Hanna is at The Brew having an iced latte. She is on her phone and looks up when someone sits at her table, across from her.
Hanna "Hey!" she smiles.
Toby "Hi, Han! How are you doing?"
Hanna "I'm pretty well… you?"
Toby just sighs in response.
Hanna "You will get better, Tob… Spencer and you will get through this" she reaches out and places her hand on his arm, comforting him.
Toby "I hope so" he says very softly.
Hanna "What would you like to drink? I'll go get you something" she offers.
Toby "No, it's fine… just tell me what you wanted to talk about… I'm short of time"
Hanna nods and takes a sip of coffee before speaking. "You and Caleb need to have a talk, you two can't just stop speaking to each other because of a stupid misunderstanding. You were getting along so well, it's a-"
Toby cuts her off. "Stupid misunderstanding? The guy is a fucking liar, Hanna. He made up a whole fake life, a family… he only moved to Rosewood once his grandfather was finally dead. He is a wicked son of a bitch"
Hanna "Come on, you got to know him. You can't seriously think that about him"
Toby "No, I thought I knew him, but I didn't. And you don't know him that well either, Hanna. We've known the guy for only a few months. You don't get to know someone fully in such a short time"
Hanna frowns. "I do know him. You can't determine how well you know someone based on time. I've shared so many things with him. He told me a lot of things about his life that you don't know. You shouldn't judge him"
Toby "How can you be so sure that he didn't lie to you too?"
Hanna sighs. This is being harder than she thought. She feels frustrated because Toby isn't even trying.
Toby "Look, Han… I thought you wanted to talk to me about Spencer, that's the only reason why I'm here. To be honest, I've got too many things to worry about at the moment and Caleb isn't one of them. Right now, Spencer and my baby are all I care about"
Hanna nods. She gets him.
Toby "Please Han, if there's something you know I could do to get Spencer back, just tell me"
Hanna smiles at him. "She needs some space right now, but it would be nice if you texted her every so often just to let her know that you are still there for her"
Toby "I need to see her. It's been three days… three freaking long days"
Hanna "I know it's hard, but you need to be patient, Toby"
Toby runs his hands through his hair, he looks frustrated.
Hanna "You look unhappy, Toby… and I'm not talking about what is going on between you and Spencer, you looked unhappy before it… are you okay?"
Toby looks at her but remains silent.
Hanna "Forget for one second that I'm Spencer's friend. I'm your friend too, and you can count on me"
Toby "I've been too stressed out by my job, Han… we are in the middle of something big"
Hanna "What are you up to?" she asks intrigued.
Toby "I can't tell you. It's a secret investigation. I'm not supposed to tell anyone"
Hanna "Does Spencer know about it? Is that why she worries so much about you when you work at night?"
Toby "No, I didn't tell her. I can't. You just said it yourself, she gets worried when I work night shifts, I can't tell her that we are after something, that that is the reason why I can't just stop working at night. She would freak out"
Hanna "Well, this all makes so much more sense now… I think you should tell her anyway, Toby. She thinks you don't understand her and that you don't even try because you don't care. It hurts her"
Toby "No, I won't tell her. We are very close to finish with the investigation, she doesn't need to know. You know what, Han? After what happened to you, I was decided to quit my job. I was pissed off because the police didn't help you. They didn't give a shit about you being missing, and I didn't want to be a part of a useless police department. But then I learnt about what they were up to that night. And yes, they did a mistake because they thought you were one of those people that are just reported missing too soon and then are found safe and sound. They belittled your case. but they would have done something about it if they hadn't been in the middle of a crucial operation for this investigation that night. I wasn't part of it back then, but they made me part of the investigation when I tried to quit... I became a cop because I wanted to help people and that's what I'm doing. But my job isn't more important than Spencer. Once we are done with this investigation, I'll leave the police department for good"
Hanna "Oh my god, Tob… I had no idea…" She is surprised after his confession. "You tried to quit because of what happened to me?"
Toby nods.
Hanna "Spencer needs to know it all, Tob…"
Toby "Don't tell her. I'm trusting you here, Hanna. Please, don't tell her"
Hanna "Of course I won't tell her. You should tell her yourself, Toby. Don't wait any longer, she is so hurt"
Toby "Just a few more days and then I'll talk to her. We are really about to finish with this. We are so close"
Hanna nods.
Toby "Well, I should get going…" he stands up from his chair. "Keep an eye on Spencer, please"
Hanna can see the sadness in his eyes, so she stands up too and hugs him. "Don't worry, the girls and I are taking care of her" she pulls away from him. "You take care too" she shoots him a warm smile.
Toby only nods and leaves.
/
Later.
Hanna is sitting on the couch, she is on her laptop, exploring some other job options in Rosewood. It's been a few days since she had the job interview at the mall and they haven't called her. Chocolate is napping next to her.
She is barefoot and only wearing an oversized t-shirt because, since she wasn't planning to go out again for the day, she changed into more comfortable clothes when she got home from The Brew.
The doorbell rings and Chocolate rushes to the front door. Hanna puts her laptop away and goes answer the door. Aware of the fact that the t-shirt she is wearing barely covers her thighs, she takes a look through the peephole of the door before answering. A smile appears upon her face at seeing that it's Caleb.
