About the Author

The author is a working mother in her mid-30s. She allows herself

to indulge in her imagination once time is spared drawing on real
life experiences in her writing. Her inspiration is to bring
openness, honesty and progression to everyone who has held
similar encounters.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my best friend that I loved who was too
young to be suddenly taken away from us all. You will always
have a part of my heart.

Copyright Jasmine Leigh (2015)

The right of Jasmine Leigh to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims
for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British
Library.
ISBN 978 1 78455 078 3
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2015)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LB

Prologue
Hannah slid into the steaming bath, bubbles rising further up
the side to the point where they touched the brink of the side.
The bubbles quickly cackled until they encapsulated Hannahs
body and then slowly quietened until they calmed down into
the silence that filled the bathroom. The candles around the
bath tub flickered in a frenzy but started giving off the scent as
if sweet lilies where in the room. Hannah breathed in deeply
through her nose letting the smell flow into her body.
Finally, after an extremely busy and tiring week, Hannah
felt she could relax. She closed her eyes and reflected. Her
heart then began to ache and tears slowly trickled down her
cheeks as the memories and recollections started to flood her
mind of the life that she once called her own. She wondered if
life had treated her differently would she still be the same
person as she was today. She knew she came across as very
guarded at times but the hauntings of the past would wave over
her. She didnt mean to be bitter or cross with those close to
her but she hoped in time that these feelings would subside.
She hoped one day she could thank all those people whod
helped her when she was in need; or maybe by telling her
story, she could reach out to help those who can see that there
is light at the end of the tunnel.
Hannah, now approaching 28 years old, still she couldnt
believe how she spent her early 20s.

Chapter 1
Hannahs taxi pulled up outside her house. She had been out
with her friends celebrating the end of her A Level exams and
also the fact that she had just turned 18. It had been an
excellent night out. She hadnt felt ready to leave but the club
had finished and there was nowhere else to go.
She paid the taxi driver and walked up to the front door
whilst rummaging in her bag for the keys. She was aware it
was very late. She didnt want to wake her parents. She felt a
bit tipsy and didnt really want her parents to see what she was
like after a few drinks. It was the first time her parents had let
her go on a night out with her friends like this and nothing was
going to ruin her night out now. She let herself in and clumsily
took off her shoes. She wasnt that drunk; honest! Though she
thought she was tiptoeing through the house and up to her
room, the alcohol was making her movements a little more
elaborate than they would have been had she been sober. She
made it to her room, pleased not to have faced her parents. She
took off her dress, it glided off her slim, slender body, but she
was too drunk to get into her pyjamas or remove her make up
or even put a brush through her shoulder length golden blonde
hair, so she climbed into bed just in her underwear having a
wave of tiredness shift over her and in a matter of seconds of
lying in bed, sleep overtook her.
Her mum, Barbara, stirred from her sleep as she heard
Hannah moving through the house and finally the door closing
to Hannahs bedroom. Barbara sighed in relief that her
precious, beautiful and only daughter was home; she looked at
the clock, it was 2.30am. She waited a few minutes, and got
out of bed just to check that Hannah was fine. Hannah was
snoring in her bed; at least she felt she could really sleep now.
She checked the front door was locked up properly and went
back to bed. She thought it unlikely that Hannah would see the
morning at all, but knew that both herself and her husband,

