AshBenzoLove: Honestly, when I wrote it, I was thinking more he couldn't love her because of the situation they were in, and they weren't allowed to fall in love with each other, but it works that way too, reflecting her insecurities, so I guess it has a double meaning! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
PrettyLittleAshwee11: Thanks for your continued support! Here's the next chapter - hope you enjoy!
Boris Yeltsin: Thank you!
DuncneyLoveOfMyLife: I'm still so upset! I miss Tyshley so much! Remember the good old days when we used to get Tyshley content, like, everyday, when they were on set together all the time? Oh, how I took those days for granted. And yeah, I just hate Spencer, haha. Is it obvious in the way I write her? Yeah, we never got to see much of Toby and Hanna, but I wish they had given us more Haleb/Spoby foursome. They had that one double date and that was, like, it. Also hate Jordan, but I think that's pretty obvious, too. Ashley will get better, I promise!
Just a warning: This chapter is kind of random/miscellaneous. A bunch of short snippets of things I wanted to include in the story but they weren't long enough for their own chapter. So I apologize for it being kind of choppy, but hope you enjoy anyway!
"Really? Are you sure there aren't any openings at all?" Hanna heard Caleb on the phone in his kitchen as she walked into his house.
He glanced over at her as she walked in, and she kissed him on the cheek in greeting, before turning her attention to Brody.
It had been a few weeks since Hanna's birthday, and she had been trying to put her conversation with Toby out of her mind. It doesn't matter. She could have met him in high school, but she didn't.
"Well, do you know of anywhere else around?" he asked. There was a pause before he said, "No, I've already tried them. And them." Another pause. "Alright. Well thanks, anyway."
"What was that about?" Hanna asked as he hung up.
He gave her a real kiss as a greeting before answering.
"You know how I have that bachelor party in Vegas this weekend?" She nodded. "Well, I can't find anything to do with Brody. All the kennels and pet hotels around are booked solid. I don't know what's going on this weekend, but apparently everyone's going away."
"I'm sorry," she told him, running her hand through his hair gently. "What are you gonna do?"
"I have no idea. I might just have to cancel the trip, I guess." Which would really suck, since he hadn't seen his friends in a long time.
"I could watch him," she suggested casually.
"I can't ask you to do that," he shook his head. He knew watching a dog, especially a dog as…energetic as Brody was a really big responsibility.
"You're not asking," she countered. "I'm offering."
"You really wanna watch my dog?" he asked doubtfully.
"I love him! And he loves me, too, don't you, Brody?" she cooed at him, rubbing his head.
"But, like, you want to bring him to your house? With your husband?" he confirmed.
"I don't have to tell Jordan whose dog he is; I can just say that he belongs to someone I work with. He won't suspect a thing," she reassured him.
"Well, if you really don't mind, that would help me out a lot."
"Of course I don't mind," she told him. "We'll have so much fun together, won't we, buddy? Although," she said, turning her attention back to Caleb. "It sounds like you'll be having some fun of your own." She raised her eyebrows at him.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he played dumb, a smile playing on his lips.
"Vegas? Bachelor party? Does that mean there'll be strippers?" she asked him.
"There might be," he said coyly. "But don't worry, babe, you know you're the only one I want to see stripping," he told her, smirking, before attacking her neck with kisses.
"That tickles!" she squealed.
"Really? Well, you're not laughing," he pointed out, grinning at her.
The first day of Hanna watching Brody was going well. She had picked him up from Caleb, along with his food, leash, and the other necessities.
She took him for a walk around her neighborhood, and he seemed to appreciate the change of scenery, and then she had let him run around her large backyard, playing fetch with every single stick he could get his teeth into.
Everything was going swimmingly until Jordan got home from work to find Hanna and Brody on the couch in the family room watching television.
"Hanna," he said slowly. "What is that?"
"This is Brody," she informed him. "He's gonna be spending the weekend with us."
"Why?" She could tell by his expression that he was less than pleased by their house guest.
"Because he's a good boy who needed a place to stay," she cooed, stroking the dog beside her.
"But why is it staying here? With us?" he questioned. "You know how I feel about dogs. They shed, and they slobber, and they jump on people, and they're dirty."
She did know all about how he felt. This is why he never allowed them to get a dog, despite how much she begged him. Every single birthday and Christmas, she always hoped he would give in and surprise her with a new puppy, but she was beginning to give up on that dream after five years of puppy-less gifting.
"I'm just doing a favor for a friend. Someone I work with on the campaign was going away for the weekend, and couldn't find anywhere for him to stay."
