All That Matters: A Duskwood Fanfic

11: My Number

Hannah looked up as I approached the booth, pulling her hands away from Thomas as she gently pushed him to get up. How she knew it was me was anyone's guess. Her thin arms wrapped around me before Thomas had the chance to formally introduce. "Thank you."

Her voice was tinged with a sweetness that made it hard to believe that she had done anything terrible. Heck, just looking at her like this I could understand just why everyone had been so skeptical of her guilt. Standing in front of me was irrefutable proof that sometimes-good people just did bad things. Must be some kind of family trait. Like sister, like brother.

We slide into the booth as a young female dressed in black pants and a rainbow shirt approached, what was most impressive was the rainbow peek-a-boo color in her hair. It was stunning. The girl smiled, took my drink order and was gone in a flash. Within 90 seconds, and I'm not exaggerating she was back with my Coke. Pen and pad in her hand ready for our food orders. I grabbed the menu as Thomas and Hannah ordered and picked the lunch special which had the soup of the day, salad and a sandwich.

Thomas intertwined his fingers with Hannah's, and she leaned into him. There was something about them that just fit. I really, really hoped it would all work out for them. They deserved happiness.

It's funny how things change. I hadn't really liked Thomas at first, but you can't blame me. It was hard to be completely neutral when everyone else is convinced someone is guilty. It hadn't helped that he had kept himself isolated from us for so long. However, I trusted Thomas now, heck I respected him. We had formed this weird connection in those last days leading up to Hannah's rescue. He'd radiated despair that I could feel it pouring out of him even through our text messages. He'd be vulnerable with me, and in the end that's all it took to solidify our relationship.

While he still watched her with worried eyes, he was lighter. It turns out helping save one girl didn't just help her, it helped every single person in her life. I wasn't a hero, by any means, but I could now understand wanting to be.

"Charlee, I don't even know how to begin thanking you." Hannah broke the silence pulling out of Thomas's grasp. He stiffened for a moment, but relaxed as she patted his hand.

"You don't need to. Besides I had a lot of help." Her eyes were brown, the same golden shade of Jake's eyes. It was quite amazing how much and how little the three siblings looked alike.

She raised her eyebrow at me before casting a knowing smile at Thomas. "He's really special, isn't he?"

"Um, who is?" I looked between her and Thomas. If she was asking me to say her boyfriend was special, I think I may vomit. Sure, Thomas is cool. Nice with a ton of green flags. But to say something like that in front of him and his girlfriend? No thank you.

Her eyes twinkled as she studied my face before answering "Jake. And don't worry Thomas, I'm over that crush." I felt my cheeks warm like a schoolgirl caught drawing hearts around her crushes name. Thomas must have told her about my relationship with Jake. I wonder if he told her everything. If the wink she sent me was any indication, he had.

Our food arrived then, with fresh drinks for them. The first bite was delectable, the creamy yellow cheese perfectly portioned to the turkey. A little crunch from the toasted bread against the crunch of the fresh veggies. Yum. I could see why Cleo and Hannah spent a lot of time here.

Instead of asking the question that I had desperately needed an answer to for weeks I was stuffing my face. I was scared to know the reason now. That somehow if I knew the truth it would change what had happened. Logically that wasn't possible, but the nerves inside me made logical thinking damn near impossible.