Who: Hanna Marin and Caleb Rivers What: Third date Where: Caleb's car to Italian Restaurant When: Saturday, April 27 Rating/Warning: Low/none Status: Complete
As usual Caleb was thoroughly enjoying himself. But then how could he not? He was with Hanna after all. As per Hanna’s directions Caleb dressed in a grey hoodie, a red t-shirt underneath and jeans. They had gone to a movie and Caleb had actually let Hanna buy the tickets considering how insistent she was on paying for things. Throughout the movie Caleb had wrapped his arm around Hanna, keeping her close.
Now that the movie was over and they were on their way to dinner Caleb held on to Hanna’s hand in the car. Only pulling away when he needed a second hand on the wheel to signal or turn. “I’m a little disappointed,” Caleb said giving Hanna’s hand a squeeze. “I was really hoping for that lab selfie yesterday.”
Hanna rolled her eyes, squeezing Caleb’s hand back. The movie had been okay, some low-budget sort-of-scary film and though she had seen scarier (and hated but also loved being scared so she was a bit disappointed) having an arm around her for practically all of the movie had made her glad that the arm could be pushed up and out of the way otherwise it would have been painful on her side.
The place they were going to for dinner was a little classier than a carnival hot dog stand, just a small Italian place that did really good food and wasn’t too pretentiously priced.
“I told you,” she said, patiently and fondly exasperated, “I look awful in my lab coat. Besides, I’m only actually in a lab for another month and then it’s just lectures on top of all my other ones.” Which was a relief but also not because Hanna got bored easily.
“So what you’re saying,” Caleb said pulling his hand away from Hanna so he could turn the wheel onto the next street. “Is that I only have another month to convince you to send me that selfie?” He glanced over at her raising a brow before his eyes were back on the road and his hand was finding its way back to Hanna’s. He definitely wasn’t going to let this go. The image of Hanna in a lab coat and goggles was too amusing to him. Not to mention he was sure she looked utterly adorable.
Hanna shook her head, “You’re not getting a lab selfie, Caleb. I never actually promised you one. I told you, it’s not cute.” And really, she was currently invested in only being seen when she was cute. Especially by Caleb. Cuteness was important. Like, the most important. Lab coats and goggles had the ability to just suck all the cuteness out of a person.
“Not much further from the restaurant,” she added, fiddling with the strap of her bag and smoothing down the leg of her skinny jeans. “The only way you’ll see me in a lab coat is if you crash my chemistry class and I know for a fact that you’re working so.” She squeezed his fingers, gently, letting go only to brush her hair back behind her ears and reapply her lip-balm. “You’re really not missing out.”
“I could always change the time I take lunch,” Caleb replied. Or call out sick. Because seeing Hanna in a lab coat and goggles would probably be worth it. He didn’t get why she was refusing to send the selfie though. It’s not like Caleb would ever think she looked anything less than beautiful.
Both hands on the wheel he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Hurrying to get out of the car so he could hold the door open for Hanna. “What if I promise a selfie of me at work?” Not that he really dressed any differently but it was the only equivalent he could think of.
Hanna climbed out of the car as Caleb pulled it open for her and she rolled her eyes, balancing carefully on her heels. She was supposed to be in flats for at least another week but there was no way she willing to even remotely accept the possibility of going on another date in flats.
“I could just take a photo of you now, you know,” she said, “then I wouldn’t need a work selfie.” She stepped away from the car and brushed herself down, tugging her jacket a little tighter around herself. “I don’t get why you wanna see me dressed like some weird-science Barbie.”
Caleb wasn’t entirely sure how to explain it. “Because,” he finally said as they made their way through the parking lot hand in hand. “I want to see if the image in my head lives up to how cute you actually look.” But this would be the last time he brought it up.
Once they got to the front of the restaurant Caleb held the door open for her following her inside. “When do you graduate?” he asked changing the subject. He knew it had to be coming up soon. At least he was pretty sure it was.
