The young man walked over and said through a mouthful of cereal. “You got that right. Eleven, Dad, really? I can’t believe I have to be home so early. Any chance we can get that curfew extended?”
“Listen, Danny, you’re only thirteen not eighteen so let’s just leave it alone before you don’t go anywhere at all.” Adam felt guilty being so harsh with his son, but he was a little irritated at the moment and they’d beat that conversation to death the night before.
Danny plopped himself down on the desk and peeked at the screen. Adam made no attempt to hide what he was looking at.
“So her name is Hannah Jones?” Danny wiggled his brows at his dad.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Danny leaned in again to get a better view at the image of Hannah on the screen. “Well, I’ve seen her picture in your wallet for as long as I can remember, and always wondered about her.”
“Oh,” was all Adam could think to say.
“Is she my mother?” Danny asked softly, lowering his eyes to meet his dad’s.
The solemn look on Danny’s face hurt Adam to his core. He had talked to his son about his mom so many times and explained why he didn’t have any pictures of her. While the truth wasn’t pretty, he always prided himself on being completely honest with his child. There were never any secrets between the two. At least none that he kept. “No, she’s not. I’m sorry, bud.”
“Then who is she?” This time he sounded only curious and the color flooded back to his cheeks.
“She’s a girl I knew in college.” He looked back at her picture with one corner of his mouth rising in a half smile.
Danny patted his dad on the shoulder. “By the goofy look on your face, I’d guess she was more than just someone you knew. Old girlfriend? The one who got away?” He hung his air quotes over the last two questions.
“How did you get to be so smart?” Adam asked. “Wait, I know, you probably got your wit from the same place you got your amazing good looks.” He sat back in his chair and pretended to brush dust of his shoulder.
The two chuckled before Danny questioned him some more. “So what happened? Why did she get away?”
Adam ran his fingers through his hair and tugged at the ends in frustration. “I blew it, kid. I just blew it.”
“Is she married? Does she have any kids? Where does she live? What does she do? ” The questions just started flying out of his mouth.
Adam was taken aback by his son’s inquisitiveness. Just minutes ago he was going crazy waiting for a friend notification on his computer. Now, he was being interrogated by his teenage son. “Let’s see. She lives around here. She’s a high school counselor. And I have no idea if she’s married or if she has kids.”
“So how are you gonna find out?”
“Well.” Adam paused. Sure, he’d always been honest but did he really have to spill his guts about his love life, or lack thereof? “I haven’t spoken to her in fifteen years and I just sent her a friend request a couple of hours ago. Now, I’m just waiting to see if she even acknowledges me.”
Danny nodded his head in approval. “Friend request. Good thinking, old man. So what happens when she friends you back?”
“I don’t know.” He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his desk and stared at Hannah’s photo again.
“Well, you’re gonna get her back, right? Assuming she’s available.”
Adam raised a brow at his son. “I’d sure as hell like to try, but I can’t do that until she at least accepts my plea for friendship.”
It was as if it was on cue. The speakers of Adam’s computer chimed and they both looked. Their eyes shot from the screen to each other. Adam looked terrified while Danny was as giddy as a kid in a candy store.
“Well, it looks like you’re going to get your chance, Dad. Now start typing.”
Chapter 2
Hannah did it. After wearing a path in her hardwood floors, she finally just clicked on her phone and tapped the button to accept Adam’s friend request. She did the whole thing so quickly it was like tearing off a Band-Aid. She stared at the screen which screamed back at her. You are now friends with Adam Cooper.
She grabbed for her house phone, not wanting to take her eyes off her cell. “Leila, oh my goodness, you’re never gonna guess what I just did.”
Her friend sounded groggy, and all she said was. “Hannah, what time is it?”
This was an extremely important moment in Hannah’s life, and she needed her best friend to be conscious for it. “Lei, wake your ass up. Splash some water on your face and call me back.”
“Nah, I’m good, Hannah. What’s going on?” her friend asked with a groan.
“Good, you’re awake. Like I said before, you’re never gonna guess what I just did.”
“What did you do?”
