Sweet like Jasmine

XxxxxX

"So no luck at the Rangers station?" Hanna asked Spencer as soon as she spotted her in the brew. Hanna noticed the exasperated look on Spencer's face as soon as she saw her.

"Can we please not talk about Caleb" Spencer sighed.

"Spence, I don't want to be the one who messed this up, for either of you. So what can I do, how can I fix this?" Hanna pleaded with her.

Spencer gave her a long look before answering her. "Maybe you can start by figuring out why you're wearing one guy's ring when you might have feelings for another."

The words hit Hanna like daggers in her chest. She understood why Spencer was still mad at her, she really did. Her and Caleb had crossed a line that never should have been crossed. But in all honesty, so did Spencer. What kind of friend dates her best friend ex girlfriend. The following words spilled out of Hanna before she could stop herself.

"You know Spence, you don't get to make comments like that, I'm sorry but you can't. Whether I have feelings for whoever, should not concern you and it shouldn't influence your relationship with Caleb. If you are so sure that you and Caleb should be together it shouldn't even matter how I feel. I know you need to be mad at me for a while, but stop putting me in between you and Caleb and leave me out of your drama!" Hanna actually shouted out the last words, making a few patrons look around at them.

Before Spencer could answer her, Hanna had thrown her bag over her shoulder and stormed out of the brew. Leaving Spencer even more agitated.

Who did Spencer think she was? Hanna had been trying to be the best friend she could be to her, all things considered and it was hard enough for her as it was being Spencer's friend and keep things friendly between them whilst all she received back from Spencer was a snappy and distrustful friend. She even let it go when Spencer was nasty about her hitting Rollins, how she didn't know her left foot from her right. Hanna had enough of it.

XxxxxX

Before she knew it, she had arrived at Lucas's loft and threw her bag on the floor.

Emily who was sitting on the couch, laptop on her lap, looked up at her from the screen.

"Hey, what's up Han?"

Hanna avoided Emily for a moment. She wasn't ready to talk to Emily about everything. She would have to come clean about everything. She would eventually, just not now.

"Nothing, just busy with that business plan that Lucas sent me." She said, whilst placing the kettle on the stove. Do you want some tea?" She asked over her shoulder at Emily.

"Sure." Emily muttered, her eyes already back on the screen.

Hanna threw herself onto the couch next to Emily and let out a long sigh. Emily looked over at her with her eyebrows raised. "Where is the tea?" She asked, studying her friend.

"Dammit," Hanna muttered under her breath and groaned as she got up to grab two mugs and poured them both some Jasmine tea and brought them over. Slumping back into the couch.

"What's this new obsession you have with jasmine tea?" Emily asked her, sniffing the scalding hot liquid.

"I just like it." Whats with all the questions? Hanna asked her.

"Nothing, you just never used to drink that much tea and now all you seem to do is drink Jasmine tea."

"It just calms me down." Hanna said simply.

"What do you need calming down for? I mean, you've been drinking it ever since you got back to Rosewood."

Hanna signed, clearly Emily was in one of her inquisitive moods. It was like talking to Spencer.

"Jordan and I broke up. She blurted out and clasped a hand in front of her mouth. She had not meant to tell anyone.

"Shit, I didn't, Emily I don't want anyone to know!" Hanna said horrified.

Emily turned to face her friend and embrace her into a hug. "Oh Hanna, I am so sorry."

They sat there for a while before Emily broke the silence.

"Did he let you keep the ring?" she asked looking at the fake ring.

Hanna looked down at the ring she bought and hed her hand up for Emily to have a closer look.

"I gave him back my engagement ring, this one is just a fake." She said solemnly.

"Why would you…" Emily started but realisation dawned upon her and looked at Hanna with big eyes.

"That's very noble of you Hanna but how long do you think you can keep this up? People are going to expect a wedding sooner or later."

Hanna shrugged and slumped back into the couch, hands wrapped around her mug of tea. She could sense Emily wasn't done yet and braced herself for a tidal wave of questions. She took a large sip of her tea before speaking again.