Mark, would be having a chat when she was awake about her
future.
Mark and Barbara followed their Sunday morning ritual
with Coffee and reading through the Sunday papers from cover
to cover until it came to mid-morning and Barbara made a start
on Sunday dinner.
Hannah stirred very late into the morning, her head felt
heavy and her mouth was dry; she felt she hadnt slept at all!
She lay there for five more minutes thinking about getting up.
She finally, slowly and surely started to emerge from under the
bed covers. The first thing she thought was that maybe a
shower would freshen her up and make her feel human. She
looked into the mirror and - my word - had she looked like that
when she left the club? Her mascara was smudged round her
eyes making her look like she was a panda and her hair was
matted in places making it stick up. She grabbed herself a
towel and headed straight to the shower with her jeans and a
plain t-shirt to dress into after; she couldnt be bothered trying
to look good today. After the shower she felt a little better. She
recounted the details of the previous night whilst getting
dressed and smiled. It had been a good night and, as usual, she
had bought her vivacious and bubbly personality with her that
had boosted the nights proceedings and events. She was loved
by all of her friends and was a good friend to have as well.
Hannah arrived downstairs just as her mum was just
putting the Sunday dinner on. Sunday was always her mum
and dads chill out day before the week started again. Both of
her parents worked; her mum was a nurse and her dad worked
in construction which made a comfortable life for them all.
Over dinner a conversation that had happened many times
before was raised again. What was Hannah going to do now?
All of Hannahs friends had applied to go to University but she
didnt have the urge to go and though a hot topic of debate for
the family, Hannah still didnt want to go. Not even with the
option of a gap year. This debate was all with the despair of
her parents as she was bright and they thought that she ought
to go, but Hannah was adamant. Following on from another
desperate attempt to convince Hannah that University was the

way to go, Mark then put the papers in front of Hannah along
with a pen and paper and told her to work on her CV and start
applying for jobs. Hannah did say shed start doing it in the
week but was told that she had to start that day. She had no
idea what jobs to apply for but she got herself into the mind-set
that she had to show she was willing otherwise she would have
to face another conversation about University. Her friends
thought she was brave that she wasnt following the norm and
a trendsetter by deciding that she wasnt going to apply. Her
parents had talked and thought she was at the age where she
was becoming an adult and if she had decided that University
was the way to go, mature students were becoming more
common. They wanted their daughter to be happy.
Over the coming weeks, with some persistence and some
nudging from her parents; Hannah applied for many jobs and a
good variety of work too. She also got part time bar work to
get herself some money as her parents refused to pay for her to
go out and she didnt want to miss out going out with her
friends.
Sure enough, by the end of her summer, Hannah got
herself a job working in an office as an administrator for a
local advertising and events firm. It couldnt come at a better
time as she was losing some of her friends to Universities
across the Country and she was starting to feel that maybe she
was going to be left out without her friends around. Her A
Level results had been excellent and would have definitely
secured her a place at a good University but she wouldnt have
known what to do. She was feeling quite excited and couldnt
wait to start. Plus the bar work had been a mixed bag for her,
the late nights were starting to grate on her a little and her
parents had always waited up for her until she got home.
With nervous apprehension mixed with some excitement;
Hannah got off the bus and walked towards the offices of her
new job for the first time. It was only a short 10 minute ride on
the bus and the offices were smart and modern. The Company
was a firm that dealt with big global companies not only based
in the UK but across the world too. The people in the office
were of a variety of ages but there did seem to be some people

who were close to her age too. She had been given an
induction program to start with and this helped her immensely
to start to get to know people and what may be entailed with
the working years ahead of her.
Over the coming months, Hannah really started to settle in
and also applied herself, too. She was content. She gave up her
bar work. Her parents started to relax as their daughter seemed
to be now coming of age and the job seemed to be the making
of her. She showed signs of maturity. She made some good
friends with the younger people in the office and started
having a social life with her new friends following on from her
friends going to University whilst still keeping in touch with
them. However, with the distance of University and all them
making a new circle of friends, it was becoming increasingly
difficult to continue the same level of friendship they had held
at school. She was pleased that she had a job where there were
a good group of people she could really relate to and socialise
with. Her University friends complained constantly of running
out of money and at least that was never going to be an issue
though she had started to pay her parents board. She did aim to
visit her University friends though just to experience if she was
missing out on anything and they were always home during
their holidays for a good catch up.
Over the next few years, Hannah still worked for the
advertising company and her hard work had not gone unnoticed. She had just started talks with her boss on training and
maybe looking at her developing into the Company further
with the aim of having more responsibility with the possibility
of a career. This was music to her parents ears and they were
pleased that Hannah seemed so happy. Some of her friends
were coming to the end of their courses and seemed to have
moved on by deciding to stay in their new chosen areas, so
with her 21st birthday approaching a big gathering and party
was booked. Another milestone in her young adult life.
Hannah wouldnt admit to it readily but having a focus on
herself was always a good confidence boost for her.

