Generation 3: Chapter 8

 

____________________

. . . GIBSON'S POV . . .

____________________

The sound of my alarm rang at 8:00 am and I stirred in my bed, I had set it two hours later than I normally do to get as much relaxed sleep that I could now that I had the opportunity to bask in the serene silence that settled over the house. I reached back and shut the alarm off, pulling my arm back under the blanket and clasping it to bring it closer to me and I laid there comfortably as I tried to work up the willpower to get out of bed. Gareth left yesterday evening and he hadn't come home, at least I didn't think he was here. I felt like I would know; I'd either hear him playing with Jess, still drunk from his night out, or I'd hear his music blaring from the basement but he'd be passed out on his bed, sound asleep. It was so nice to finally have a good nights sleep without hearing any of that.

I stayed in bed for roughly twelve more minutes and finally decided it was time to get up. I got out of bed and turned around to make up the blankets and keep my bed looking untouched, taking a moment then to stretch my arms over my head and I perched up on my toes to stretch my back and legs as well. I love that sensation. I looked over to my back balcony through my tall windows and admired the scenery, walking over to the sliding door to get a better view. The change to Lucky Palms from Bridgeport was a vast difference and it was still hard to get used to when I took the time to think about it, but I always came back to the same conclusion; we came here for a change, and the change was good for me. I wasn't sure about everyone else, though..

"Tsk.." I let out softly, displeased as my mind went to Gareth and how he had stormed out. What a dramatic display that was. I admit, I was getting pretty angry with him for how he assumes that nothing bad will come his way when he does bad things, he's completely delusional. How could he not understand the danger in what he does? The audacity he had to say that I was the cause of Candace's death was just preposterous. She was just weak, and my words just so happened to hit her a little harder to her core. He should know I would never go to my full potential, especially with a coworker and especially after making that promise. He's the one that physically takes their lives and watches the life drain from their eyes, which was never quite my style. But, now was not the time to think about him.. I had to focus. I had a lot planned for today, that is, after breakfast of course.

I went downstairs to the first floor and walked towards the living room, seeing it nice and neat, just how I had left it after Gareth left. Silence. I could never be so sure, though.. I walked to the basement steps, stopping at the top of them and listening for a moment, not hearing any life coming from downstairs besides Jess locked in her crate. "Gareth? You home?" I called down, listening for a few seconds, but all I heard was Jess scratching in her crate and whimpering a little to be let out. "Shut up, Jess.. I'll let you out after I eat," I called back, but she still whimpered and let out high-pitched, questioning barks as if saying 'please'. "Stupid dog.." I said to myself and walked away from the stairs, going towards the kitchen.

I was pleased to see that there was still food in the fridge and it hadn't been raided from the drunken lunatic that I lived with.. I pulled out eggs, shredded cheese, mushrooms and even some leftover ham, dicing up the mushrooms and ham first, preparing them for when I needed to add them to the stirred eggs in the frying pan. I began the scrambled eggs first, pouring the stirred thick whites and yolks into the pan and cooking it until it was just right, adding the shredded cheese, diced ham and mushrooms into the mixture and flipping one side over the other to create the generously packed omelette. It was nice having all of the ingredients to myself and not having to make another share, I finally get to taste all of the elements that I included in every bite instead of only a slight few. I couldn't wait. I always cherished the days I had off of work and plus with Gareth being gone, it made the time by myself that much more enjoyable. 

Finally, I had gotten to eat my creation for all that it was worth and it came out perfect, I couldn't be happier and more prepared for anything now that I had had the most important meal of the day, and a good one at that. I arose from my chair and walked to the kitchen sink with my cleared plate, taking my time with washing it as I enjoyed the warm water over the air-conditioned skin on my hands. As much as I utterly enjoyed the silence in all it's entirety, it still felt a little off without constantly hearing some form of life coming from the basement. I hated that no matter how hard I tried to not think of Gareth, he still managed to weasel his way into my mind, but then again, he was someone that was impossible to forget completely, especially in my stance with living with him my entire life. But, as I finished washing my plate, I shut my eyes as I turned the water off, focusing and trying to free myself from thoughts of Gareth as I worked up the courage for my next plan.

