by Callie Henry
“Hannah?” he asked. “What just happened here? What’s going on in that head?”
“I…I just…” She unlooped her arms from his neck, resting one under her head and the other between their chests like a broken wing.
“What? Tell me. I just told you the worst of my past, and you…you made me feel like it was okay. You can tell me anything.”
She took a deep breath and swallowed, holding his eyes. “This scares me a little bit.”
He shifted slightly away from her, though he kept his arm draped over her waist. “What? This? You and me hanging out?”
“It feels like more than just hanging out,” she said slowly, wondering if he felt the same.
She was relieved when he nodded and said, “Yeah, it does.”
“Why does it feel like that?”
His lips turned up as he answered her. “I don’t know. Things like this happen in the movies: two people meet by chance and just”—he snapped his fingers—“click.”
“This isn’t a movie.”
He shrugged. “Something about you makes sense to me.”
She nodded, her own small smile an answer to his. “Something about you makes sense to me too.”
“It’s kind of…” He chuckled softly, shrugging again. “I don’t know. Cool. Exciting. I like talking to you. I like making you laugh. I’d rather be here spending time with you than anywhere else in the world. I like you, Hannah—really like you—just the way you are.”
Oh, my heart.
They were the exact words she’d always wanted to hear from a boy, and she beamed at him, amazed that telling him about her worries had essentially eliminated them.
“When I went to Bree’s wedding today, I just thought I’d sit in a chair all alone in the back row and watch her get married. Maybe drink a glass of champagne by myself and then slip out as soon as I could. I didn’t bank on you.”
“Me neither. But I wouldn’t change a second.” He dipped his head and kissed her on the tip of her nose.
It had to be getting close to eleven now, and her eyes were feeling heavy. “Do you have to go? Can you stay?”
He pulled his arm from her waist and took his phone out of his pocket. “Let me text my dad.” He typed a quick message and a moment later, his phone dinged. “He said it was okay and to be safe.”
Hannah yawned. “Sorry. So tired.”
He leaned forward to kiss her, then said, “Flip over.”
She flipped to her other side, with her back to his front and his arm still around her. He pulled her into the spoon of his body, and Hannah could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. The fire snapped and crackled, and the cicadas sang their songs, and she decided that nothing—not anything in her whole life—had ever felt as wonderful as this.
“I head home this Friday to get ready for school. The following Friday kicks off the Labor Day festival weekend at OSF,” Liam whispered. “Are you free that night? For the play?”
She nodded. “Mm-hm.”
Just as she was drifting off, she heard his voice again, soft and tentative near her ear. “Hey, Hannah. Are you still awake?”
“Barely,” she murmured.
“What made you change your mind?” he asked.
“You, Liam.” She sighed, drifting off to sleep. “You did.”
CHAPTER 6
Hannah
Waking up hours later to a cold fire and colder air, they were too tired to do anything but make their way to Bree’s living room couch, where they quickly fell back to sleep spooned together.
When Hannah woke up the next morning, it took her a minute to figure out where she was, and with whom, until her memories of the previous night rushed back to her and she turned in Liam’s arms to look at his sleeping face.
Tenderness overwhelmed her as she looked at his features. His long black lashes fanned the crescent under his eyes, and black stubble shadowed his strong jaw. His buzz cut of short black hair, which had probably been shaved off for his last swim meet, came to a rounded peak over the center of his forehead, and she remembered how those hairs at the back of his neck felt under her fingers—surprisingly soft, not bristly.
She dropped her eyes to his lips, which were pink and still a little chapped, and she made a mental note to swipe some ChapStick on them sometime soon. Then she blushed, thinking she didn’t have a right to take care of him like that, though she liked it that she wanted to. She wanted to take care of him. She’d known him for such a short amount of time; it wasn’t like he was her boyfriend or anything. Heck, they wouldn’t even technically be dating until he picked her up on Friday. But they both seemed to realize that this wasn’t some random wedding hookup. It was different. It was special.
“Date, wife, Mina, Hannah…you going to stare at me all morning or kiss me hello?” His voice was raspy and deep from sleep as one eye peeked open.
“I haven’t brushed my teeth yet,” she said, feeling shy.
“Then kiss me here,” he said, pointing to a spot high on his cheek just under his eyes.
Hannah leaned up and placed her lips where he told her to, then leaned back to smile at him.
“And here,” he whispered, closing his eyes and pointing to his eyelid.
She dropped her lips again, as softly as she could, to the delicate skin.
“And here too,” he said, pointing to the very edge of his lips.
She grinned, leaning forward to kiss him again, but as her lips touched his skin, he shifted just enough so that her lips fell flush on his.
She gasped in surprise and he grinned at her. “How can you possibly look this beautiful first thing in the morning?” he asked.
She blushed, shaking her head. “I don’t know what to say when you tell me things like that.”
“You should always tell the truth,” he said, rubbing his thumb gently over her lower lip. “You should say ‘Liam, I look this beautiful because I’m looking at you.’”
A wave of something fluttery and breathtaking crashed over her body, making her toes curl as she stared into his blue eyes, which were lightly crinkled at the edges from smiling at her.
