"Hey" Daniel said as soon as he saw Hannah approach him. He stood up and then sat back down when she sat opposite him in the booth, going through her satchel and handing him the papers which he was after.
"You're a life saver" he told her whilst a waitress placed two hot chocolates in front of them
"I saw you walk into a lecture with hot chocolate once" he explained and Hannah raised a brow and a small smile escaped her lips;
"So you've been observing me in class?" she checked and he ran a hand through his shiny black hair
"Guilty" he admitted and Hannah wrapped her hands around the cup and peered into the brown liquid
"So…" Hannah began to attempt to make conversation whilst Daniel continued looking at her
"I didn't really want the notes" he admitted to her
"Oh" she whispered, seeing where he was taking the conversation
"Hmm" he agreed "I just wanted to talk with you again…"
"Daniel" Hannah said and she looked out the window and froze. Her eyes stayed locked on the glass as she saw him walking past the coffee house. His grey winter coat was closed around his body and his hands stuffed into his pockets as his eyes never left hers as he continued walking past. Hannah's mouth parted slightly as she saw his eyes finally leave hers and he continued on his way to work.
"Hannah?" Daniel asked "You okay?"
"No" she whispered and began to scramble from the booth but Daniel reached over the table and grabbed onto one of her hands and stopped her;
"What is it? Was he your boyfriend?"
"I told him a lie" Hannah garbled "but he…he doesn't talk to me…he got jealous…it's not working"
"Hannah" Daniel said sternly as she fell back into the booth, her face pale white "talk to me. You can trust me" he promised her
"He knows I was here with you yesterday…he got jealous seeing someone else making me laugh…but…doesn't matter…I shouldn't be telling you this" Hannah said as Daniel's fingers made circular motions on her hand;
"I won't tell anyone…I'm here for you, okay? I know you don't know me well but I think I made it obvious I know you…and you look like you need someone to talk to" he observed and she sniffed
"I can understand why he may be slightly jealous" Hannah admitted, looking into Daniel's soft blue eyes "I mean we hardly speak…and I know he is still cut up about the baby…but…I've grieved…and I know he has…and still a month later we're not right"
"Go on" he urged her
"And he left his parents because his father…he was crazy…kept on saying all this stuff about me and Mark defended me…he had nowhere to go and so he lives with us…but he can't even look at me anymore…he hardly speaks to me…I think he blames me for everything he's gone through" Hannah admitted "and whenever I try to ask him he just pushes me away from him. We spoke about the baby's death but that is it"
"If he blames you then he is a fool" Daniel assured Hannah who snorted loudly
"Maybe he has a point" she admitted
"No he doesn't" Daniel promised her "it isn't your fault he made the choice to leave his parents…or that you lost the baby because of an accident"
"I just want to move on…put everything behind us but now it doesn't feel possible" she shrugged
"Sometimes time can't heal things" he whispered and she looked at him as he looked at the table
"I know" she murmured "but I can't keep going on like we are doing…the depression of it all"
"Just tell this Mark guy he has nothing to worry about…I can see you still love him and I'm not a threat, okay?" he promised her and she nodded. He wouldn't be a threat yet, anyway.
…
"We need to talk" Hannah said when she walked into the coffee shop Mark worked at and he glared at her as he wiped down the counter.
"About how you've turned into a lying cow?" he asked venomously and Hannah blinked several times, expecting it.
"You wonder why I lied?" she hissed, shifting on the bar stool "because I knew you'd kick off like you did last night"
"So lying is the way forwards, is it?" he asked her
"Don't be ridiculous" she rolled her eyes
"I'm not" he said "You lied to me Hannah…you can't lie to your boyfriend"
"And you can't keep ignoring your girlfriend and pretending she doesn't exist" Hannah snapped back
"I'm not" he denied it
"Come off it Mark" she begged "You barely speak to me anymore…spend all your time locked away in your room…you can't stand touching me"
"Don't put this onto me" he warned her
"Is it any wonder I need a friend to talk to? To make me smile…to make me feel a bit better about myself and to assure me that I'm not completely insane and incapable of being loved"
"You think I don't love you?" he whispered, seeing a customer leave their money on the counter and then leaving.
"What am I supposed to think Mark? You don't act like you"
"Maybe we need a break Hannah" he blurted out and she remained quiet "this isn't working out…and I don't want to completely destroy our relationship"
"And you think by taking a break that will mend it?" she asked quietly and he shrugged
"I don't know" he admitted "But I have found a flat…and I have a job in a law firm"
"You never told me" she sounded even more hurt than before and Mark shrugged
"There was never a good time. They're training me whilst I work so I don't have to pay for college…the apartment I have found is in a nice area which I can afford on my new salary"
"It seems you have everything sorted" Hannah said spitefully and jumped from the stool
"So what now Hannah?" Mark asked her
"Do what you want Mark…seems as if you have your life sussed" and then she left.