Chapter Thirty-five
1766 Words
The next day...
In an apartment building not too far from Scrimmage Drive, a not so composed Hanna makes her way to the elevator. She’s been muttering something to herself the entire time getting here. “Why did I accept? Am I that desperate? I’m such an idiot.” she berated herself over and over again. She keeps her head down, while her hands formed into fists at her side. Her nails dug into her palms. Mirror finishes have never been her favorite decor, but this is what the interior of the elevators have. Stepping off of the elevator, she quickly navigates through the corridor to apartment #4C. Hanna frantically knocks on the door.
“Who’s there?” a voice on the inside hollered.
“Hanna. A very stupid Hanna Grimm.” The door quickly unlocks. Tiffeny pulls her cousin inside, giving her both a sympathetic and annoyed look.
“You’re not stupid Hanna,” she firmly stated. “You practically have your Ph.D. So, tell me, what’s with the anxiety attack?”
“I said yes,” Hanna simply replied, tears forming in her eyes.
“Excuse me? What exactly did you say “yes” to?” Tiffeny inquired, now getting concerned. She knows how quickly flustered Hanna can get if she feels cornered. She has been known to say and do things that have gotten Hanna into trouble under the right conditions.
“A date?”
Tiffeny let out a deep breath that she held waiting for Hanna’s reply. She pulled her cousin into a loving embrace. “I’ve never been on one, officially. I don’t know what to do or even how to act.” Her bottom lip poked out in a pout. “I have nothing nice to wear either.”
Kissing her cousin’s temple, she said, “That’s an easy fix. I’ll be glad to help you get ready for your first date. I’m so happy for you, Hanna.” Tiffeny squealed, pulling Hanna into her bedroom.
“Go get showered, and I’ll pull together an outfit for you. It’s a good thing that you crash here from time to time. I have a drawer with your personal items set aside for you.”
“Thanks, Tiff. Nothing like pulling long hours, right?”
“So, who’s the lucky guy? Do I know him?” Tiff asked as Hanna stepped into the shower.
“Um, yeah. It’s Mitch, duh.”
“The clingy blonde from the bat incident and the cemetery?” Tiffeny yelled over the water running.
“Yep, that’s him.” Hanna hollered back.
“I don’t like him, Hanna. Has Key pressured you into this date? You know I don’t like it when she does that to you.”
“I know you don’t,” Hanna said, stepping out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her. “I don’t either, but I never can get a word in edgewise with her. Except when it comes to things pertaining to wildlife.”
“Your outfit and such is in the walk-in,” Tiffeny told Hanna. Upon entering the closet, Hanna noticed a one-piece burgundy dress with a tight sweater-knit top. It’s long-sleeved with a crew neck. The attached fabric skirt hangs slightly below the knee. Dark brown knee-high boots and a dark denim jacket to help accessorize the outfit.
“Thanks again, Tiff,” Hanna sincerely told her cousin. She took a seat in front of the vanity mirror. “And no, Key didn’t pressure me into accepting the date. I pressured myself into it.”
“And, why, pray tell, would you do that to yourself?” Tiffeny asked as she re-arranged Hanna’s natural curls into more manageable ones.
“I don’t know,” she muttered. Tiffeny gave a stink-eye to her through the mirror.
“Wrong answer. Try again,” she coaxed, pulling one side of Hanna’s hair back with a couple of sparkly hair clips, letting the other side fall naturally. She fixed her make-up light.
“I guess, I’m tired of being alone,” she stated in more of a question. “Stupid, right?”
“You can’t rush love Hanna,” Tiff retorted, applying the lip gloss for the final touch. “When the right guy comes along, you’ll know.” Hanna reiterated the stink-eye back.
“Says you. You’ve never had a problem with getting a guy to like you.”
“True, but you also never had them chased off either.”
“Uncle Fenton actually did that?” Hanna gasped with her mouth hanging open.
“Yep. He ran background checks on them too. There, you’re all set.”
“I hope it’s okay, but I told Mitch to pick me up here for our date.”
“At my apartment? Hanna!”
“Of course not, specifically here. Just down in the lobby area.” Hanna’s phone buzzed alerting her to a notification. “Mitch just pulled into the parking lot.”
“Okay, off you go. Just be yourself, Hanna. It’ll be fine,” Tiffeny encouraged.
“Be me? Are you sure about that?” Hanna questioned with one eyebrow arched. “You know that’s not a good thing.”
