Well, hello there. To make up for my absence, I thought I'd deliver you an extra massive chapter. Don't worry, future ones will be shorter again. I hope you'll enjoy this one, though, as it took quite some time to get done with it :S And of course, thank you all so much for your feedback, like always c: You guys are lovely :3 (I hope I didn't miss too many typos / left out words a la 'a', 'to' & 'the', it was kind of hard to scan through this mass of words again :x)

Chapter 4 – I don't think I can last another day

An hour had passed since Aria's phone call and Hanna was on the way to her favorite 20's-themed-café to meet up with Wren during her lunch break. Of course Jessica, whose heels were battling with the cobblestone pathway, was accompanying her as she did every chance they all had time off together. It had felt incredible to finally talk to one of her old friends again and making plans to go back to Rosewood had lifted the blonde's mood up into whole new atmospheres, but work had soon brought her back to Earth. In fact, the disapproving looks her boss threw her today made her worry about her hopeful plans. She would get two weeks off without any problems, wouldn't she? Her attendance was exemplary after all and the work they let her do, she did mighty well.

Deep in thought, she didn't even pay attention to Jess, who was cursing her new Manolo Blahniks which she had bought one size too big since hers had been out of stock.

"Do you think they'll still let me return those?" Jessica moaned, trying hard not to fall forward and out of her shoe as the heel was caught between two stones once again.

"I highly doubt that" Hanna replied monotonically, telling herself to snap out of her probably redundant worries.

By the time the girls' heels clicked on the pavement again, she had almost forgotten about every possible kind of inconvenience and her face lit up with a smile when she saw her boyfriend already waiting for them down the street. He stood, wearing a white V-neck under a black cardigan which he had buttoned up neatly, dark blue jeans and white tennis shoes, - the only thing that gave away that he was working today - and was fishing a pack of Marlboros out of his pocket. It looked like she wasn't the only one whose perfect day had come with some dark clouds hovering above it.

Shortly after Hanna started working at Calvin Klein, Wren – who had already been an occasional smoker before they even started dating – and she established a smoking ritual neither of them ever broke. She had picked up smoking after being advised to start by colleagues who considered it a great way to maintain your weight. Once Wren found out about it, and had been informed about every possible health issue that ran in her family and could be triggered by smoking, he reluctantly approved of it. But only as long as she promised she'd keep it at least as occasional as he did, which soon resulted in them deciding to only smoke in each other's presence. That again resulted in them sharing a cigarette whenever they both had a bad day, turning their bad habit into somewhat of a therapy session. They had even agreed to only consume two different kinds of brands, Wren's cigs of choice being Marlboro Reds, whereas Hanna always carried a pack of Camel Lights in her purse.

"I'm afraid I won't have a lot to contribute today because my day actually started out great at first." Hanna proclaimed before she pulled him in a deep kiss.

"That's alright, love. I have enough to complain about for both of us." He chuckled and lit a cigarette, then pulled his arm around her waist and passed it to her.

After winning one last round in the battle against her shoes, Jessica finally caught up to them. "Well, hello there, Dr. Kingston. Rumor has it you're a home wrecker." She teased, grinning at him.

He gave her an amused look and, instead of giving her a reply, directed a question at Hanna. "I see you told her?"

"Well, you know her…" The blonde replied apologetically and exhaled. "Her nosiness is unbearable"

"Nosiness can be a curse" Jess threw in sheepishly. "Now I have to live with the fact that my best friend is a cheat. Oh, Hanna." She shook her head, faking disbelief. "I wonder what that Caleb guy is like."

Hanna looking down at her feet and the frown on Wren's face made her drop the topic immediately.

"So, did Keith ask about me, by any chance?"

"Uhm…" Wren was once again having a hard time telling Jessica gently that her last blind date wasn't exactly interested. "Well, I haven't really seen him around lately. He's working on this… leukemia thing." He shrugged and glanced over to Hanna, who gave him a little approving nod.

"Oh okay. So, he's busy. That's fine." The brunette sucked in a breath and let her eyes wander through the streets, only to stop at a guy in hospital scrubs on the other side of the road, waving at Wren. "Where have you been hiding this piece of cake from me, huh?"