"Well, keep it off of the furniture. And make sure it doesn't have any accidents. And you might wanna get that thing a bath."
She rolled her eyes as he walked away, not moving Brody from his position on the couch next to her.
"You don't need a bath, do you, boy?" she murmured to him, stroking his fur. "Jordan's just being rude and unwelcoming to you."
Jordan had been home for way too long now, in Hanna's opinion. Not that she, as a dutiful wife, didn't want her husband home, of course, but it meant that she and Caleb hadn't gotten any time together lately. And she missed him. Badly. And her body missed him just as much.
She missed kissing him, and she missed having sex with him, and she missed cuddling in bed with him. But she also missed talking to him. Watching TV with him. Going on walks with Brody with him. Laughing with him. She just missed him.
For the first few weeks of having Jordan home, she had behaved herself. She had only seen Caleb in the office, with the exception of their exchanges of Brody when she had volunteered to dog-sit. But she hadn't slept with him at all. And she really needed him.
So she decided to break the rules a little bit.
"Emergency at the office. We need you!" she texted Caleb one evening after the work day had finished.
She changed into her favorite sexy red dress, slipping on her tallest Red Bottoms. She threw on a tan trench coat over her outfit, knowing her husband would be suspicious if he saw her wearing this to the office.
On her way out, she told Jordan that there was a campaign emergency, and not to wait up for her, since she might be there really late. Lying to her husband was becoming way too easy, and if she wasn't so eager to see Caleb, she might be concerned about that fact.
Caleb was confused when he arrived at the office. He expected to walk into loud chaos and frantic scrambling, but there was no one in sight. He didn't know what kind of "emergency" this was. Hanna wasn't even here.
He made his way around the floor, looking in cubicles and offices, trying to figure out what was going on, but he still couldn't find anyone.
He walked into his office, figuring he would call Hanna and ask her what was up and where she was.
But as soon as he stepped into the room, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Hanna was sitting at his desk, wearing a very tight, very low-cut red dress, that showed off her incredible cleavage and matched her red lacquered lips perfectly. The cherry red looked amazing against her bright blonde hair. She had her black-Louboutin-clad feet propped on the desk, her long legs crossed at the ankle, the smooth, tanned skin on full display, as she twirled a piece of her perfectly curled hair, shooting him a smoldering look.
"Surprise," she said simply.
He was absolutely speechless for a moment.
"Holy shit, Hanna," he finally murmured, staring at the incredible sight before him.
"I miss you," she told him. "I thought we could use some...alone time."
"I could not agree more," he muttered, still not taking his eyes off of the beautiful blonde.
She stood up from the desk and made her way towards him.
"Wow," was all he could say as he took her in.
He ran his hands down her bare arms, grabbing her hands and holding her at arms' length, just wanting to drink her in.
"So do you like my surprise, then?" she asked him, her voice low.
"Hanna..." he started, running his hands up and down her sides, desperate to touch her after so long apart.
"You look incredible. Seriously, you are so insanely beautiful, it's unreal," he told her, trying to convey the desire he felt for her through his words. "I mean, honestly, how are you real? You're stunning. You are a goddess, Hanna. You're gorgeous. You're perfect. You are, without a doubt, the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on in my entire life." He didn't know how else to compliment her, what other words he could use to make her understand just how beautiful he thought she was, just how attracted to her he was.
Hanna didn't know how Caleb did it. He always seemed to be able to make all of the insecurities that she had struggled with for her entire life, disappear. The way he looked at her, like she was the only woman in the entire world, like he couldn't decide whether he wanted to just keep staring at her, or rip her clothes off and drive into her, the way he complimented her, telling her how perfect she was. She didn't even understand or believe that she could have this much of an effect on someone. No one before had ever made her feel as beautiful, as sexy, as wanted, as he did.
"God, Hanna, you are so perfect," he emphasized, before leaning in to kiss her.
The kiss deepened quickly, tongues exploring mouths hungrily, both of them eager to connect again after being apart for so long.
Their hands explored each other's bodies, wanting to feel as much of each other as they could. She pulled his jacket off of him frantically, wanting to get closer to him, to feel the warmth of his bare skin under her touch.
He placed kisses down her neck, clearly just as desperate and frantic as she was. They separated for just a moment so she could pull his shirt over his head, and then his lips were back on hers, nibbling at her lower lip.
He blindly reached for the zipper on the back of her dress, pulling the dress down without breaking the kiss. She pulled away so she could step out of it, kicking it away from her, before placing soft kisses down his chest and stomach, while he removed his jeans.
