Two more chapters just 12 hours later?! You might think, man, she's a machine! But no, I am just amazing. Enjoy :)

Three days later, Alex still had not said anything substantial to her. Olivia wondered how much longer the woman would continue to ignore her. When Olivia had returned from her first day of work Monday evening, she was excited, energetic. She was looking forward to discussing her day with Alex, nearly forgetting that the woman was not talking to her. When she walked in the door, she had greeted the blonde with a giant smile, but before she could open her mouth and begin talking about her day, Alex had gotten up from the couch, politely said that she hoped she had had a good first day at work, and then went up to her room. Olivia's good mood instantly deflated to disappointment. She had hoped she could at least talk about how it went, but she supposed that was wishful thinking.

By Friday, Olivia did not even try to tell Alex about her day. She picked up the blonde at their usual time, but said nothing. Alex had not initiated conversation either. It had now been over 24 hours since they had said anything to each other, and Olivia found herself once again on the dock, wondering if she was doing the right thing. She didn't know if she should confront Alex or if she should continue to give the woman her space. She didn't know what was right anymore. Alex didn't seem any better now than she did when she first stormed off. She wished she could just talk to her. Today, Saturday, marked their two week anniversary of officially moving into this house, and so far, it was going horrendously. This was not at all how Olivia had envisioned their life together.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Olivia's head whipped away from where she was staring over to where Hannah was now standing. The girl was smiling down at her, her dirty blond hair pulled back in a messy ponytail.

"Hi, Hannah."

"Hi, Cam," she responded, sitting down next to her on the dock. She pulled off her converse shoes and socks, dipping her feet in the water.

"How are you?" Olivia asked.

"Great, now that it's the weekend."

"How was school this week?"

"Two tests, a science project, and an oral presentation. I think that about sums it up."

Olivia chuckled.

"Sounds like a harsh week. How did everything go?"

The girl shrugged.

"The math test I aced, guaranteed. The history test…I guess we'll see. I'm not very good with dates. The science project went well because I got paired up with the smart girl and the oral presentation, well, let's just say I'm not the best public speaker."

"That comes with practice. The more you do it, the better at it you get."

"Yeah, well, I don't plan on becoming a politician so I don't think I really need to develop that particular skill."

Olivia chuckled at the girl's sullen tone. Hannah smiled at her, kicking the water to create a ripple.

"So how are you and the missus?"

Olivia didn't say anything, but Hannah could tell by the look on her face.

"That good, huh? She still not talking to you?"

"Not really, no."

"Damn. I'm sorry."

Olivia offered her a smile.

"It's okay. We'll work it out. She just needs some space right now."

"I hope you do work it out. You two are good together. You make a cute couple."

"Thanks. We're not together though."

"Yeah, you said that last time too. I don't buy it, though."

"Oh, yeah? And why is that?"

She shrugged.

"I just don't. You're attracted to each other. Why deny it?"

Olivia fell silent, looking out onto the water.

"It's complicated."

"Life is always complicated, that's the beauty of it. Or so I'm told. If you like her and she likes you, and you make each other happy, then there's no reason you shouldn't be together. Life's too short to deny yourself happiness."

"And when did you become so wise, miss…?"

"Carter."

"Miss Carter."

"I'm not. It's just simple. You adults make stuff complicated when it doesn't need to be."

"I can't argue that. What about you? Is there a special someone in your life?"

Hannah stayed quiet, looking down at the circles she was making in the water. When she didn't respond, Olivia looked over at her. She could tell the girl was struggling, so she reached out and touched her shoulder.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry if it's a hard subject."

"No, it's just… I don't think I'm ready to talk about it, that's all."

"That's perfectly okay. We don't ever have to talk about anything that you don't want to. I'm glad you told me though, because I don't know what subjects I should avoid with you yet."

"There really aren't that many," she said honestly. "I'm usually pretty open."

"That's good. I'm always happy to listen."

"I figured. You seem like a pretty good listener. You'll do well at the correctional facility then. Have you started yet?"

Olivia nodded.

"I started on Monday."

"How did it go?"

"It went alright. Pretty overwhelming though. There's a lot to remember."

"I can imagine. Do you think you'll like it?"

"Yeah, actually. I think I will. The kids aren't what I expected, but I mean that in a good way. I thought they'd be obnoxious and rude, but they're not. I mean, a few of them are pretty wild, but for the most part, they seem to be pretty normal kids. Just troubled. They need someone to talk to, and I love to listen, so I think it'll be a good fit. The hard part is knowing what I should be saying to them."

Hannah nodded.