“This morning I got a new friend request on FaceSpace, and I accepted it,” Hannah explained, leaving out the most important detail.
“From who?”
“Um, Adam.” Hannah wondered how her best friend would react. When things went wrong between her and Adam, Leila was ready to feed him to the wolves.
“Adam, who?” she barked.
“Adam Cooper.”
“Adam Cooper? Hannahlynn Marie, are you crazy?”
She just had to call her out by her first and middle name. This wasn’t going to be good, Hannah thought.
“No I’m not crazy. I’m curious.” Although, she did think she was more than crazy, she was certifiably insane for what she had just started.
“Well, curiosity killed the cat.” Leila slammed the phone down and Hannah flinched at the loud noise that erupted in her ear. She’d give her friend time to cool off before trying to talk to her again. She didn’t have to get that angry. So she and Adam were cyber friends. What was the big deal? It’s not like they had even talked yet.
Hannah was just about to cozy up with a hot romance novel and a strawberry banana smoothie when her phone alerted her of a new message. She expected to see a text message from Leila yelling at her in all capital letters. What she didn’t expect to see was a new FaceSpace message…from Adam.
Don’t know what to say after 15 years. So I’ll start here: Hi, Hannah.
She almost spit the smoothie right out of her mouth as she read the message. She read it over and over again, dissecting every one of the fourteen words written. At least he had acknowledged it had been a long time. And that it was awkward to say the least. He hadn’t a clue where to start either. And just like that, with that tiny message, he started to warm her heart all over again. He was just as uncertain as she was and he wasn’t afraid to show it. That was one of the things she admired most about him, his honesty. No matter how brutal it was sometimes.
Hannah powered down her electronic reader, picked up her phone and smoothie and shuffled back to her home office in her slippers. If she was going to write anything back to him, she needed to get comfortable and she needed a keyboard. She knew whatever she decided to write back was probably going to come after several drafts.
When she finally logged into FaceSpace and retrieved her messages, she noticed she was shivering. It wasn’t even cold out, yet she was shaking like she was on the sinking Titanic. She sat back in the leather chair and rocked back and forth, while she chewed on her straw. By the day’s end, the straw would be in shreds if she didn’t get a hold of herself. She had already destroyed two paper towels. When she realized the mess she’d made, she brushed off the evidence of nervousness into a wastebasket.
She tried calming her thoughts long enough to come up with something to write back, but her head seemed to be crowded with thoughts and all she heard was noise. She turned on her favorite playlist which she called Mellow. It was a combination of slow songs by Lady Antebellum, Jay Sean, Puddle of Mud, and Bruno Mars. Listening to these songs and belting out the ballads one by one usually soothed her soul. She took deep breaths and even considered doing some yoga and Pilates stretches before writing back, but she just co
uldn’t wait.
Or maybe she should wait. Maybe she should play hard to get and ignore the message for a few days. No. She couldn’t do that. They weren’t the type to play games. Instead, she started typing away.
In her first draft, she wrote: Hi Adam. Wow, it took you fifteen years to come up with HI. She thought better of it and deleted that message. Then she wrote: Whatever, which didn’t look very good either so she backspaced over that one too. After several more takes, she finally decided on: Well, it’s as good a place to start as any. Hi yourself, Adam. Nice to hear from you. And then she added a smiley face at the end, because that was just her nature.
She didn’t have to wait long. His response was almost immediate.
Truth?
Always.
I wish I hadn’t waited this long.
She thought for a moment before responding: Truth?
Always.
Me too.
There was a pause before the computer chimed with another reply from Adam: ;-)
Hannah smiled at the computer winky emoticon as a lone tear slid down her cheek. She’d been waiting for this moment for so long. She’d never imagined they’d meet again for the first time on a computer, but she’d take it. Had she known it would be this easy, she would have tried harder to find him long ago.
As she traced back over their small exchange, another message came through.
So you’re a counselor. That must be pretty rewarding.
I see you’ve done your research. But yeah, it is. Saving one misguided youth at a time.
You know me, always thorough.