She opens the door right away.
Hanna "Hi"
Caleb raises his eyebrows while checking her out completely. "Hey…" he greets her back as he stares at her bare legs. Then he looks back at her face. "I was gonna take Chocolate for a walk… but I can think of a million better things to do right now"
Hanna laughs as she is pushed back inside by Caleb. He kicks the door closed right before crashing his lips to hers. His arms are all wrapped around her body as he kisses her desperately. Hanna slowly slides her arms around his neck and kisses him back the same way.
It's probably the first time Caleb doesn't greet Chocolate back, because even though he can feel the dog's paws on his back, he is too busy with Hanna.
Caleb "You home alone?" he whispers between kisses.
Hanna "Yeah" she says against his lips.
That's all Caleb needs to hear to go on. He lifts her up and she wraps her bare legs around his waist, ready to be carried up the stairs.
In just matter of minutes, they are both naked in Hanna's bed, and after a little foreplay, Caleb finally gets on top of Hanna and connects their bodies. He stays still for a couple of seconds, just kissing her slowly but then he pulls away from her lips and starts thrusting into her.
He opens his eyes and looks at Hanna when he doesn't hear a reaction from her, not even a little moan like the ones he is used to hear from her the second he slides inside. He meets her eyes. She is staring at him.
Caleb "What's wrong? Need a little more foreplay?" he asks while stopping his movements slowly.
Hanna smiles at him. "No… keep going" she says while burying her head into his neck and starts to kiss him there. "Please" she presses her palms to his low back.
Caleb is a bit confused, but he does as he was told and resumes his movements. What he doesn't know is that Hanna was just staring at him because she was happy to having found that connection that they have always had but that lately seemed a bit lost. Little by little he starts to hear Hanna's soft moans in his ear and it reassures him.
Hanna "Let me on top, babe" she says out of breath a while later.
Caleb slides out of her and lies down on his back next to her. Hanna gets on top of him and straddles him, but before she can lower her hips to get their bodies back connected, Caleb reaches out and cups her most sensitive part with his hand. He starts to rub her, she is so warm, swollen and soaking wet that he can't help biting his bottom lip while thinking that he caused it all himself.
Hanna closes her eyes and tilts her head back, enjoying Caleb's touch.
At some point, Caleb runs his hand up, uncovering her entrance, until he reaches her flat stomach.
Caleb "Now, baby" he says and moves both his hands to her hipbones.
Hanna locks eyes with him while lowering her hips until he is all the way back inside her. Then she starts to make those rapid moves that give both of them so much pleasure.
Some minutes later, Hanna comes undone all over Caleb's body after he comes, because she had her own climax right before his and only kept going for him to get there too. Now she is exhausted. With her head resting on his chest, she can hear Caleb's heart pounding, it's relaxing. She can also feel his chest rise and fall as he catches his breath just like she doing as well.
Hanna lifts her head from his chest and starts a very tender kiss.
She is about to pull away from his lips to let him know how much she missed that connection between them, but Caleb wins her over and pulls away from the kiss first.
Caleb "I have to pee, babe"
Hanna chuckles and gets off of him. Then he stands up from the bed, picks up his underwear from the floor and leaves the bedroom.
Hanna is lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, feeling completely happy and relaxed when Caleb comes back in her bedroom. She looks at him with a smile on her face.
Caleb smiles back while picking his shirt up and puts it on. Then he does the same with his jeans. Hanna doesn't say anything because she is sure that Caleb is getting dressed just in case her mom comes back home. But when Caleb grabs his socks and shoes, she frowns.
Hanna "You leaving?"
Caleb "Yeah…"
Hanna "Where? Why?" she can't help asking while sitting up in the bed.
Caleb "I have a lot of things to do, but I'll see you later, okay?"
Hanna doesn't answer. She lies back down and looks back at the ceiling.
Once Caleb is done getting dressed, he approaches the bed and presses a kiss to Hanna's forehead. "See you, baby" he gives her a peck on her lips and then leaves.
The second Caleb walks out the door, Hanna's cheeks start to get soaked by tears. She thought that she and Caleb had just returned to normal, but apparently not. Maybe what just happened between them, the connection she felt, the love, was just sex to Caleb. She grabs one of her pillows and throws it away with rage. It hits some things on the dressing table and they fall to the floor, but Hanna doesn't even care. Not knowing what the hell is going on with Caleb is frustrating. And it hurts.
She grabs her phone from the bedside table and texts Mona.
Hanna: Can you still get me that job interview in New York?
She hits send and Chocolate shows up in her room. "Come here, baby…" she pats the mattress next to her.
Chocolate jumps on the bed and lies on his back for Hanna to scratch his tummy. Hanna keeps weeping while petting Chocolate.
/
The next day.
Caleb is at The Radley Hotel, he is talking to Ashley about work. They are having a very informal meeting while having some coffee, sitting at a table in the lobby.
At some point, Ashley's assistant shows up to remind her about some phone call she needs to make, so Ashley leaves.
Caleb stays there to finish his cup of coffee, but only a few minutes later, someone shows up and joins him.
Mona "Hi, Caleb"
Caleb "Hey" he only says.
Mona laughs. "Always so friendly" she says with sarcasm, teasing him a little.
