by A. L Long
“It was. I didn’t think it was appropriate for him to say that knowing it wasn’t true although I wouldn’t have minded if it was.” I don’t know what made me say that last piece. Maybe it was a way to put the thought of getting married in her mind.
Placing my glass on the coffee table, I stood to my feet and asked, “I didn’t eat much at the dinner and need something to eat. How about I bring us a small snack?”
“I’m so glad you’re hungry. I am too. I was so nervous that I barely ate anything myself,” she replied with a smile.
“Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
Leaving her to get something to eat, I wondered what it would be like if Hanna did accept my proposal of marriage. We had come so far since the first day we had met and there was so much about her that I loved. She was unlike any woman that I had ever met. She was compassionate and truly cared about others, which was something none of the other woman I’ve had ever possessed. She could also be very stubborn, but I wouldn’t want her any other way. I loved the way she got all worked up over things that she believed in just to prove her point.
Smiling to myself, I couldn’t help thinking about how much I enjoyed her company and how happy she made me feel. Is she the one that I could spend the rest of my life with? Is she the one woman I could ever love? My heart began to feel strange. It was a feeling that I had never felt before. Maybe Hanna was the real deal. The one woman that I could truly love. The only woman who would have my heart.
Shaking my thoughts away, I placed some red grapes, cheese, and a few crackers on a tray, along with some creamy spread that Albert must have whipped up. Grabbing a grape from the tray, I dipped it into the spread and popped it in my mouth. Just like everything else he made, the taste was out of this world. Balancing the tray with one hand, I opened the cupboard and pulled down two small plates. The only thing left to grab was the silverware, which was in the drawer next to the refrigerator. All I could think about was if this was going to be enough. I guessed I could always come back for more if it wasn’t.
Just before I headed out of the kitchen, I remembered seeing a cheesecake in the fridge that would be great to share. Turning around, I went back to the fridge and grabbed the cake before heading back to the living room. My hands were full and I didn’t know how I managed to carry everything without dropping it.
Reaching the living room with no mishaps, I found that Hanna was no longer sitting on the couch. She must have gone to the restroom, so I placed everything that I had collected on the coffee table. Noticing that her wine glass was empty, I knew that she would need a refill to go with the food that I had brought from the kitchen.
As I waited for her to return, I started thinking that something was wrong. She shouldn’t have been gone that long. Deciding to go searching for her, I left the living room and headed to the main floor bathroom first. When I had no luck there, I decided to check her room.
After checking the entire house and finding her nowhere, I knew that she had left. Feeling my suit jacket for my phone, I realized that I must have left it in the car. Rushing out the door, I walked over to my car to find that it was still in the cradle that was mounted to the dash. Turning on the screen, I found that I had missed one call. I thought for sure it was Hanna, but come to find out, it had been my father who called. Knowing that getting in touch with Hanna was more important, I found her number and waited for her to answer.
At first there was silence and then she spoke, “Don’t ever call me again.” Her breath hitched and I knew that she had been crying.
“Hanna, what’s going on?” I pleaded with her to tell me.
“Our deal is off.”
Chapter Sixteen
HANNA
Sitting in the living room enjoying the wine, I kept thinking back over the night and the explanation that Aiden had given for leaving the dining room with his father. I also wondered if he really meant what he said about not minding being engaged. It was a silly thought. After all, we had known each other for less than a month and things like that just don’t happen that fast.
Sitting in the quiet, enjoying my wine, the phone began to ring. Looking over to the table next to the armchair where it was placed. I stared at it, wondering if anyone was going to answer it. After the fourth ring, I decide that no one was around to answer it. Taking the initiative, I walked over to the table and said, “Drake residence.”
“Hanna, how lovely to hear your voice. This is Martin Drake.”
“Oh, hi. I’ll get Aiden for you. He is in the kitchen,” I replied.
“That won’t be necessary. I would love to chat with you for a bit. We didn’t get much of a chance at dinner and there are so many things that I’d love to know about you.”
“Okay… sure,” I said hesitantly wondering what he could want to know about me.
“I understand that you work at the diner. What are your plans after the two of you get married?”
“Yeah, about that. I think you may have been mistaken. Aiden and I are just friends. There are no plans for us to get married,” I confessed.
“Oh… now that’s a shame. I was really looking forward to having my son as the new CEO of Elite Exchange, but if he isn’t going to be getting married, I guess the deal he accepted will be off the table,” he began. “I suppose there is still time to find another woman to marry him. After all, he still has 60 more days to get it done.”
I couldn’t believe what I heard. Trying to hold back the hurt and the anger, I tried to understand what he just said. “Are you saying that in order for Aiden to get the CEO position at Elite Exchange he has to be married?”
“Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying. Surely, he must have told you. He only has two months left until his thirtieth birthday, otherwise the deal is off. If he is able to obtain a wife, then he will have fulfilled the first part of the contract.”
“The first part?” I questioned.
“Yes. In order to retain his position as CEO, he must give me a grandchild by the time he is thirty-five. Just think, I will be a grandfather.”
I was completely speechless. All I could hear was Mr. Drake’s voice on the other end. “Hanna, are you still there?” over and over again.
I couldn’t say a word. My heart just broke in two knowing that just like high school, I had been used. Two guys… different circumstances... same outcome. I could feel my chest begin to tighten and all I wanted was to get far away from here. I felt like such a fool. Everything that Aiden said to me was a lie. He was baiting me for his own personal gain. What hurt the most was that I was falling in love with him. How stupid could I have been? Never again.
~*~*~*~
When I walked through the front door of Aiden’s house, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get home. I couldn’t just take his car again, and I certainly couldn’t wait for a taxi to come and get me. I needed to get away from this place fast. Removing my heels, I began running down the driveway as fast as I could. It was seven miles back into Houston and if I walked, I could get there in about two hours.
Turning right onto the main road, I realized this was the last place I thought I would find myself. Walking in the dark, alone on a back road, with the possibility of being run over. I knew that sooner or later Aiden would find that I had left the house and come after me. Looking behind me, it was as though he could hear my thoughts as my phone began to ring. I knew that the only person it could be was him. Pulling it from my small purse, I looked down at the screen to find that my guess was correct. Hitting ignore, I increased my pace and kept walking. I had already said what needed to be said.
Paranoid, I couldn’t help but look behind me. I knew it would be a matter of minutes before Aiden would be behind me. My heart jumped when I saw a light coming towards me. I was just about to run for cover when I noticed that it wasn’t a car, but a motorcycle coming. Waving my hands in the air, I tried to get the driver's attention.
When he pulled over, I was surprised to find that it was a woman underneath the hel
met that she removed. Stopping just shy of her, I said, “I could really use a ride.”
“Well, hop on then,” she said, handing me the helmet that was secured to the seat behind her before continuing. “Where you headed?”
Giving her my address, I place the helmet on my head and hiked up my dress so that I could straddle the bike. Looking behind me as she took off, I prayed that Aiden wouldn’t catch up to us. There was no way that I could face him after what I had just learned. If I never saw him again, that would be too soon.
Even though it was only a fifteen minute ride to my house, it felt longer. I couldn’t wait to get off the bike of my new friend, who listen to my pathetic story. I wasn’t sure how much of it she actually heard, but it felt good to let it out.
When I entered my home, the only thing that I could think of was removing the dress that reminded me so much of Aiden. It didn’t matter how good it looked on me. Stripping it from my body, the way I felt hit me like a rock. I guess it’s true that you go through different stages of grief. First, there was the shock of knowing what Aiden’s goal was in getting to know me better. Then the anger that I could allow myself to be played that way. Let’s not forget about the guilt: the shame of being used. And now the hurt; the sadness of never feeling him near me or seeing his beautiful smile.
Taking my sad ass to the bathroom, I thought that maybe if I could wash away the pain, it would be easier for me to forget about him and move on. The first step to getting back to who I was, was to remove all traces of the night. Starting with my face, which looked like a portrait gone bad, I grabbed my face wash and worked it into a lather. Rubbing every inch of my face, the make-up that I had applied was being removed by the suds. At least it was a start in getting rid of any memory of the night. If only I could wash away the pain that was still burning in my heart.
~*~*~*~
Sitting in my pajamas, I never realized how quiet my house really was. There was one thing about the quiet that I really hated; it managed to home in on your thoughts and make you think of things that you wanted to forget. Sinking lower on my couch, I grabbed a pillow and held it across my chest as though it could help heal my broken heart. Leaning my head against the back of the couch, I looked to the ceiling and asked, “Why does this keep happening to me?” hoping that God would answer me.
BANG! “What the hell was that?” I said to myself. It sounded like the sky had just exploded. Looking out the window, my eyes were focused on something that they shouldn’t have been. Across the street, one of the men that lived at the house was pointing a gun at another man who I had never seen before. Even though it was dark, the light of the headlights made it very easy to see what was going on. With another shot, this time to the head, the man fell backward. I was paralyzed, I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed. Money and drugs fell out of the man’s hand as soon as he hit the ground. It was like a scene from a cop show, only I was seeing it for real.
Focusing on the man still holding the gun, I watched him scramble to pick up the money and drugs while two other guys picked up the dead guy and started carrying him the car with the lights on. Before I could move away from the window, their eyes were on me. I reached over and turned off the lamp, but knew that it was too late, I’d been seen.