I walked into the living room, looking out the windows in the back of the house and seeing the same view from my bedroom upstairs. Looking out at the scenery gave me courage that I couldn't describe, a new town for a new beginning, and with Gareth gone at the moment, I could start anew once more with something I wanted to hide from him.. I grabbed my phone from the coffee table where I had forgotten it last night, going to the contacts and hesitating as I looked at Hannah's number like I had been doing for the past three days, waiting for the right time and moment to call her. I didn't want to call her too soon as to come off as desperate, though I didn't want to wait too long to seem disinterested.. I was forced to acknowledge that Gareth and I's argument couldn't have come at a better time so I could leave him out of this completely. Even though I forgave him for what he had done to my relationship in the past, I was still worried about showing any interest in someone without wondering how he might be able to ruin it.. Now was my chance. I finally pressed the bright green 'send' button and pulled the phone slowly to my ear, hearing it ring once, twice, and three times, feeling my heart rate increase as each ring filled my ear.

"Hello?" Hannah had answered and I stood there a few quick seconds, unable to remember what I had told myself I would do once she answered. But, luckily, I was able to grab my wits just in time to not make a fool of myself during our second encounter.

"Hi, Hannah.. It's Gibson. I met you a few days ago in the pavilion? I gave you my umbrella to take home..?" I somewhat questioned, wondering if she even remembered me.

"Oh, hi!" She replied joyously, which only added more nerves to my overwhelming excitement, "I was wondering when you'd call me," she replied. She was.. Looking forward to it?

I chuckled lightly, "Yeah.. I was wondering if you were free today to grab that coffee I had offered?" I questioned once more, waiting for her response as I could feel my chest shaking from the harsh beat of my heart.

"Actually, it's kinda funny because you called me on my day off.. How convenient," her tone sounded somewhat sultry and I almost lost it from her voice alone, but I kept my composure.

"Well, then I'm hoping that's a yes in seeing one another?" I questioned again with a sly tone, hearing another gentle 'hum' of a laugh from her.

"Yeah, sounds good, where do you wanna meet?" She asked. I took a deep, joyfully slow breath so she wouldn't hear a gasp of excitement that my body wanted to subconsciously announce.

I thought for a few moments, "Let me think.. Hmm.." I contemplated. Out of nowhere, I could hear Jess whimpering and barking from the basement, wishing instantly that she would shut her trap, but I heard something from the other line that I didn't expect.

"Oh! Do you have a dog? I can hear it! I have a dog, too. Boy or girl?" She wondered and I sighed away from the phone, realizing just from her excitement that she was a dog lover like Gareth. God dammit. Stupid fucking dog! 

"Oh, yeah, that's my Collie, Jessica, or Jess. What do you have?" I asked in return, seemingly interested, though I couldn't stand dogs. 

"I have a German Sheppard! His name is Klaus," she replied.

I laughed happily, "That's a very fitting name for a German," I replied and I heard her laugh in return. 

"I thought so, too," she laughed softly once more, "Hey, why not meet up at the dog park instead of coffee? Klaus needs a good playtime with another dog, anyways.. I haven't taken him there in a long time," she offered. I pulled the phone away from my mouth again so I could sigh harder, wanting to hang out with her badly, yet I didn't want to do it when it involved dealing with Jess.

"Stupid.. Fucking.. Dog.." I repeated in the whisper from before but with more harshness this time.

"What?" I heard her question.

"Oh, no, nothing.. Yeah, that's a great idea. She could use a new friend to play with," I said into the phone.

"Great! Let's meet there in.. Twenty minutes?" She questioned.

"Yeah, sounds good," I confirmed.

"Awesome.. Oh, and be sure to dress light, today is supposed to be really hot," she added and I agreed, saying our goodbyes. I pulled my phone away from my ear, looking at it as I watched the time of our call stop and flash, signifying that she had ended the call and I wanted to throw my phone against the wall, but I squeezed it tightly instead as I struggled to regain my composure. 

"Dammit, Jess.." I said softly to myself, hating that I had to involve that dense canine in on my date. I clenched my phone within my hand as I went upstairs, getting changed for the occasion.

I finished getting ready and went downstairs again, this time going to the basement in search of Jess's leash so I could walk her to the park. I opened Gareth's door and saw the room dark and in a complete mess, beer bottles scattered all over the place and the smell of alcohol and his musk filled my nostrils. 

"Uck.. Disgusting.." I voiced softly to myself, looking around his room in search of what I had came for, though I couldn't help but critique the conditions in which he lived and slept in. I was surprised to see a single surviving plant within his room in the corner, and that's when I noticed Jess's leash lying on top of his computer desk in which I grabbed in a hurry and got out of there as quick as I could.

