Liquid Lucidity (A Novella)

Chapter Twenty

Although they were celebrating Christmas a full month early with no snow on the ground, Hannah felt blissfully normal for the first time in years. 

Her parents were smiling, appearing stress-free and seeming to finally enjoy being around each other for the first time on this vacation after her fathers rough start. Meggie was also smiling, wearing a lavender angora sweater with most of her piercings taken out and her tattoos covered, resembling the girl she went to high school with all those years ago. 

And there Hannah was, her boyfriend's arm around her on the couch, rubbing small circles against her shirt with his thumb, seeming finally relaxed after the terrible turn of events the week before. 

She hadn't told her parents about that night. They didn't know about the robbery, or about David taking one man's life while another was still hospitalized and the third was in jail. They weren't aware of him randomly leaving the house during their stay was because police needed to talk to him about what occurred. Now that David had gained a strong measure of acceptance by her parents, Hannah wasn't about to risk it being tainted. 

With all the presents unwrapped, David pushed himself off the couch and grabbed a garbage bag from the kitchen, collecting all the small and large pieces of wrapping paper spread throughout the living room. 

Hannah's mother left her dad's side and walked over to plop on the couch beside her. "That man of yours is damn good looking, kiddo. I could watch him bend over all day."

Through the living room was fairly large, David was well within hearing distance and let out a soft laugh. 

Though Hannah's skin flushed with embarrassment, she took it as a compliment if only for the simple fact that although there was a  rocky start with her dad, they'd warmed up to David in record time. 

Hearing 'that man of yours' still threw her. A few weeks ago, Hannah thought she'd made the biggest mistake of her life when she pulled up across the street from the bar. Everything about it made her want to pull a u-turn and high-tail it back to where she came from. 

Then David picked her up and she looked into his pale blue eyes and all the world grew still for a single moment in the vastness of time. In his arms she felt safety. In his eyes she found kindness. In his heartbeat she found calm. In his face she found beauty amongst the scars. 

It was those scars that told her David's past had a darkness. If she'd met him only a few years ago, maybe that darkness would have been difficult to accept. Maybe it would have been something to fear. But now, Hannah found a comfort in it. David wasn't some epitome of perfection. She didn't feel as if she weighing him down with her baggage and endless complications. There were no feelings of holding him back now. 

All that wrapped together was truly remarkable. 

When her mother spoke again, it was in a much quieter voice. "I don't know what that boy's past is, Hannah, and I'm not sure I want to know. All I need to know is that he's looking at the future right now and that future includes you. I knew a few guys like him in my time, and that's a pretty big thing, letting someone be a part of your life like that."

She had no idea. Or maybe she did. Either way, Meggie had told Hannah what kind of guy he was before she moved here, and David more or less confirmed it. So it really was a big thing for him to see her in his future when he hadn't looked passed the next morning before she came along.

As soon as Hannah woke up in that hospital bed three and a half years earlier and saw Shawn asleep in the chair beside her, she still loved him. Hannah had no idea at the time to what measure her life changed, but as the seconds turned to minutes, the minutes to hours, and the hours to days, Shawn was slipping away from her future like pages being unwritten. 

Now that Hannah looked back, she saw her life story taking another turn and leading her to David in this surreal and somewhat morbid way she wouldn't change for anything. 

It was unnerving that the worst thing ever to happen in her life brought her to this place and this person.

Then it happened. Hannah's heart opened up and showed her what she was feeling was indeed love. It was strange considering she thought for sure love happened in stages. But there it was. Hannah thought about him constantly and had a smile on her face when she saw him. She found herself randomly staring at him and allowing this calmness and happiness to sink into her. The fact that he was becoming a happier person since being with her filled her with pride and joy. He was giving her the strength to try new things from staying in an overwhelming city to working at a busy bar to more or less moving in with a stranger. 

Hannah ran her fingers through her auburn hair and took a deep breath. She hadn't come to this town to fall in love, but it was exactly what happened. 

It was true she didn't yet know every detail about David. Much of it was remained hidden away or were things he hadn't yet shared. But what she did know about him, good and bad, were loved. If last weeks shooting hadn't scared her, Hannah doubted that anything could. 

She stood and walked out by the pool, feeling her mothers eyes on her as she closed the door and sat down out there. The chlorine filled her lungs, while the warmth from the water dampened her skin with its humidity. It was always one of her favorite smells. Ever since she was young, she loved to swim. These days it felt more like a chore to keep her body working properly, but was forever an escape for her. 

When the door opened and closed behind her, Hannah turned to see David approach. 

"I love you." The words just sort of tumbled out of her mouth, but Hannah meant all three of them. Love wasn't meant to happen so quickly, but there it was and every ounce of it felt so genuine that it didn't need to be denied or suppressed.

David paused for a moment, then began to walk again and sat down beside her with one side of his mouth curved up into that mischievous smile. "You do, huh?"

Hannah nodded her confirmation. Since he'd told her yesterday that it was completely okay with him if she did feel it, Hannah didn't want to omit the truth. She didn't want to keep it inside. Being around David these last few weeks, she'd been taking risks and each one felt more liberating than the last. 

"I know it's fast, and I know we don't know each oth—er that well, but all the signs are there, and I can't just ig—nore them."

David scratched at the stubble on his face, then moved his hand up to his shoulder length hair before propping his elbows against the table in front of them. "You're right, darlin', we don't know each other that well. You don't know about all the shit I did for the military, and I ain't ready to tell you yet because I'm scared as hell of seeing you walk out that door and never lookin' back.

"My gut tells me you'll stick around, but my head's still getting in the way of that. When I get up the courage, I'll tell you. If you wanna give me your heart after that, I'd be more than happy to take it and take damn good care of it.

"You're it for me, Hannah. These weeks we've spent together, they've been the best of my life and taken me to a place I never thought I'd find. But I can't let myself fall in love with you until you know everything, and still love me back."

Hannah nodded her understanding. The beautifully scarred man beside her had a fear that she couldn't handle the truth, just as she constantly had a fear of everyone's pity. "When you're read—dy, you tell me. I'll still be here."