But Caleb doesn't seem to care.
Mona "Anyway, I just stopped by to thank you. I don't know what you told Hanna, but it worked. She asked me to arrange that job interview for her in New York"
Caleb "She did?" he asks softly.
Mona grins. "Yeah, she texted me yesterday and we've been talking a lot today. We are going to New York next week so Hanna can have her job interview and I can look for a place to rent, because I don't recall if I told you, but I'm moving to the big city next month... Maybe I can convince her to move in together. She will need a place to live too"
Suddenly, Caleb loses his appetite and can't drink another sip of coffee. He is also speechless.
Mona just stares at him for a few seconds and then she decides to say something.
Mona "Don't worry, I'll make sure we move to a place that is big enough for you to stay with us when you come to visit"
Caleb "Huh, yeah…" he only says and stands up from his seat. "I need to go back to working" he says and leaves.
He barely makes it to his office before a tear finally escapes from one of his eyes. He wipes it off and sits at his desk. He takes deep breaths while trying to calm down. He struggles to hold back his tears and he succeeds with that while focusing hard on his job not to think about Hanna's choice.
/
Aria "Come on! Just get off your bed, Hanna. It's freaking afternoon"
Hanna "I'm not in the mood to go shopping"
Aria "But you don't have to shop anything for yourself, you just need to come with me and tell me what fits me better, help me put outfits together. Ezra and I are leaving for Europe next week and I have no clothes"
Hanna sighs. "Fine"
Hanna finally gets up from her bed to go shower.
/
Later.
Hanna and Aria are walking through the mall, Aria is carrying some shopping bags and Hanna some others, but they are all Aria's, since Hanna hasn't shopped not even a single thing for herself.
Aria "Aren't you going to tell me what happened with Caleb?"
Hanna "Nothing happened"
Aria "Doesn't seem so. You are not feeling down for nothing"
Hanna "I'm telling you, nothing happened. That's the problem, nothing happened"
Aria looks at her confused.
Hanna sighs. "He came over yesterday, he fucked me and then he left. He didn't even stay with me five minutes after we finished. He left as if I was just a hook-up"
Aria "Aren't you being too sensitive, maybe?... Maybe he had something to do…"
Hanna "No, I'm sure there's something wrong that he is not telling me. And I'm done"
Aria "Talk to him, then"
Hanna "He should talk to me, he is the one who has a problem. He is being an asshole, not me. Anyway, I don't feel like talking about this anymore, let's just keep shopping, what else do you need?"
Aria "Mmh… a pair of shoes"
Hanna "We should go to this shoe shop on the third level, they've got the best shoes in Rosewood. And there's another good one on the second level, but we should go to this one first"
Aria chuckles. "See why I asked you to come with me? You are like the best mall GPS"
Hanna chuckles too. "Is it a compliment? I'm not sure"
Aria "Of course it is"
Aria suddenly stops walking and bends over, wrapping one of her arms around her tummy. She reaches out with her free hand and holds on to Hanna while letting go a moan of pain. All her shopping bags fall to the floor.
Hanna "Are you okay?" she drops the shopping bags too and grabs Aria by her arm and waist, trying to help her stay on her feet.
Aria tries to straighten up, but she can't. She feels a strong pain in her stomach that won't let her do so. She starts crying from so much pain.
Hanna "Oh my god, someone help us, please!" she yells at seeing blood running down Aria's legs as she tries to hold her.
/
An hour later.
Hanna is in the waiting room at the hospital. She hasn't had news about Aria since an ambulance took them there and the nurses took her away in a wheelchair while Aria was still in pain. Spencer is with her, she has arrived only a few minutes ago to join Hanna after she alerted all the girls about what happened to Aria.
Alison and Emily show up now and rush toward them.
Emily "Any news?" she asks very worried.
Spencer "Not yet" she sighs and has seat.
Hanna doesn't even answer. She has a lump in her throat and has barely spoken to Spencer since she arrived. She is leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest while staring into space.
Alison "I don't get it, she started to writhe in pain from one moment to another? Just like that?"
Hanna looks at her and nods.
Emily "Maybe it isn't that bad… maybe it's just an appendicitis and she will be fine after a little surgery"
Hanna "She was bleeding" she manages to say despite the lump in her throat and right after her last word, she pouts and a tear runs down her cheek.
Alison and Emily go have seat next to Spencer.
Spencer "She will be fine"
Emily "Did someone call Ezra?"
Spencer "Hanna did, but he isn't answering his phone. I asked Toby to go get him at the Brew, but he wasn't there"
Another fifteen minutes pass by and a doctor finally comes out to talk to them.
Hanna approaches him right away as the girls stand up from their seats and do the same.
Hanna "Is she okay?"
Doctor "Yes, she is. But I'm afraid the baby is not"
Alison "What baby?" she asks confused.
The girls can't believe as the doctor informs them that Aria just had a miscarriage. They didn't even know she was pregnant to begin with. Alison listens to him attentively with a frown on her face as Emily runs her hand through her hair, unable to believe what she is hearing. Hanna and Spencer just start crying hard. The bad news hit them harder, maybe because Spencer is pregnant and she can't help putting herself in Aria's shoes, and Hanna was there with Aria when it happened. She experienced it with her, and it just breaks her heart learning that her best friend just lost a baby.
