Chapter Text
When Hannah had seen him from the stage, standing in the crowd, shouting and cheering for her, she felt her heart stop, because he looked like something straight out of her sweetest dreams. In that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than to jump into his arms and kiss him as though both their lives depended on it.
Now, however, seeing him standing right in front of her, asking for a second chance, her mind couldn’t block out the images from that fateful day in a parking lot so much like this one. It couldn’t block out Garrett breaking up with her, turning his back and driving away, leaving her alone with her heart bleeding in her hands. It couldn’t block out the panic attack that came afterward as she biked through campus deep into the night, until her lungs screamed for air and her throat begged for the relief of pouring everything out to someone. The beginning of the phone call with her mother had been chaotic, and parts of it had turned in her mind into a blur of sobs, sniffles, and incoherent sentences. And it was with that living desperation still inside her that she answered.
“I can’t.”
Garrett’s expression, once so open and hopeful, fell in an instant. Confusion and fear took its place, his brows furrowing as he made that little pout that always softened her heart.
“Hannah, look, I know I wasn’t fair to you, to us, but please, let’s really talk about this,” he said, taking another step toward her.
Instinctively, Hannah took half a step back. He froze immediately, panic overtaking his expression.
“Garrett, when things got difficult, you didn’t think twice before ending things with me. Like we were nothing. Like I was someone you could throw away without looking back.” Hannah sniffled, holding back her tears, pain shining in her eyes and stubborn determination set in her jaw. “You didn’t even want to hear me out. Did you really think I was afraid you’d hurt him? I trusted you with my life, my heart, and my body! If I didn’t tell you about De-Delaney before the game, it’s because I know tempers can flare on ice, and I didn’t want to jeopardize you and the team. I know I made a mistake, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Hannah, I…” He sighed in anguish, running a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture, but she wasn’t finished.
“I love you! I dreamed of a love like this for so long. I thought I’d never be able to give myself to someone this way. But you hurt me so fucking much! And that’s why I can’t give you the answer you want right now.”
Her hands tightened around the strap of her bag, as if drawing strength from it so she wouldn’t break and throw herself into his arms.
“Wellsy, please…” Garrett stepped toward his ex-girlfriend, sadness etched across his face. His hands slid gently over the soft skin of her arms until they rested near her shoulders, squeezing lightly. When Hannah didn’t pull away, he leaned closer, pressing his forehead against hers.
God, how he had missed that scent that belonged only to her. Flower, vanilla, home.
He stayed there for a few seconds, sharing her air, but the knot in his throat tightened with every breath.
When he had broken up with Hannah, Garrett had been lost, terrified of his own actions and of the darkness in his past. And his Hannah — that beautiful creature so full of light — deserved better than an unstable boyfriend who could lose control at any moment. Garrett loved her too much to ever see those beautiful blue eyes looking at him the way he knew he looked at his father: cautious, filled with disgust and fear.
But now, he realized he would never give his woman a reason to look at him with anything other than the love and tenderness he always found in her eyes.
“Great start, huh, Graham?” That treacherous voice that sounded so much like Phil echoed in his head, making him remember the wounded look on her face moments earlier.
Her hands now gripped the sides of his shirt, and her eyes were squeezed shut.
Garrett pulled away, looked at the face he loved so dearly, so completely, and kissed her forehead. She opened her eyes, and two stubborn tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I made a lot of mistakes, baby. I never should’ve yelled at you or left you alone in that parking lot. Fuck, I should’ve crawled after you the second I realized what a massive mistake I’d made.” He let out a humorless laugh, looking up at the sky as he searched for the right words. “I was a coward, I know that. In the last few weeks, I’ve been questioning everything in my life. Myself, my love for the game, my place on the team, even my friendships. But not once, in all thirteen days we were apart, did I ever doubt my love for you. And I’m so fucking sorry that I made you doubt it.”
He took a deep breath, tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and continued softly.
“I understand that you’re confused, that you’re hurt, and that you can’t give me an answer right now. But just know that whenever you’re ready, there’s a man here who’s completely crazy about you. And I’ll do everything I can to prove that I’ll never leave your side again as long as you want me there.”
Hannah was crying softly now, her hands still clutching his shirt. She wanted so badly to go back to him, but at this moment, the fear of being hurt again was stronger.
“Wells!”
Hannah turned to see Diana Lance, a music student and fourth-place finalist in the competition, waving at her from a distance, completely oblivious to the tension between the former couple. Di was with two friends.
“Celebration party at Bethany’s sorority house, you coming? Miles is going too.”
Hannah took a deep breath and gave a weak smile. Miles had mentioned the party earlier, and she had already said she’d stop by for a little while. She had also told Allie, who replied that she’d stop by Malone’s — where the hockey team was celebrating their victory — to deal with something before meeting her at the sorority house.
“Yes, just a second!”
She waved back before turning her gaze to Garrett once more.
Her ex-boyfriend looked at her with an expression full of pain, but beneath it, Hannah could see something that almost resembled pride amidst that storm of emotions. She knew Garrett had always wanted her to loosen up and enjoy moments like these with friends instead of letting her trauma keep her from living her life.
“Go. But know this isn’t goodbye, Wellsy.”
With one last gentle touch to wipe away the traces of tears on her cheeks, he let her go and stepped back. He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep himself from reaching for her again and watched as she hesitantly walked toward her friends.
She stopped halfway, looked back, and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something to him, but thought better of it and kept walking.
When she reached them, the dark-haired girl who had called her pulled her into a hug, and Hannah burst into laughter at something whispered in her ear.
God, she was beautiful. Talented. So full of life.
And he was completely hers.
With so much love swelling in his chest, he couldn’t help himself.
“Hey, Wellsy!”
She turned back toward him in surprise, her cheeks still flushed from crying.
“You were incredible on that stage. I can’t wait to see you sing again.”
Her cheeks, already pink, turned even redder, and a small smile spread across her lips. The friends around her let out appreciative sounds before tugging her toward one of their cars.
Garrett watched her leave with an aching chest, but with absolute certainty that all was not lost.
He would get his girl back.