Finding True Love

Chapter 24

Days passed by, and little by little Hansen was winning Thanya over with his charm. He made sure never to go overboard, and he stopped with the pranks. Over time, they got closer and she enjoyed his company. He was charming and sweet. She saw how much Leilani and Malia loved him, so she was happy to see that he was great with kids.

They went on more dates as time passed. It was never anything fancy, but it was always something fun that they enjoyed doing. He took her snorkeling, hiking, on picnics, and even invited her to family events with the Kala family.

Something everyone knew was a big deal.

Especially since Hansen never brought anyone with him to the celebrations. This weekend Hansen was going to Thanya's house to pick her up. They were going to Maili Pillbox for a morning hike. She was finally at the stage where she was comfortable with him knowing where she lived. Her aunt seemed to like him, maybe a bit too much. She didn't want her aunt to start trying to be matchmaker. Ding!

Hearing the sound of her phone going off, Thanya opened her messages and saw a text from Hansen.

Hansen: I'll be there in five minutes.

Not realizing she was smiling as she read the text, she quickly put on her yoga pants and a plain, old, loose T-shirt. When she heard the car in the driveway, she rushed down the stairs, not wanting him to come in. Her aunt could talk for hours, and sometimes she would retell stories Thanya already heard. Now that her aunt had met Hansen, he would go through the same thing. Thanya thought it was amusing when he would pretend that he was hearing her stories for the first time.

"Good morning!" said Thanya as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed two apples and a bottle of water.

"Morning," said Aunt Sandy, with a grin.

Aunt Sandy, took great joy in seeing Thanya get out more. She loved that Hansen came into their lives. She was rooting for him and hoped that he and Thanya would end up together. She was starting to see the light in Thanya's eyes that hadn't been there for a long time.

Walking towards Aunt Sandy, and kissing her on the cheek goodbye, Thanya walked out the door. It was perfect timing, because Hansen just pulled up to the driveway. Walking to his car, not waiting for him to get out, she opened the passenger door and got in.

Hansen grinned as she immediately got into the car.

"Eager are we?" he asked Thanya.

Thanya chuckled and replied, "You know how my aunt is. Once she gets talking, she'll talk forever. I didn't want her to see you."

Hansen nodded and made a noise of understanding. He chuckled, because he knew Thanya was right. He wouldn't admit it to Aunt Sandy, but she really was a talker. She could talk a person's ear off. As long as she liked him, he wouldn't mind listening to her stories. Besides, some of them were quite amusing.

When they arrived at the Ma'ili Pillbox, they hiked all the way to the top. The view was so beautiful and serene. The view overlooked the ocean and with the sun hitting the water, it was like it was sparkling. Thanya was sweating, but looking at Hansen, it was like he wasn't breaking a sweat. She should have figured that this would be nothing for him. He had done far more extreme things that required physical fitness.

Thanya turned to the view and closed her eyes, feeling the nice cool breeze hit her skin. She opened her eyes at the sound of someone clearing their throat. She turned towards Hansen and saw a look of hope and hesitancy on his face. She knew that whatever he must have to say, must be important.

"Thanya," Hansen said her name, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes?" She replied.

"We've been going out on a lot of dates now, and I've been waiting to ask you something," he said, looking at the ground.

Thanya's heart started to beat faster. She felt like she knew what he was going to say and she wasn't all that sure she had an answer.

Who was she kidding? Of course she did.

Hansen stepped closer to her and looked her in the eyes. Thanya got lost in his blue eyes. The way the sun was shining down on them made them look even brighter.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" asked Hansen.

Thanya's eyebrows rose and as she thought back to all the dates they went on and how patient he'd been with her, she could imagine them going on more in the future. She loved how sweet he was to her and his humor, so she smiled and nodded.

"Is that a yes?" Hansen asked with a grin.

His heart was beating so fast and he felt like he was on cloud nine. Did he finally win her over? He felt like he would die if she said no. If this was a joke, he wouldn't be able to handle it. He couldn't imagine not being with her, nor did he want to. It killed him to imagine her with someone else.

She chuckled and said, "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend."

Hansen laughed and kissed her passionately. This was the first time they had kissed, and it was worth the wait. Hansen loved the taste of her lips on his, her skin smooth as he cupped her face in his hand.

He let out an exaggerated sigh of relief then said, "Finally!"

Thanya chuckled at his exaggeration, but knew what he meant by it. She was a tough cookie to crack and he was breaking down her walls. She finally decided to let him in. She had to give it to him, he fought her a lot harder than she thought he would and lasted a lot longer than she thought he would too.

She knew she didn't make it easy for him, and she didn't regret it either. If any man was willing to fight her for her, then he was a man worth giving the time of day to. Hansen was literally the only man who wouldn't go down without a fight. He was fighting her and this time she lost. It was something she was glad she didn't win.

She just hoped she didn't regret it.