"Luke? He's only a first year." Wren spat out as if that made him completely undateable. "Shall I introduce you anyway?"

"I'm begging you."

Hanna shook her head, suppressing a giggle at her friend's sudden excitement. "I'll just wait her for you two, okay?"

She leaned against a post and took another drag from Wren's Marlboro, watching them curiously. Jess' "subtle" flirting was a sight for sore eyes, as always.

Suddenly, an almost too familiar voice was addressing her. "Hanna? Hanna Marin?"

She turned around and found herself looking into a pair of brown eyes she'd never forget. "Caleb? Oh my God, hi!" She stuttered, too shocked to say anything else.

Caleb smiled brightly at her and it was as if they were in high school all over again. Even the way he was dressed was still the same. Or actually, he might have gotten a bit edgier. A piercing was shimmering on the top of his earlobe, his hair was as long and shaggy as ever and the loose fitting dark grey t-shirt he was wearing under a red flannel, as well as his ripped jeans completed the signature Caleb Rivers look.

"So, you've picked up a nasty habit, huh?" He joked, pointing at the cigarette in her hand, his gaze lingering on her hands a bit longer than necessary.

"That's the price you pay for working in the fashion industry." She giggled. "It sucks your soul out and drives you to substance abuse of all sorts. But seriously, I only smoke very rarely."

"Of course you do." He replied sarcastically, looking her up and down, but not adding anything else.

"So, what does Caleb Rivers do in New York?" she asked eventually, her eyes scanning his outfit.

"Caleb Rivers works in New York these days. In IT, doing a whole lot of stuff with computers. You know, fixing them if they need a little fixing. Not exactly a surprising career choice, I guess, just like yours."

Hanna's eyes had stopped at the necklace he was wearing. She couldn't help but feel as if she'd recognize the ring dangling from it. "That necklace… that looks a lot like the ring I gave to you way back. But that's surely not the same one, right?"

Caleb started rolling the ring between his pointer finger and his thumb, foolishly smiling down at it. "Oh no, that's the exact same one. I couldn't have gotten rid of it if I tried." He took a deep breath and looked back into Hanna's shiny blue eyes. "Look, Hanna, I'm really not happy about the way things turned out between us. We've both made mistakes. We've both said things we shouldn't have said, me in particular. But I was hoping we could both get everything. Our relationship was one of the best things that have ever happened to me and maybe… How about we go out for some coffee sometime?"

Stunned, Hanna looked at him as if he was the flying spaghetti monster. Did he seriously just ask her out? Or was that just his awfully familiar scent of leather bracelets, pine and Lemon Drops filling her nostrils and messing with her mind?

"Well, uhm…" she stuttered, about to make her answer up on the go when she suddenly felt her boyfriend's arm around her waist.

"Honestly, why do I keep setting that girl up with my colleagues? One of these days, she'll definitely ruin my reputation, now that she's even going for first years." Wren frowned and kissed the top of her head, oblivious of his rival's presence. It wasn't until he had retrieved his cigarette from Hanna and taken a drag that he caught a glimpse of Caleb standing there, staring at him in disbelief, as if he was looking at a ghost.

"Oh wow. Caleb. Well, what a… pleasant surprise." He said with a bitter undertone, smiling at him sweetly and cockily at the same time, which Hanna found to be somewhat fascinating. Ever since he had reappeared at her side, bringing the scent of sanitizers, cigarettes and almonds she adored with him, even the slightest bit of confusion she had felt only a few seconds earlier seemed to have vanished completely.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect to see you here, either." Caleb hissed, his body visibly tensing. The memory of the guys' last interaction popped up in the back of Hanna's mind. How was she supposed to act now? Should she just try to separate them? Maybe not. Instead, she pressed herself closer to Wren and started fiddling with the buttons of his cardigan. It was almost ridiculous how neat he looked in comparison to Caleb, keeping in mind that he was highly likely to have been drenched in blood or other gross body fluids before he got here whereas Caleb had probably only been mindlessly hammering codes into rebellious computers.