The doctor walks away after letting them know that Aria has been taken to a room and that they can go see her. The girls just stare at each other confused.
Alison sighs. "You guys calm down, you can't go see her while crying like that" she tells Hanna and Spencer who are still weeping hard.
Hanna shakes her head no and plops down on a chair. Then she leans in and hides her face in her palms as she keeps shedding tears.
Spencer "I just can't go in there… I can't" she says between sobs.
Emily "It's okay" she pulls Spencer into a hug. "You don't have to see her right now. Just try to calm down" she says while rubbing her back. "Alison and I are going to see her now. You and Hanna stay here" she pulls away from Spencer. "Go sit down for a moment"
Spencer nods and goes have seat next to Hanna.
Emily sighs and looks at Alison. "Ready?"
Alison shakes her head. "No, but let's go… she needs us"
Emily nods and they start walking toward Aria's room.
/
Toby and Ezra arrive at the hospital and find Hanna and Spencer in the waiting room. The girls are calmer now, but Ezra freaks out at seeing the expression on their faces. They look sad, worried, and it's obvious that they have been crying.
Ezra "What happened? Is Aria all right?"
Hanna "Yes, she is" she rushes to tell him.
Ezra "Then what happened? Why are you two so upset?"
Hanna and Spencer look at each other not knowing what to say or do. Toby looks at them expectantly and confused at the same time.
Ezra "Come on, just tell me what happened" he raises his voice because he is just too nervous.
Spencer "Aria had a miscarriage" she finally says it.
Ezra "What?" he frowns very confused. "A miscarriage? She wasn't pregn-" he falls silent for a moment as he thinks it over.
Spencer is struggling not to start to cry again and Toby notices it. Despite everything that is going on between them, he approaches her, wraps his arms around her and holds her against his chest as she loses the battle to hold back her tears. She hugs him back. She needs his comfort.
Hanna "You didn't know she was pregnant?"
Ezra shakes his head no. It's obvious to Hanna that he is just too shocked.
Hanna "Come on, let's go see her" she grabs him by the arm.
Hanna doesn't know where she is getting that strength from, but she is grateful for that. She walks Ezra to Aria's room.
When they get there, Hanna opens the door for him.
Ezra looks at Hanna like not knowing what to do.
Hanna "Just be with her, you don't have to say anything"
Ezra nods and gets in the room. Hanna takes the opportunity to take a look at her friend from the door. Aria is sitting in the bed just talking to Alison and Emily. She thought she would be crying her eyes out, but she looks calm.
As soon as Aria sees Ezra, she falls silent and stares at him until he reaches her bed and they hug. Alison and Emily stand up and leave the room.
Hanna "How is she?" she asks after Alison closes the door behind her back.
Alison "Way better than we thought… I think that the fact that she didn't know she was pregnant in the first place, helped a lot"
Hanna only nods.
Emily "I think she hasn't woken up to the fact that she had a miscarriage yet"
The girls go back to the waiting room.
Spencer "How is she doing?" she asks as soon as Hanna, Alison and Emily show up over there.
Emily smiles at seeing Toby sitting next to Spencer, holding her hand.
Alison "She will be fine"
Spencer "Did the doctor say anything else?"
Alison "She needs to stay the night here, they want to monitor her just in case, she could have another bleeding"
Spencer swallows hard, the word 'bleeding' sends a shiver down her spine.
Toby "Let's go, I'll take you home"
Spencer "No, I want to stay. I haven't seen Aria yet"
Toby "You can't see her like this. You are too upset, Spence. Besides, Alison said she will be fine. You can go visit her at her place tomorrow"
Emily "I think Toby is right. You can see her tomorrow. Now go home, have some rest, relax"
Spencer "I won't just leave. Aria is my best friend. I'm staying"
Toby "Fine" he gives up. "Just chill out, then. You are pregnant" he places his arm over her shoulders and Spencer leans against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
Hanna has sat down on a chair across from them and is staring at them. They are so cute, she thinks to herself. Toby is right there, just comforting Spencer, even though they aren't even together at the moment. She wishes Caleb was there too, she would love to be held by him just like Spencer is being held by Toby. She knows that if she just called him, Caleb would get there in no time. But she refuses to do so. She doesn't want to ask for anything. She wants him to be with her only because he wants to. And it isn't happening lately. He hasn't been around.
Hanna turns her gaze to Alison and Emily now. The are sitting next to each other too and they are having a whispered talk while Alison caresses Emily's hair.
Hanna sighs and grabs her phone to distract her mind. She is on the verge of tears again, but this time it's not because of what happened to Aria. This time is because of Caleb.
/
An hour later, Spencer gathers courage to go see Aria, so she texts Ezra and heads to Aria's room. When she comes back to the waiting room only a few minutes later, she bursts out of tears again, so Toby takes her home.
Alison "Do you want something to eat, Han?" she asks Hanna, who hasn't said a word in more than an hour.
Hanna shakes her head no.
Alison "Okay, Emily and I will be right back. Text me if you change your mind and I'll bring you something to eat"
Hanna nods again and the girls leave.