I closed up the house and brought Jess outside with me, putting on her collar as she tapped her paws excitedly upon the wooden deck, "Stand still, stupid.. Jeez," I said softly, trying to secure it around her neck. The moment I secured her collar, she broke away from me and ran around the front of the house in her excitement, barking and becoming playful. I let out a pained sigh, "Get back here or we're not going!" I called out angrily, watching her calm down a little as she waited by the front gate. I shook my head in annoyance, walking to the gate and opening it and she ran around the other deck as well until I yelled for her to come back to me, "Jess, get over here!" She came back over to me and her paws danced enthusiastically, her claws tapping on the wooden planks and I was finally able to secure her to the leash so we could begin our walk. "If you're not a good girl today, I'm locking you in the crate until whenever Gareth decides to come back and he can let you out," I threatened, but she was too excited to care about my tone, turning around and ready for the walk as she pulled me and urged me to follow.

Hannah was right, it was pretty hot today already, even with it being only a little passed 10:00, glad that I had wore light clothing that breathed easily. The walk wasn't that bad, Jess was a little too excited when we had finally reached grass on our walk, sniffing everything that she possibly could, yet she began to calm down and simply enjoy it when we reached about half way to the park. "You're actually succeeding at not pissing me off for once, Jess, I never thought I'd see the day," I said to her somewhat surprised, seeing her wag her tail from me saying her name as she kept walking. As much as I didn't care for dogs, this was actually going a lot easier than I thought. I was convinced that Jess would be a crazy handful and she'd be a terrible dog while on a leash, but she actually was behaving herself.. I wonder if it was because I was the one walking her instead of Gareth, since I showed her more discipline than he did..?

Jess and I soon reached the dog park a little passed the time we were supposed to get there, probably because Jess wouldn't stand still and it took me forever to put on her collar and then leash. I noticed from afar that Hannah was already there with her dog, Klaus, playing fetch with him while they waited for us to arrive. I admired her from where I was while I could before she noticed, my eyes instantly drawn to her long, exposed legs and I could see from where I was walking how smooth they were, gently glistening in the sun from most likely a lotion she had used on them before coming here. I could picture her perfectly, sitting on the edge of her bed or the tub after showering, her hands sliding down her thighs and over her knees all the way to her ankles and back up. I felt my heart quicken slightly at the thought of her in any less clothing than she was wearing now, shaking my head briefly to get rid of these kinds of notions as I approached her with Jess.

"Oh, hey! You finally made it," she teased a little and I smirked, reaching forward to remove Jess from the leash and Hannah and I watched as both Jess and Klaus noticed one another. The two went to investigate each other, ears perked up, sniffing excitedly and tails wagging happily. "Seems like they like each other," Hannah added and I nodded.

"Yeah, sure does." I confirmed.

"Jess is so beautiful, is she a pure bread?" Hannah wondered and I honestly wasn't sure.

"Yeah, I believe so," I replied, remembering the high price that Gareth had told me he had got her for and I assumed by the large amount that she was pure, "Is Klaus?"

"Yup, isn't he so handsome? I picked him from the litter because he had the biggest ears of the bunch.. So cute when he was a puppy, I just had to get him," she replied and I chuckled. 

I admired her face when we had approached one another, but was a little displeased to notice that she hid her eyes with a pair of designer sunglasses. It was my favorite feature about her aside from her smooth, endless legs. 

"You're wearing a bathing suit, did you plan to go swimming today before I called?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, sort of, but I figured this would be more fun," she replied and I smiled, "I might still go later, maybe some night swimming, who knows," she continued.

"Even with a crazed killer roaming along the beaches? I hear he likes beautiful young women, you should be careful.." I added with a slightly worried tone as I watched her smirk when she picked up on my compliment.

"Oh, that.. Well, I don't think I'd go to the beach, at least not at night.. I'll probably just hop the fence at the community pool after closing," she thought of the alternative and I nodded, unsure of how to take her lack of worry when it came to the news of a murderer on the loose. "Let's sit down and get out of the sun, hmm? Come on," she added, walking with her over to a table with chairs under a canopy near us.

