Page 21 of Keeping You

When I come back, she’s nowhere to be seen. I grab a water bottle fill it and put my runners on before locking the door behind me.

I run my usual path, and around twenty minutes into my run, I see familiar blonde hair in a high ponytail, black running shorts that hug an ass I’ll never be able to forget. After our encounter in the kitchen, I don’t want to scare her, so I follow behind her at a safe distance. She moves gracefully as she windsaround people moving at a slower pace. She nods to people walking in the opposite direction.

Hannah has always been a little fiery on the outside, giving sass and snarky remarks, but if you just stop and watch her, you can see how it’s all a facade. I know it’s to protect herself, and I know a lot of that has to do with her childhood and dealing with her parents’ divorce. She never told me a lot about it, just that she was seven when they first split. I know she has a much better relationship with her dad than she does her mom, but I want to know why she feels the need to pretend she’s not as soft as she really is.

She slows as she approaches the same bench I ran into her at a few days ago. I slow my pace, too, stopping about fifteen feet behind her, and take a seat on the grass under a tree as she sits. I watch her as all she does is stare out over the water. I take in the view, trying to see what she does. The downtown core is directly on the other side of the water. A cruise ship sits docked at Canada Place. Water planes fly over before they land and make their way to the nearby dock. People move in groups as they walk near the water, kids laugh nearby, and the sound of the water lapping against the seawall fills the air. It smells like the ocean. I don’t see what has her so enthralled.

I grew up in a small town about six hours east of here. Every day I got to experience the view of the unmarred landscape of trees and mountains. I got to listen to the sounds of the horses as they moved around the fields. I could go to my special place and be almost completely alone as I listened to the sound of running water and birds above.

I want to know what about this view has Hannah so taken with it.

After ten minutes, she gets up and starts to run towards home. I follow, giving her the same distance as before. One day,I hope she’ll invite me to go on a run with her. That she’ll want to spend time doing something so trivial with me.

I stop at a coffee shop a few blocks away from the apartment to allow her time to herself and grab us each a cup of coffee and something small for breakfast. When I get home, I walk to the bedroom and listen. I don’t hear her and pop my head inside and the sound of the shower filters in from the en-suite. I leave her coffee and breakfast on the dresser before closing the door behind me and heading for a shower of my own.

Hannah manages to be out of the house again by the time I finish. I know she’s avoiding me, and it doesn’t surprise me. I call my mom and check-in. I haven’t told her about getting married, because I know how much it’s going to crush her that she wasn’t there. My parents and younger sister have always been my biggest supporters. When shit hit the fan at the end of my senior year, they were there for every step of it.

Mom updates me on the small town gossip and about the new fire chief who’s supposed to be arriving later this summer with the current one retiring. My sister is still teaching first grade and working summer shifts at the local coffee shop, and dad is keeping himself busy running his mechanic shop. He’s passed off a lot of the manual labour to his staff, but he still enjoys getting under a car and getting dirty. Mom is still volunteering at the local community centre and managing a local bakery with her best friend Lyla.

Hannah walks in the door as I say, “Bye, I love you, Mom,” and hang up the phone.

I watch as she pauses before placing her keys on the counter. She faces me, her hands clasped in front of her as she fidgets.

“Ummm, thank you for the coffee and breakfast this morning,” she says.

I nod. She’s like a frightened dog. One wrong move, and she’ll be running away from me.

“How’s your mom?”

I smile. Like I said, softy.

“She’s good. She’s busy preparing for the big Canada Day celebration. They go all out every year, and she’s always been on the committee. She’s asked me to go and spend a week there, arrive a few days before and help finish getting things set up.”

Her eyes widen slightly. It’s my turn to fidget as I shuffle from foot to foot and clear my throat.

“I’d like for you to go with me, if you’re up to it.”

Her hands stop fidgeting.

“I don’t need to know right now. We still have a few weeks. Just let me know closer to.”

She stares at me before she nods almost imperceptibly. Good, I haven’t completely scared her, but from the look on her face, I can tell she needs time to process and to do that she needs to be alone.

I grab my keys and move to the door. “I’m going to head out for a bit. If you need anything, just text me.”

I sneak past her and leave. I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I need to talk so I text Caleb, and he tells me he’s with Charlie at her favourite park.

I drive to the park and make my way to the playground. Eight months ago, Caleb met his now fiancée, Bailey, and her daughter, Charlie, while responding to a 911 call at their place. Her five-year-old made the call when her father was hurting her mom. I don’t know how those two did it, but they wore him down until he had them moved into his place and was sharing things about his life that he still hasn’t told anyone else. He dotes on both those girls. Seeing how soft he’s become is kind of gross, but I can’t help but be happy that my best friend is happy and sharing his life with a woman he loves.

When I walk up to the playground, Caleb is pushing Charlie on the swing. She spots me and waves with a grin, and I waveback. She’s become a big part of all our lives, coming to a majority of our hockey games and our group hangouts.

Caleb tips his chin and says, “Hey, man. What’s up?”

“Not much.”

His brows furrow. “You didn’t meet me at the park for, ‘not much.’”

I look down at Charlie, and she smiles up at me and asks, “Where’s Hannah?”

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