About fifteen minutes later…
Caleb "Hey"
Hanna is lost in her thoughts but looks up right away at recognizing his voice.
Hanna "What are you doing here?"
Caleb "Alison just texted me" he says while sitting down on the chair next to Hanna. "You okay?"
Hanna "Uh huh" she only answers and looks away from him.
Caleb tries to take her hand but Hanna moves it away. He stares at her, but she ignores him and keeps looking at the wall in front of her.
Caleb "Are you mad at me?"
Hanna "No… why would I be mad at you?"
Caleb "So… what is it? You don't want me here?"
Hanna shrugs. "It depends…"
Caleb "On what?" he asks confused.
Hanna "Do you want to be here?"
Caleb stares at her confused. But Hanna keeps looking at the wall as if he wasn't sitting right next to her.
Caleb reaches out and places a strand of her hair behind her ear to clear her face. He doesn't know what is going on, but he does know how to soften Hanna up. "I surely don't want to be at a hospital…" he jokes. "But I do want to be with you" he places a tender kiss on her cheek. "And you are at the hospital, so yes, this is exactly where I want to be" he kisses her cheek again and then places another kiss behind her ear.
It all works because Hanna turns to look at him.
Hanna "I'm glad you are here, then"
Caleb notices her sad eyes. "What happened?"
Hanna "You don't know?"
Caleb shakes his head no and takes his phone out from his pocket. "I just received this text from Alison…" he says and hands Hanna his phone.
Alison: Get your ass at the Rosewood hospital. Don't worry, Hanna is okay, it wasn't her. But she is a bit sad.
Hanna hands the phone back to him. "It was Aria… she had a miscarriage when she was with me at the mall"
Caleb "Oh… I'm sorry" he frowns and falls silent for a second. But then he speaks again. "You didn't tell me she was pregnant…"
Hanna "I didn't know. No one knew, not even her… It was horrible, babe… there was so much blood… and I swear I can still hear Aria crying in my mind"
Caleb takes her hand and this time, Hanna lets him hold it. "Is she okay now?"
Hanna nods. "Yeah… I only saw her for a sec, but she seemed better. Well, at least she wasn't in pain anymore"
Caleb "And how are you, Han?"
Hanna "I'm just so sad… it sucks… I can't even imagine how painful it must be to lose a pregnancy like that… poor Aria" she says with glassy eyes.
Caleb "She will get through it, she is strong. Ezra too. They will be fine"
Hanna "Yeah, I know. But still…"
Caleb takes her face in his hands and gives her a tender kiss on the forehead.
Alison and Emily come back with a little paper bag.
Alison "Hi, Caleb"
Emily "Hey"
Caleb "Hi, girls!" he smiles at them.
Emily "We brought you some food, Han" she says and Alison hands Hanna the paper bag.
But Hanna doesn't take it.
Hanna "I'm not hungry, guys… in fact, I feel a little sick. I can't even think of food right now"
Alison nods and puts the bag in her purse.
Emily "Go home, Han… Ali and I are staying here a little longer just in case Aria and Ezra need anything and then we are going home too, there isn't much we can do here. Aria is much better, and she is with Ezra"
Hanna "I'll stay a little longer too"
Alison "Don't be silly, Han. You've been here longer than us anyway, go have some rest"
Emily "Yeah, and you were the one who was there with Aria when it happened, I'm pretty sure it wasn't a nice moment" she takes Hanna's purse from the chair next to her. "Come on, stand up, you are going home now"
Hanna "Guys, plea-"
Caleb interrupts her. "Let's go, Han. They are right" he stands up and pulls from their joined hands. "There is nothing else you can do for Aria right now. Let me take you home and you can be with her tomorrow"
Hanna "Okay, fine" she sighs and stands up. "You guys call me if you need anything"
Emily "Yeah, don't worry, Han. See you tomorrow"
Alison "Have some rest, Han… see you"
Caleb wraps his arm around Hanna's shoulders and leads her to the exit.
/
Caleb and Hanna are in Caleb's car.
Caleb "You sure you don't want me to pick up some food for you?" he asks while driving.
Hanna "No, I'm fine"
Caleb "Okay… let me know if you change your mind… I can cook something for you later…" he says but Hanna doesn't answer, so he leaves her alone.
A few minutes later, Caleb takes a turn toward his house and Hanna notices that.
Hanna "Where are we going?"
Caleb "My place… I just thought you could stay the night with me…"
Hanna frowns, but since she is looking out the window, Caleb doesn't notice it. "Take me home, Caleb. I wanna go home"
Caleb "Okay, babe" he only says and places his palm on her leg to caress her a little. He doesn't insist, because after the hard day she has had, he only wants her to be comfortable.
/
Caleb "Hi, bear! How are you doing?" he tells Chocolate while playing with him.
They have just arrived at Hanna's.
Hanna "Mom?" she yells to find out if her mother is home.
Ashley "I'm here, sweetie" she yells back from the kitchen.
Hanna and Caleb go there. Ted is sitting at the table with Ashley. They have finished dinner and are having some wine.
Hanna "Hi, Ted"
Caleb "Hi, Ashley. Hi, Ted" he shakes hands with him.