He lifted her up and put her on top of the desk, before kissing her passionately again. He unhooked her bra, and she let it fall between them, landing on the floor at their feet.
"This is kind of romantic, you know," she murmured to him. "This office is exactly where our first time happened."
He smiled softly in agreement. He hadn't even thought of that, but it was definitely special.
He pulled off his boxers, while she discarded her panties, leaving her sitting there in front of him wearing five inch heels and nothing else, looking up at him through thick lashes, and he almost came right then.
She went to go kick off her Louboutins, but he stopped her.
"Hey, why don't you...leave those on?" he said as casually as he could, but she could see his eyes flashing as they traveled down her legs and stopped at the heels.
"Okay," she agreed, smirking at him, wrapping her legs around his waist. She desperately wanted him inside of her - it had been way too long. But apparently he wanted to tease her, wanted to drag this out and make her wait.
She moaned as he ran two fingers along her slick lips, spreading her wetness up and down. And then, suddenly, he was messaging her clit excruciatingly slowly, and it was driving Hanna crazy.
"Faster. Please, Caleb...go faster," she begged, her plea barely audible.
"What was that, babe? Was somebody begging for more?" he teased. This was killing her.
"Caleb," she groaned. "I can't...I need you to..." She couldn't even complete a sentence.
Caleb increased the pace of his fingers, and it felt so good, but she knew his cock would feel even better. She began breathing even faster as he hit her G-spot repeatedly. Suddenly, he removed his fingers, making Hanna groan.
Despite her breathlessness and how on edge she was, she did her best to compose herself so she could whisper in his ear. "Baby," she said as calmly as possible - really, she felt like she was on the verge of exploding - nibbling down his neck before her lips were back at his ear to whisper huskily, "If your cock is not inside of me within the next...15 seconds or so, I might have to finish this one without you." She had missed him way too much to be playing games right now.
He inhaled sharply as he felt his body react to her boldness. Hanna Hobart never failed to surprise him, and this surprise sent all the blood racing south.
As much as he knew he would have enjoyed seeing Hanna finish herself off, he couldn't let her do that. She felt way too amazing around his cock, and it had been so long since they had been together, that he couldn't let her finish without him.
So he positioned himself to enter her, and she groaned as they finally connected, loving the feeling of having him inside of her again. God, she had missed this. It had been way too long since they were together like this.
After he entered her, his cock stilled, both of them just enjoying the feeling of becoming one again. Hanna moaned as he finally began to move inside of her.
She grabbed the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair, holding him close to her as he thrust into her, filling her, stretching her, over and over again. His hands were running all over her back, trying to leave his touch across all of the bare skin.
"Oh, God, Caleb," she moaned as he suddenly increased the pace. "Yes! Oh, god, yes! That's amazing!"
They both moaned as the intense feelings of pleasure rippled through them, as he drove into her deeper and deeper each time. She moaned as he quickened his pace yet again; she could tell he was getting close, and she was, too.
"Shit, Han," he groaned.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly, keeping her as close to him as possible, connecting their lips again as he let go and spilled his load inside of her.
"God, Hanna, you're incredible," he moaned into her mouth. "You're so amazing."
She whimpered as he pulled out of her; she was so close, but just not quite there yet. She needed something else to put her over the edge.
So Caleb picked her up off the desk, placing her back on the floor in front of it, grabbing her legs to support her, and holding them apart.
He brought his head down between Hanna's legs and began licking her wet folds. She placed her hands on his head and began moving him in a steady rhythm, while he flicked her clit with his tongue.
Caleb moaned, still in between Hanna's legs, the vibrations sending her wild.
"Shit, babe, you taste amazing," he moaned as his tongue moved in and out of her folds.
After only a couple minutes of unbelievable oral sex, she couldn't last any longer and spilled herself into Caleb's mouth. He lapped up the juices running down her inner thighs, before standing back up, and pulling her in to kiss him again, slowly, passionately, letting her taste herself on his tongue.
She ran her hands slowly down his back, settling them on his bare ass.
"I really needed that," she murmured to him as they separated.
"Me, too," he agreed wholeheartedly. "I miss you. I can't stand this, Han. I need to touch you. Like, all the time. I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this." He hated being apart from her, hated when her husband would come home and swoop in and steal her away from him. He really didn't know how much longer he could keep going on like this, only getting to be with her on her terms.
"What do you mean?" she asked him nervously. She really hoped he wasn't about to end this. She didn't know what she would do if he did. She depended on him. And not even just for sex anymore; she depended on him for a lot.