Chapter 2
After Hannahs 21st birthday, she returned to the normality of
work after using some of her holidays. She went into the office
to discover a new starter working away on the opposite side.
She settled into her day with brief glimpses up over her
computer. He had a clean well-kept appearance with strong
facial features. His hair was jet black and not a strand out of
place; from a distance she noticed his brown eyes and his
athletic slim build was all very attractive for Hannah. With
being out of the office for a few days, she had not been given
the chance to be introduced. Was it going to be too obvious if
she introduced herself? She thought about it over the course of
the first hour of the day but then decided to throw herself into
trying to play catch up after being out of the office. By the
time lunch time came it was clear that no-one was going to
bring this new person over to be introduced so she decided to
take the plunge and at least say hi.
It turned out that Danny was the new Account Manager for
the company and that their working paths would cross
occasionally during the course of each week. To say that
Hannah was secretly pleased was an understatement; it would
give her chance to get to know Danny better and she was
hoping that he had a personality that was at least on a par with
the attractive and handsome exterior.
As the weeks progressed, Hannah had a new lease of life
and revived excitement for going into work. She was pleased
to regularly assist with Dannys work though she was hoping
that she was not being perceived as too obvious with a growing
attraction for him. As time went by she learnt that Danny was
29, he had gone to University and this was his second job and
a step up the ladder for him. He was very confident in himself
and settling into the office very well. He was charming and
outgoing but not outspoken. She got to hear some rumblings of
good feedback about him from his peers which was a good

point in her eyes but on the flip side, having such an attractive
man in the office that was nice, too, hadnt gone un-noticed by
some of her other female colleagues either.
This gave Hannah time to reflect; maybe Danny was going
to be out of her league. Maybe she was too young. Maybe this
was the best time to give herself a good talking to and believe
that hes not going to be interested. She does have to work
with him anyway and she decided she would stay professional,
plus with things going so well for her in work she would
concentrate on that side of things.
Over the next few months Hannah was really busy with
work. The company was holding their annual corporate night
as they always had done for years and Hannah was given the
opportunity for the first time to organise the event. This meant
Hannah was occupied with extra duties as it was her
responsibility to help organise the event as it was always good
publicity for the firm too. She had to find and book the venue,
make sure all the costs fell within the budget, ask for donated
items to be auctioned off on the night, sell invites, organise
how the room was going to look, and the rest! All on top of her
usual duties, Hannah seemed to be coping really well; in fact
she was actually in her element to be given the opportunity to
shine.
This night was fast approaching and came round extremely
quickly; Hannah felt exhausted on the day of the fundraiser
making sure that all the finer details were in place before
finally rushing over to the venue to make sure it was complete
and then it was on to home to get ready. It was going to be a
glamorous evening and Hannah was really pleased with the
look of the room. There were floral decorations on each of the
round dinner tables, the lighting had been dimmed to give
some atmosphere, fairy lights were drooped around the larger
plants that were placed around the room, the microphone on
the stage was being tested ready for the auction and swing
band were setting up ready for the after dinner party. The room
was in a stately home and had large patio doors that could
open up to an outside veranda area that gave picturesque views
over the well-manicured gardens. Hannah was ecstatic with her