"They need to know that you care and that you aren't just there earning a paycheck. Some adults think we're stupid. They think we don't notice things, but we do. I can always tell which teachers actually care about their jobs and which ones are just doing it for the money. I don't know why they chose the career though if they're in it for the money. Teachers get paid shit wages. But we can tell if you're genuinely interested or if you're just faking it."

"I believe you can too. Hopefully I'll be able to earn their trust."

"You will. You just have to be real with them and not do that thing where adults just pretend to listen and don't take us seriously."

"Has that ever happened to you?" she asked gently.

"Yeah, a lot actually. You learn who to talk to and who to keep your mouth shut with. I don't even bother talking to my mom anymore because she doesn't listen anyway."

"Why doesn't she listen?"

"She's busy. She's got two kids now, a new husband, a new house." The girl shrugged and pulled her feet up and out of the water, adopting a more defensive pose. "Whatever."

Olivia could tell that the girl didn't just feel "whatever" about the situation, but she wasn't going to pry, not yet. She decided to store that piece of information for later.

"Anyway," Hannah said, making a move to get up.

"You're going already?"

"I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"There's never a time limit on your welcome, Hannah. You can stay as long as you like."

"I don't know. I just…"

"I mean it. You're an interesting kid. Stick around. We don't have any friends here yet. You're our first one."

Hannah smiled.

"I haven't really gotten much of a chance to talk to Valerie, though. Maybe she won't agree and will send me off with the other hoodlums."

Olivia chuckled.

"Val doesn't find it so easy to make friends. She's kind of…an introvert. But she's very friendly once you get her to warm up to you."

"How did you get her to warm up to you?"

"I pestered her until she finally started acknowledging me."

Hannah laughed, pausing before sitting back down.

"How?"

"She'd just come in and be all serious, talking about work and nothing but. She was pretty intense and she intimidated most of our coworkers, but that didn't faze me. I was curious; she intrigued me right from the beginning. So, I started asking her about her weekend or I'd compliment her on her outfit. When she'd buy something new, I'd make sure to tell her that I noticed. She was short with her answers at first, you know, just being polite, but eventually I grew on her. She says now that she was unable to resist my charm, despite her best efforts. I don't see why she even tried in the first place. I'm pretty great," Olivia said, teasing.

"Oh, I'm sure you are," she responded. "Did you know she was gay?"

"God, no. Remember me and my broken gaydar?"

"Right. So, when did you figure it out and finally tell her you were into her?"

Olivia smiled, shaking her head.

"You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"No. I know you guys were together at least at some point. There's too much chemistry between the two of you for you not to have been."

"You're too smart for your own good."

"I know. Now answer the question."

Olivia chuckled.

"Fine. She's the one who confessed it first. I was too chicken. But to be fair, she knew I was gay while I had no idea she was. It would be worse to confess to a straight girl that you're in love with her versus telling a woman who is already gay that you like her. At least if she's gay, she won't freak out that a woman is attracted to her."

"That's true. How did she tell you?"

"She told me in a rush one day at her apartment. She said she couldn't keep it in anymore and just confessed everything. She told me that she was attracted to me and that she was sorry. She thought I didn't like her like that. She figured I thought of her just as a friend."

"But you obviously didn't."

"Hell no. Have you seen her? Of course I liked her."

Hannah laughed.

"So what did you do after her confession?"

"I did what anyone would do in that situation: I kissed her," she said, grinning. "How could I not? She was beautiful, and even though I guess it's kind of mean, I thought it was cute that she was so flustered. I couldn't help kissing her. Plus I'd been wanting to forever and I finally had the chance to."

"Did she kiss you back?"

"Of course she did," she said proudly. "Until she thought I was just doing it to pity her. So then I told her that I felt the same way and that her feelings weren't one-sided. How could you not fall in love with her? She's wonderful."

"It shows that you love her. A lot."

Olivia smiled, even though she felt a twinge of sadness.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I do."

"So what's the problem? What is keeping you two apart when you so obviously want to be with her?"

"It's complicated. I can't really explain. It's just… it's complicated."

Hannah shook her head.

"I bet it's really not and you're just overthinking it."

"Maybe I am, but… it has to be this way."

Hannah sighed.

"One day I'm going to get the whole story and then I'm going to uncomplicate it for you."

Olivia smiled at her.

"You're a sweet kid, Hannah."

"You're not so bad yourself. Except for this. I still think you should be with her. You're both miserable right now."

"It'll get better."

"I hope so."

"Me too."

A comfortable silence fell between them. They both looked out on the water, enjoying the quiet. They sat there for several minutes until Olivia finally spoke.

"So did you want to join us for supper? I'm not sure what I'm making yet, but I'm sure we can think of something."