"Some of us come to stay." Wren said soberly, smirking at Caleb when he felt Hanna's shoulder press against his chest.

The blonde felt the urge to contribute to the conversation, once she felt Caleb's gaze on her. "Caleb is working in IT somewhere around her." She explained, looking up at Wren.

"For now." Caleb added. "I might as well set off to Chicago next week. I'm with this firm that'll allow me to work all across the state, wherever they need me the most. It's rather exciting and I'm as free as a bird."

"I'm sure that can be rather exciting, if that's your style. I prefer a certain consistency, you know, something that lasts." Wren shrugged. "So, how long have you been in New York already?"

"About two months now. Magnificent city. I've had my very first job at a bigger company here. You know, you never forget your first." Caleb announced, glancing at Hanna with a bittersweet smile on his face. Oh no, he didn't. She threw him a bitter look in response and took the cigarette back from Wren, inhaling eagerly. That comment came rather unexpectedly, and Hanna felt that she would need some help to get through the rest of this conversation.

Wren simply grinned at him, not even flinching, but moving his hand from her waist up to her back where he began to draw little circles, knowing that this would comfort her. "Oh yeah, I know what you're getting at. My first real surgery, for example, was a cerebral aneurysm, but once I got to do a heart transplant, I realized that neurological surgery just couldn't bring me as much joy as cardiothoracic does."

Caleb didn't look too pleased that his enemy hadn't suffered immediate defeat but instead seemed to be as cocky as ever. "So they still let you be a doctor, huh? How many people have you killed this week?"

"None, I'm afraid. In fact, none of my patients have died during or after a surgery I've performed on them myself. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Hey, it's cool. As long as you don't disappoint in other fields."

Hanna could not believe her ears. "As if." She said, more to herself than to Caleb, and bit her lip, looking up lovingly at her boyfriend.

"I guess you can trust her word in that matter." Wren smirked and took the cigarette back from Hanna for one last drag before he flicked it away. The girl took the chance to intertwine her fingers with his, much Caleb's dismay.

"Well, anyway. Being a doctor is so overrated. Long working hours and low payment for years? No, thank you. Working in IT, on the other hand, is great. And we surely know how to push all the right buttons." He proclaimed, smirking back at them. Ew. Hanna closed her eyes and buried her head in Wren's chest, soaking in his smell some more. Up to this day, she wondered how this slight hint of almonds didn't fade despite all the hospital smells. And why she liked those exact hospital smells on Wren so much whilst she despised them on their own.

"It gets a lot better, though." Wren said, not looking offended by Caleb's remarks. "Once you get past the low-payment-stage, you get a lot more free time as well. And those long working hours conveniently increase your stamina. Drastically, in all fields."

Okay, maybe it was time to intervene after all. "Guys, why don't we just drop it? It –" Hanna started but was simply ignored.

"Something we have to deal with all the time as well is coming up with solutions. For that, you have to know exactly how to encrypt hidden signals." Caleb ignored her. "You study the situation closely so that you'll know all the right moves."

"That's basically what surgeons have to do on a daily basis. But frankly, we're also extremely good with our hands." By now, Wren was grinning at him triumphantly.

After what had felt like hours for the blonde, her brunette friend walked back up to them with a brought smile on her face. "I'm sorry that I've kept you waiting but, oh my God, isn't Luke just the most precious-" Her eyes fell on Caleb, looking him up and down, confused. "Oh, so I'm gone for what, 5 minutes and you guys just replace me with a male brunette?" She joked.

It looked like Hanna's chance had come to stop this madness. "Well, we should really get going now." She said sweetly. "Right?"

"I guess so." Wren replied, glancing down at her before he turned back to Caleb. "It was a pleasure seeing you, as always."

"The pleasure's all mine." The addressed answered bitterly. Jessica was more confused than ever, her eyes jumping back and forth between the three of them.