“Liam,” she said softly, “I look this beautiful because I’m looking at you.”
His smile disappeared, his eyes darkening as he kissed her again. His body moved instinctually against hers, pressing closer.
“I didn’t expect you to actually say it.”
She smiled, flattening her hands on his chest. “You said to tell the truth.”
“Then here’s some more truth,” he said. “When we say good-bye today, I’m not going to be able to concentrate on anything but seeing you again. Thirteen days is…too far away.”
She gulped, staring up at him, not sure of what to say. He was like a runaway train, and though she wanted to jump on board and race to the end of the tracks with him, the sensible part of her insisted that they were still new to one another.
“Too much?” he asked.
She winced, not wanting to hurt him. “A little?”
“Too fast?”
She nodded. “A little.”
“Too much and too fast,” he confirmed, coloring a little and laughing ruefully. He rolled away from her, hitting the floor on his knees, then stood up, stretching and yawning.
As Hannah lay on her back watching him, confusion made her eyes well up with unexpected tears. Losing the warmth of his body beside hers felt sad. Thinking about two weeks apart made her feel sad too.
“Mind if I wash up a little?” he asked.
She gestured to the back hallway. “First door on your left.”
“Got it.”
He turned to leave the room, and she felt a tear roll out of her eye as she listened to his feet get softer and softer.
She swung her own feet to the floor, pulling down the edge of her sweater, which had ridden up while they slept. What was going on with her? Her feelings were all over the place—scared, excited, tender. Blissfully happy to wake up beside him. Nervous to move too fast.
Sad that she’d pushed him away and embarrassed him. Worried that he’d decide she wasn’t worth the effort.
She had no idea what would end up happening between her and Liam, but seeing him again and continuing whatever they’d started this weekend was something she wanted. Really wanted. On some level, in some small way, it felt like he belonged to her. And she wanted to belong to him too.
She took a deep breath and twisted her neck to look at the clock over the TV. Ten-oh-five. She stood up, stretching as he had, thinking about how his long body looked as he’d reached his arms almost to the ceiling. There was no one as beautiful as he was, and he was into her. She grinned to herself, spinning in a circle and catching a look at the clock again. Ten-oh-six. Ten-oh-six. What a beautiful time of—
Wait! What?!
Ten-oh-six?! Oh, no! The bridal brunch is starting in twenty-four minutes!
She sped down the hallway, knocking on the bathroom door. “Liam? We have to be back the vineyard in—”
He’d opened the door as she spoke, and the breath was knocked out of her lungs as she stared at him, shirtless and glistening, in her sister’s bathroom doorway.
***
Liam
Liam couldn’t hear what she was saying through the door, but it certainly sounded important to her, so without thinking, he’d opened the door to hear her better.
As he watched her lips open and her eyes widen, he realized that his chest was completely bare. He hadn’t wanted to get his shirt all wet as he washed his face, so he’d hung it on the back of the bathroom door.
“I…I, um…I…” She wetted her lips and finally dragged her eyes up his chest to his face, looking slightly dazed. “There’s a—a brunch…thing.”
He grinned at her, changing his position just slightly to cross his arms, which made his pecs and biceps bulge that much more. A small noise escaped from her throat, and he tried not to laugh.
“Hannah?”
“Hmm?” she asked, staring at the place where his muscular arms crossed.
“Hannah?”
Still frozen in place, she answered with a breathy “Yeah?”
“Eyes up.”
Her cheeks flushed bright red as her eyes cut to his.
He couldn’t help it. He laughed as he watched the heat seep into her face, loving how much he affected her. He’d felt a little deflated when she’d suggested he was being too eager, so it felt good to see her lose it a little while she stared at his body.
She cleared her throat. “There’s a brunch in…twenty minutes. Can you, um, be ready to go in twenty minutes?”
“Sure,” he shrugged, knowing exactly what his muscles looked like as he made the small gesture. “Can you?”
“Yes,” she said quickly, pressing her palms to her cheeks, then turning quickly to head down the hallway in the other direction.
He watched with unconcealed admiration, making certain she caught him ogling as she turned at Bree’s bedroom door to take one last look at him. He beamed at her, waggling his fingers. She huffed, pushing the bedroom door open and closing it again with a slam.
And he couldn’t help but wonder if the Friday after next suddenly felt a little far away to Hannah too.
***
Hannah
Thirty minutes later, Liam and Hannah walked into the breakfast room of the I Tri Merli hand in hand. In the car ride over to the brunch, Hannah had looked over at Liam, who looked beyond cute with his stubbled jaw and freshly ironed white shirt, courtesy of Bree’s well-equipped laundry room.
“Okay,” she said. “Next weekend.”
He glanced at her, his expression impassive. “What happens next weekend?”
“You come over to my apartment.”
He did a double take, but his face split into a grin as he caught on to her meaning. “Oh, I do?”
“Mm-hm,” she said, turning toward him and crossing her legs. She’d changed into a denim skirt with a simple black camisole and black cardigan sweater, and she noticed that he kept checking out her legs, which she loved.