achievement. Her Manager arrived soon after to give his

authorisation over the overall presentation. She waited
nervously, she started chewing on her nails waiting for her
manager to come and speak with her. Her manager, Nigel, was
a good boss and had been over the moon with Hannahs
performance over the years. He knew that he was taking a
chance with someone with little experience but Hannah had
never failed to live up to the challenges that he put her way and
expectations from her would be great. Hannah was proving to
be a great asset. He walked over to Hannah saying it was
fantastic.
Hannah went home and showered quickly, dried her hair,
and then got into her newly acquired purple evening dress that
made her look extremely elegant and older than her 21 years. It
wasnt a tight fit around her slim figure but it accentuated her
curves and flowed all the way down to the floor. She applied
her make-up and just as she was doing so she was starting to
relax and felt like she was looking forward to it. Hannah still
was a vivacious and bubbly character and this is where her job
suited her well. The Company liked the fact she was very
amiable and sociable especially for evenings like these where
the clients would appreciate her welcoming and approachable
feel.
Hannah arrived at the venue early for the evening. She
looked round again and the table plans were already out and as
she slowly went through the check list in her head, she could
see that there was nothing left to do except wait to have the
guests arrive.
Her colleagues started turning up which helped Hannah
start to relax; it was good for their morale to be at a social
work function. It was also good to have an additional excuse to
socialise with her colleagues and most had arrived before the
clients arrived. Soon Danny turned up too. She had to admit to
herself that he looked great. He came over and started talking
to her and her colleagues. Though she decided that she wasnt
going to be interested in pursuing anything with him, there was
always that secret hidden glimmer of hope. He was still the
talk of the other young girls of the office.

The night was a roaring success. All the clients and

management had started to depart but for Hannah and her work
mates the night was still young. They stayed in the bar at the
venue and it was a good chance for Hannah to be upbeat over
the success of the evening and feel good about herself. Danny
stayed on too. It got to the stage where her work mates were
starting to drift off to their homes calling it a day after a good
night eventually leaving only Danny and Hannah. They
continued talking. Hannah learnt a lot about Danny. One of the
main factors for taking the job was not only to do with his
career but to make a fresh start after the breakdown of a long,
serious relationship. He also turned out to be very funny and
Hannah had forgotten all about being really attracted to him
which meant she wasnt trying to be something she wasnt but
just herself. They laughed at each others jokes and told stories
about their lives recalling all the funny encounters that they
had out with friends, they chatted about their families, growing
up, and lots of other topics, too.
It was approaching 2 in the morning and Hannah had
started to really feel tired. She said that she was going to head
home and Danny said it was about time he headed off, too,
though he was never in any rush to go home; he had kept on
the home he had with his ex and going home to those
memories was always tough. The taxis arrived and just as
Hannah was about to get up for the taxi, Danny took her hand
and pulled her gently towards him to kiss her on her lips. The
kiss lingered sweetly as their lips stayed together for several
moments. Hannah moved away and stayed seated. She wasnt
quite ready to get up after that. To say it was unexpected but
nevertheless a pleasant surprise was an understatement. Danny
apologised for being so forward but he had been attracted to
her from the first day that he had seen her in the office.
Hannah told him that the feelings had been mutual but had
never in a million years thought that he would feel the same.
They quickly decided that they would keep what had happened
away from the work side but to see what progressed.
Hannah and Danny then got into the taxis to take them
home. Hannah had not only had a successful evening on the

work side but to end on what had just happened with Danny
gave her a sparkle and shine that she had never experienced
before.
The coming weeks passed back into the normality of
working routines. The feedback from work had been
astoundingly positive after the fundraiser and her work was
also looking into potential courses for her to attend. Danny and
Hannah also met a few evenings a week to see how things
went, too. Hannah was in her element.

