Of Course, It's You

Chapter 22

CARMEN

On Monday morning, Carmen couldn't keep her mind off her run-in with Hannah over the weekend. Pun intended. She wasn't sure who was in control of her life, but if they would stop having her randomly show up at the same places that Hannah was, it would be greatly appreciated. Even as she sat at her desk staring at the computer screen in front of her, she could see images of her, distracting her, and she couldn't get the visions out of her head.

She sat at the picnic table typing up an email to her colleagues, to get the festival event started in its preliminary stages. It was such a brilliant idea that she felt that she couldn't let someone else work on it. Of course, more logistics needed to be figured out upon approval, but that could be handled later.

Carmen clicked send after the final edits of her email, when she looked out to the distance. The weather was so perfect that she couldn't seem to stay inside the hotel room for the entire day. As she took in her surroundings, her eyes fell on a woman running, no barreling out into the park.

She found herself taking her eyes over the woman's body without meaning to. Her long muscular legs working to the max and the cut off shirt allowed her to see the deep blue sports bra the woman wore underneath. Carmen tried to look away, but as the cut off shirt was lifted to the woman's face to wipe away the perspiration, by that point, Carmen was staring. Plain and simple.

No woman should be allowed to look that good. It should be a sin. Although, it should really be a sin for the gawking Carmen was doing. But she couldn't help but watch as beads of sweat dripped down the woman's abs. When the woman dropped the shirt back to its original place, she saw her face.

Hannah.

Carmen's face blanched. What kind of sick trick was life playing while she was in this damn town?

Carmen cleared her throat, but it didn't clear her mind.

Carmen took a sip of her coffee and set it back down on the desk when there was a rap at the door. Thank God, maybe it'll be something to get her mind off Hannah's sweaty abs.

The rest of the morning went that way until she saw that she had a meeting with Hannah around noon. Even just reading her name on the calendar made her think of that stupid cut off t-shirt again. She groaned.

Then Hannah popped her head in, her long hair sliding off her shoulder, "hey!" Her face was bright, and honestly a welcome sight for the busy morning she had had. That brightness reminded her of the night at the bar.

It was easy to see that Hannah had spent the last few years closed off. On stage, she seemed to come alive. A part of her crept slowly out of a hard shell. Her charisma and ease at being in front of a crowd, singing perfect harmonies without struggle, proved that she was a bright and open person. She wore a beaming smile, one that might not have been carried in a long time.

Carmen's heart seized at the thought of a woman with that kind of radiance had been living a life dulled. She wondered what had caused the pain and turmoil she witnessed on that bathroom floor. Hannah had looked so frayed and troubled, and there was nothing Carmen could do to make any of it better. How deep did that pain run? Maybe in that bathroom, as Carmen had followed her in, a lid had come loose, dislodged, leaving everything she had bottled so deep to come out.

Carmen wanted to keep seeing that carefree side of the woman walking into her office. See if there was a way to make sure she was alright.

As Hannah entered her office for their meeting, she did her best to quiet her thoughts, and surprisingly, they were able to get a lot more accomplished than she thought they would. That is, until Carmen's stomach growled. It was so loud; she quickly slapped her hand to cover the sound of migrating whales.