She chuckled when she read that. She remembered just how thorough he could be. He’d always taken his time with her, making sure to touch and kiss every inch of her body from the top of her head all the way down to the tips of her pinky toes. And she took pleasure in every second of it.
You still there?
Yes.
Thinking?
Yes.
About?
Your thoroughness. She couldn’t believe she was teasing him, but it was Adam. She couldn’t lie.
Haven’t forgotten that huh? lol
Never.
Glad to know we can still be honest with each other.
That won’t ever change. No matter how much time has passed.
Hannah knew that was true. She could always tell him how she felt without having to worry about sounding needy or feeling like she was suffocating him. She’d always been completely upfront with him, and he was too.
You can still make me smile. He chimed in first, again.
Well, I may need ice for my cheeks. I haven’t stopped smiling since I got your first message.
Good to know. You weren’t nervous?
Hell yes, I was nervous. Still am. You?
I was a wreck up until a few minutes ago.
I calmed down after our initial hellos. I’m good now.
Same here.
She had no idea what to say next. As much as she wanted to tell him to come over so she could see his beautiful eyes in person, or so she could wrap her arms and legs around him and hug him like a koala bear, she didn’t. There was honesty and there was up front and open, but she wasn’t willing to put herself out there entirely. Not just yet anyway. So she added, What are you doing these days?
Working, hiking, reading. Surfing when I can.
And by work, you mean?
Hannah knew quite well what he did. While he was MIA from FaceSpace, he wasn’t completely off the map. His name popped up several times in quick internet search. She just didn’t know the specifics.
Yes, Hannah. I finished medical school. I have my own practice.
Congrats.
She typed that with a lump in her throat. She was completely happy for him. And proud. But his goal of becoming a doctor came at a cost, and she wasn’t thinking financially. It cost them their relationship.
What kind?
Pediatrics.
Could the man be any more endearing? Hannah thought for sure he would have gone into surgery of some sort. He had always talked about getting into cardiology. It surprised her that he’d decided to treat children, but she couldn’t deny that it touched her more than she wanted it to.
That’s great. Very happy for you.
Thanks.
Anytime :D
Speaking of that. Interested in getting together some time?
Of course she was interested. There was one problem though. She wasn’t ready. She enjoyed chatting with him online. She’d had more fun typing back and forth with him in the last twenty minutes than she’d had in years. She just wasn’t ready to take it any further. Hannah was fully aware what would happen if they saw each other again. It wouldn’t be long before they were back in each other’s arms and in each other’s lives, but for how long? She wasn’t sure if she could handle the heartbreak all over again.
This she could be honest with him about.
I’d really like to see you again. But not just yet.
The operative word is YET. So that means we will meet again.
Maybe.
Well, it’s not a no, so I’ll take it. Gotta run, Hannah. Talk to you soon.
TTYL.
“You were smooth, Dad,” Danny told him when he sat back and exhaled a long sigh of relief.
Adam felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. They spoke to each other like no time had passed them by at all. It was more than he could have hoped for and he knew it was just the beginning.
“Thanks, bud,” he said. “And thanks for sticking by me. What do you think about all this? Are you okay with me dating again?”
His son was easily pleased and he doubted Danny would have any reservations, but this would be new, to both of them, and he needed his son to be okay with it. It had been just the two of them for so long. He couldn’t be entirely certain how his kid would react.
“Again?” he questioned in a sarcastic tone. “Have you ever dated anyone? I’d say it’s about time. A man has needs you know.”
He looked at his boy and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Needs, Daniel? Dating a woman isn’t all about needs. You should know better. I didn’t raise you to treat a girl with such a lack of respect.”
“I know, Dad. I was just joking with you. I’m totally for you finding someone. You’ve spent the last thirteen years of your life making sure I’m happy. You deserve to be happy too.”
Adam looked at him, grateful for the fine young man he’d raised on his own—with the help of his parents and siblings. But they weren’t around all the time. They didn’t live with them. He had done it almost completely on his own. And he was damn proud. “I’m happy, bud. I’ve got a good looking son who’s very smart and obviously takes after his old man. What more could I want?” He chuckled as he mussed up Danny’s hair.