Chapter 3
Over the coming months, all was going brilliantly. A new
relationship, a good job. What more could Hannah want.
Danny had met Hannahs family. Hannah hadnt met Dannys
family though. He told her evasively that they lived too far
away to warrant a meet. Danny assured her that hed arrange a
visit at some point and that was good enough for Hannah.
They managed to keep their relationship low key in work.
Hannahs family seemed to be pleased that this relationship
appeared to be blossoming.
Hannah recalled this time well; she had been seeing Danny
now for about 6 months and she could really class this as her
first serious relationship. Yes, she had had boyfriends before
but not like this one. They seemed to click and it was obvious
to all around her that the sparkle and boost it gave her was
immense. She had left work on time as this was one of her
evenings with Danny. Her parents were already home and as
usual preparing to have their dinner together as they had done
for what seemed an eternity. What was different though was
that they asked Hannah to sit with them for a bit before she
went out for her date with Danny.
Mark and Barbara had wanted this for some time and
always knew this day would come. This was as good a time as
any and it was their time now that their daughter and really
come into her own and was more or less self-sufficient,
although still living with them. There was no other way of
doing this apart from being straight with Hannah and telling
her the news as it was. They told her that the time had come
when they wanted to move to the country to escape the hustle
of City life and to set themselves a new life of how they want
to spend their retirement as they were both aware it was
approaching. Hannah felt mixed about the news. She let it sink
in slowly but was positive in her response to her parents. It was
probably about time she left home as she was earning and it

wasnt as if all of her other friends werent living out there in

the real world. She always thought she would eventually not
live with her parents but in her own time. Mark and Barbara
were relieved by their daughters response; she had grown up
so much. They assured her that their move wouldnt be until
they knew she was going to be in her own place but they were
eager to get on with their own search for their own new life.
The topic of conversation was set for that evening between
Danny and Hannah. What was she going to do? Was she going
to live on her own? Could she realistically afford to live on her
own? Could she start look at a house share? Did she want to
live with people she didnt know? Had any of her mates that
ventured off to University come back that she could approach
and see if they wanted to share? Hannah felt a little guilty for
feeling she had to consume their time together with this topic
but she was content in the knowledge that Danny was being so
understanding and helpful and encouraging that she was being
helped go through all of her options. He was really supportive
in what she thought was a first big hour of need. The evening
was drawing to an end given the hour and the fact that both of
them had work in the morning. Hannah was feeling a lot better
of the sudden situation of having to move out of her family
home for the first time. They had eaten their meal and were
sitting together in the lounge area of the restaurant with the last
parts of their drinks, Hannah longingly looking at hers hoping
that it would last a lot longer than what she knew it would
allow her. Danny was quiet and thoughtful, though no one was
speaking; they were comfortable with each others company.
Danny turned towards Hannah finally settling himself into
what seemed to be a comfortable resting place for him and
engaging Hannahs eyes before talking. He said an additional
option for her to consider at this time was the possibility of
them looking for a place to live together. His current tenancy
agreement was coming up for renewal and it fell into place
perfectly if thats what she wanted to do.
She was taken aback slightly by this new option. She
thoughtfully looked at him considering the fact that they had
been together for a while now and firstly thought that she

didnt understand why she never had the idea. It would make
sense, was it actually fate or was this too soon though? Danny
understood that she wanted to be sure that this was going to be
a big step for them both and in their relationship but was
reassuring to Hannah saying how committed he was to her. He
had told her on numerous occasions that he loved her.
The following morning Hannah woke up early and broke
the news to her parents that she was going to look for a place
with Danny. They were not expecting that news; they had
thought that would have chosen a different route before
considering that option but they didnt air their opinion, if she
was happy to make this move then so they would be, too.
Danny and Hannah over the course over the coming weeks
worked out the budget and booked viewings to see places to
rent. Hannah was starting to look forward to this new phase in
her life. Plus it hadnt started to go unnoticed by Hannahs
workmates that they seemed to be leaving work together. It
was bound to happen sooner or later and to have gone this long
without any suspicions was very unusual. Nigel, her manager,
caught wind of the gossip and although he knew that there
were relations at work and that Danny was a good worker; he
worried for Hannah and hoped she wasnt going to rush things.
She was a good worker and she was still quite young plus with
the prospects she had, he didnt want anything to hold her back
from her potential. A couple of Hannahs close friends from
work had been slightly annoyed from being kept out of the
loop but now that a couple of her University friends had come
home she could feel she could be open with them about their
relationship and was looking forward to the prospect of
integrating back into a life with those friends regularly again
and with Danny by her side too.
The weekend came and the viewings to start with were not
going well, two of the flats they had seen were described
wonderfully in the ads, but going in to see them proved that
you could not have two people live there in a minimal space.
This was going to be too hard. Hannah had started to realise
how good she had it by living with her mum and dad and not
having to live in such an enclosed space, but the final property

