The soft and quiet noise of the morning rain woke Hanna up. She slightly lifted her head from the pillow and slowly opened her eyes. She was in the guest room. And when she realized where she was, she remembered she had slept with Caleb. He wasn't there with her, though. And Hanna, as soon as she saw that he wasn't next to her, immediately felt scared.
Was he gone? Once again?
She got up from bed and watched as the rain kept falling down on the streets through the window. And then, she exited the room and went downstairs. Caleb wasn't there either.
'Maybe he's in the bathroom.' she thought. But no, he wasn't.
Caleb wasn't in the house.
And why the hell he had to go out on a Saturday rainy morning? Sure, he had left. Again. Because he knew he couldn't be there so close with her.
He had ran away, again.
Hanna sat on the stairs and took her head between her hands. It had felt so good to sleep with him. Just sleeping, of course, but she had felt safer from everything. And the thought of Travis hadn't even crossed her mind. Caleb was the one, she had always known it, though. She would have wanted to wake up with him, but he wasn't there anymore. He had left without even saying goodbye.
Without even saying 'I love you'.
When that thought came up to her mind, the front door wide opened revealing Caleb with an umbrella and the keys of the house in the hands.
"Hey." he smiled at her as he came inside, closing the door.
Hanna felt totally relieved.
He wasn't gone.
"I didn't want to wake you up." he continued, taking off the coat.
He was carrying some bags.
"Where have you been?" Hanna asked.
"To the grocery. I woke up early and I had a cup of coffee for breakfast, so in the meanwhile I turned the TV on. I heard the news, and it seems that today's coming a tornado. They recommended everyone to stay in the house from two pm today, and maybe the tornado could go on for the whole weekend, so... I thought we needed some food since we'll have to stay closed here for who-knows-how-long." he explained, as he placed the bags on the table.
"Really? A tornado?" Hanna asked, widening her eyes.
"Don't worry, okay? I'll be here with you." Caleb assured.
Hanna bit her lip and nodded awkwardly, then she realized she was still in her sweatpants.
"I go get dressed." she announced, getting up from the stairs.
Caleb chuckled.
"What?" Hanna snapped.
"Get dressed for what? You have to stay here. You can't go out." Caleb smiled.
"I'll get dressed anyway."
"Okay." Caleb nodded, smirking.
And with that, Hanna disappeared upstairs.
While she was getting dressed, her mobile rang. It was her mom.
"Mom?"
"Oh my God, Hanna! Are you okay? Is there someone with you in the house?"
"Keep calm, mom. It's okay. Uhm... Emily's here with me. The tornado won't come until two pm, though..."
"I know but don't you dare go out, did you hear me? Don't move from there! And close all the windows, okay?"
"I will, don't freak out. I'm not alone." Hanna replied, smiling at the thought of Caleb there with her.
"Okay. Sweetie, be careful. And call me for anything. I'm sorry I had to leave right this weekend, oh my God..."
"Mom, don't worry. Really. I'll be fine. Be careful you too, okay?"
"Okay. I have to hung up now. But call me whenever you need to."
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye, sweetie."
And then, Hanna hung up. But as soon as she did, it rang again. This time, it was Spencer.
"Spence?"
"Hanna? Everything okay?"
"God, Spencer... You sound like my mom... This tornado will not be that much of a big deal, and..."
"I'm not talking about the tornado. I'm talking about –A."
Hanna was confused.
"–A?" she asked.
"Look, we all received the text last night. The house which allows tramps in is yours, without a doubt. We knew since the first moment that Caleb was staying there, and that was the confirmation. Anyway, it's not what I called you for... Did –A do anything last night? Are you okay?"
Hanna sighed and bit her lip. Of course their friends knew from the first moment.
"Yeah. Yeah, everything's okay. I guess it was just –A's way to tell us that he, she or whatever it is knows about Caleb staying here. I was scared about the text, honestly, but... I eventually fell asleep, someway." Hanna replied, thinking about how she had actually fallen asleep.
"Fine. So... Is he there with you? I really don't want to sound like your mom, but since she's out of town, I wouldn't want you to be alone today... Is Caleb there? You guys will be okay with the tornado? Do you need anything?"
Hanna smiled.
"He's here. We'll be okay. Thanks, Spencer." she said then.
"Okay."
"I'm sorry if I lied to you guys about him, but..."
Spencer interrupted her.
"It doesn't matter. We knew it anyway. But maybe Travis..."
This time, it was Hanna who interrupted her.
"Travis and I... We're over. He found out about Caleb last night and was pissed off, and then he basically asked me to kick Caleb out or he would have broken up with me. I guess it was legit, though. But... Well, I didn't kick Caleb out, so..."
"And... Are you fine?"
"I am. I really am, Spence. Travis didn't deserve more lies and most of all a girl who doesn't love him. I think it was the best decision for everyone. Maybe it was kind of harsh, but... It was right."
"What about you and Caleb now?"
Hanna sighed and remained silent for a few seconds before replying, lowering her voice.