Ted "Hi, guys"
Ashley "I didn't know you were coming, I would have count you in for dinner"
Hanna "Don't worry, mom. I'm going to bed…" she says while grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. "And Caleb is leaving in a little while. Go on with your date…" she says and leaves the kitchen.
Ted "Would you like some wine, Caleb?" he offers.
Caleb "I'm good, thanks" he says politely and goes after Hanna.
When he leaves the kitchen, Hanna is going upstairs, so he follows her to her bedroom.
Caleb "Am I leaving in a little while?"
Hanna shrugs and takes off her shoes.
Caleb "You don't want me to stay with you?"
Hanna "Do whatever you want, Caleb" she says clearly annoyed while taking her top off.
Caleb "This is one of those times when I don't know if you are treating me bad because you are just in a bad mood or if it's because you are actually mad at me"
Hanna doesn't say a word as she keeps taking off her clothes. Once she is only in her underwear, she grabs a nighty from her closet and puts it on.
Chocolate gets in the room too and goes straight to Hanna's bed where he lies down. Hanna leaves her bedroom to go use the bathroom.
Caleb sighs. He takes off his shoes and sits on Hanna's bed, resting his back on the headboard.
Some minutes later, she comes back and gets in bed. She could cuddle up against Caleb, but instead of that, she rests her head on Chocolate's back and wraps her arm around him. Her back to Caleb.
Caleb knows Hanna too well to know that when she is upset, anything he said, would be the wrong thing. So, he just remains silent and starts to caress her hair gently.
Hanna "Go home, Caleb. It's fine" she says after a couple of minutes.
Caleb "I don't get you, Han…"
Hanna "You don't have to stay. Go home"
Caleb "I want to stay with you…"
Hanna "Do you?"
Caleb "Hanna, what's going on? Why are you acting so weird?"
Hanna "Am I acting weird?"
Caleb "Yes"
Hanna "Well, then this is worse than I thought. If you think that I am the one who is acting weird, then we are screwed"
Caleb sighs. "I'm not going home" he lies down on his side and hovers over Hanna to look at her. "I'm staying here whether you like it or not" he kisses her cheek. "And I'm also planning to give you a lot of kisses" he smooches the corner of her mouth.
Hanna places her hand on his cheek and pushes him away before he can reach her mouth. She turns to lie on her back so she can look at him. "Which Caleb are you today? The kind one who I fell in love with? Or the thoughtless dickhead who has replaced my Caleb lately?"
Caleb falls silent. He only stares at her.
Hanna "I thought so" she says and rests her head back on Chocolate. "Just leave. It's fine" she pouts while trying to hold back her tears.
Caleb "Han… I know I've been a little distant lately, but-"
Hanna "A little distant, Caleb? You've barely been around!" she says annoyed. "You haven't asked me to hang out in days, not even once" some tears finally escape and she is thankful that Caleb can't see her face.
Caleb "Neither did you"
Hanna doesn't answer because she is already weeping in silence.
Caleb "You didn't ask me to hang out together either, Han…"
Hanna frowns. His last phrase just irritated her and she sits up to look at him, no longer caring about hiding her tears. "Why would I ask you to hang out after you called me clingy Hanna, after you got mad at me for showing up at your place, or after you told me that you only wanted to fuck me?... Oh, wait! Or also after you actually fucked me and left just like that after we finished?!"
Caleb "That is not what happened, Hanna! I just-"
Hanna cuts him off because she hasn't finished yet. "You have no idea how used you made me feel" she says, starting to cry harder. "Please, tell me that you know what a dick you have been lately, because if you didn't even realize it, then it means that Toby is right"
Caleb "What?" he asks confused.
Hanna "Maybe he is right and I don't know you fully yet… maybe you are not the affectionate guy I thought you were… and it sucks, because I need you... I love you, and if you need your space because I'm too clingy, then I get it. But please, be honest with me. Just tell me when you need some time to yourself and I'll understand. It's just that… I can't keep going like this, wondering all the time if you are with me because you want to, or if it's just because you think you have to"
Caleb "Hanna… fuck" he bites his bottom lip. "You are so wrong that I don't even know where to start"
Hanna "Then just break up with me already" she turns to lie on her side again and rests her head back on Chocolate. Her back to Caleb again. "Because I can't keep like this, wondering all the time when you are going to finally do it… or maybe you don't do it because you still want to have sex with me"
Caleb "Hanna, that's bullshit and you know it!" He places his hand on her shoulder and makes her lie on her back again so they can look at each other in the face.
Hanna "Bullshit? That's what you said the other night" she turns back to Chocolate.
Caleb "I already apologized for that. I thought we had cleared things up"
Hanna "And I believed you… but then you kept acting like all those things you said that night were true" she says softly, running out of energy to keep arguing. Her tears wetting Chocolate's fur.
Caleb remains silent for some minutes, simply processing everything she has just told him. Trying to find the best way to make her understand how wrong she is. At some point, he looks back at her. He can tell that she is still crying even though he can't see her face.
Caleb "Han…" he takes his hand to her shoulder and starts to caress her with his thumb. "I do admit that I took certain distance from you… but none of those things you just said is true…"
Hanna only ignores him.