“Ha-ha, just relax and have fun. You should be fine. Are you coming back here afterward?”
“Hoping to. I’ll call and let you know.” Hanna grabbed her phone and purse, then headed out the door to the elevators. Nerves still wracked throughout her body, but she was determined to do what Tiffeny suggested. Relax and have fun. Stepping out of the elevator, Hanna nearly ran straight into Mitch, lost in her thoughts.
“Sorry,” she mumbled a robotic apology.
“Hey, beautiful,” Mitch said, catching Hanna, startling her out of her thoughts.
“Oh, hey,” Hanna whispered, looking up to see Mitch smiling down at her. His golden locks styled in perfection led to his gleaming blue eyes which his broad smile reached, highlighting his dimples. The smile was so infectious that she couldn’t help but smile back. His strong hands pulled her into his muscular chest for a warm embrace.
“We should go,” Hanna suggested.
“Right. We should,” he stated, letting her go. He wrapped his arm gently around her waist, leading her out to his truck.
Wolfdale City’s Botanical Gardens...
The setting sun stretched its final rays into a color show on the horizon. Reds, oranges, and yellows displayed their glory before the night sky claimed its timely place. The crisp blue sky turning into a dark blue sky dotted with bright twinkling stars welcomed Hanna and Mitch onto the grounds of the Botanical Gardens. The trees decorated with fairy lights lined the walkways into the heart of the place. Mitch took hold of Hanna’s hand and led her to a private area. The fragrance coming from the fall flowers added to the ambiance of the evening. Taking a final turn on the path, Mitch suddenly stopped in front of a small table with two chairs. A playful smirk made its way across his face. Hanna just gasped at the beauty of the setting. No one had ever gone out of their way to do anything so thoughtful for her. Truth be known, Mitch had asked Elizabeth Knight for some help. When they reached the table, Mitch pulled out a chair and helped Hanna into her seat. Taking the chair across from her, Mitch reached for a medium-sized flat box. Opening it revealed a pizza in the shape of a heart. A chilled bottle of wine sat off to the side. Mitch poured them each a glass. He handed Hanna one.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the glass, their fingers slightly touching.
“Sorry, that dinner isn’t fancy,” Mitch apologized with a half-smile.
“It’s fine, Mitch. Truly, it is,” Hanna quickly reassured him, reaching out, touching his hand. Mitch continued to serve Hanna a slice of pizza.
“Did this come from the pizzeria that we had lunch at a few weeks back?”
“Uh-ha,” Mitch nodded, fighting with a long string of mozzarella hanging from his mouth. “I couldn’t think of anything else that you might like,” he mumbled as he succeeded in biting the cheese.
Hanna tried hiding her smile and a giggle behind her glass of wine, but a loud snort happened instead. Both Hanna and Mitch had a good hearty laugh at the unexpected noise. The friendly laughter turned into a meaningful conversation that they both enjoyed. After they had their fill of the pizza and wine, Mitch stood up from the table. He reached into his pocket and brought forth a mini remote. Pressing a button, soft music began to play out of nowhere, filling the night with enchanting notes. Extending his hand out, he asked in his most sultry voice, “May I have this dance?” Hanna nodded, taking his hand. Mitch pulled her close to him ever so gently and they began to sway slowly to the rhythm of the music. Mitch quietly sang the songs’ lyrics into Hanna’s ear, serenading her. His voice and breath drew her closer to him in a loving embrace. After the selection of songs played, Mitch, not ready for the date to an end, reluctantly said, “So, now what shall we do? I could only think of this much.”
“Could we get some ice cream?” Hanna asked embarrassingly into Mitch’s chest.
“Yes, we can get some ice cream,” Mitch smiled, realizing that Hanna didn’t want to end the date early as well.
“With sprinkles?” Hanna asked as they both walked hand in hand toward Mitch’s truck.
“With sprinkles,” he said and gently kissed the top of Hanna’s head. She didn’t flinch! When they reached the truck, Mitch helped Hanna get into it. But before closing the door, he turned Hanna to face him. He gently cupped both of her cheeks in his semi-rough hands and leaned down to kiss her soft lips. She permitted him to proceed. He gave Hanna her first kiss. It wasn’t too hard, or too fast, but it was slow and gentle. It was everything that a first kiss should be. When it ended, they briefly looked at each other. Mitch then leaned into her forehead, gave it a peck, and said, “We should go if you still want ice cream...with sprinkles.”
“’ Kay,” she whispered a bit breathless after the kiss.
- Writer
