Of Course, It's You

Chapter 32

Hannah

"So, Hannah, are you still nervous?" Carmen asked as she unwrapped the burger Hannah had taken out of the bag for her.

She sat down in the bar stool next to Carmen. She had nerves still, sure. But, at that current moment, she couldn't tell if her nerves were from sitting next to someone that seemed entirely too out of her league, from where she placed her hands on the very counter Carmen had laid out on not too long ago, or from the idea that she was now going to be showing up to this awards event with the very woman she believed was too good for her.

She thought about her answer as she too unwrapped a burger. "A bit."

"Only a bit?" Carmen asked before she took a bite.

"You want my honest answer?" Hannah asked.

"Please enlighten me. Don't hold anything back." Carmen told her. Still chewing on the food. That helped Hannah in more ways than she cared to admit. It made this feel real. As if despite the way they were dressed, eating burgers and chatting like they've known each other far longer than they truly had, it made it feel more normal, genuine even.

"Hmm, alright then." She set her food back down on the wrapper in front of her. She wanted to turn to her, but couldn't dare look into Carmen's eyes. If she did, she wasn't sure she would be able to continue speaking. "So, I'm eating a burger, dressed up and feeling like we're movie stars off to a premier." She turned to her for a split second to say, "nervous is an understatement. Because you're terrifyingly gorgeous and most definitely out of my league." Then turned away from her as Carmen gave her a smile that was far too adorable and care felt. As if, someone had never told her how strikingly attractive she was in her entire life. She tapped a finger to the counter, "right here. Sitting here gives me different nerves." Carmen coughed a laugh and covered her mouth with a hand. Without looking at the woman next to her she picked up her burger and right before she took a bite, she admitted, "and the fact that I'll be going to this thing with someone like you, makes me feel like this isn't real."

Hannah felt a pinch on her upper arm. She jerked and whipped her head to Carmen.

"See. Real." She told her simply.

Hannah furrowed her brow.

"I'm feeling very similarly, I have to admit."

Hannah turned fully to her then.

"I'm normally not this nervous myself." Carmen confessed.

"Don't you go to things like this all the time? Around a ton of famous people, dressed to the nines, walking down carpeted events with a million photographers?"

Carmen jutted out her lower lip and gave a slight head nod to agree. "Yeah, sure. But, I'm usually just 'Robert Mills' daughter' at these things. And the women that go to these things with me are models -"

Hannah cut her off with a small scoff. That hadn't made her nerves any better. "Like I said, out of my league. I probably should just walk around the back-"

Carmen placed a gentle hand on Hannah's knee trying to get her to look up at her. "Don't take that the wrong way. Please."

Hannah looked at her then. She knew her eyes were practically begging her to make her feel better. Make her forget why she was nervous but knowing that Carmen usually had a model as her date, and now it was going to be just Hannah - she was beginning to spiral. Her appetite was fully gone.