"Just say it Emily."

"I wasn't going to."

Hanna looked at her friend and raised her eyebrows.

"Fine, Emily said quickly, I'll just say it. Emily took a deep breath, paused for a moment but asked it anyway.

"Do you still have feelings for Caleb?"

Hanna knew this question was coming but it still shocked her that Emily asked it anyway.

"Why would you ask me that?" She tried defensively.

"Because the only one who can't see how you still feel about him is Jenna and that's because she's blind."

"So why ask me of you apparently already know the answer?" Hanna asked, now getting annoyed.

"I'm just asking because I wonder if you know the answer yourself."

Hanna sat back again and drained her mug, the tea now lukewarm and gripped the mug in between her hands, not knowing what else to do with her hands.

Yes she knew the answer. Of course she knew, she had always known, Caleb was her first and only love. Even when she was with Jordan, even when she accepted his proposal did she know it wasn't the same as being with Caleb. But Caleb was gone, left into the night and left her, leaving her to move on. Move on with her carreer, move on with her life and move into a life without Caleb.

She had meant every word that night at the lost woods resort, of course she never stopped loving him. But who was she, when she was back safe and sound, to break up Caleb and Spencer. She had screwed up when she walked out on Caleb that night in New York and he deserved his happiness. She loved him enough to be okay with knowing he was happy. Even if it meant that happiness was without her. Hanna was so lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed the silent tears brimming in her eyes nor Emily staring at her.

She was brought out of her reverie when Emily placed a soft hand on her shoulder and spoke in a soft voice. "Hanna?"

Hanna, suddenly aware of Emily looking at her and the warm tears now falling on her cheeks, quickly wiped at her face and pulled herself together.

"Nothing of it matters Emily, all I want now is to make sense of that business plan Lucas sent me, get an early night in and good night sleep."

Emily recognizing Hanna's stubborn finality let it go. Hannah's physical reaction to her question had been answer enough anyway.

Hanna started to get up from the couch and took Emily's mug from her and placed them in the dishwasher. She made her way to the bedroom when Emily spoke again.

"Just so you know Han, I think it is wrong you know."

Hanna who already had one hand on the doorknob of the bedroom and the other full of those papers from Lucas, turned her head to face Emily. "Wrong? What is wrong?"

"Best friends don't date each other's ex-boyfriends."

Hanna gave her a tight lipped smile, bid her goodnight and closed the bedroom door behind her.

XxxxxX

An hour later, Hanna was still sitting on her bed, pouring over the business plan papers when her phone rang.

Why was her mom calling her so late at night? She glanced at the time on the phone and realized it was only 9.15 pm.

"Hello?" She spoke into the receiver.

"Hanna, it's mom, Ashley said on the other hand. Hanna found it funny how her mother always explained it was her in the phone.

"Mom, she said in a sweet voice, everything okay?" She had heard slight edge in her mother's tone when she called.

"Well yes and no. I'm swamped at work, I was called into The Radley in a rush today and I forgot some important papers at home. Could you please come and drop them off?"

Hanna groaned. Her hair was already tied back into a messy bun and she had changed into her sweats, no way she would walk into the Radley looking like this.

"Can't Ted bring it, or one of your employees?" Hanna tried.

"Hanna I'm calling you aren't I? Besides I haven't seen you in ages and we need to talk wedding plans sometime."

"Fine," Hanna said defeated, deciding on the spot she would have to talk to her mom about Jordan. She was fine keeping the lie from the rest of her friends, but not from her mother. Hanna got off the bed and changed into a more suitable outfit for The Radley and fixed her hair and makeup before exiting her bedroom.

Emily looked up at her in surprise. "Hanna? Are you going out?"

"My mom called and needs me to pick up some papers at home and drop them off at The Radley."

"Do you want me to come?" Emily asked her, sliding the laptop off her lap.