"I don't know exactly how to feel about him. Obviously, I have feelings for him, but I'm not ready to start things over. I need to trust him, and right now I'm not totally sure I can. I fear he could leave again, like he did some months ago for Ravenswood. This morning, for example... He woke up early and went to the grocery to take some food. So, when I woke up and didn't find him in the house, I started freaking out because I thought he was gone. Again. I can't restart a relationship like this. I can't wake up every morning scared not to find him. I just can't. That's why I'm trying not to be too close to him. I don't want to have him so close to me one day, and then lose him the next day."
"Well, you offered him your house... I think you're already very close to him, Han!"
"Yeah, but I couldn't leave him without a place to stay. I'm just helping him. To be honest, if I was totally me, if I let myself go without thinking about trust and stuff, I think I'd already be with him... Like... With him..."
"Okay, okay... I get it. Don't give me particulars."
"Yeah... Do you think I'm doing something wrong?"
"You're doing what you feel to do. This can never be wrong."
"What if I tell you that I slept with him last night?"
"Hanna!"
"Hey, hey, hey... Don't get me wrong. Just sleeping, I promise. You know, there was the text, and then the storm... I was scared and I couldn't sleep, plus it was pretty cold, so... We just shared the bed of the guest room."
"So... No cuddling either?"
"Well, actually... We cuddled, but... Just a little bit. Nothing too 'dangerous', they were like caresses, just... He kissed my forehead... I rested my head on his chest... But they were just things to calm me down. Okay, we slept pretty close to each other, but... It was innocent. I was scared and he was just protective with me. That's all."
Spencer chuckled a little.
"Alright, and there's something else that I should know?" she said then.
"Well..." Hanna started.
"There was a kiss?"
"No, but... He said that he loves me."
"What? And what did you say then?"
"He didn't tell me. He told Travis."
"Travis? Why?"
"It's pretty complicated. I promise I'll tell you everything, but... Not by phone."
"Okay. I have to go now. If you need anything, call me."
"Sure. Bye, Spence. Be careful."
"You too. Bye."
Then, Hanna hung up and finished getting dressed, so she got out of the room. She went downstairs and found Caleb setting the table for breakfast. She smiled and remained silent watching him. He hadn't noticed her presence and he was all focused with the dishes and everything. After a few seconds, Hanna entered the kitchen and a smile spreaded on his face.
"I thought you were hungry." he shrugged.
"Caleb, you didn't have to do this."
"I wanted to. C'mon, I made pancakes. You have to tell me if they're good."
"I know that your pancakes are good." Hanna said with a small smile.
Caleb smiled back and then pursed his lips at the thought of their past breakfast together.
"Well... Try it anyway." he said then with a slight shrug, as he placed a pancake in Hanna's dish.
Hanna shook her head smiling and then ate a piece of the pancake. And, yeah, they were as good as they used to.
"It's very good." she announced, with the mouth still full.
Caleb smiled and sat across her, starting eating as well.
"So... How did you sleep?" he asked casually, searching for her eyes.
Hanna blushed and kept looking at her dish.
"Uhm... I fell asleep quickly." she stuttered.
Caleb nodded slowly, playing with his fork.
"Me too, actually. But I don't think it was because of the mattress..." he stated, again searching for her eyes.
But Hanna didn't dare to look up. And she didn't say anything either. They finished eating in silence, then Hanna offered herself to wash the dishes as Caleb went for a shower.
When he came back downstairs, Hanna was sitting on the couch trying to find something on TV which wasn't just some news about the tornado. Caleb sat next to her and turned his head to her.
"What about one of your DVDs?" he asked.
"I guess it's our only chance not to think about the upcoming disaster outside there." she said raising her eyebrows.
"Okay, but I pick." Caleb smiled.
Hanna nodded, so Caleb got up and gave a look at her collection. He tried not to choose romantic movies, not only because he didn't like them, but also because it could have been definitely awkward, so he simply took The Hunger Games and put it in the player.
"What about The Hunger Games?" he asked, returning to his previous seat.
"Fine." she shrugged, pressing the play button.
They watched the first twenty minutes of the movie in an awkward silence. Caleb occasionally looked over at Hanna, but she kept staring at the screen. He almost felt uncomfortable on that couch, maybe because he was used to be so much closer to Hanna than that. He was used to have her all curled up against his chest, and not so far. Yeah, they had slept in the same bed just the previous night, but it had been a particular moment where Hanna needed to feel protection. Now there was just a huge embarassment, and when a thunder echoed outside and the TV screen went black, Caleb knew that neither the movie would have helped to handle that embarassment.
"Amazing." Hanna commented sarcastically, snorting.
Caleb sighed and threw his head back.
"Something to eat?" he asked casually, trying to say something.
"We've just had breakfast." Hanna replied.
"Yeah, right."
After a few other awkward minutes of total silence, Hanna decided to ask him something.
"Caleb?"
"Huh?"
"Can you tell me what happened in Ravenswood?"
She needed to know. She knew that something strange happened. She had even gone there once, and Caleb had told her about Miranda's death and the curse, but he also told her that he still needed to be there to solve things and keep promises. But now he was back in Rosewood, and Hanna wanted to know how things had ended.
Caleb sighed and scratched his head, unsure about what to say.
