Always Then and Now

Chapter 14

LIAM

It was a beautiful day.  It was still early, but the sun was shining, drying up the last of the dew on the ground.  Not a cloud in sight.  Hannah and I were walking side-by-side down the path in the outdoor market as I pulled Emily along in her wagon, who was happily playing with her dolls.  Hannah had been quiet in my car on the way here, worrying her fingers in her lap, but I’d just kept up the chatter, hoping that by not acknowledging the tension, it would start to ease.  It did, a little.  By the time we got here, she at least didn’t look like she was going to break if I touched her. 

We’d already visited a handful of stalls, mostly just browsing, though she did pick up a few small items: a bottle of hand soap, some sort of essential oil, and a couple of types of herbal tea.  She was polite and friendly with the first two vendors, but she clearly knew the third, as she’d greeted him with a hug and a huge smile, and he’d given her a free sample of a new arrival.  I felt an immediate distaste for him—I’ve always hated manbuns, and this place was full of them.  But it was interesting to see her interact with other people; she didn’t seem super uncomfortable with most of the vendors she spoke to—only the one or two who pushed her too hard to buy something.  Those, she awkwardly disengaged from as quickly as possible.  I didn’t blame her.  I felt the urge to tell them off on her behalf, but I kept my mouth shut.  She didn’t need a white knight.

“So, do you come here often?” I asked as she placed the tea in the wagon, and we continued walking.  I winced inwardly a little.  “I swear I didn’t mean to make that sound like a pick-up line.”

She gave a soft chuckle, and I decided I liked the sound of it.  “It’s okay.  I won’t hold it against you.  And yeah; my friend Mia has a table here, selling homemade jewelry.  Jai and I come almost every week to help sell, or just to hang out.  I find it relaxing here.  Even though there are tons of people around, or maybe because of it, I can be mostly invisible and just enjoy the surroundings and the sense of community.”

“You like being invisible?” I was surprised.  I didn’t know many people like that, if any at all.  Most people I knew wanted to make a name for themselves, make their mark on the world.

She nodded, looking a little self-conscious.  “I’m not big on being the centre of attention.  Too much scrutiny, and it’s usually never good.  There are enough people who want to be in the spotlight.  Let them have it, I say.  I’m better off behind the scenes.”

“Sounds a little lonely,” I said, glancing at her. 

She shrugged.  “Alone is not always lonely,” she said softly.  “Besides, I do have a few close friends, so I’m not really alone.”

“No boyfriend?”

“No, because that would require her to actually put herself out there,” came a male voice from behind us. 

She gasped, and we both turned, and Hannah smiled widely at a tall, lean Asian man with shortish black hair—Jai, I assumed.  I stopped walking as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.  He laughed as he hugged her back.  It was clear that these two loved each other unconditionally.

“Oh, I’ve missed you!” she said into his neck.  I could practically see the tension rolling away from her in waves. 

“It hasn’t even been a week, Babes.  Get a hold of yourself,” he said sternly, but his voice was tinged with humour.  He was hugging her back just as tightly as she was hugging him.  He’d obviously missed her too and watching them together made me feel a little guilty for tearing them apart.

She pulled away from him a few moments later and turned back to me, flushed but smiling happily.  I wasn’t sure I’d seen that look on her face in the week she’d been with me.  I suddenly felt the need to change that in the future.