Hanna rolled her eyes affectionately and lightly smacked Caleb on the arm. “You get to see me like this,” she told him, “at peak cuteness. Can’t you just trust me when I say it’s not the greatest look I’ve ever worn and accept it?”
She tapped her fingers on the counter and gave her name when the server came to ask about their reservation, curling her fingers around Caleb’s hand and pulling him along until they reached the booth that they were seated in. Due to the time in the evening that it was, the lights were low and the tables had small tea-light candles to complement the soft atmosphere. She wasn’t really paying all that much attention to the specials, rather more distracted by the play of light across the table and how it caught on Caleb’s cheekbones.
Once they’d been left alone to settle and look at the menu, Hanna finally decided she was going to answer his question. “I- um, I won’t graduate until the end of the summer. Moving colleges so late means I have some catching up to do, so I’ll get to do the whole… walking across the boards thing with the rest of my class, but, like, I won’t officially be done with school until August.”
“But you see,” Caleb countered. “I don’t think there is a look out there that wouldn’t look good on you.” Even if Hanna seemed to think otherwise.
Caleb slid into the booth eyes falling on Hanna. The candlelight looked good on her. But then she always looked good. It amazed Caleb how gorgeous she was. And yeah, Vanessa was also pretty and looked a hell of a lot like Hanna. But it was different with Hanna. He supposed it was a mixture of how gorgeous she looked and how much he loved her personality, loved talking to her, flirting with her.
“So you walk soon but still have classes?” Caleb clarified trying to make sure he was understanding her right. “Are your parents coming out for it?” She talked about her mom enough for Caleb to assume they were pretty close. Her dad only vague references to him and the evil stepsister. Which led Caleb to believe they weren’t so close. But he assumed they would still both come. Graduations were supposed to be a big deal, right?
“My mom will be,” Hanna said with a nod. “For sure. My dad might but it depends on when his step-daughter’s graduating cause he’ll go to hers over mine.” She only looked a little disappointed by the knowledge, even if they were on different days, if they were within a week of each other her dad wouldn’t do both. “And yeah, I’ll have some classes over the summer, which blows but it was my decision to move.”
“At least it means you’ll be sticking around,” Caleb replied with a small smile. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen once she was done with school. If she would stay of move. He probably shouldn’t be worrying about these things now though. Or wondering if he was going to get to go to her graduation.
“I hope your dad makes it,” he finally added. “You’re his real daughter,” he paused briefly, debating whether or not to bring up his own mother. Was a third date too soon to get into his messed up past? “My mom,” apparently he decided it wasn’t too soon. Granted there was a lot to his past and he wasn’t planning on opening up about all of that. Especially his criminal history. He was pretty sure that would end things then and there.
“She has two new sons now,” Caleb went on. “Half brothers I’ve never met.” Nor did he have any desire to. “Not exactly an evil step sister,” he grinned trying to keep the mood somewhat light. “But I get it.”
Hanna tipped her head, watching Caleb’s expression. She reached across the table after he finished speaking and caught his fingers. “Do you still see her?” She asked, wondering when his parents got divorced. “I guess you stayed with your dad?”
Caleb almost laughed at Hanna’s question. Not in a laughing at Hanna way. But a laughing at the idea of actually having parents. Because that was just a thing Caleb didn’t know. He didn’t though. Instead he gave her hand a small squeeze before answering.
“That would require knowing who my dad is,” Caleb replied unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. It was something he had tried to find out but even with all his hacking skills there was no way to know. There was no name on the birth certificate. No indication of who his mom was sleeping with back then.
“I haven’t seen my mom since I was five.” He knew this was all a bit heavy. But Hanna had asked about his mom. And well he wanted her to know the real him.
Hanna’s eyebrows lifted, then her expression fell and she looked like the wind had been knocked out of her. She hadn’t meant to ask about something painful again. She was really putting her foot in her mouth right now.
“I’m sorry, Caleb,” she said after a moment, squeezing his fingers. “But you don’t- you know you don’t have to tell me. You could just say ‘Hanna, mind your own business’ and I would try.”
