Chapter Five
Hannah
“How is the investigation coming along?” Eliza questions me as we head back to the rest of the office group in the bar. It is Friday night, and we have decided to have drinks after work, though I am unsure of the reason.
Ruby and Hirim are both absent, so I take the opportunity to talk to as many people as I can tonight about the bathroom incident in order to narrow down my list of suspects.
“I must admit, I haven’t found any potential culprits so far,” I confess, setting my cider on the small table we are sitting at. The bar is growing crowded as the night ramps up.
“Damn,” she exclaims loudly, to be heard above the noise. “I was hoping for some fun gossip.”
You and I both.
Laughter erupts from the neighboring table, grabbing my focus. I glance over to find the I.T. guy and a group of Sales Representatives from the north corner of our office floor, engrossed in lively conversation.
Irritated, I shift my attention back to Eliza, just as my phone starts vibrating on the table .
Clae is calling.
Christ, not now.
“Is everything alright?” Eliza inquires.
I glance up from the table, confused, and say, “Huh?”
She chuckles and repeats, “Is everything okay?”
My phone buzzes, interrupting me with an incoming text, and I awkwardly say, “I’m fine, uhh, yeah.” Against my better judgment, I pick up my phone and read the message, my heart racing.
Hey. Since you’re at Izots, could you meet me out front? I just want to speak with you for a second.
Fuck.
My heart races as I place my phone on the table, contemplating my choices. It feels like it might burst out of my chest.
Why did he come here? What is his reason for wanting to see me?
Eliza remarks, “You don’t look well,” amidst another boisterous laugh from the neighboring table.
I hope she won’t press for an explanation and casually say, “So, my ex is here and apparently wants to talk.”
With a wince, she inquires, “Is he the one who left you for someone else? Are you planning to talk to him?”
I shrug and reply, “I don’t know, and yeah, that’s him.” I want to know why he’s been stalking me, even though I probably shouldn’t. “I’ll hopefully be back soon, but if not, I’ll see you on Monday.” Laughter from the neighboring table echoes behind me as I leave the bar.
Clae leans casually against the alley wall just a few steps away from the bar entrance. He’s dressed in dark chinos and a shirt that perfectly showcases his muscular arms, just the way I like it. As I get closer to him, a chilling sense of unease envelops me.
As we meet, he greets me with a simple “Hey.”
I can’t help but notice that his hair is significantly shorter compared to the last time I saw him. It bothers me when he has such a close shave because it makes him seem edgier.
I keep my voice low as I reply with a quiet “Hey.”
“I’ve been wondering why you haven’t been responding to my calls,” he asks, his annoyance evident in his tone.
With a grimace, I admit, “I wasn’t sure why you were calling. You didn’t leave any messages so I couldn’t have known if it was important.” Avoiding shrugging, aware that it will only piss him off more, I continue. “Come on, Hannah,” he scoffs. “You know why I was calling you.”
I do, but I don’t want to let him in on that. I don’t want to acknowledge that I succumbed to weakness and slept with him last Saturday night.
He blurts out, “I broke up with Shaylah,” as if he’s been dying to tell me.
I reply coldly, “I figured.”
He rubs his face and confesses, “Yeah, you were right about her.”
I remain silent.
“Obviously, you already knew or guessed that, otherwise you wouldn’t have slept with me last Saturday night,” he says.
Again, I choose to remain silent.
Please, no questions about why I snuck out or getting back together.
Awkwardly, he takes a step towards me and says, “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while now. I mean, before what happened between us on Saturday. ”
Running his hand across his face once more, he confesses, “I made a foolish mistake breaking up with you and pursuing Shaylah. I’ve regretted it ever since. I’ve come to realize that and now there’s nothing holding us back from returning to the way things were.”
He’s finally saying the exact words I longed for months ago, but I feel nothing for him. Not anymore—at least not in the same way.
“I don’t want things to go back to how they used to be,” I say in a hushed voice.