"No don't worry about it, I don't think I'll be long, although my mom wants to talk weddings, she added rolling her eyes.

Emily gave her a nervous smile. "Are you going to tell her?"

"Don't think I can fool my own mother much longer. I think she's just making that stuff about the papers up to trap me into talking to her."

Emily laughed. "I'm sure she isn't trying to trap you, but you might feel better telling her the truth. Besides it's your mom, she'll support you no matter what."

Emily's words couldn't have been more true. Whatever had happened in Hanna's life, her mother had always been there for her, always had her back and always told her the truth, even though the truth had hurt sometimes.

"I know, Hanna said in a soft voice. I just don't want to disappoint her."

"She loves you Han." Emily said simply and gave her an encouraging smile.

XxxxxX

Within 10 minutes Hanna had arrived at her mother's house. Even though the drive had been short, her mind had been occupied with all the different ways to tell her mom about the engagement being off.

If Hanna was being truthful to herself, the reaction she feared the most from her mother was relief. Even though her mom had always been welcoming and sweet to Jordan in the few times she had met him, it had never been the same as Caleb.

Sure she hadn't given her mom as many opportunities to get to know Jordan, but she often felt her mother held back from really bonding with Jordan. Or maybe she couldn't let Jordan invade that part of her heart that still belonged to Caleb. Hanna sure never let Jordan have her whole heart. It was already broken when they met, parts of her heart had disappeared with Caleb the night they broke up.

Still deep thought, Hanna had opened the front door and let herself into the familiarity of her childhood home. It still smelt the same, like flowers and clean floors with a hint of male cologne which must be Ted's.

She walked aimlessly towards the kitchen, knowing it to be the most likely place to find her mother's papers. Sure enough it didn't take her long to locate a large pile of papers on the end of the kitchen counter. She smiled noticing a few "sign here" stickers.

Reaching for the papers, a noise down the hall had her stopping in her tracks. "Please no A business." She thought to herself nervously before rationalising it was probably Ted, besides, Rollins was dead, she reminded herself.

She quickly grabbed the papers and dumped them in her bag when she heard the noise again, she looked down the hall trying to locate where the noise came from. It seemed to come from the guest bedroom, but her grandma wasn't in town, was she? Surely her mother would have told her. No actually, if her grandmother was in town she would have known by now. There was no way evading that woman.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Hanna walked cautiously towards the guest bedroom, the familiar cologne hitting her nostrils, the smell of it had a weird calming effect on her, although she wasn't fully aware of it.

"Ted?" She called towards the room, but no answer came from it. Maybe they changed it into his office or something. She reached the door which was slightly ajar. She could clearly hear the noise that was coming from the room, was that of some sort of video game. Giggling to herself as thoughts of Ted playing any kind of video games entered her mind.

She pushed the door open, wanting to catch Ted in the act of playing video games. Thinking about all the ways she would tease him about it.

"Surpri…." She started, yet no sooner had she pushed open the door and started speaking, when her voice caught in her throat at the sight of him. Sitting in a comfortable armchair, controller in his hands, his long fingers still hovering over the buttons. His head yanked towards the door at the sound of her voice, his mouth slightly agash. His sweet brown eyes locking with her sparkling blue.

"Hanna…" He breathed softly, still frozen in his seat.

"Caleb?!"

XxxxxxxxX

Yes I'm terrible leaving you with a cliffhanger like this! But this is what I would have liked to see in 7x05

So in Season 6B Ashley offered Caleb the guest bedroom if he ever needed a place to stay. And since he has left Spencer and the Barn, I think it's about time Caleb returns to a place he has always felt at home, which is at the Marins. Besides, I love the Ashley - Caleb relationship, not as much as Haleb of course, but it's still cute.

So definitely more Haleb coming, don't worry. I just want to start this story off slow.

Let me hear your thoughts, ideas, anything. Haven't worked out the entire path of the story yet, so I'm open and up for anything.

PM's and Reviews are highly appreciated.