Her comment caused a small smile to form on his face. There was no way he would ever tell Hanna to mind her own business. “It’s fine,” he assured her. “Just part of my life,” he shrugged it off like it didn’t bother him anymore. Of course it still did but he didn’t like making a big deal about it. “I wasn’t always this put together guy you see before you now,” he joked. Because well Caleb still wasn’t all that put together. But it was a definite improvement from his life the previous year.
Hanna’s brows creased a little and her lips curled up at the edges, shaking her head slightly. “Neither was I,” she said, squeezing his fingers once more before having to retreat across the table because it was digging uncomfortably into her side. “I keep bringing up sad stuff, I am sorry about that.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and wet her lower lip, tasting the strawberry flavouring of her lip-gloss. “But I mean- thank you for telling me? It sucks and I know it’s not the same or anything, but my mom’ll love you. If you get to meet her when she comes to my graduation.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask Caleb if he wanted to come but she thought that was probably a little weird. She’d shelve that for a later date.
“To be fair,” Caleb said pulling his hand back and resting it on his knee, trying to get some of the warmth back that Hanna’s hand had left. “My life hasn’t exactly been the happiest.” It’d be hard for Hanna to touch on a subject that was full of happy memories for Caleb. Practically impossible.
What she said next though caused a genuine smile to form on Caleb’s face. “Yeah?” he questioned. “I hope I get a chance to meet her.” And to go to Hanna’s graduation though he wasn’t going to push it too much. If things kept going like they were though? He’d definitely ask about it.
“Well,” Hanna said after a moment, “it puts my problems in perspective, that’s for sure.”
As his smile grew, though, broad and bright and lighting up his face in a way that meant Hanna responded in kind without even realising she nodded, “I’m sure you will, she’ll probably come and stay for at least a week.” So even if he didn’t want to come to her graduation, or couldn’t make it, or whatever, he could still meet her.
After a moment she realised they hadn’t even looked at the menus, and the server would come back to take their orders soon. “We, um, we should look at food.”
“Your problems are important too,” Caleb countered. The last thing he wanted was for Hanna to feel like she couldn’t share things with him because what he had been through was ‘worse’. Caleb didn’t feel that way at all. He wanted to know what Hanna had been through too. “They matter to me.”
But right. Food. He had been so caught up in Hanna that he forgot he was actually hungry. And they were supposed to be ordering soon. “Get whatever you want,” Caleb told her not wanting her to pick something based on the price. He had a real job now. He could afford it. As for him he was going to go for some lasagna because that sounded pretty damn good to him right now.
“I really don’t have any right now,” Hanna said, “other than having to make up time on all these stupid classes.” She glanced at the menu and ran her finger down it, looking at the choices and deciding on a chicken carbonara. “So it’s okay, they’re really not important and totally of my own making deciding to just switch colleges so close to finishing.”
She placed her menu down and tipped her head, watching Caleb for another moment before she just smiled. “How did the rest of your week go at work?”
“Because of your evil stepsister.” Caleb had been paying attention. And then with Hanna’s comment earlier about her dad going to the stepsister’s graduation over hers. He had a feeling there was more to the story. That was as much as he would press though. Until Hanna was ready to say more herself.
“It was work,” Caleb said with a shrug. “Nothing too exciting.” The server came and Caleb placed his order waiting for Hanna to place hers. Once the server walked away he turned his attention back to Hanna. “How’s your foot?” He was still concerned even if she had put on heels tonight - an indication that she was healing, right?
“Ugh,” Hanna rolled her eyes dramatically, “she is the worst. I don’t get how she doesn’t get struck by lightning every time she steps outside.” Her nose wrinkled, “or, like, how she avoids melting when it’s raining.”
