Adventure Beyond Rosewood: A Haleb Book

Chapter 3

Present Day

"Caleb?"

"Yeah."

"D'you think we got away with it?"

"I don't know."

We lie in the long grass in the centre of a desolate park around 8 miles outside Rosewood. We stopped for a sit down and it turned into a makeout session and a lie down. The grass is wet from the light drizzle half an hour ago but I don't care. Why ruin the perfect moment?

I roll over so that my face is just centimetres from his and stroke his cheek.

It must be around midnight as the little town in front of us is as silent as a mouse. You could hear a pin drop or the leaves rustle. It's one of those towns where nothing much happens. It minds its own business and doesn't associate with any other town close to it. The closest town is probably Rosewood.

Little cafes are dotted here and there as well as Second Hand Book Shops and clothes shops. The darkness and peacefulness of the night surrounds us.

I hear Caleb sigh and take my hand away from his cheek and place it in his hand. "You OK?"

"I don't know what being OK feels like anymore," he replies. His voice is emotionless, like he has given up  on the situation we are in... and me...

"Should I do this alone Caleb?" I feel the need to ask.

He sits up so his back is straight and his legs are outstretched. "I'm coming with you!"

"What?"

"I'm not leaving you Hanna. I'm never gonna give up on you. Things have to get worse before they get better don't they!" He reassures me. The emotion has returned to his face and voice; his voice is full of reassurance and genunity. I rub my hand over his knuckles and smile at him.

It's silent for a few seconds until he says, "I love it when you smile."

I think I feel my heart melting inside of me; his voice is the heat source to my frozen heart.

He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear and leans in to kiss me. I let him tease me: he plants soft kisses all over my face excluding my lips. He wants to play dirty, I'll play his game.

I jerk back and trail my hand down his cheek and neck while he moans outloud.

"Hanna..."

"Yeah..."

"Please don't tease me... just kiss me..." He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in. I can't help at laugh to myself at how tense he gets when I tease him.

"You want dirty, I'll give you dirty..." I slam my lips against his with a considerable amount of force. I feel him smile as his lips part. I slip my tongue into his mouth and let it roam. He places his hands on the sides of my head pressing my forehead against his.

I snicker to myself and pull away just a few centimetres. My forehead still pressed against his, I place my index finger on his bottom lip and snigger.

"You like that...?" I ask, already knowing the answer. The grin on his moonlit face conveys his feelings of enjoyment and satisfaction.

"Yeah baby," he whispers, "I did..."

Though, his smile fades quicker than it appeared as he drops his hands to his knees and begins to fidgets with a loose piece of thread on his black jeans. I sigh to myself and lie back down on the damp grass. I feel the dampness soaking into my hair.

"I'm sorry Hanna."

"For what," I find a star in the velvet sky and keep my eyes transfixed on it, biting my bottom lip.

"I should've done more tonight..."

"It was my fault. The guilt was eating away at me in that moment. Funny thing is that I didn't even do anything. I didn't complete A's wishes so why do I still feel guilty?" The thought occurs to me. I didn't complete A's task but yet I still feel guilty for it. Maybe it's because Emily is my best friend and I wouldn't hurt her for the world. How can I? She goes out of her way to make sure she doesn't hurt me or Aria or Spencer or Alison so why would I hurt her?

Because A has something that they can use against me. They have complete control over me and my life like their the author to The Life of Hanna Marin. It makes me feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

When I got the text message this morning all I wanted to do was crawl into a hole and never resurface. I couldn't face anyone. Didn't matter if they were strangers from the Brew that I meet on the way in for an early morning coffee or the mother pushing her newborn baby in a pram down the footpath on the other side of the street. Anyone and everyone scared me. I never feel safe anywhere... except when I'm with Caleb.

Caleb makes me feel safe.

Caleb makes me feel special, needed, precious like a diamond.

Nobody compares to Caleb. If we were in high school he would be what you call 'The One,' which really just means 'the special person that walked into your life and said they're never leaving.'

Because that's what Caleb said to me, "No matter what happens, I'm glad we were thrown into each other's paths. I'm never leaving you Hanna. I walked into your life and I don't intend to leave. I can't imagine a life without Hanna Marin in it. It's just not possible."

They were the most beautiful words. It was in that moment that I realised the bond we have for each other is so strong that nobody can break it. I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life.

So A can throw whatever they want at us. They won't get anywhere.

Caleb opens his mouth to reply but doesn't get to say whatever he was about to say as the piercing sound of a gunshot slices through the air... leaving the trail of a deadly silence behind...

Intense enough? A has found themmm! Ok next chapter is a flashback to the morning Hanna got the text message so ya'll find out what it says! All is not what it seems in Rosewood (and this other wee town their in) that's for sure👌🏻 Thanks for reading! Plz vote and comment! Much appreciated!
-Hannah