Scrambling to my feet, there was no doubt that they would be coming for me. I had no idea where I was going to go. I had nowhere to hide and worst yet, I had no car to escape in. Picking up my phone from the side table, I only had one choice.
“Aiden, you were right about the guys across the street. They just shot a guy and now they are after me. If I don’t make it, I just want you to know. I would have married you.” I hoped the message was enough to get these guys, but more than that, I hoped Aiden knew that I had already fallen in love with him.
Chapter Seventeen
AIDEN
I could have killed my father. What the hell was he thinking? The only option I had was to go after Hanna and explain everything to her and pray that she would listen. There was no way that this was over. As much as I hated her leaving, I knew where she was going.
Even if she refused to listen to me, there was no way I was going to allow her to stay there.
All I could think about was getting to her as quickly as possible. Hopping in my car, I took off down the drive, pressing my foot all the way down on the gas. Trying her one more time, I needed to convince her to tell me where she was. As I waited for her to answer, the only voice I heard was her voicemail. Frustrated, I threw my phone on the passenger seat and watched it bounce onto the floor. In my haste to reach for it, I nearly ran off the road. Correcting the car, I thought it was best to keep my eyes on the road and watch out for Hanna.
As I drove down the only road to the highway from my place, I kept watch for her walking along the side of the road. It was dark, and taking off the way she did was by far the stupidest thing she could have done. Had she even thought about what could happen to her in the dark, walking on a less traveled road? Keeping my mind focused, I concentrated on the road.
Looking down at my odometer, I had traveled four miles. There was no way she could have walked that distance in the short amount of time that I had spent at the house looking for her. I was beginning to get worried and had to at least try her again. Pulling to the side of the road, I brought my phone to life and could see that I had missed a call. Entering my four-digit password, I saw the call I had missed was from Hanna and she had left a voice mail. Remaining on the side of the road, I listened to what she had to say. My chest began to tighten and all I could do was listen.
She was in trouble. Kicking up dirt, my wheels spun as I got back onto the road. The worst scenario kept going through my mind. I told her that the people living across the street were trouble. “Why didn’t she listen?” I shouted, pounding my hand against the steering wheel.
Every thought was going through my mind. Mostly blaming myself for not telling her the truth. Maybe if I told her the situation with my father, she would have agreed to marry me knowing that my feeling for her were true. God, I should have told her how I really felt.
~*~*~*~
When I arrived at her house, the block was swarming with cops. I wasn’t sure what I would find, but this wasn’t what I expected. Knowing that I wouldn’t make it to her house in my car. I pulled it to the curb and decided it would be better if I walked there. The closer I got, I could see that more than the Houston police department was investigating the house across the street. There were men wearing vests that read FBI and DEA across the front. Seeing them made what I thought was bad even worse.
Reaching Hanna’s house, I slipped around the back, knowing that the law enforcement team was more interested in the house across the street. Opening the back door, the house was silent as I turned on the light. Hanna’s house was like a matchbox, and from the back door, I could look into every room and see that she wasn’t in the house. Scanning the house, there was no indication that she had even been here.
Just as I was ready to leave, something shiny caught my eye. Her phone was on the floor near the back door. Even though I knew that she had been here, finding her phone had confirmed it. It also confirmed that she had been taken and I didn’t have a fucking idea where.
Picking up her phone, I brought it to life, hoping that I would be able to access her data. It wasn’t too hard to figure out her password since it was visible on the screen. All I had to do was figure out which direction she swiped the code. Knowing that there were only two options, I did the opposite of what made sense and went right to left instead of left to right.
When her phone displayed her icons, I had to smile to myself, not only because I knew her so well, but also because she had a picture of the home she once lived in as her wallpaper. Looking at the old house, I realized that nothing else mattered but her. I didn’t even care about the deal or the farm. All I cared about was her.
Staring down at her phone there were only three things I cared about; her contacts, messages, a
nd pictures. Checking her contacts first, there were only two numbers. Mine and Dotty’s Diner. It was sad that the only two people that meant something to her were the diner and me. Closing out her contacts, I went to her messages. Even though I knew she was trying to send me a message, I had no idea what it meant. There in the comment were three letters followed by three numbers, ‘GHI496’. I had no idea what they meant, but they must have been important for her to put them in a text; a text she didn’t have the chance to send.
Putting her phone in my suit pocket, I left her house the same way I went in. The cops were still across the street, and needing any information I could get in order to find her, I walked between the cars to the FBI agent that was standing by his car for no other reason than to tell everyone where to go.
Stepping up to him, I tried to make conversation without seeming nosy. “Busy night.”
“Yeah, you could say that,” he answered, probably trying to figure out who I was.