I sat down with her and I watched as she finally removed her sunglasses when she wasn't blinded by the sun anymore, holding my breath for a moment as she looked at me with a warm smile. I snapped out of my quick trance and tried to think of something to talk about, "So, tell me a little about yourself," I began, "You moved here a year ago, I remembered you saying.. Did you find work easily here?" I wondered.

"Actually, yeah, I did. I've been a babysitter since I was 16 and I saved up a ton of money since then. I opened my own small daycare when I moved here, and since I'm experienced, I've been able to get some pretty good clients out of it. There's these two kids, brother and sister, that I usually watch every weekday, their parents are pretty wealthy and they pay me hourly, sometimes leaving the kids in my care all day long. But, I don't mind. I love children. I have another child I watch, too, usually during the weekdays as well, but I only watch her for about half of the day most of the time.. I'd like to eventually become a chef though, maybe open my own restaurant someday. I still need to save up a little more for schooling and training before I do that," she replied and I was a little surprised. 

"So you can cook?" I asked with a slightly impressed tone.

"Yup," she answered confidently, "At least my mom and brother think I can," she added with a soft laugh.

"Forgive me for saying this, but I never really pictured you to have a soft spot for children," I replied and she chuckled.

"What makes you say that?" She wondered.

"Well, I don't mean to come off as rude, but I've noticed your sense of style, and I must admit, it seems a little bit lavish, almost a little too much to be wearing it around children.. With how careless and unknowing they can be about expensive or fragile things," I replied. 

She laughed a little and didn't take my remark as if she was offended, "It seems you have a keen eye for details.. The children never touch my stuff, they know better, and besides, the place I bought has two separate stories. You can only get into my living area from an outside stairwell and I never bring the kids up there. The first floor is dedicated to the daycare, I keep my things away from them all the time, I usually wear more comfortable and cheap clothes when around them, just in case anything gets ripped, stretched out or spit up on," she replied with a chuckle.

Jess and Klaus ran around the whole park, keeping one another company as Hannah and I enjoyed ourselves. A few times, Jess would try to run off, but Klaus would catch her attention and keep her within the park, as if herding her like a sheep to keep her where she's supposed to be, yet in a playful manner. I was surprised at his behavior, he had much better manners and control than Jess did, I was a little jealous that she had a better dog than we did and I had to put up with that stupid, untrained mutt. 

"What about you? Do you work?" She asked and I looked to her after watching the dogs.

"Yeah, I work at the bookstore across the street and a few doors down from the community pool," I answered.

"Ohh, I know that place.. I've never been in there yet, do they have a good children's section? I've been meaning to get some new books for the kids," she wondered and I nodded.

"Yeah, there's a great selection, I'll let you know the next time I'm working and I can pick you out some good ones," I replied and I watched as she smiled warmly.

"That'd be great, thanks!" She retorted with excitement and appreciation. 

Everything seemed to be going great so far; there were hardly any awkward silences, just like the first night we had met, and I was soon getting pretty comfortable around her. My heart wasn't beating nearly as fast as it was the first twenty minutes of being with her today, being able to relax a little the more we talked and joked. I couldn't help but notice how some of the smiles she held came of as slightly lustrous and I only hoped she was having as good of a time as I was. We must've sat there for a few hours, the sun that cast a shadow on me before had moved a lot since I had sat down and I could feel the suns rays beginning to warm my already hot skin. The dogs seemed to be getting tired, noticing them both panting and their movements were getting slower, yet they still refused to stop playing together. I think it's safe to say that Jess has a boyfriend now.

"Wow, it's already almost 4:00?!" Hannah announced after she glanced at her phone and returned it to her pocket, "Do you, uhm.. Wanna keep hanging out, or do you have to get going?" She wondered and I smiled, enjoying that her tone seemed as if she still wanted to be with me.

"Well, I don't mind either way.. If you're not sick of me yet, we can do something else..?" I teased and she chuckled.

I watched her think for a moment, "How long has it been since you've been bowling?" She wondered, "We could drop the dogs off at my place and go?"

"I'm.. Not very good at bowling," I said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun, I promise," she encouraged and I shrugged. I wasn't much for sports except football, Gareth and I played that a lot with our friends after some school days and it was the only sport that I wasn't that bad at. But bowling, let alone any other sport? That was different.. 

"Uhm.. Okay, sure.. Why not," I agreed and she smiled happily. I guess I could give it another try.