“Hannah.”
“Maybe.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” Danny said while he rubbed his hands together mischievously.
Adam smiled. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”
Later that evening, Adam received a phone call from his twin, Aaron.
“What the hell where you thinking, bro?” Aaron asked him.
Adam checked his phone again to see that the person on the other end of the line was in fact his brother and not the wrong number. It was. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re talking to Hannah again.” The anger in his brother’s tone irritated him.
“How did you know?” He immediately got on the defensive. He knew he was going to catch some grief for making contact with her but he was hoping that they would have reconnected and maybe even started dating before anyone had the chance to weigh in on the issue and ruin it. Apparently, his luck had run out before it even started.
“Lei called me. Can you believe that? She hasn’t talked to me in over thirteen years, never accepted any of my calls or returned any. But she calls me now to cuss me out because you’re trying to get in Hannah’s pants again.�
�� His brother was the dramatic one. He brought new meaning to the term hyperbole.
“We both know I’m not trying to get into Hannah’s pants. I haven’t even talked to her. We’ve only chatted online. That’s it. And it’s none of Leila’s business. You can tell her I said that.” It frustrated him to no end that she had already intervened by calling Aaron. If she was willing to do that, she was probably filling Hannah’s head with trash about him. Or maybe Hannah had told her to mind her own business and that’s why she had to resort to calling his brother. He decided he liked the second scenario better.
“Okay, forget about Lei. This is me talking.” Aaron paused. “You weren’t there after you stopped seeing each other. I was. She was devastated. I’m the asshole twin and it even broke my heart to see how much you hurt her. Just don’t do it again is all I’m going to say. I really hope it all works out this time.”
It pained Adam to hear his brother talk about how hurt Hannah had been. Aaron never once told him how she was doing after their split. And he had always ensured Adam that he didn’t share anything about him with Leila. Ignorance was bliss at the time. Now, he was the one feeling like an asshole.
“I hope you mean that, bro.”
“Of course I do.”
Adam took in a long slow breath before admitting, “Good, because I have every intention of trying to get her back. If she’ll have me.”
“Call me crazy, but I doubt that will be a problem.”
Just hearing his brother’s confident words made Adam feel so much better. The tone of his voice earlier and the thought of Leila’s call had him rattled. The more he thought about it though, he came to the realization that not even Leila and her terrible attitude and meddling could keep him away from Hannah.
Adam crawled into bed with his electronic reader and bowl of kettle corn. He needed something to take his mind off Hannah. It hadn’t even been twenty four hours and he already wanted to message her again. He remembered her sassiness when they chatted earlier. He could only imagine what she was thinking when she spoke of him being thorough. Just the thought of all the times he had tasted her from head to toe made him hard.
His mind traveled into the past to a time they went camping on the beach. The memories were so vivid that he could actually smell the salt of the ocean and feel the grit of the sand in his teeth. It was dark out and after roasting marshmallows and walking along the water, they had decided to return to their tent. It wasn’t too chilly out so they left the rain flap off the top of their tent so they could view the stars through the window netting. That was their plan anyway. Instead only she was able to look at the twinkling sky as he had devoured every millimeter of her bare skin. She ran her soft hands through his hair and she had squeezed his shoulders. She had let soft whimpers escape instead of unleashing the shouts she sometimes roared at his apartment, so as not to disturb other campers. Adam had taken the time to pleasure her in every way possible. He had taken her up and over the point of no return before he even parted her legs. But when he finally did, to kiss her core and explore her with only his fingers and his mouth, she let go again. That night, he didn’t even take care of his own needs. He was pleased enough to take care of Hannah. When she had curled up to him with her naked bottom in his lap, he wanted her, but he also just wanted to hold her tightly in his arms and never let the moment go. Now, fifteen years later, he was grateful that they had experienced times like those. He hoped Hannah’s memories were just as loving as his. He hoped more than anything that her memories weren’t tainted by their split.
More Than A Friend Request Page 2