"Do you think Val would mind?"

"Not at all. I don't think she'll join us anyway. She's been pretty distant."

"I don't want to create problems."

"You won't. If you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to stay. But we'd both be happy to have you."

"Okay."

The girl got up and followed her inside, where they began rummaging through the cupboards trying to find something to make.

"Do you like chicken Caesar wraps?"

"Definitely."

"Good. They're Val's favourite. I'll send you up with some if you want and you can say hi to her. If you don't want to though, I'll bring them to her. I really don't mind."

"No, I'd like to. I haven't really gotten to talk to her much."

"Okay, perfect. I'm sure she'd like your company."

"Do you guys know anyone here?"

Olivia shook her head as she pulled out the ingredients for their wraps.

"Just you and the few people we've met when we were out. I'm hoping she'll meet people at work."

"Have you made friends yet at work?"

"I wouldn't call them friends, but I have some acquaintances now. The people I work with are pretty nice."

Olivia got the chicken ready while she handed Hannah the cheese and cheese grater.

"Who are your friends at school?"

"Katie and Leah are my best friends. I've known them since kindergarten. I spend the most time with them. And I have a few other friends that I talk to as well, like Brandon. And then there's Lisa. I spend a lot of time with her in class or like, on the phone. She's easy to talk to."

"Is she your favourite?" Olivia asked, teasing a little.

"No," Hannah said, blushing.

Interesting, Olivia thought, but she decided to save that information for later.

"What about Katie or Leah?"

"Well, Katie went through this phase when we were 12 and so for that time, Leah was definitely my favourite. But she outgrew it by high school."

"What phase did she go through?"

"Um, I like to call it her "bitch phase". She really was just a bitch," Hannah said, laughing. "But she was having a rough time at home with her mom and dad going through a divorce, so I think that's why."

"Divorces are rough."

"Tell me about it. Did your parents get divorced or are they still married?"

Olivia stopped, grateful that she wasn't facing the girl. She wished she could be honest with her, tell her about her real mother, but she couldn't. So, she dug back, thinking about her file. Did it say whether her parents were divorced? She knew they were "dead", but she couldn't remember anything about a divorce.

She finally realised how long she'd been quiet, so she turned to face the girl.

"My parents have both passed away, actually."

"Oh," Hannah said, misreading her silence for sorrow. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It was a long time ago now," she said, grabbing the lettuce and starting to chop it up. "How about we talk about more pleasant things?"

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure. Like, what's your favourite show?"

The girl shrugged.

"I honestly don't watch much tv, but when I do, it's always The Simpsons or Family Guy. They're my guilty pleasure."

Olivia stopped chopping and turned to her, pointing with her finger.

"Okay, this could make or break our friendship. Simpsons or Family Guy? Which one is better?"

"Uh oh. Now I'm afraid to answer."

"Nope. You have to. Which one?"

"The pressure!" she said, laughing. "Okay, um, I guess I'll have to go…The Simpsons. Their new stuff isn't that great, but the old stuff…classic. Beats Family Guy any day of the week."

Olivia stared at her, expression blank.

"Well? What's the verdict? Are you gonna chase me out of here with your kitchen knife or can I stay?"

Olivia chuckled.

"You made the right choice, and I actually agree with you about the old school Simpsons. Their new stuff isn't great, but the old stuff, I love it. I find with The Simpsons though, I can watch old episodes over and over again but Family Guy? I can't. Once I've seen the episode, that's it for me."

"I know what you mean. It stops being funny."

"Exactly. Alright, kid. You've proven yourself. You may stay."

Hannah laughed, nodding.

"Good."

Olivia finished cooking the chicken while Hannah laid out the wraps, adding lettuce and cheese to them. She then added the Caesar dressing and moaned in pleasure when Olivia added the chicken.

"It looks sooo good."

"It will be amazing, trust me."

The brunette folded up the wraps, placing a toothpick in each to keep the wraps folded, and then handed two plates to Hannah.

"Here. You can eat upstairs with Val, unless she decides she'd rather eat downstairs."

"What about you? I don't want you to eat alone. Come upstairs."

"No, I'll give her some space. Besides, I bought myself a laptop and I need to set it up."

"You bought yourself a laptop and you didn't immediately set it up? I'd have been all over it."

"Trust me, I wanted to. But, I had a bunch of stuff I had to do around the house first. Now that it's mostly done, I'll reward myself with something fun."

"Your new laptop?"

"Precisely," Olivia said, winking. "If she doesn't seem chatty, feel free to come back downstairs."

"I'll get her talking, don't worry."

Olivia smiled at her and waved her off.