Caleb "Hey… look at me, please…" he runs his hand down her arm and takes her hand. "Listen to me…"
Hanna finally turns to look at him. Her face is a mess of tears and seeing her like that causes Caleb to get a lump in his throat right away.
Caleb reaches out to wipe Hanna's tears away. "Don't cry, please. It breaks my heart" he says softly and Hanna can see as his eyes get watery too. It eases her anger and now she only feels sad, too sad.
Hanna "I'm just asking you to be real with me. If you got tired of me and just need some time, please tell me. Maybe we can spend some time away from one another, it could help… I don't want to lose you" she keeps shedding tears. "Don't leave me. I'm sure we-"
Caleb "Hanna, stop. Breaking up with you never crossed my mind. Not even for a moment… come here, sit up"
Hanna sits up and brings her knees to her chest to wrap her arms around them.
Caleb "The only thing I hate more than seeing you cry, is seeing you cry because of me" he places his arm over her shoulders and pulls her closer to him. "I don't know where you got that idea from, but I wasn't going to break up with you. And I'm not tired of you, that is not even possible. I would spend as much time with you as you would let me"
Hanna "Then what's going on?" she asks, so softly that Caleb barely listens to her although they are pretty close now.
Caleb "I took a distance from you, but I never meant to hurt you. I didn't think you would think that I could break up with you… To be honest, I didn't think you would mind this much" he runs his thumb against her cheek, wiping her tears away once more. "Fuck, Han… I hate seeing you crying because of me. All those times when I saw you crying because of Jordan, I thought that he was the biggest idiot on earth for hurting you so much… we barely knew each other, but I liked you so bad already that I couldn't help thinking that if ever had you, I would never make you feel so sad… and look at you now… I just did the same as him"
Hanna "There's a little difference…" she says while staring into his eyes. "You are here to mend it" she notices that Caleb is holding his tears back. "And there's also another difference… you are right, I cried because of Jordan a lot of times… but I'm not crying because of you. I'm crying for you. Because I love you, and I don't want to lose you. So whatever is going wrong, please, let's just talk it out… let's find a way to fix it together" she unwraps her arms from her legs and wraps them around Caleb's neck.
Caleb hugs her back. He closes his eyes while breathing in her rich scent. That's when he loses the battle against his tears and they just start escaping from his eyes. "Nothing is going wrong. It's just me. I'm probably the only thing that needs to be fixed" he hides his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm fucking broken"
Hanna can feel his soft lips pressing a kiss to her neck, and then all she can feel are his tears wetting her skin and she can't believe that Caleb is actually crying. She takes her hands to his head and starts to caress his hair. "You are not broken. You don't need to be fixed… we are working this out, whatever it is… unless you cheated on me. In that case, you will need to be fixed because you aren't making it out of this room in one piece"
Caleb smiles slightly against her skin. "That is just not possible"
Hanna smiles too.
They fall silent and remain like that for minutes until they both are calmer.
Hanna pulls away from him and takes her hands to his face to wipe his tears with both her thumbs. "So… what is it? What's going on?"
Caleb sighs. "This is the problem" he points at his face. "I love you so much that it freaks me out"
Hanna frowns confused.
Caleb "I hate feeling so vulnerable, Hanna. My whole life I've been capable of controlling my feelings until I met you. Now I depend on you so much that my mood, my feelings, everything is up to you. And it freaks me out. I didn't push you away. I was trying to take some distance in order to… I don't know… I just wanted to be in control of my feelings again, I guess. That day when you showed up at my place, I was in a really bad mood because of this. I was feeling a bit lonely, you were with the girls and I wanted you to be with me. I wanted you all for me. I got pissed at myself for needing you that much… and then I got even more pissed at myself for being so selfish. Anyway, that night, I realized that I needed you way more than you needed me. And I don't want to need you. I just want to love you and still be able to be on my own. You have your friends, your family, your career… and I'm your boyfriend, just another thing on that list… but when you take a look at my list, there's nothing but you. You have become everything to me, and it freaks me out. I don't know what I'm going to do when you move to New York, but I would never ask you to stay and miss out such an important opportunity for your career"
Hanna "What?"
Caleb "I know about New York, Han… Mona told me. And it's fine. I'm happy for you. I'll miss you as fuck, but I totally support you. I'll just go to visit you and Chocolate there…"
Hanna "I'm not moving back to New York, Caleb"
Caleb "Han, it's okay, you-"
Hanna "No, really. I'm not moving back to New York, Caleb. I don't know what Mona told you, but I told her that I didn't want that job… why are you talking to Mona, tho?"
Caleb "She came over the other day and asked me to find a way to convince you to go to that job interview without telling you that I knew about it… and then yesterday she showed up at The Radley and told me that you had asked her to arrange the interview for you, and that she was moving to New York too, so you two would probably move in together"
Hanna "Caleb…" she sighs. "First of all, you should never ever take Mona seriously. In fact, I would rather you didn't talk to her at all" she takes his hand with both her hands and starts to caress his palm. "I told her I wouldn't go to that job interview the moment she told me about it. I had no doubts because I'm not moving back to New York. I want to stay here in Rosewood and yes, I admit it, you are my main reason to stay, but I'm also staying here for my family, my friends, Chocolate, and because I realized that I can be happy here. I had my time in New York and it wasn't what I had imagined. Of course it was amazing, but… I don't know, I just didn't feel completely happy there... I texted Mona yesterday and asked to arrange that job interview for me because I was too upset after you walked away from me after we had sex"
Caleb "Han, I didn't fuck you and left. We made love yesterday… I came here to pick Chocolate up, but you looked so damn sexy when you opened the door that I just couldn't resist you… you are my girlfriend, we made love, and then I just had to leave. I had a meeting at The Radley and then I had to go pick something up at the hardware store, because a power connection burned in my basement and I had no power in some parts of the house. I didn't think there was any problem with that… why didn't you say anything to me? Why didn't you ask me to stay with you for a little longer if that was what you needed?"