Relieved, Hanna let go of her boyfriend's hand and prepared herself to go. A sunbeam fell on the ring on Caleb's necklace, causing her to feel somewhat bad for him. That was probably a leftover piece of four-year-old guilt boiling inside of her. "Bye, Caleb." She told him with a half-hearted smile, thereby replacing Jess' confusion with pure astonishment.

"Bye, Hanna." He replied, followed by a weak sigh.

Seconds after Hanna had pulled the door shut behind her, she could hear her mom's Louboutins click, the sound coming closer in an alarming pace from the kitchen. "Hanna?" Ashley Marin was calling from afar.

"Yeah mom, it's me." Hanna replied, waiting at the door for her mom to arrive. Stating the obvious, like a person who doesn't have something to hide. Uh huh.

Ashley walked up to her, seeming slightly worried – which was admittedly more than the girl had expected her to be. "Where were you last night? Caleb got back and he's been worried sick about you because you didn't answer his calls."

Oh great. Of course he had asked her mom about her whereabouts as well. "So I've heard." She said coolly. "I found a place for the bird to stay."

Apparently, that answer wasn't precise enough for her mom, who threw her one of her infamous demanding looks.

"And then I missed the last train, so I spent the night. And that's it. Happy now?" The blonde added, glancing over to the stairs hopefully.

Ashley paused but eventually nodded and was about to let her go when her eyes fell on Hanna's neck. "Hanna, what the hell is that?" She shouted, as if Hanna's neck was covered in poo and cockroaches were feasting off it.

"What is what?" Hanna asked confused, patting down her neck, unable to register any abnormality. Only a look in the nearby mirror revealed the not-so-gross truth. Last night's little adventure had left a mark after all, and not a subtle one. Staring back at Hanna was the biggest, if not the first, hickey of her life so far. Her lips formed an O shape and her thoughts immediately wandered off to a certain guy whose apartment she had left less than an hour ago.

"Oh, that? Nothing. That… that was the bird." She explained, trying to make it sound as plausible as she possibly could. "She got a bit upset on the train and before I could even blink, she pinched my neck." She shrugged and pulled her hair to the side to cover the evidence of her unfaithfulness, just about to take off to the stairs again, when her mother grabbed her by the shoulders, looking far more concerned now.

"Hanna, if anything…happened to you last night, you have to –"

"Hold on, what?!" Hanna exclaimed, her voice sounding unusually strident. Was her mom seriously talking about rape now? "Nothing happened, okay? Absolutely nothing. And now, I'd really like to go to my room and find something else to wear, if you don't mind. Thank you."

Having that said, she hurried up the stairs and closed her bedroom door behind her before her mother could possibly follow.

What was she supposed to do now? She definitely wasn't ready to call Caleb just yet and a shower -even though she could really use one - would only encourage her mother to believe that she was on the right track with her rape theory. Once again, she put all her trust in music to help her clear her thoughts. The only downside to that was that she had basically gone through three quarters of her iTunes library with Wren last night and she definitely didn't need to be reminded of him even more. Ultimately, she decided to put Greg Laswell's "Your Ghost" on repeat on her stereo, although she was pretty sure that she had caught a glimpse of "Three Flights From Alto Nido" peeking out of the tall shelves yesterday. For a moment, she just lay on her bed, the same old numbness overcoming her all over again. Whatsoever, it soon vanished and a tsunami wave of various emotions seemed to be crashing down on her.

She got up and stepped in front of her full-length mirror, looking herself up and down, turning from side to side, and desperately trying to find something that had changed about her. But, apart from the hickey, the same Hanna Marin that had put this outfit together on Friday morning was looking back at her. Only that Friday morning seemed to be nothing but a distant memory of the long gone past by now. The blonde picked out a new outfit and got undressed in front of the mirror, still unable to discover any change. Even her skin felt exactly the same when she ran her fingers across it. She removed her old make up just to put new one on right afterwards, all the while wondering how many shades of foundation she'd possibly have to mix to cover up the mark of guilt on her neck sufficiently. She surely couldn't try to cover it up as long as her mom was home if she didn't want to stir up her suspicions.