"I... Uhm... I don't really feel to talk about that." he stuttered.
"Where do you think you can go? We're alone, basically locked in this house, without electricity. I definitely think you can't escape."
Caleb swallowed and looked at the floor, still silent.
"Caleb... I know that for some reason you don't want to talk about it, and you probably will never want to, but... If you love me you should be able to open up with me." Hanna blurted out, without thinking too much.
Caleb glanced at her and pursed his lips. He loved her, of course he did. But how can you explain a thing like Ravenswood? He took a deep breath and wiped his hands against his thighs.
"Miranda... Is gone. Like, for good. Her uncle eventually helped me, Luke, Olivia and Remy to break the curse. And when we did it, everything returned normal. I think that now Miranda may rest in peace." he said quickly, not entering the details.
"But... What exactly happened there? What did you see? There's something which... Is like haunting you..." Hanna insisted, sincerely concerned.
"I saw things which I didn't think exist. I could see even a dead person, and she was so damn real that made me question if I was going crazy. You know, sometimes, when I wake up, I try to think that I just imagined everything, that... What happened actually never happened. That it was just a bad dream. I would like to forget what I saw, honestly. Because... It changed me in a way in which I didn't want to change. Now I don't know what's real and what it's not, and... I'm always afraid that someone may come up to me and tell me that the curse is back or something like that. But... I was close to the death more than once, so I learned one important thing there. That... We have to enjoy every single moment which life gives us, because we can't know if we will ever have another chance. And... That's probably what has brought me back to you as soon as I realized that I had finished what I had to do there. I have to try with all myself to keep up the important things of my life, no matter what."
Hanna looked at Caleb the whole time he spoke. He had talked like he had a huge weight on his chest. But when he had eventually mentioned her, a small smile had spreaded across his lips. He looked honest. And when Hanna looked into his eyes, even though she could see the darkness, she could also still see his love for her. She knew it was true. He really loved her. No matter the time passed, the months parted from each other, Travis, Miranda, the curse, or everything. Yeah, maybe something in him was changed, but his feelings definitely weren't. His heart wasn't.
Again without thinking, she came closer to him and simply wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for an hug. Caleb wasn't expecting it, but he obviously hugged back.
"I would have gone crazy if something had happened to you." she whispered.
Caleb didn't know what to say, so he just held her tighter and made a small nod.
"Thank you for telling me, though." she added then, pulling away.
"Look... If I don't enter the details it's just because they're not... Good. It's not necessary for you to know them all. Everything's over now, so... I'd just like to leave that whole story behind and come back to my life." he replied with a slight shrug.
She gave him a small smile and nodded.
"There was neither a moment in which I haven't loved you, though." he added.
Hanna sighed and moved her gaze away, awkwardly.
"Don't worry, I... I know that I made a mistake not to tell you what was going on from day one. It's my fault if we're no longer together now, and... I don't want the curse to be an excuse. I was the stupid. I just thought I was protecting you. I thought that if you had known about the mess in which I was involved, you would have come to Ravenswood to help me, and... And I couldn't let that happen." he continued, noticing her uncomfortableness.
"So you left me." Hanna murmured, her gaze lost in the void.
"Yeah. But now I'm back. And... As much as I can be sorry for Travis, I... I really hope that you can forgive me someday. But if you won't, I would understand. Like I said, though, I had to try." he concluded, smiling softly once again.
Hanna looked at him and nodded slowly.
"Caleb... I'm not mad at you for everything that happened. We both made mistakes. But I'm not sure that I'm ready to restart things with you right now. I hope you can understand." she murmured then.
"Of course I understand, you and Travis broke up just yesterday, and..."
She interrupted him.
"That's not about him. I hate myself for this, but... He was just a way to forget you. Well... To try to forget you."
"Then... What's stopping you?"
"The thought of you leaving me again. I couldn't handle that pain once again." Hanna whispered, her eyes starting to get watery at the painful memory.
Caleb felt his heart break as he watched her expression. He totally hated himself for how much he had hurt her. He could understand her insecurities toward him.
"I will never forgive myself for having hurt you that way..." he whispered, more to himself than to her.
Hanna lowered her gaze and remained silent.
"I'll do my best to win your trust back, Hanna. And even if I know that they're just words, well... I will never leave you again." Caleb continued, this time louder than just a whisper.
Hanna smiled at him, bitterly. She took a deep breath and then got up from the couch.
"Well... I'll go to lock the windows upstairs." she announced.
Caleb nodded and watched her slowly walking away from him.
That was gonna be a long day.
A/N: Finally I can update :) Hope you all enjoyed this! I loved all the reviews to the last chapter, though :) I'm so happy you're enjoying the story! What do you think about this chapter? Well, here, since the story had started right after 5x05, Hanna still hadn't had a true explanation about Ravenswood by Caleb, so I thought it was kinda needed. Anyway, I promise you a good next chapter, with the upcoming tornado which will force Hanna and Caleb to stay inside together ;) Let me know your thoughts as always! Thank you so much for everything! I'll update as soon as I can, just be a little patient because I have college :( Have a nice week! xx -Atramea.