He shook his head, deciding against bringing up his discontent with their situation. He hated not getting to be with her fully, but he didn't want to lose her, either.
"It's nothing," he told her, shaking it off. "Just...forget I said anything. I just missed you, a lot, is all. I missed you, Han. I missed touching you. I missed kissing you. I missed watching you walk barefoot across the kitchen floor. I thought I'd go crazy missing you."
"Well, I missed you too," she told him gently, standing up on her tiptoes to press a kiss against his lips. But inside, she felt guilty. She knew that he wanted more, more than she was able to give him. More than she would ever be able to give him. But she shook off the thought; it was crazy. He knew exactly what they had, knew that this was all they could ever be. But that didn't make it any easier for her, who knew that she wanted more, too.
A couple of weeks later, Hanna was out to dinner with Jordan when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen discretely to see that it was Caleb calling. She silenced it, figuring he was just calling hoping to find out that Jordan was gone again.
"You would not believe the condition this building was in," Jordan was telling her. "It was terrible. But my team worked their magic and now we're making quick progress. It should be up and running in no time at all."
Hanna just nodded along, pretending to care about Jordan's latest development project, when her phone rang again. When she saw it was Caleb calling a second time, she was worried. He usually got the hint when she couldn't talk, and waited for her to reach out to him.
"I have to take this," she told Jordan hurriedly. "It's Emily; it could be important," she lied, rushing off to the bathroom.
"Hello?" she answered the phone on the last ring.
"Hanna?" she could hear his voice on the other end.
"Yeah, it's me. Caleb, what's up?" she asked, concerned. He didn't usually call her just to talk.
"Where are you?" His voice sounded strained.
"Um, I'm at dinner. Why, what's going on?"
He inwardly cursed himself. She was "at dinner." That meant she was with him.
"Oh, god, of course you are. Never mind. I shouldn't have called. I'm sorry," he said quickly.
"No, Caleb, talk to me - what's going on?" she asked gently. She wanted Caleb to know he could open up to her, wanted him to know she was here for him, no matter what, despite the complicated nature of their relationship.
"Seriously, Hanna, it's nothing. I shouldn't have bothered you. Sorry," he repeated.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked softly. This was an odd conversation, even for him. She knew he wouldn't have called, twice, and asked her where she was if it wasn't important.
"Not really," he admitted. "But I didn't mean to interrupt your night; I'll be fine." She could hear the pain in his voice, and she was worried about him.
"Caleb, stop. You can talk to me. What's up?"
He paused, torn between feeling guilty about bothering her while she was with her husband, and what he knew he really needed right now.
"I really need you, Hanna," he finally said, his voice breaking. She had never heard him sound this vulnerable before. Clearly, something was wrong, and he really did need her.
"I'm on my way," she told him immediately, without a second thought. She would worry about Jordan later, but, right now, she needed to be there for Caleb. "Are you at home?"
"Uh, no, I'm at a park, actually. The one off of Rosewood Ave." She knew the one. She and her friends had gone there all the time growing up.
"I'll be right there," she assured him, hanging up before he had time to argue.
She made her way out of the bathroom, back to their table.
"Spencer really needs me right now," she lied. "She and Toby just had their first big fight since getting married, and she's a wreck."
"I thought you said it was Emily on the phone," Jordan said, a puzzled expression on his face.
Shit.
"Yeah, it was Emily," she confirmed. "But Spencer called her to tell her about it, and we're all going over now. It was a pretty bad fight – she needs all of us," she came up with quickly.
"Oh, okay," he accepted her explanation. "Well, I'll come with you." He made to stand up from his chair.
"No!" she exclaimed anxiously. "I mean…you don't have to do that. It's really a girl thing. You just stay here and finish dinner, and I'll see you…in the morning, maybe."
She made her way out of the restaurant to her car, grateful that Jordan had met her there after work, and therefore, they had separate cars.
When Hanna arrived at the park, she didn't see anyone around, not even Caleb. She walked by the abandoned slides and monkey bars, and caught sight of him sitting on one of the swings of the old swing set.
"Hey," she said simply as she approached him.
He looked up when he heard her voice, and she could tell, just from looking at him, that he was really messed up right now.
He took in her appearance, her flawless makeup, perfect curls, and tight black dress. She looked stunning, and he felt even worse for interrupting her night.
"Hey," he replied softly as she sat down on the swing next to him.
She didn't want to ask him again what was going on; she knew he would talk to her when he was ready. So they sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the creaking of the old chains as they swung back and forth.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"I just left dinner with my dad."