All of a sudden, her bodily functions seemed to be no longer affected by their former numbness, either, causing Hanna to realize that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch on Friday. She turned the music off and slowly made her way downstairs. Ashley was sitting in the kitchen, checking her mails on her cell phone, when Hanna opened the fridge, only to close it again seconds later, disappointed by what it had to offer. Eventually, she settled for a packet of chocolate chip cookies, an unusual choice her mother raised an eyebrow at. The girl took one out and carefully started to chew on it, falling into deep thought. Should she tell Caleb about it? Was it really worth risking everything they had? How come it even happened anyway? What was it about Wren that – no, she really shouldn't even think about him for now. Not even his name.

"Hanna?" She heard her mom's voice and found her looking at her with the same worried look the girl had already seen far too often for just one day. She found herself seemingly frozen, holding the cookie to her lips but keeping her mouth shut. She quickly put it back into the packet and addressed her mom, looking down at her hands.

"Mom, can I ask you a… sort of weird question?"

"Of course, honey."

"Well okay, uhm… have you ever done something you knew was wrong and you know you should be ashamed of yourself but… you just can't bring yourself to regret it?" She looked up at Mrs. Marin curiously.

Ashley opened her mouth to speak but closed it again without saying a word. When she was just about to give it another try, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Hanna announced, a strange bit of hope flowing through her body when she opened the door which was replaced by undeniable guilt and nervousness when she found Caleb standing at her doorstep.

Caleb looked relieved as soon as he saw her. "Hanna, hey. I was so worried about you."

"Hi. I'm sorry, I was going to call you back after breakfast." Liar. She quickly put her hair to one side as a cover up. They both stood awkwardly, Caleb probably waiting for her to fall into his arms and Hanna simply clueless about how to behave in his presence.

Luckily, he interpreted her behavior the wrong way. "Look, I'm sorry for not calling you earlier but I was really, really busy. Are you mad at me?" He looked so ashamed and serious, it almost broke her heart.

"Oh, uhm… well, I was a bit mad, yeah…" He stepped inside and pulled her into a hug. Ashley walked past them, announcing that she would be going into town and that she wasn't sure when she would return. It almost seemed like she wanted them to have some alone time, Hanna thought to herself. Now, of all times. Thanks, Mom.

After Mrs. Marin had closed the door behind her, Caleb let go of his girlfriend and looked her right into the eyes. "Forgive me?" The puppy face pout he added to his request made her giggle.

"Alright. Your request shall be taken into consideration." She teased.

Caleb smiled at her gleefully. "Is there anything I could possibly do to speed up that whole process?" He smirked, his face getting closer to Hanna's.

"Well, uhm…" the blonde stuttered before his lips met hers. Suddenly, her whole body tensed and she lightly, but vehemently nonetheless, pushed him away before their tongues could touch. "Caleb, stop. I'm on my period." She announced, sounding as if the world was about to end.

Caleb gave her a confused look "Oh, uhm, okay..? Sorry?"

"It's okay." She said soberly, as if her reaction hadn't been the slightest bit irrational.

"Can I come around this evening anyway? Just to hang out." He made sure to clarify, afraid she'd start kicking and screaming otherwise. "I should better get home now and unpack my bags. I haven't really had a chance to do that earlier because you-" He looked down at his feet.

"I'm sorry." Hanna said softly and squeezed his hand. "Of course. Just drop by whenever you want."

"Great." Caleb smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek before he left.

Okay, now that she had missed her chance to tell him straight away, she might as well keep her little faux pas a secret. That's what it was after all, wasn't it? Nothing but a silly little mistake. Happens to the best of us. Some time was all she needed and then things would get back to normal between them. She went back upstairs to finally take a shower – and brush her teeth.

Meanwhile, Wren had spent the day being tormented by a similar confusion, pondering his feelings towards a certain blonde who had more or less stormed out of his apartment this morning. Unlike her, he came to the conclusion that he couldn't just go on like this. In fact, he was pretty sure that he was on the verge of falling for her – or maybe he had already fallen for her at this point. After all, he had at least had a mild crush on her back when she'd kissed him at Radley. To sum it all up, he wanted to be with Hanna Marin and frankly, he wasn't willing to let her slip away all over again. About ways to win her heart he had no clue whatsoever.