Giving her order to the server, too, along with drinks, Hanna eyed Caleb suspiciously. “You’ve got the whole cyber security thing going on with the whole…” she waved her hand, “computer firewall doorman thing. That’s not boring, surely.” And okay, so maybe she’d googled a little bit about computers and had read about a firewall (disappointed when she found out there was no actual fire involved but she supposed that would have been hard to explain in a computer, since they were made of plastic and metal and both of those things burned… in fire, okay so that thought made no sense, she was never sharing that with Caleb). “And it’s fine. It still hurts a little but I’m okay.”
“That bad, huh?” Caleb questioned giving Hanna an opening to share more. All he really knew was she had tried to run Hanna out of college. Though he had to admit he was kind of glad for it since it meant she ended up here.
“Trust me. It’s not as exciting as you think.” Sure it was to him most of the time. But he doubted Hanna would be interested. “It’s just typing in a bunch of code all day long,” he added. “This,” he motioned his hand between himself and Hanna. “Has been the best part of my week.” It wasn’t a lie either. Sure he liked his job, but he liked Hanna a hell of a lot more. He was always counting down the minutes until he got to see her again.
“You sure?” he asked unable to keep the look of concern off his face.
He was right. Hanna didn’t know much about code other than it was a bunch of letters and numbers she had no hope of understanding and that she had no need to. That was smart people stuff, and though Hanna wasn’t an idiot (she just didn’t apply herself, or something, she hadn’t been listening), she was in no way smart enough to follow anything to do with computers and coding. She wanted to be interested but her brain did that thing internet pages do when they have no internet connection and showed her an error message when she thought about it too much. “Did you do anything else this week?”
She nodded, waving off his concern. “Yeah, Caleb, I’m sure. It hurts, like, a little, but I’ll just stick some ice on it when I get home. It’s okay, you’re not gonna make me walk or anything so we’re okay.”
“Not really,” Caleb replied with a small shrug. “I met a guy who looks like an older me with shorter hair.” That had technically been the day before his coffee date with Hanna, but they had a limited time to talk then and Caleb didn’t want to waste it. “What about you?” he questioned. “No other injuries?” he said it lightly, joking. But there was a part of him that was worried.
“No walks on the beach tonight,” Caleb said with a smirk. “Promise.”
Hanna’s eyebrows lifted. “Wait- wait wait- you met someone who looks like an older you?” She leaned forward a little, hands flat on the table and eyes wide in something that was a mixture between curiosity and mischief. “How much like you?”
Caleb rose a brow. Hanna seemed pretty damn amused by this aspect. “A lot,” he offered. “I mean I didn’t have a mirror to compare and contrast. He doesn’t have as good of hair,” Caleb commented with a smirk.
Though this would also probably be a good time to tell Hanna about Vanessa. Better she find out from him than someone else especially since they were friends. “I know someone who looks like you too,” he offered. “But with longer hair.”
Hanna snorted. “I don’t think anyone’s got hair as good as yours,” she told him confidently. She did keep having to deal with her irrational urge to push her hands into it, like right now. There were a few strands hanging forward and she just wanted to push them back behind his ear. She settled for pushing her own hair back, instead, even though there was nothing that needed tucking away.
“You do?” she asked, “how… how like me?” because Hanna liked to think she had quite a unique look and would be upset and perturbed to find out if that wasn’t the case.
“So don’t get a haircut?” Caleb joked. Not that he was planning on it anyway. He also liked his long hair. Though maybe not as much as Hanna.
Caleb wasn’t entirely sure how to answer Hanna’s question. “Uh,” he said biting his lip briefly. “Her face is pretty similar. She’s got long blonde hair,” Hannah’s was shorter and framed her face. Like Hanna with his hair, Caleb had the urge to just tangle his hands in her hair, preferably while his lips were on hers. “But she’s definitely not as beautiful as you.”
Hanna’s eyebrows lifted, then fell as she frowned at him. “So if I had longer blonde hair I’d look exactly like her?” she asked, leaning back into the booth and resisting the urge to fold her arms across her chest. What if he only started talking to her because she looked like this other person?