seemed to have potential as they drew near though Hannah

was trying not to get too excited before they got there. It was a
little further from their work place than she had hoped but
maybe this was going to be it? The background research had
been done before going to look and the bus routes to work
were feasible; it just meant that the journey would be longer
than her usual 10 minutes. They were driving into what
seemed to be a quiet and modern residential area, the local
shops that had a post office, convenience store, the normal fish
and chips shop and community centre with a large field with a
park, and what would be a local pub. A few turns later going
deeper into the estate that had a green between either side of
the rows of houses. They found the car park associated with
the maisonette. Could this be too good to be true and really
what they could afford? The maisonette was the lower one and
they waited outside the property for the agent to turn up. She
looked at Danny and she saw the smile behind his eyes. She
could immediately tell that this so far was the one for him too
and they both really hoped the inside wasnt disappointing. A
few minutes later and the agent had arrived and the keys were
unlocking the door to the side of the property. The inside was
just as good. An entrance into the property and a little box
room through the first room to the left, straight ahead was a
larger room with a good sized window overlooking the green
would be the main bedroom. Again a light airy room and a
decent sized. Then the next room along was the living room, it
was nearly twice the size of the bedroom with sliding patio
doors that opened up onto a decked area that flowed out to the
small lawned area that was enclosed by a fence taller than
Hannah. Going back into the property and out of the living
room and back towards the entrance hall was a kitchen, a
modern kitchen with all the necessities of a washing machine,
a fridge freezer and a cooker, though it was a little basic. The
walls had been painted a lemon yellow with pastel yellow and
terracotta coloured tiles that went around the black work
surfaces. This kitchen overlooked the garden and was the only
room to have any colour; it even had space at the end of the
units by the door to have a couple of tall stools so you could sit

and eat at the extended work surface. The room next to the
kitchen was the bathroom. It had a bath with a shower hung
over the bath and the usual toilet plus a sink. It was all white.
They even had a cloakroom in the entrance hall. Hannah was
in awe. She quietly and methodically went through the rooms
again, with Danny following close behind. Despite the
colourful kitchen which wasnt offensive but had personality,
the rest of the maisonette was magnolia. Both Danny and
Hannah stood in the garden looking at each other. They both
loved it. In fact Hannah secretly more than loved it. They went
back inside and checked the rent with the landlord; it was
correctly advertised. They went straight back to the agents to
fill in the paperwork and put the deposit down to secure the
property.
Hannah couldnt wait to go home and tell her parents; then
she was out with her University friends for a catch up and she
couldnt wait to tell them either. Danny was out with his
friends that night so Hannah didnt have chance to show how
well she had landed on her feet with him, but the fact of having
soon a lovely new home to move into overruled any
disappointment.
The timing of the maisonette was good for Mark and
Barbara; they had found a 3 bedroomed cottage with a
thatched roof in a small picturesque village location outside a
small town about 1 hour from the City. It was their ideal rural
retirement property that they had always dreamed of, where
they could walk over undulating fields, have the sound of the
birds to wake them in the mornings, the golf courses nearby
for Mark, and spa facilities for Barbara if she ever wanted that
treat with the hope that there would be some ladies who
socialised of a similar age from within the village. They felt
happy in the knowledge that they could finally put in an offer
hoping that no one else had.
The waiting for all of them seemed to be an age. After
careful negotiations Mark and Barbara finally had their offer
accepted and a buyer for their family home. Hannah and
Danny had a move date that was within their grasp. Barbara
felt happy that at least she could see her daughter settle in her