Frustrated, he sat down on the side of his bed, facing Tippy's bird cage, closely examining his new 'roommate'. He had supplied her with water and food earlier but that was the only interaction they had had so far. Well, he didn't have time to worry about a parrot now. To cope with the stress building up inside of him, he lit up his first cigarette in two weeks and inhaled. As soon as the smoke had left his lips, the bird cooed and said something that sounded a lot like "Bad."

Wren raised an eyebrow. Would it be extremely awkward to start a conversation with a bird that could actually croak decent words in response? Oh well, whatever. He took another drag and exhaled once more, causing the bird to repeat itself. Astonished, he licked his lips and finally responded. "I know, Tippy. I'm a doctor, I don't need you to tell me that. But come on, I'm not in the best state of mind today." The bird eyed him curiously and made a sound similar to a giggle.

"Wow, thanks. You're very understanding." Wren chuckled and put out his cigarette. "Maybe I should just turn into a crazy bird person and let you be the only girl in my life. How does that sound, huh?" Tippy shook her head in response. He felt more and more like he was having an actual conversation. Oddly, this realization scared and comforted him at the same time.

After a short pause, he decided to carry on. "Well, what am I supposed to do then? How am I supposed to ever get the girl?" He sighed, running his hands through his hair. Tippy made her signature dialing sound that had significantly shortened her stay at the Marin's house in the first place.

Wren shook his head. "No Tippy, I can't. I promised not to call her, so that would definitely only backfire." He studied the parrot for a while. "Hey, do you want to fly around for a bit or something?" Tippy nodded, making him smile in disbelief. He checked whether every door and every window was closed before he put his hand on the handle of her cage. "Alright, but you have to promise me not to try and escape, deal?" The bird nodded and croaked something that sounded a lot like "Deal" to him. The young man opened the cage and watched the bird fly around his apartment for a while until it eventually landed on his bed, cooing and pecking at a shiny little silver bracelet Hanna must have lost the previous night. He quickly took it from her and decided to try to lightly stroke down the parrot's head with one finger. Tippy closed her eyes and cooed happily. "Tippy, it looks like you've just found me the key to her heart. I'd say we're friends now, if that's alright with you."

Caleb had turned up at Hanna's place at around 3 pm and tried his best to explain why he had just gone mute for such a long time. The girl half-heartedly paid attention but soon zoned out, only keeping the conversation up with occasional "I see"'s, "No, that's totally understandable"'s and "It's okay. Really" 's. It wasn't until she remembered that he had claimed to have a surprise for her when she had opened the door for him that she tried to focus again. Eventually, they even fell into enjoyable, mindless chatter, just like they used to before he went away and before she – well, enough of that.

"Okay, are you ready for the big surprise?" Caleb laughed and fumbled for something in his pocket.

"My body is ready." Hanna announced, giggling. Okay, she wasn't exactly deserving of a present of any sort but hey, denying it would be way too suspicious.

"Good." Having that said, Caleb pulled out two concert tickets, smiling from ear to ear. "Tadaa!"

Hanna clapped her hands in excitement. Going to a good gig with her boyfriend was exactly what she needed. "Awesome!" She exclaimed. "What band is it?"

"The Naked and Famous. Front row. Friday night. Just admit that that's the best thing that has happened to you all week."

The smile faded from Hanna's face. "Oh wow, Caleb… that's so sweet and thoughtful of you but… uhm… I really don't like that band. Not enough to get through one of their concerts at least."

"What? Come on, Hanna, you're kidding me, right? They are epic. Who doesn't love The Naked and Famous?"

"Correction, who even likes The Naked and Famous?" The girl replied. "The only one I can think of is Emily. I'm sure she'll go with you if you ask her… Sorry." She looked down at her hands, feeling guilty because she was being so ungrateful.

The song on the stereo changed to one Caleb had never heard. "So, you don't like The Naked and Famous but you like this?" He mocked.