“And what do I do there?”
“You have dinner with me and my mom.”
“We’re going to have dinner with your mom?”
“Mm-hm.”
“And then?” he asked.
“We can go to a movie.”
“Dinner and a movie, huh? What time?”
“Six?”
He nodded. “Sounds good.”
A thrill shot through her as he agreed to a date a week earlier.
He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers as they turned into the vineyard parking lot. “What made you change your mind?”
“You were right. Thirteen days is too far away.”
“Do we have time for me to kiss you before going in?”
She grinned back at him. “Just enough.”
Hannah squeezed his hand tighter as they walked into the breakfast room. The rush of touching him, the pride she felt standing beside him as they walked inside together made her chest swell with feeling.
Is this what love feels like? she wondered. Like you’re the luckiest girl in the world because his fingers are tangled together with yours?
Bree’s eyes flitted to their locked hands, and Hannah’s cheeks flushed, but she kept herself from rolling her eyes as Bree beamed at her.
“Having fun?” she asked her little sister.
“The best time ever,” confirmed Hannah.
***
Liam
Liam pulled out one of two empty seats for Hannah to sit beside her sister and then sat down next to her, with Abby on his other side.
“You haven’t forgotten, have you?” Abby raised an eyebrow at Liam. “We’ve got that tour bus coming in”—she looked at her watch—“ten minutes. The ladies’ group from Sacramento. Remember? You told me you’d handle the tour?”
Damn it. He hadn’t remembered that he had to work today. He wasn’t thinking about anything except how much more time he had left with Hannah, and now that time was just about over. The tour he was giving would go on for an hour, and coupled with the complimentary wine tasting, he’d be tied up until one. Hannah already told him she was heading back to Oregon directly after the wedding brunch. Her packed bag was in his car, and her car was here at the vineyard, where she’d left it last night.
“Sure,” he said. “I’ll just have a cup of coffee and then head over, okay?”
“Of course,” said Abby, turning back to her conversation with Scott.
Liam turned to Hannah, who looked up at him with questions in her eyes.
“I promised Abby I’d help out today so she wouldn’t need to leave the brunch. Sorry, I totally forgot.”
“That’s okay.”
“At least we have this Saturday on the calendar,” he said. “I’ll leave Medford at four and get to you around six.”
“Okay,” she said. “And I’ll drive to you the following weekend for the play.”
“Can you stay over at my mom’s?”
She grimaced. “I doubt my mom will go for that, but I can ask.”
He nodded, knowing it was a long shot. He leaned closer to her. “How can I get another kiss before you go?”
“I’ll walk you over to the tasting room?”
He nodded, took a big gulp of his coffee, and turned to Abby. “Well, I guess I’ll head over.”
Hannah popped up beside him. “I’ll just walk Liam over, Bree. I’ll be right back.”
Bree winked at her sister. “Take your time, Hannah.”
Liam clasped her hand in his and led her out of the room, his heart racing as he realized that this was the last moment he’d have with her until next weekend. He pulled her down an access hallway and backed her up against the wall as his hands fell to her hips.
His lips landed urgently on hers, remembering, branding, imprinting, making her breathless and pliant in his arms as his hands slipped around to her back. She moaned, and he swallowed it, his tongue sliding against hers as she arc
hed into him, the back of her head anchoring her to the wall behind.
“Saturday,” he half murmured, half growled.
“Saturday,” she repeated, resting her forehead against his. “I’ll, um, text you my address.”
“Yeah, good. That’s, um, only six days.”
“Don’t count today,” she said, her breath coming in short pants against the exposed skin of his open shirt. “Or Saturday. Then it’s only five.”
“Five days. Yeah, okay.”
“Five days,” she whispered.
She reached up, holding his cheeks in her hands, and pulled his face down to hers, tilting her head so that their lips fit perfectly together, and she kissed him tenderly—with hunger, but with care—and his heart shattered and rebuilt itself in her image, beating only for her.
I’m coming back here to marry her someday, he thought to himself, pulling her as close to him as he could. She was like a miracle to him, and he was sure he’d never get enough of her—the way she kissed, the way she laughed, the sweet music of her voice.
“I have to go back,” she said, kissing him once more.
“I know,” he said, dropping his forehead to hers again. “This was the best wedding ever.”
She chuckled softly, and it made him smile.
“I agree. The best.”
He loosened his hands from her back, sliding them from around her waist and finally letting her go.
“Saturday,” she said again. “See you then.”
He nodded, and she slipped away from the wall, heading back down the hallway without looking back. He clenched his jaw and took a deep breath, trying not to feel sad. He’d somehow managed to meet the girl of his dreams, and she’d somehow ended up liking him just as much as he liked her.
And like she said, if he didn’t count today or Saturday, he’d see her in five short days.
CHAPTER 7
Hannah
Hannah smoothed her hair, walking back toward the breakfast room, but she must have taken a wrong turn in the labyrinth-like corridors of the winery, because she ended up near the main entrance. Remembering that the breakfast room had windows overlooking the vast rows of grapes, she followed a sign with an arrow toward the vineyard.