She turned her head quickly to look at him, but he was staring off into the distance, so she couldn't even see his expression.
"What…what do you mean?" she asked, confused. She thought his dad was out of the picture. She thought he didn't even know who his dad was.
"Well, apparently he reached out to my mom, trying to find me. She asked me what I thought about it, and I agreed to meet with him. I don't even know what I was thinking. I've been just fine without a father for 27 years, I don't need one now. But I guess I just thought he might have some answers for me." He laughed humorlessly, finally turning to look at Hanna.
"Wow," was all she could come up with. "Uh…what kind of answers?"
"I don't even know," he sighed. "About my family, I guess. About why he left me. About why it took him so long to reach out."
"And did it help?" she asked gently. She knew now how much his childhood affected him, and she wanted him to be able to make peace with his difficult past.
"Not really," he shook his head. "He just told me about how young he was, and how he wasn't ready to be a father, and how he thought I'd be better off without one at all than with him as a father. It's just not fair. I mean, it's been 27 years. And what, now I'm just supposed to forget about everything he did? Am I supposed to forgive him for everything, just to make him feel better about what he did?"
"I don't know," she said sympathetically, her heart breaking as she listened to him. She could tell how much he was struggling with this.
He shook his head. Of course she didn't know. He shouldn't even be asking her advice on it.
"God, Han, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you. I shouldn't have made you come all the way out here. I don't even know why I did. I guess I just…knew you would listen. And I just really needed someone to listen."
The way he was looking at her made her heart skip a beat.
She grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together.
"I'm glad you did," she told him earnestly. "You're important to me, Caleb. And I want to be here for you. Whatever you need. I'm sorry I can't tell you what to do about this, though. I wish I had the answer."
"I just…" he started. "It was different with my mom, ya know? I mean, yeah, she fucked up, too, but at least she tried. She tried raising me for a few years, she tried to keep in touch, and then she came looking for me when she was ready. He never put in any effort at all, so why should I put in the effort with him?" He looked over at her, as though waiting for an answer again, but he knew he couldn't actually expect her to tell him what to do.
"It sucks," she agreed bluntly. "And I'm so sorry you have to go through this all over again." She squeezed his hand. "I can't tell you what to do, but can I tell you what I think?"
He just nodded in response. He valued her opinion more than anyone's.
"I think that it's never stupid to give someone a second chance. Yeah, he might disappoint you again. Or he might not. I think it's worth a shot. If you realize he hasn't changed, then you can cut him off and never see him again. But think about what you'd be missing out on if he has changed."
He was quiet as he considered what she said. Somehow, she always seemed to know exactly what to say to make him feel better.
"Thank you, Hanna," he finally said. "Not just for this. For...everything."
She just smiled softly in return as he leaned in to kiss her gently on the forehead, her stomach fluttering at the sweet gesture.
"What do you say we get out of here?" she suggested, standing up from the swing.
"Don't you have to get home?" he questioned. "To…him?" He couldn't even say Jordan's name anymore. It hurt too much, serving as a reminder that as much as he cared about Hanna, as special as their relationship was to both of them, she wasn't really his. And she never would be.
She shook her head, thinking back to the excuse she had given Jordan, grateful that she had an alibi for the entire night.
"I'm all yours tonight. Well, that is, if you want me to be, at least."
She didn't miss the expression of joy and relief that crossed his face as he stood up and took her hand in his.
So the inspiration for the middle part of this chapter was that I saw someone make a comment about the scene with Hanna surprising Jordan in his office, saying something like, "Imagine if Hanna did this for Caleb. He would probably faint." And it got me thinking: Caleb appreciates Hanna way more than Jordan ever did, so he definitely deserved this surprise, NOT Jordan. Like, seriously, why do the writers feel the need to give all the terrible couples good scenes? For real, this scene the way it is now makes me want to throw up and gouge my eyeballs out. But if it was a Haleb scene, I probably would have cried, had a heart attack, and spent the rest of my life happy. For some reason, though, the writers hated shippers, which is really ironic considering we're the ones who kept the show afloat for so long, when everyone else who only cared about the -A storyline got bored with the bullshit and gave up. This also kind of reminded me of Hanna's "Surprise him wearing five inch heels and nothing else" comment, which we never got to see (obviously they wouldn't have been able to show the whole thing, but I'm sure they could have found a creative, tasteful way to make it happen), yet another example of Marlene hating Haleb shippers, so there is, of course, a little ode to that in here as well. ;) I didn't want to make Caleb really faint, though, of course, so instead, he just tells Hanna over and over again how attractive she is.
Please review!