“No,” Caleb replied shaking his head. “Your eyes are brighter. And your smile is,” he wasn’t sure how to explain it. “Different. Better.” He paused pushing his hair out of his face. “You’re beautiful, Hanna,” he said again. His eyes locked on to hers. He hoped she knew he meant it. That he only thought of her that way. No one else.
“Well, she must be too,” Hanna pointed out, not unkindly. Though she was flattered by his compliments, and ducked her head. It was hard to be suspicious of him when he looked at her like that.
“Not like you,” Caleb said sincerely. He couldn’t put it into words exactly but it was just different. Just looking at her his stomach did flips. It wasn’t like that with Vanessa.
“But yeah,” he went on pausing briefly as their food was bright over. He thanked the server and waited for him to leave before finishing his thought. “I guess doppelgängers is a common thing around here.”
“I’m not sure I like the thought that there are other people out there that look just like me,” Hanna admitted uneasily, though she doubted that the person who looked like Caleb - as close as they might have been - wouldn’t have the thing that made Caleb… well, Caleb. She supposed you could look like someone but not have that spark. Still, any concern she might have had was at least put to bed and pushed out of the way for now with the sincerity that shone out of Caleb’s face when he was trying to tell her how she wasn’t the same as the person that looked like her.
She wasn’t sure, still, but she could put it to one side as she focused on the food and the company. She sipped at her drink and pulled a hair tie from around her wrist, pushing her hair back and securing it lightly with a band to make sure she didn’t get pasta sauce in her hair.
“At least we can tell the difference between our doppelgangers,” she offered, twirling her fork in her pasta.
“Well you haven’t seen mine yet,” Caleb reminded her taking a bite of his lasagna. But that hair thing was a pretty big give away. Still it seemed like Hanna wasn’t convinced that Caleb actually wanted her.
“I already knew her when I met you,” Caleb went on taking another bite of his food before continuing. “I never asked her out.” He never really asked anyone out before. He didn’t care to. But Hanna was different. “You’re the only one I want,” he added eyes locking onto hers so she knew he meant it. Maybe it was too much to say, too soon, but it was how he felt.
“You ever heard the phrase ‘I think he’s protesting too much?’” Hanna asked, kicking Caleb gently under the table. “I get it, you’re not into the Hanna lookalike, just the original and best.” She popped a piece of chicken into her mouth and smiled again. “And I already know I’m not gonna prefer your lookalike over you, stupid. Why would I?”
Caleb smirked at her comments glad he had seemed to get through to Hanna. “I don’t know,” he replied eyes shining. “Maybe he’s not stupid,” he joked throwing Hanna’s words back at her. It was too easy not too. But he was glad the mood had gotten back to being light.
“Maybe, but you said he had short hair, too. So unless I can convince him to grow it out I think I’ll stick with the Caleb I’ve got right now.” Hanna tipped her head and sipped at her drink. “Unless you’d rather I go seek him out? I could probably find him, you know, if I tried hard enough.”
“Ah,” Caleb commented. “I see how it is, only like me for the hair.” He was joking of course. He didn’t really think that was the only reason Hanna had gone on three dates with him in the span of a week. Had kissed him the way she had on their first date. “Well,” he paused smirking at her. “Can’t say I blame you. It’s pretty great hair.” He even smoothed his hands over it dramatically to emphasize the point.
Hanna laughed. “It is pretty great hair,” she agreed, with a nod of her head. “I’m just hanging out with you until I find out how you make it look like that.” She grinned at him across the table and then looked away, tucking properly into the meal, though she did keep glancing up and her lips curled up into a small smile whenever she did.
“I’ll never share my secret,” Caleb teased getting back to his food. He really didn’t do anything to it though so there wasn’t much to share. It was just his hair. Caleb focussed on his food for a bit, he was actually hungry. However he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off Hanna for too long. He even caught her eyes a few times causing his smile to widen.
“You will,” she responded with a little grin, wiggling her fork in his direction. “You will.”