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Hannah
Jason kept to himself more than Hannah expected. He tagged along with her on her dog walks the next evening, but holed himself up in his room looking at bids and making calls most of the time. When Friday night came, she proposed they go to the movies or the mall, but he declined so quickly it gave her whiplash. That was fine. She was giving him a break until Monday when she planned to enact her plan.
In her mind, she was building a list of ways to softly break through his physical aversion to people. Since most of the experiments would happen at work, she wanted to be careful not to overwhelm him. He trusted her, after all. When he had told her that, her heart had filled with hope that one day there might be a future for them—outside of just being friends. Desire was the first step toward change.
On Saturday morning, he shoved cleaner and rags into her hands as soon as she came out to the kitchen.
She groaned. “What are you doing?”
“Cleaning. The bathroom is driving me crazy, and we should clean up last night’s popcorn mess.”
“Mess? Don’t tell me you didn’t like my blueberry-flavored popcorn.”
“Oh, I liked it, but you convinced me to leave the mess and watch a movie with you. And I did. But now, you’re going to do something I want to do.” He grinned and held up his own bottle of cleaner.
She groaned and followed him into the bathroom. “Fine,” she grumbled.
He played some music on his phone, and the two of them worked in grumpy silence. By the time they were through with the bathroom and kitchen, she was wiped.
She laid her cleaning towel on the counter and stretched. “Looks good, but this is way more than the ten minutes I allow for cleaning every night.”
“Ten minutes?” He snorted. “That’s barely enough time. Look at this place. It looks tons better, and I can move around comfortably.”
She bit her lip, trying not to be annoyed. It was easy for him to become uncomfortable, but the mess didn’t bother her. And she was used to living alone. What she had thought was a good idea was quickly becoming overbearing. It was just... different. New. And new could be good. Eventually.
“Well, I better get ready,” she said, glad she had an honest reason to leave.
“Wait, what about the front room?”
Her eyes widened as he started toward the front room with his rag. “I have plans, though.”
He spun around. “Another job?”
“No, my taekwondo class. Want to come?” She hoped he wouldn’t, but it felt rude not to ask. She needed a break from her house, and sadly, from him. It had only been four days, and already she felt as if she carried a weight on her chest. If she felt this after just a few days, what did that say about their ability to maintain a real relationship in the future? The thought depressed her, and that’s why she needed to leave and get some perspective.
“Oh, I forgot you had those classes. No, that’s okay. Have fun. And...” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a large bill. “I’ll go shopping while you’re gone. If you want to send me a list of things we need, I’ll get them all. Let’s fill your fridge and cabinets. I feel bad mooching.”
She brightened as she thought of all the yummy meals she could make. “Okay, but I might not make it back until close to dinnertime.”
“It’s all right. I think I can pull something together. I need to head to my house anyway and do some cleaning. I picked the construction company last night, and I want to make sure everything’s ready for them Monday morning.”
Without ever seeing the inside of his house, she could just imagine how clean and organized it was.
“Okay, sounds good. See you at dinnertime. Maybe six.”
She gave the house one last look and then went to her room to change. Her house really did look better, but he’d eventually get frustrated with her lack of maintenance. Even her bird had been more irritated with the extra guest in the house.
She sighed and pulled out some clothes for class. A break away would be nice.
One thing her parents had done well was keep her involved in activities. With all of her pent-up energy, she needed multiple outlets. Sports, dancing, martial arts—whatever her parents could find to occupy her mind and body and keep her away from the house.
Over the years, she’d developed a love for martial arts. It was when she felt the most control over her body and mind. Instead of reacting, she was forced to think through a process and decide on the best move.
When she was younger, she’d competed and won many competitions, but as an adult, she went to taekwondo to keep her centered.
Sabum, the same instructor she’d had for years, was the calmest, most steady human being she’d ever met. He calculated every answer; took his time making decisions, sometimes to the point of painfully deciding whether to advance her to a new group; and was the person she had adopted as a grandpa.
He always greeted her with a warm embrace, inspired her, and sent her away motivated with a challenge.
