The night we met

Chapter 5: New Playlist

A/N: I hope I can do this story some justice, I want to complete the timeline until at least the end of the first season and maybe more if readers want to see it.

Clay awoke the next morning and the enormity of what had just transpired crashing into him like a tidal wave of emotions that he was neither prepared for, nor did he ever want to let go of.

Hannah Baker was alive and she was head over heels for him. Him, nerdy and socially awkward Clay Jenson. He pictured the moment close to a thousand times but he couldn't get over that look in her eyes. The intoxicating smell of her hair, the way they clicked in together like two puzzle pieces. It felt like he was breathing for the first time and was just now gasping for air and breathing in all that was Hannah Baker.

He was awoken out of his stupor when he heard his cell phone ding with his alarm.

He decided he couldn't wait another moment to talk to the woman of his dreams and flipped open his messaging app.

Clay: Good Morning Madam.

Within seconds he got a reply as though she had already been up and waiting for his message

Hannah: Good Morning Astronomy Boy.

Clay smirked at the nickname from long ago.

Clay waited several moments before the familiar 3 dots appeared to say that Hannah was sending message.

Hannah: Clay Jensen, don't you know it's a social faux pau to text a girl before 3 days of waiting after a date? I mean really, now you're just coming across as desperately in love with me

Clay beamed and giggled at her teasing, it was just as jovial and carefree as he remembered and he loved seeing this side of Hannah since her raw and emotionless voice was forever etched into the very fiber of his being from the tapes.

Clay: I'm hurt, here I was looking to pour out my adoration for you and getting set to come over and make you my world famous chocolate chip pancakes and this is the way that I'm treated. But if you really think I need to keep up my macho bravado...

Hannah laughed out loud when she read his text. Was this really her Clay? Was this all really happening? She couldn't help the gnawing feeling that something about it wasn't right. Why now? Why after all this time? Should she really be looking for problems before they even got off the ground? She shook it off and Hannah let a devious grin spread across her lips and typed her reply.

Hannah: Who would I be if I we to turn away Gordon Ramsay from my humble abode. I'll see you in 10.

"Shit!" Clay exclaimed as he read the message and jumped out of bed. She knew the ride to her house was at least 15 minutes and that he would pedal fast enough to get there regardless, but he wasn't even dressed yet. He certainly didn't want to get there and have halitosis while going in for a kiss.

Then it clicked and he remembered he had his license, if only his parents had left him the car.

He ran to the window and looked down at the laneway gaving himself a silent cheer as he saw that his dad had indeed left him the car for today.

Lucky for Clay, Hannah had been daydreaming about him in bed and was just as far off being ready as he was, the second the message showed read with no reply.

Hannah knew that he was en route to her house and she realized she wasn't dressed.

"Oh crap!" she jumped out of bed and began immediately messing with her hair and trying to hurriedly pick out her outfit while also trying to make it look like she wasn't trying too hard.