“They won’t be,” he affirms. “I’ll be better this time,” he reassures, reaching for my hand. “I promise to treat you well.”
I promise.
My hand stays weak in his grasp and he can likely sense my clammy sweat. Gently pulling my hand out from his grasp, I say “Your promises don’t hold any value, Clae. I don’t want to get back together, I just want to move on.”
“Come on,” he pleads, trying to grab my hand, but I dodge him. “You don’t really believe that, Hannah, or else you wouldn’t have slept with me again.”
Sighing, I admit, “I slept with you again because I had a moment of weakness and I missed you. I don’t want to be in a relationship with you, Clae. It’s best if we both move on.”
He pleads, “You don’t really mean that.”
“I genuinely mean it, Clae. You broke me. You didn’t just break my heart, you broke me . After what you did, it took me months to rebuild myself. Sleeping with you was a result of my jealousy and loneliness due to my best friend’s engagement. I regret that it happened; it shouldn’t have.”
In the silence that follows, my heart races with anticipation for his next words .
His words sting like a slap when he yells, “You’re such a fucking slut.”
“Hey, mate,” says a voice walking up to me. “That’s not how you talk to a lady.”
I quickly look up and spot the I.T. guy.
Jeremy fucking Park is coming to my rescue, like a knight in shining armour. Ugh.
This is just what I need.
Clae insists, “This is between Hannah and me, and it’s none of your business.”
Jeremy casually puts his arm around my shoulders and says, “Hannah is a friend of mine, and it seems like she wants nothing to do with you, so you should leave her alone.”
I have a feeling my cheeks are a bright shade of red by now.
“So, a friend of yours?” Clae asks, misinterpreting the arm around my shoulders as he looks at Jeremy and me.
“Clae, please give me some space so that I can move on,” I say softly, feeling defeated.
He storms off, repeating, “Hannah, you’re such a fucking slut,” before Jeremy or I can say anything else.
Awkwardly, I say, “You didn’t need to do that,” once I am sure Clae can’t hear.
“I did, of course I did,” Jeremy says, dropping his arm as he turns to face me. “There is no way I am going to let him disrespect you like that.”
My face turns warm as I thank him for coming to my aid. “Could you do me a favour and keep this between us?”
Jeremy’s hand mimics zipping his mouth shut, suggesting he won’t reveal tonight’s events.
“Do you plan on returning inside?” he asks, motioning towards Izots with his thumb. “Or should I order you an Uber and keep you company? ”
“I think I will just grab an Uber and head home,” I tell him. “You don’t have to wait for me.”
While rubbing the back of his neck, he voices his worry about leaving me alone, in case Clae returns for another confrontation.
Wow, he really is a prince charming.
“Okay,” I say as I unlock my phone and start booking an Uber to go home. Luckily, the app shows one only minutes away. “Three minutes and then you’re free to join your friends inside.”
He gazes at me intensely and admits, “I prefer being out here with you,” as he positions himself against the same wall Clae had been leaning on seconds ago.
“You know,” I state, “I believe this is the most conversation we have ever had. Usually, it’s just work-related, specifically about computers.”
“There’s more to me than just being in I.T., Hannah.” He grins.
“Ohh, yeah,” I exclaim, positioning myself next to him against the wall. “Like what?”
“You know, on Saturday mornings I teach young learners how to surf,” he says in a laid-back manner.
“What? I can’t believe that,” I demand. “Are you honestly a surfing instructor for kids?”
“Sure am,” he says proudly.
“You’re kidding,” I tease. “That’s the complete opposite of my perception of you as a computer nerd.”
I hold back from telling him that this information completely changes my view of him.
“Come to Bondi Beach tomorrow morning and see for yourself,” he says, winking. He nods towards the silver sedan that just arrived and says, “Looks like that might be your Uber.”
I start walking towards the Uber but then turn around and ask, “ What time tomorrow morning?”
“Nine in the morning. Bring a towel and wear your swimsuit,” he shouts, waving as he heads back to the bar’s entrance while I open the car door.