Liquid Lucidity (A Novella)

Chapter Five

Hannah gave staying at Meggie's a go for all of two days, never bothering to unpack more than a box of clothes. He had to give her credit for giving it a shot, but by the end, Meggie admitted that Hannah was a hot mess living there and Hannah agreed. On the third night, Meggie brought Hannah to work with her and she stayed above the bar, but they both knew that wasn't the right place for her to live either.

She'd shouldn't live in a place where going outside would cause a breakdown.

On day four, David picked up Meggie at her place before going over to the bar to pick up Hannah. He denied Meggie's teasing up and down and every which way, but couldn't deny it to himself. In the rough neighborhood where he'd opened up shop, Hannah was a breath of fresh air. He hadn't been around someone like her in a damn long time. Maybe ever.

He was pretty damn sure it wasn't a crush, just something different. Even if it was a crush, a sweet girl like Hannah had no place in his world. Someone like her needed a relationship, something he could not give her and would not give anyone. He'd been capable of love at one point, but that was a long time ago. A lifetime. Even though he was incapable of love, he was fully capable of kindness, and that was something he would give to Hannah freely.  

He didn't want her to hate him. Didn't want her to be indifferent toward him. David couldn't live with himself if he'd made her cry, which he'd done more than a few times in the past once someone got too close, along with a couple of times with his employees.

When they went to pick Hannah up, it was still early enough where the city was as close to quiet as it knew how to be. This part of it at least. Anyone who lived or hung out around here would be sleeping 'till noon.

David was so lost in thought that he did the entire forty minute drive robotically, not realizing they were there until he felt Hannah's auburn hair brush up against his face as she leaned over by him from the back seat. "That's n-not your place, is it?"

"Holy shit, David! You never told us you were rich. I wanna fucking raise!"

He didn't live in a mansion, but a large one story cedar house, shaped like three out of four sides of a wide rectangle,  with large glass windows all the way around, encasing the house with natural light unless you drew the blackout curtains. Between the two sides was screened in pool with a glass ceiling. 

He had no fucking clue why he'd designed a four bedroom, four bathroom house since he'd always intended on living in it alone and hated having company over.

"I ain't rich, but my grandpa on my daddy's side was." And David had always and un-apologetically been his favorite grand kid. Where as the rest of them wanted the best presents and the best vacations, David just wanted to go fishin' with him. Wanted to hear all the stories of his younger years and wanted a quiet night by the fire playing chess. 

When he passed after grandma, he'd left most of his money to David and some to his dad while leaving the rest of them with enough money to pay off their mortgages. Just under six million and all David wanted to do with it was build a house, buy his dream car and purchase his nightmare of a bar. There was still plenty stashed away since he was simple guy. Always have a rainy day fund, his grandpa told him.

The four car garage, which housed a car, SUV, truck and a motorcycle, would be plenty of room for Hannah. She hadn't yet said that she'd stay, only that she'd look at the space. 

"And you start doin' your fucking job once in a while and maybe someday you'll get a raise."

"Fuck you, I'm awesome at my job."

"This place is be-beau..." 

The world trailed off into nothingness and David caught her reflection in the rear view mirror as it turned from joy to sadness. She couldn't say the word.

David parked his car in front of the house rather than beside the garage and Meggie immediately jumped out and ran toward it. 

Rather than follow her in, David moved his stare from the rear view mirror toward the woman he was looking at in it. "Take your time and divide it up if you need to."

A glimmer of hope passed through her pale brown eyes. Maybe she was used to being around people who grew tired of her taking too long to say something. Maybe it was just easier for her emotionally to let go of the things she felt she couldn't succeed at. 

"It's beau—ti—ful."

"Thank you," David replied, both for the compliment and for the effort. He left the vehicle and opened her door for her, taking her hand to help her out even through there was no sort of drop for her to need assistance with. "Wanna see the apartment or the house first?"

Hannah looked between the two buildings, her gaze filled with wonder and excitement. She hadn't promised anything about staying, but right then and there David knew she wasn't going anywhere. She was already looking around as if this were her home, which David wanted her to feel to an extent. He just wondered what that meant for his own life.

"The house."

"Alright then," he agreed with a nod of his head. They followed the brick path toward the house, where Meggie was already waiting for him to unlock the door. "There's a small town about six miles that way," he said, pointing toward the right where the road continued. "Small grocery store with a pharmacy, bakery, coffee shop, book store, that sort of thing. Population's around sixteen hundred. They got a pretty decent farmer's market every Sunday there. Do you like to cook?"

"I used to," Hannah admitted, glancing his way. "I can't foll-ow rec—ip—es that well an-nymore though. Do you?"

"One of my favorite things to do." It was a part of himself that David didn't normally share. He'd originally wanted to open up a restaurant when he moved here, but the odds of it succeeding were too big of a risk. One day he hoped to build up the reputation of the bar enough to sell for a decent profit, then maybe give it a go. 

He'd rather open a smaller place, maybe somewhere between the two towns where it could feel more like a neighborhood joint with just enough extra traffic to keep the doors open. "Don't normally follow recipes. Just go with my gut and hope for the best."

Hannah slowed her steps to a stop only a few feet from the front door. A light breeze made her auburn hair dance and brush across her face and David thought for a second that his heart might have stopped. 

This woman was either going to be the death of him or his salvation. 

"And what if it does—n't turn out like y-you hoped?"

Rather than brush the hair out of her face, David crossed his arms to fight the temptation and shrugged. "Just because somethin' doesn't turn out the way you hoped doesn't mean it doesn't turn out the way it was meant to. When you put your whole heart into somethin' at least you got the journey."

Though her lips turned upwards into a smile, Hannah's brows furrowed. "What happ—pend to the g-guy I've been hear—ing ab-bout? You are-n't mean like Meg's made y-you sound."

"Are you guys about done eye fucking each other?" Meggie asked rhetorically as she stuck one of her legs out and began tapping her foot against the cement. "'Cause I want inside this house so I can hate him more than I already do."

David shook his head, hoping the heat he felt creeping onto his face wasn't causing a blush. At least with his darker complexion it wouldn't be noticeable. "You gotta be a hard-ass to make it in that neighborhood and a hard-ass to do what I used to do. Doesn't mean I don't know how to be a good guy too, I just don't go 'round advertising it."

Her smile warmed every inch of his body and soul. It was the smile art inspired, the smile love songs were created from. "Th-thank you for being a good guy."

"You're welcome." As if he could be anything short of that to her.