first home though it was dawning on her that the thought of not
seeing Hannah everyday was going to be very hard. She kept
on trying to soak up how she looked as much as she could, so
that her image was imprinted into her mind, so she would
always be with her and savour her until she could see her again
on infrequent occasions.

Chapter 4
The day of key collection for Hannah and Danny had finally
arrived. Hannah had hardly slept. She had booked some time
off work and the butterflies of excitement somersaulted within
her stomach. Danny was in awe of her excitement, it was
infectious for him. Sitting in the Estate Agents seemed to take
an age, but with belongings packed and vans hired for moving
in together, the eagerness to start going and make home for
Hannah couldnt come quick enough. Hannahs parents had a
move date of a few days later so timings could not really have
worked out better.
Hannah knew that she would miss her parents but the
thought process of having her first home and with it being with
Danny certainly took away any intense feelings she would
have had. The move went smoothly; as soon as they had their
keys, within the space of a few hours all their belongings were
in boxes amongst various rooms all waiting expectantly to be
opened; it was lucky that Danny had furniture as this had saved
money and she could just think that she could stamp her mark
with buying in her own home accessories as and when she
could afford.
With furniture in place and boxes in the right place,
partially unpacked but definitely at least having the essentials
out and then some, Hannah and Danny felt like that they had
accomplished a lot that day and it started to feel like a home their home. The start of a new beginning!
With that in mind, they started to get themselves ready to
go out for dinner with Hannahs parents. It was the last
meeting before their move that weekend. They went to a quiet
local restaurant. Getting ready it was finally dawning on
Hannah that she had been so completely consumed by her own
future and her own personal life that she had forgotten the
trigger behind her own move. She suddenly felt quite selfish.
She had been too consumed in her own needs in finding her

own home that she had forgotten to leave some time aside for
her parents who were moving away. It wasnt as though she
was moving down the road and would be able to pop in for a
cup of tea and a chat as and when shed feel like it. Why
hadnt she made more time for them? She would have to try
and make up for it tonight and soak it all in.
They all met at the restaurant. The night was full of
laughter mixed with some tears. Recollections of Hannah
growing up, Hannahs parents working stories and of the
friends they had met. The wine flowed and for Hannah and her
parents they didnt want the evening to end. Danny watched
and listened for the most part of the evening feeling that he
was at times intruding on this final special moment between
them all.
The following morning Hannah woke up with a tender
head but once stirred by the fact that Danny was getting ready
for work she felt that even though getting out of her pyjamas
was not a priority, she could at least crack on with the unpacking. Danny left for work and Hannah by lunch time had at
least unpacked everything and put it all away. She was feeling
more of herself after her tender start and was glad that the
business of unpacking gave her a diversion as she had felt very
emotional following the previous nights sudden realisation
that her parent would be moving. Hannah washed and got
dressed after un-packing and tried to work out what to do with
her afternoon while she had lunch. She rang her parents and
popped over to see them, to have one final goodbye or see you
soon.
Danny came back from work and although impressed that
Hannah had finished unpacking and got the food in, asked her
whether she had never had time to clean as well, and where
was his food. Hannah was slightly taken aback by the approach
and bluntness of Danny; where was the praise or appreciation
that she had at least finished the packing and bought some
food. It at least bought her back down to earth with a bump.
She was already missing her parents and they hadnt even gone
yet and she had done so much to try and make it homely for
them both. She let it go. She was already emotional but just