"Awesome! I drove here actually, so we don't have to walk that long way.. Ready to go?" She asked and I nodded, joining her in standing and we gathered Klaus and Jess so we could go drop them off before bowling. 

Hannah drove us to the other side of town, over the highway and to a small, remote area where I had never been before. It was a very rural place and it was only just outside of town.. I wondered how I had never even known it was here? We pulled into her driveway and I admired her home, it was well kept and flourishing with foliage, the doghouse was outside and I liked that Klaus was an outdoor dog; finally, someplace to hopefully come to in the future and not have it reek like a mutt. Hannah and I got out of her car and let the dogs out, Hannah then walking over to the doghouse and filling the food bowl for them. 

"You're house is very nice, Hannah," I pointed out, following her and so did the dogs.

"Oh, thanks! The style kind of reminded me of my house in Florida, plus the layout was perfect for what I wanted to do here," she replied, turning to face me, "We could leave the dogs out here, Klaus won't run away. Is Jess okay without a leash?" She asked.

"No, tying her up would probably be best," I answered. Hannah understood and walked to the doghouse, grabbing a thin rope and calling Jess over to her and Jess listened the very first time, to my surprise. Hannah tied a good knot around her collar, keeping her within the yard and we went back to her car to leave.

Arriving at the bowling alley not far from her home, we went in and I pulled out my wallet naturally, opening it but her hand met my wrist which made my heart jump a little, "Stop, I'm buying," she said with a tone that implied I had no other choice in the matter.

I furrowed my brows, "Just let me, I want it to be my treat," I contested even despite her 'no arguing' tone.

"It was my idea anyways, you can take me out to dinner next time and then I'll let you buy," she hinted with a coaxing smile and I sighed softly.

"Fine.." I succumbed, something I don't normally do. Ever. I didn't like not paying, even with her offer at another chance to see her. I had always paid for things when taking a woman out, it made me feel generous and I liked treating whoever I was with, no matter what the occasion or the price of anything. I enjoyed giving them the reason to believe that I enjoyed their company enough to let them do and have anything they wanted, because.. Well, most of the time it was true, I enjoyed them enough to do so. I suppose another reason I try to get Gareth in line is because we're twins and most people think that makes us the same person, which then makes some think that I act the same as Gareth when it comes to women and I never want to be anything like him in that aspect. I'm no womanizer, I've never been with a prostitute, and I've never even been to a gentleman's club, either. But, not paying now bothered me more this time around, simply because even in the short time of knowing Hannah, I feel this attraction to her that I haven't felt with anyone else, and treating her to anything I possibly could would make me happy. I wasn't pleased to learn that she was stubborn like me, but I suppose it was better than being with someone that was weak and submissive.

We began our game and I was a little nervous, the last time I went bowling was when I was fifteen with Gareth and a few of our friends, but I only bowled one game because I scored less, way less than everyone else. I ended up just sitting there the rest of the night, not playing. I was a little intimidated, too, by how Hannah's first roll knocked down every pin but one. Dammit.. I'm going to make a fool of myself. 

We stayed at the bowling alley for a few hours, playing 3 games so far and she had won all of them. I was a little upset after every game, but she had the ability to keep me from getting too angry about losing when she sometimes ran her hand down my arm or giving me sultry eyes that were irresistible, not to mention how she flirted sometimes threatened to push me over the edge and it was hard to keep this date from getting too heated. Hannah was last to throw the ball for the game to be over and she won by 25 points, frowning as I watched her throw her hands up victoriously, but her victory dance at the end of her turn gave me a chance to fully appreciate the movement of her body. I was eager to get back into bed with someone, but I wasn't Gareth, I'd keep these thoughts deep down in my mind and save them for a more appropriate time. Unlike him, I thought getting to know someone made the attraction more intense and it made love making that much more worth it. Instead of just diving in and doing what I wanted without consideration, it was more important and much more enjoyable to me to get someone on the same level of ecstasy that I wanted to feel. I liked the challenge.

"Yesss! I won!" She called out, now winning all four games and she came towards me, surprised when she had jumped into my arms victoriously but I caught her and held her without a second thought. "Are you sure you didn't just let me win?" She asked with a tone that made me body ache and I slowly let her go, yet still kept my hands around her waist.

"I told you I was terrible at this stuff, you won fair and square," I confirmed and I watched her smile appreciatively. 

