.
Neither had any patience left as they gravitated towards one another in an attempt to merge their bodies.
"Take me home," Hanna whispered as her lips found their counterparts, tasting the remnants of the champagne that they'd shared earlier as their tongues slowly found their way to one another's; soon, they both began to apply a little more pressure in order gain full access to each other's mouths.
Hands were roaming, fingers ghosting over anxiously tense bodies. Low sounds of moaning mingled with high-pitched sounds of pure bliss as they kissed and joined their bodies in the most intimate way.
In the pale moonlight, which was shining in through the small cabin windows, Hanna and Caleb lay entwined. The fire had burned out long ago, but their passion was not dwelling; it had spiraled out of control as a result of the unconditional love that they had rediscovered that night.
AN:
Thanks to everyone again for the great reviews. Sorry for leaving you hanging for so long. This is my longest chapter yet. I hope it makes up for the long wait.
A special thanks to Zippizappi for helping me with the smut. She definitely is the queen of smut. And to my amazing beta HannnaRivers and my constant inspirations; TvfanLife, Halebxxx, Janethewriter1, and FrenchBenzo