" GOOD FOR YOU " + STENBROUGH

[2]

hannah is looking at the menu when stanley rushes into the quaint corner restaurant, dark hair dotted with snow and nose tinted pink. he takes a seat across from hannah, first puling off his jacket and scarf and hanging them off his chair.

"sorry about that," he apologizes as he pull his chair in. "i was at the florist."

"no worries," hannah assures. she looks at the menu, but has been here so many times she doesn't even have to bother. this particular restaurant—a small burger joint that specialized in incredible milkshakes and curly fries—used to be where she, stanley, and their friends spent their friday nights. she's honestly surprised stanley remembered and suggested eating here.

a waitress walks over a moment later to take their drink order.

"i'll have a strawberry milkshake," hannah says.

"i'll just have a water, please," stanley orders. the waitress nods and walks away. hannah's eyebrows raise.

"you have always gotten a milkshake," she says. "what's changed?"

"i found out im lactose intolerant. it's weird, honestly. milk never affected me before." stanley shrugs.

"so, besides being allergic to lactose, what else is new with you? and how come it's only now that i've run into you? i mean, i know new york is a big city but, come on, we were bound to run into each other sooner at some point in the past two years, right?" hannah asks. stanley raises his eyebrows.

"i've been in new york for a week."

"what?"

"after i graduated, i moved to atlanta for work, and i was there for a year, then i was in london until last month. i was in derry until last week, when i came back to new york," stanley explains.

"you lead a busy life," hannah says with a chuckle.

"i guess so," stanley shrugs, looking down at the table with a soft smile, like he is remembering something dear to him.

the waitress, whose name tag reads "abby" in bright red, returns with their drinks. stanley immediately takes a large sip. he suddenly seems nervous, but hannah shrugs it off as general anxiety. she knows stanley had anxiety in high school, he probably still suffers from it.

"are you two all set to order?"

"i'll have the caesar salad, please," stanley orders, while hannah asks, "can i have a cheeseburger with onion rings?"

"i'll be back shortly," says abby, who smiles at the two of them as she slips her pen and notepad into her apron pocket.

"you really are a whole new person?" hannah jokes. "you're not even ordering a burger. i remember you used to look forward to the burgers from this place all week." stanley shrugs.

"there's a lot you don't know about me anymore," stanley says, but his voice is only just above a whisper. he's staring at a spot on the table, his hands in lap as his eyebrows furrow. he looks lost in his own mind, and hannah thinks this is the only time she hasn't seen him smile since they broke up 7 years ago.

"like what?" hannah asks. "we didn't exactly keep in touch. i don't even know what you majored in."

"accounting," stanley says, looking at her. his face lights up a little more and a small smile finds its way to his face. "you know i've always been a numbers guy."

hannah smiles and nods.

"what about you? what do you do now?"

"i'm an editor," hannah tells him. "i work on a fashion magazine."

"my friend is a fashion designer, maybe you've heard of her. beverly marsh?"

"oh, she's a genius. really, she has some gorgeous pieces. and she's the sweetest. how do you know her?" hannah asks.

"we grew up together," he explains. "she's from derry, too."

"wow, and to think, she's been working in the building next to mine for years, and you've known her this whole time."

stanley smiles.

abby comes back, two plates in her hands, and places them in front of each of them.

"i'm going to the restroom real quick, if you'll excuse me," stanley says, standing up and placing his napkin on his seat. he walks towards the back of the restaurant.

"you and your boyfriend make a cute couple," abby comments, as she hasn't walked away yet.

"oh, we aren't together," hannah corrects.

"then why do you look at him like you are?" abby questions with a smirk, before going to serve another customer.

hannah thinks that, in the back of her mind, she's always been in love with stanley. maybe she should tell him sometime. but for now, it's too early. it's way too early.

she's brought back to reality by a phone ringing. she looks down to see stanley has left his phone on the table. glancing around to see if anyone's looking, she looks to see who is calling.

incoming call from:
bill denbrough

hannah can't remember where she feels like she's heard the name. maybe he's a childhood friend stanley's mentioned before, she thinks. his contact photo seems to be a picture of whoever this bill denbrough is. he's a handsome guy, with short brown hair and bright blue eyes. the photo looks to be taken by someone sitting across from him at an outdoor restaurant. bill is smiling a million watt smile, a look of love in his eyes. sunglasses are perched on his head, a striped ringer t-shirt hugging his seemingly skinny frame, a pink sunset in the background. it's a beautiful scene. what catches hannah's eye most is bill's plate; caeser salad.

stanley walks over a moment later, after hannah has already sat back in her seat and began processing whatever it is she just saw, if it meant anything at all. surely it didn't.

"hey, did i miss anything?" stanley asks, smile intact.

"oh, you got a phone call." stanley picks up his phone, which now says he missed a call.

"oh, let me just text bill and tell him i'm at lunch," stanley says, typing on his phone before setting his phone face down on the table. "he won't mind." stanley smiles as he settles himself and takes a bite from his salad.

the rest of lunch is spent exchanging small conversation about how their lives are going. hannah wants to ask stanley how his romantic life is going—if he's seeing anyone, if he'd ever thought about seeing her again. but she doesn't.

and so they finish their lunch and bid their goodbyes, and stanley promises they will keep in touch, and that they should go out to dinner with some old friends still in new york still.

hannah's heart swells and she's afraid she made such a terrible mistake breaking up with stanley seven years ago.