"I'm having a lot of fun, Gibson. I hope you're not mad at me for winning every game," she said with a conniving grin, rubbing it in my face a little and I smirked, amused by her ability to tease me about things that normally would make me angry, but I guess the anger didn't even bother to show it's face as I felt her fingertips play with the hair by my right ear. At that very moment, I felt the need to kiss her and it was hard not to, but I still withheld from doing so. As much as I knew she wanted it, too, it was fun for me to hold back and wait for the right moment, even if the chance had already presented itself a few times throughout the night. 

"I can't be mad about losing something I'm already bad at," I replied and she snickered softly.

"Well, it's getting late, would you like to go pick up Jess and I can take you home?" She offered and I nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be great," I replied, walking with Hannah away from the lanes and outside to her car.

Driving to Hannah's place was pretty enjoyable, I loved how our conversations were turning more and more into flirtatious banter and I was able to tell without a doubt now that she was liking the time she was spending with me just as I enjoyed it with her. We picked up Jess, who was hard to coax into the car and get away from Klaus, whining and whimpering softly almost the entire drive home. Hannah found it more sweet and amusing than I did.. I thought it was utterly annoying and pathetic.. 

"Here we are," Hannah announced, "Which one's yours?" She asked.

"The only one on the left at the end of the dock," I replied.

"Oh, it's cute. You'll have to give me a tour sometime.. The view must be great when the sun rises, living on the water like that," she said with a soft tone, noticing her look to me from the driver's seat and I smirked, looking to her and nodding in agreement.

"You're right, the mornings really are amazing to see. I'd be happy to show it to you someday," I confirmed. I wondered if now was the time that I should attempt to kiss her, I could tell by the look in her eyes that she wouldn't deny me if I tried, but something was still telling me to wait. So, I did. "Is that offer still open to take you out to dinner next time?" I asked, watching her smile more and nod.

"Yeah, it definitely is," she confirmed and I grinned, getting out of the car then and Jess hopped into the front seat and ran out of the car, surprising both Hannah and I and we watched as she ran down the dock towards the house.

I frowned at her behavior, "Jesus, Jess, you psycho!" I called out and Hannah laughed, turning my attention back to her and smiling once more, "Thank you for a great time, call me on a day that you're free and I'll take you out somewhere nice, anywhere you want to go," I offered, seeing her nod with a shy smile, "Goodnight, Hannah."

"Night," she replied sweetly and I shut the car door, trying to wipe the stupid love-struck grin off my face as I walked down the dock and towards the house.

The first thing I did when I went inside is take Jess downstairs, feeding her and giving her water before putting her into her crate. I went to Gareth's room and looked through the glass on his door, seeing his room empty and I went inside to put back Jess's leash on his computer desk. I took a moment to look around his room.. Not knowing where he was or what he was doing was beginning to bother me, and just when I thought I could end tonight on a good note, too, I'm stuck here.. Still worrying about him. He doesn't care about anyone but himself, he didn't even have the urge to check on Jess since he probably would've called me, asking me where she was if he had even bothered to come home.. Wherever he was, I hoped he wasn't doing anything that could get him in trouble.

I went upstairs and got ready for bed, changing out of my clothes, placing my glasses upon the dresser and turning off the light before climbing onto my bed. I laid there awake for a while, I couldn't sleep, my mind was too active with thoughts of both Gareth and Hannah. I tried to balance out my brain with the good and the bad, but I couldn't help always ending up thinking of the bad. Where did Gareth stay last night, and where is he staying tonight? Why was he so goddamn adamant about all of this? He's acting like a child and he needs to come home and own up to what he's done.. I need to try and get through to him and try to get him to find a better - well, 'activity'.. Something more productive. Maybe a job to keep him occupied would help set him straight..?

"Tsk.. Yeah right.." I spoke in a whisper, finding it almost impossible to believe that Gareth would be open to getting a job in almost the same second that I thought he could. I sighed heavily before trying to shut my eyes and get some sleep, trying not to think of Gareth anymore and I tried my hardest to focus on Hannah.. Her smile, how intoxicating the scent of her perfume was, the way she moved when she walked.. To hell with Gareth, he can find his own way without me. He still has a home here, but I'm not taking care of him anymore. I needed to start focusing on myself and my own life, and to start it off right.. And my new, fresh start begins with Hannah. I won't let him ruin this, I won't let anything ruin this.

____________________

Original chapter written and posted on February 25, 2014