It wasn't at first sight

Chapter 44

That Saturday evening.

Hanna's house.

Hanna is sitting at the kitchen table, her laptop in front of her. She's been sitting there for most of the day, shopping for things online to start making dresses as soon as her orders arrive during the week.

Chocolate approaches her and rests his head on her lap.

Hanna "Hey, baby!" She looks down at him. "Why are you staring at me with those puppy eyes? Are you getting bored, maybe?" She caresses him behind one of his ears. "Zeth doesn't come on weekends, baby"

The dog keeps staring at her.

Hanna checks the time on her phone. It's not that late, and she can see through the window that there is still some sunlight outside.

Hanna "Okay... I'll take you out myself." She takes a deep breath and stands up from her seat. "Wanna go to Caleb's?"

She decides to go there because it's only a few blocks away from her house, so it would be a very short walk. This is the very first time she will be walking Chocolate again after that awful day when she ended up drugged in the woods. Besides, it's been hours without hearing from Caleb, and she already misses him.

Hanna "Okay, let's do this baby." She goes out the front door after putting Chocolate on his leash.

Even though it does make her a bit anxious, she is just happy about the big step she is taking and focuses on staying calm and positive.

A smile appears on her face a few minutes later when she is only two blocks away from Caleb's. She is actually making it to his place. She is so proud of herself. She is ready to leave her fears behind. It's been weeks since her last panic attack.

Hanna "Here we are, Chocolate!"

Chocolate pulls on his leash now that they are only a few feet away. Once they finally reach the front door, she takes the key to Caleb's house from her purse, but she doesn't even get the chance to put the key in the lock because someone opens the door from the inside before she can do it herself.

Toby "Han!" He says surprised.

Caleb "Oh, hey Han!" He says from behind Toby.

Hanna "Hey guys!" She smiles at them. "Were you leaving?" She asks while putting Chocolate off his leash for him to go inside.

The guys go outside and Hanna has the opportunity to pay attention to their outfits now. Toby is wearing his police uniform even though Spencer told her he would be on leave from work for at least another week, and Caleb is wearing an oversized hoodie she has never seen before and it doesn't look like something he would wear at all.

Hanna "What are you wearing?" She runs her hand over Caleb's stomach and feels something strange under his hoodie. "What's this?" She asks while lifting his garment slightly to take a look. She can't believe what she is seeing. "Is that a...?" She gets to see that he is actually wearing a bulletproof vest. "Okay, what are you two up to?" She asks, her expression serious as she stares at them.

Caleb "I'm just helping them out with something, Han. I'll be back for dinner, stay here." He tries to act casual and downplay the situation.

Hanna "No, you're not." She turns her gaze to Toby now. "What the hell are you up to?"

Toby "We need a computer specialist, Hanna. That's all. He is helping us with something."

Hanna "Wearing a freaking bulletproof vest, Toby?" She is getting agitated now. "He is not a damn cop!"

Toby "It's just for safety. He won't be exposed to any risk anyway." he starts walking to his truck.

Hanna looks back at Caleb who is still standing between her and his front door. "You are not going anywhere."