walked into the bedroom and decided to start reading a book to

try and escape from some of the recently dawned reality of
what had evolved over the last few days. Anyway, tomorrow
they were meeting all their friends together in their new local
to celebrate the fact that they had moved in together. Danny
had sensed he may have overstepped the line a little; moments
after Hannah had settled down with a book, he popped his
head round the bedroom door and said he was going to pop out
for a couple of drinks and left. Hannah lay on the bed with her
book staring at the ceiling; she didnt know that this was
exactly like what she had expected especially as this was their
first official night in on their own. There was no excitement
anymore; that felt like a distant memory. She did expect that
they could settle into a routine and sometimes would need
reminding in the future that relationships had to be worked at
but she didnt expect to feel instantly alone. Danny walked to
the pub and knew he wasnt doing the right thing. This was a
new area for Hannah and to have to do this alongside the fact
that her parents were moving wasnt easy for her, but all of a
sudden he felt helpless and he didnt know what to do. Being
in the pub though, especially after his first drink, it seemed to
worry him less and, anyway, it was Friday night. Hannah on
the other hand, if she had known that he was going out would
have made plans; she didnt want to feel lonely like she was
doing at that moment.
It was just over two hours after Danny had left and Hannah
was feeling quite anxious, she felt that this had been more than
just a couple of drinks worth of time as Danny had put it. She
was thinking of the options of what she ought to do. She knew
that this definitely was not what she had in mind for them
living together. Had she been so consumed with her own
excitement and then the realisation that her parents were
moving to give this thought as to what she wanted it to be like
or thought that this is what it was going to be like? She tried to
call him on his mobile a few times but no answer; she then sent
him a text. Should she be worried? She got into her pyjamas
and got into bed with her book trying to be lost in where the
story was taking her but couldnt let herself be lost in it so she

put it down and turned out the lights, but sleep wouldnt allow
her in. Gone 1am in the morning she heard the keys fumbled in
the door then the clumsy movements around the house. The
TV went on blaring in the front room. She left it about 15
minutes and then went in the front room to find that Danny
was sprawled across the couch with gruntled snores coming
from him and with the TV still blaring. She turned off the TV;
at least he was home. To say she was disappointed about what
should have been their first night in together ever was an
understatement. She wasnt sure how she ought to handle the
situation. She went back to bed to sleep but it came to her
lightly and sporadically.

Chapter 5
The following morning, Hannah woke suddenly and with a
nervous apprehension as to what the day would bring. Today
her parents were moving and this would be the first time she
would see Danny with a hangover, possibly from hell after
drinking on an empty stomach.
She showered and dressed and checked on Danny in the
front room. He was still fast asleep fully clothed on the couch.
She hadnt made plans for today on the basis that Danny
wouldnt have been out the night before and was now feeling
at a loss as to what to do. She wanted to get out, she didnt
really want to face Danny when he woke, but saying that - was
that the right thing to do in this situation? She eventually came
to the conclusion to take herself for a walk. Maybe the fresh air
would clear her head. She left Danny a note and picked up her
keys. Trying to close the door softly she decided to find out
what the local amenities had to offer.
The clunk of the door stirred Danny; it took him some time
to gather his bearings, to remember where he was. He was in
his new home, in his front room. His head was throbbing
heavily against his skull and he realised that to move it would
require definite and slow moves. With the door closing, he
took it as a sign Hannah had gone out. He hadnt planned on
staying out so long but some of his friends turned up last night
and it turned into a little bit of a session. He had no idea what
went on in his own head as to why he suddenly felt like he had
to say about the cleaning and make an issue as to why he
didnt have any food waiting for him. Maybe part of it was
jealousy, the fact that Hannah had done so well with making
things so homely for them both and he had felt he hadnt
contributed or whether he had got it into his head that he didnt
want to have to console her about her parents move which was
a big thing for Hannah He wasnt even sure thats what she
would have been like. He showered to try and make himself