Hanna "I was giving you some space, I guess. I wanted you to be with me because you wanted. I didn't want to suffocate you. I was just waiting for you to invite me over, or come out with a plan yourself. I thought that maybe I was suffocating you and I didn't want to do anything that could bother you… like showing up at your place like I did the other night…"
Caleb "Han… I was an ass that night, baby. Nothing that I said was what I actually think. Stop thinking about the stupid things that came out from my mouth that night. I was pissed off at myself"
Hanna looks down and nods. "Okay…"
Caleb "You still mad at me?"
Hanna "I'm not mad… I just… you are an idiot, Caleb"
Caleb "Yeah, I know"
Hanna looks up at him. "And you are wrong. I'm not the only thing you have… you have your career too. You had literally nothing and thanks to that beautiful brain of yours, you managed to get very good jobs and build a life for yourself. And my friends are becoming your friends too, and that's thanks to you too, because you are amazing, and everyone likes you. I admire you so much, Caleb. You had a very tough life and it didn't stop you from being the incredible person that you are"
Caleb smiles slightly. "Yeah, but I still don't give a shit about anything but you, Hanna… what did you do to me?"
Hanna "The same thing you did to me, because if you and I aren't good, then I don't care much about other things either. I need to be okay with you to enjoy the other good things in my life. I've felt miserable these last days thinking that I was losing you…"
Caleb "I'm sorry, Han… I didn't realize I was hurting you that much…"
Hanna "That's the point, Caleb… It's okay to need each other, we are in love. We make each other happy. And yes, we depend a little too much on one another… but it is what it is. I need you, I love you… and you need me too, deal with it" she sits on his lap, straddling him.
Caleb wraps his arms around her low back. "I love you so much, Hanna" he says while staring into her eyes.
Hanna smiles slightly, she knows now that her Caleb is still there.
Caleb takes one of his hands to her cheek and leans in to meet his lips with hers. Hanna closes her eyes and just lets him kiss her. He kisses her very slowly, squeezing her lips gently between his. The kiss is good even though he is doing all the work because Hanna isn't even kissing him back. But it isn't like she didn't want the kiss, she is just enjoying being kissed. Caleb's tongue slides through the barrier of her lips and Hanna opens her mouth to let him deepen the kiss. She starts to kiss him back the moment his tongue touches hers. She presses her body against his, to be as close to him as possible. Caleb tightens his grip around her back to hold her against himself.
They keep kissing for about twenty minutes, always keeping it slow and tender.
A knock on the door makes them pull away from the kiss. Hanna gets off his lap and sits back on the mattress.
Hanna "Come in" she yells and Ashley opens the door.
Ashley "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know Caleb was still here" she apologizes for the interruption.
Hanna "It's fine, mom. We were just talking" she casually says. "What's up?"
Ashley "Would you mind if Ted stays the night?"
Hanna chuckles. "This is your house, mom. Of course I don't mind. Do whatever you want, it's okay with me"
Ashley "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, that's all"
Hanna "You won't, mom. It's fine, really"
Ashley "Okay" she smiles at her.
Hanna "Actually… Caleb is staying the night too…"
Ashley "Okay, good night, guys" she says and leaves, closing the door on her way out.
Caleb "So, I can stay?" he asks and reaches out to caress her cheek.
Hanna "Only if you want to"
Caleb "I want to stay"
Hanna smiles.
Caleb smiles back and gives her another tender kiss on her lips. Then he gets up from the bed and takes off his clothes. He only keeps his boxers on.
When he looks back at Hanna, she is lying in the bed, cuddling with Chocolate again.
Caleb "Hey! You are supposed to cuddle with me now that we are okay" he says while getting in the bed too.
Hanna chuckles. "You are supposed to spoon me, silly" she grabs his arm. "Come here"
Caleb turns off the bedside lamp and sticks his body to Hann's, wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her close.
Caleb "I love you" he whispers into her ear. "Sleep well, baby. You had a really hard day… have some rest, because tomorrow, I'm showing you that everything I said tonight is true. They aren't just words"
Hanna "I believe you. You don't need to prove anything to me… but it sounds tempting, so I'm in"
Caleb chuckles against her nape and Hanna smiles at feeling his breath warm against her skin.
Hanna "I love you too. You sleep well too, baby"
Caleb just kisses her shoulder in response and rests his head back on the pillow to go to sleep.
Hi guys! That was a very long chapter to make it up to you for the very long wait haha. You can blame my job for my lack of time to write. It took me more than a month to write this freaking chapter, so I hope you like it. :)