Her words hit me harder than I expected.
“Were you in the hospital?”I ask, my voice gentle, trying not to pry too hard but needing to know.
Hannah laughs, but there’s no humor in it, just a hollow sound that makes something inside me tighten.
“I went.They told me I was fine and didn’t have COVID, so I went home.My temperature spikes were a rollercoaster.This went on for two weeks, and so I went to my doctor, who sent me for X-rays.She said I had pneumonia.After that, I got better.”
“You really are something else,” I say, my voice filled with admiration.“Most people would have been mad at not being diagnosed in the first place.”
Hannah shrugs.“I was too sick to be mad, and then I was just grateful my doc fixed me.”
I nod slowly, a heavy thought swirling in my mind.Humans are so fragile.
As we’ve been talking, I realize I’ve finished my meal, while Hannah hasn’t even made it halfway through hers.
She glances down at her plate, then over at mine, and after a second’s hesitation, she asks, “Do you want more?There’s plenty in the freezer.”
“If you don’t mind?”I reply, giving her a small, almost apologetic smile.
I walk to the freezer, open it, and pull out the chili.The cold hits me for a second as I place the container in the microwave.The hum of the appliance fills the silence.
“Did you want another drink?”Hannah asks from behind me, her voice soft.
“Yeah.Do you?”I ask, glancing over my shoulder.
Hannah nods.
“Let me get them.”I open her refrigerator.“You sure like your soda,” I say, raising an eyebrow as I pull two cans of Pepsi Max from the packed top shelf.Walking over to her, I hand them over with a smirk.
She gives a playful shrug, her eyes dancing with a bit of humor.“It’s the only sweet thing I drink, and it’s sugar-free, so winning!”
I chuckle, shaking my head.“Well, as long as it’s winning for you, that’s what matters.”
She raises an eyebrow, her voice light but knowing.“There’s an ounce of sarcasm in your voice.”
Shrugging, I take a sip from my can.“I like it, too, but it’s full of chemicals, and not all of them are good for you.”
Hannah’s face screws up in mock distaste as she takes a sip.“I know.I try to only drink it on the weekends, but it’d be rude not to drink with you.”
Laughing, my gaze softens as I walk over to the microwave when it dings.Pulling the container out, I walk back to the table, this time leaving the chili in the container instead of putting it in my bowl.
“Keep telling yourself that,” I say with a smirk, setting the chili down.
Hannah shakes her head, but there’s that same playful light in her eyes.“You’re impossible.”
Sitting across from her, there’s an easy comfort in it, in the way we banter back and forth, even as she tries to downplay it.Something about this feels right, and it’s happened so quickly.
Hannah reaches over and touches my hand, her fingers light against my skin.“Where’d you go just now?”
I blink, pulled back into the moment.“What do you mean?”
“You suddenly looked miles away.”Her voice is gentle, but there’s curiosity in her eyes.
Shaking my head, I dig into the chili, using it to ground myself.“Just thinking.”
She watches me for a moment before asking, “Tell me something about you.What’s it like being the President of an MC?Are there many other MCs up here?”
I take a slow breath, leaning back slightly in my chair.“Yes.But this is our town, so they leave us alone.”
