XxxxxxxX

"Hanna…" Ashley said softly, brushing her arm gently and sitting opposite her daughter. The most gentle look in her eyes. Hanna looked up at her mother, now was the time to tell her everything.

"You heard correctly mom." Hanna said solemnly, letting out a long breath. Looking back down at the table, fidgeting with her hands. Her mother placed a hand on top hers and rubbed it slightly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ashley asked softly, trying to catch her daughter's eyes.

Before Hanna had a chance to give her mother an answer, a waiter came to their table, looking between the two women.

"Mrs Marin, Ms Marin, what can I do for you?"

"I'll have a coffee please Kevin." Ashley said.

"Jasmine tea please." Hanna said politely.

When Kevin walked back to the bar to get their orders when Hanna found her mother staring at her, eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"Jasmine tea? When did that happen? You've always hated herbal tea."

Hanna shrugged, "I've been drinking it for a while now mom. It calms me down and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Hanna said simply. Besides, I like the smell."

"Since when do you need calming down? Ashley half laughed, she couldn't imagine Hanna needed to calm down, she could be stubborn as a mule but she wasn't hot headed and wasn't a person that got stressed easily. She leaned back in her chair a little and looked at her daughter. She did look a bit distressed, but maybe that was because of what she just overheard.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" Ashley eventually asked when Hanna failed to raise the subject.

"Why dont you just ask me what you want to ask and I'll answer your questions, Hanna gave in. Truthfully." Hanna added, but regretted the last bit as soon as she said it because her mother was bound to ask her questions she did not want to answer.

Ashley took a sip of her coffee before she spoke. "How long have you guys been broken up?"

Hanna thought for a moment before answering. So much had happened in the past few days that she had to think about it.

"For 3 weeks now."

"3 weeks!" Her mother exclaimed a bit too loud, making some people at the bar look around at them.

"Shush mom!" Not everybody in Rosewood needs to know."

"How did you not tell me this sooner Hanna?" Her mother scolded her.

"I needed some time to deal with it."

"Why did you break up?" She asked in a serious voice.

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be." Hanna lied, she knew this question was coming, along with another question she was dreading. She knew her mom was holding it until she would let her guard down.

"Hanna I'm sorry, but that's not an answer and even not an honest answer. So tell me. Why did you break up?"

"He loved me more than I loved him." She finally said, which was partly true, yet not the entire truth.

"Because?"

"Because what?"

"How could he love you more? Hanna you agreed to marry him, surely you only want to marry someone you love more than life?"

"Mom I'm just giving you the answer, I don't feel like having a therapy session right now." Hanna said annoyed. She really didn't want to go into this discussion and waved the bartender over who had just looked her way. He came over to their table instantly.

"A tequila and a rum and coke please. Mom do you want a drink?" Hanna asked casually, looking at her mother.

"Mint Julep please Kevin."

"So where were we?" Ashley turned back to Hanna, deciding not to question Hanna's sudden urge for strong liquor.

"Nowhere, waiting for our drinks." Hanna said in clipped tones, not wanting to go into the matter any further.

"Hanna, this is no time for your jokes. This is serious, I'm only finding out now that you have been dealing with your break up with Jordan for 3 weeks now by yourself. Since when don't you confide in your own mother anymore?"

"Since you started keeping secrets for me as well." Hanna finally snapped.

"What? Ashley asked, taken aback.

"I was at your house remember, picking up those papers for you. Guess who I ran into?" Hanna said angrily and downed the shot of tequila as soon as Kevin placed on the table and looked at her mother. Instantly annoyed by the victorious look in her mother's eye.

"Are you actually mad at me for helping out Caleb or are you mad for seeing him?" Ashley challenged her. Now Ashley finally understood why Hanna had been on edge all evening.

"Mom, I'm mad that I had to run into him, why didn't you just tell me."

"Hanna, when was I supposed to tell you? I haven't seen you in ages. Now I understand why, but it's not really something I felt like calling you about. Besides, I didn't get the impression that he wanted people to know where he was."

Ashley looked up at her daughter who was staring at her drink. Suddenly something clicked in her head.

"Is that why you didn't tell anyone about your engagement being called off?" She asked Hanna.

Hanna shook her head slightly but Ashley continued.

"You didn't tell anyone because you didn't want to interfere with Spencer and Caleb?" She asked carefully. Ashley didn't miss Hanna's slight head twitch when she mentioned Spencer and Caleb. Quickly hidden by a sip of her rum and coke until she finally spoke.

"Yeah." Hanna admitted.

Silence fell between the two women, this time a comfortable one as they both sipped from their respective drinks. However, Hanna could feel her mother wasn't done with the questions yet and waited till her mother spoke again.

"Hanna?"

"Yes?" She asked tentatively, dreading the question that was coming next. Obviously her mother was going to ask her if she still loved Caleb. Just like Emily had done.

"Why did you and Caleb break up?"

XxxxxxX

Hanna got back very late to the apartment. It surprised her to see Emily still up and in the same spot she left her earlier that evening.

"Hey Hanna!" Emily said cheerfully, although she looked tired.

"Hey Em, why are you still up?"

"Just looking into colleges around the area."

"Hows that going?" Hanna asked her as she sat down next to her.

"It's okay, I don't really know what I want yet. Emily sighed and turned to look at Hanna.

"How was your mom?"

"Yeah she's fine, I just had a crazy evening." she added, standing up to make some more tea, Emily following her to the kitchen.

"Tell me about it." Emily said, sitting down on the kitchen counter facing Hanna.

"I walked into Caleb today." She blurted out, not at all planning to spill the secret she promised Caleb she would keep.

"You walked into Caleb today?! How, Where, What did he say, how did you feel?"

"Wow, slow down with all the questions Em. One at a freaking time."

"How was it?" Emily asked.

"How much time do you have?" Hanna laughed, pouring them both tea and sitting back on the sofa to tell Emily all about her evening.

XxxxxxX

The clock finally read 1.22 am when Hanna was finally back in her bed. She had told Emily all about her walking into Caleb, why he was staying at her mom's and made her promise not to tell anyone about the breakup between Spencer and Caleb and that he was staying there. They had briefly talked about her conversation with Jordan and Hanna had declined Emily's persistent offers about going with her to New York to pick up her belongings.

Hanna rolled onto her other side, her mind still going 100 miles an hour, keeping her from falling asleep. Running into Caleb earlier today kept playing in her mind. The way he looked at her, how he smelled and how the shivers still ran down her spine whenever he touched her. She huffed thinking back to her mother and how she had asked her that question. Asking her why she and Caleb had broken up.

Hanna didn't think she could ever tell anyone, she wouldn't tell anyone. Not even her own mother. It still hurt even thinking about it, her heart breaking whenever her thoughts did wander to that morning. It was a secret she and Caleb had decided they would never mention again. A secret they decided on, over mugs of Jasmine tea.

XxxxxxX

As you might have guessed, the reason Haleb broke up in my story is different to the reason on the show. You'll soon find out why.

I totally forgot to thank you all for your follows, favorites and reviews. I love waking up to reviews so definitely keep them coming!

I hope you enjoyed it, to me this is a bit of an in between chapter, but we are getting there… slowly.