"Yes, of course. " Hanna answered, sounding slightly offended. "This, Mr. Rivers, is a fabulous band at work. And to be fair, I guess I like 'Punching in a Dream'. "

The doorbell rang and Caleb just shrugged. The blonde hurried to the door, thinking her mom might have forgotten her key.

Instead, she found Wren standing in front of her, nervously tucking on the same light-grey jumper she had seen him wear when she left his apartment this morning. She bit her lip for a second, trying to think of an appropriate reaction but the slight breeze that carried his scent over didn't exactly help. Fearing it would get too awkward, she broke the silence with a soft, half-whispered "Hi."

"Hi." Wren replied in the same tone, smiling weakly. "I'm just here to – You must've lost this." He fished the bracelet Tippy had found in his bed out of his pocket and held it in the girl's direction. Hanna's eyes jumped from his to the bracelet to her wrist which indeed seemed a little more naked than usual.

"Oh yes, that's mine. Thanks." She tried to sound as neutral as she could and took it from him. Struggling to put it on, she just stood there, awkwardly fumbling with the clasp while Wren was watching her until he couldn't take it anymore.

"Let me help you, okay?" Not waiting for a response, he stepped closer and took the bracelet from her. Seconds later it was dangling from her wrist again, just like it had never been anywhere else. For an instant, his fingers had brushed against her skin, sending shivers all the way down her spine. Oh please, Hanna, get a hold of yourself. Her hair had stopped staying in place as neatly due to the breeze and Wren's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of her neck.

"Was that…?" He pointed to himself instead of finishing the question. The girl just nodded slightly. "Oh wow. Well, uhm, sorry." He mumbled, unable to take his eyes off of his achievement.

"It's alright." Hanna shrugged, absentmindedly running her fingers over the hickey. An awkward pause emerged and the song in the background suddenly seemed to play a lot louder than before.

Wren didn't seem to be too willing to just leave and broke the silence. "That's Saucy Monky, right? I've seen them live in Cali but hardly anyone seems to know them around here."

Hanna's eyes lit up. "It is. The song's 'The Acrobat'. Tell me, are they as amazing live as I expect them to be?"

"They are probably even better." They smiled at each other for a moment before he continued. "Look Hanna, if you could just-" He stopped and backed a few steps away, back to the spot where he had originally been standing, when he saw Caleb head in their direction from the kitchen.

"Oh hey. Wren, right?" He stood next to Hanna and reached his hand out for a handshake.

"Uhm yeah, that's me. And you're Caleb, if I'm not mistaken?" Wren tried hard to keep a neutral expression and, after a moment of hesitation, shook his hand awkwardly. "So, I was just about to get going."

"Oh Wren, hold on." Hanna stopped him. "Do you like The Naked and Famous?" Caleb looked at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Not really, to be honest. 'Punching in a Dream' is quite alright but that's the only song I like." He shrugged, not looking as confused as Caleb would've expected him to be. He had talked about music with Hanna for what felt like hours after all.

"Same here." Hanna smiled excitedly.

Caleb fixed his eyes on the floor. "They're really not a bad band."

"Yes, they are. End of discussion." The girl said and Wren had a hard time figuring out whether she meant that as a joke or was dead serious.

"Well, I really need to go now. You know, I have lives to save and… stuff." He told them, awkwardly taking a few steps backwards, almost running into Ashley who was about to make her way up the front steps.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." he proclaimed immediately.

"Oh, it's okay. " Hanna's mom replied, convinced that she'd seen him somewhere before.

He quickly directed a half-whispered "Bye" at Hanna who replied in the exact same way before he hurried to his car.

Hanna's eyes remained on him until his car had gone down the road and was therefore out of her sight.

"What a nice young man. He seems oddly familiar, too." Her mom was thinking out loud, shooting Hanna another suspicious look.

"Yeah, that was Wren. The guy who's now stuck with the bird of hell. Well, he's a doctor, so you might know him from the hospital or because of the Hastings." Her daughter elucidated dryly and closed the door behind her mother.

So much for pretending that nothing ever happened. Well, shit.