Nine point Eight
Chapter 2
It has been a week since Tyler first met her, and it has also been exactly a week since the first white snow fell into the ground.
Hannah Lawther plunged in her thought as the warm tea cup on her hand waiting patiently for her to drink it. He said that he'll come to see her again, she wonders when?
The door knocks startled her that the tea almost stained her beautiful dress. "Come in!" she answered, pretending to drink her untouched apple tea.
Dave Stanford, that well-dressed young man, stepped inside her room. He approached Hannah who was sitting near the foggy window slowly with a bright smile. "Guess what's in my hand?" he asked without bringing his hands to the front.
"Chocolates."
"True, but it's not just an ordinary chocolate." He began to chuckled, pretty much guessing how Hannah will accept the gift. With a smile? Or will she be surprised enough for her to hug him?
"Your.... Handmade chocolate?" she guessed again.
Dave held back his laughs "No, you know I can't cook, Hannah." He finally shows off the particular thing he is holding "Tadahh a snowy chocolate!"
Hannah stares to the green-red box as he put it on the table. "A snowy chocolate?"
"Uh huh. Open it by yourself!" He shoved the box slowly to her, excitedly waiting for her to open it. But before she even touched the box with her pale-white hands, his phone buzzed. He slides the green button and answers the call.
"Hello? Oh yes. I'll head to the office now."
Leaving the room with the phone on his ear, he waved at Hannah and closed the door without even letting go his phone. As usual, busy with works. He's the only ancestor of a big insurance company after all.
Silence again.
Tap-tap-tap
Three times tapped window made her turns back and saw Tyler smiling on her balcony. Her glassy eyes quickly reflect happiness. "Tyler!" She opened the window and let Tyler in.
"What's up, Hannah Lawther? You haven't tried to attempt a suicide again, have you?" He asked teasingly as he flew freely inside her spacious room. "Wow you surely have a great room."
She closed the window to prevent the cold wind from outside and went back sitting on her puffy chair. "More like a cage than a room," she said as she opened the chocolate box, "And I don't want to haunt the same place if I died so I can't attempt a suicide in my own house."
Tyler Haynes landed softly next to her "Hmm. Make sense enough. But you still can't do it somewhere else."
"Well who knows?"
"Hey, what's that?" he asked when he sees Hannah bites a delicious-looking chocolate. "Is that sugar on the top of it?" He takes a look at the chocolates closer.
"Uhm I guess. That's why they called it snowy chocolate." She sipped her tea and offers the chocolates to Tyler, "Wanna some?"
He grins widely as he shrugs "I really wanted to, but you see, I can't eat."
"Oh right."
Tyler Haynes walks around her room as he waits for Hannah to drain her tea. He glanced to a certain photo on the shelf that somehow seems so familiar even though it's only a portrait of Hannah, smiling brightly.
"What are you looking at?"
"Um no... I was just...," he trailed off, "Where's this place at?" he ended up asking the flower field on the photo background.
"Oh that? It's my family's unsold property back then," she answered, throwing back to her peaceful time without cuts or suicide intention. But that's long gone. What left is only a sold out ground on the east of the town.
"Back then?" he noticed those words she spoke "Then, it's already..."
She nodded, "Yes, someone had bought it recently."
For several seconds, Tyler Haynes watched Hannah caresses the old photo frame until he finally bursts out, "Do you want to go there?"
"No... It's already someone else's and-" she stopped when Tyler opened the balcony window and offers his hand.
"Come on." He smiled the smile she always wanted to see.
***
"Crap. How can I forget such an important document." Dave Stanford runs through the carpeted hallway to Hannah's father's office. He glanced to Hannah's room as he passed it.
"You can really take me there? Right now?" A girl's voice, which is no other than Hannah, went out through the closed door.
Who is she talking to?
Leaning on the wooden door, Dave Stanford forgets about the documents again.
"You mean it, right?"
Is she talking to herself?
"Of course. Take my hand," Tyler answered again. This time he answered louder than before, which he whispered the 'yes'.
"Okay." Hannah reaches his right hand.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Dave rushed inside the room and found Hannah already gone from her room. He felt like a dumb, shouting over an empty room.
Was it just his imagination?
***
A quite bright light flashed in front of her as she could felt Tyler's warmth on her hand. She felt safe just by being beside him.
"Open your eyes, Hannah," whispered Tyler.
The fragrance of flowers drifts her eyes open at an instant. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, amazed by the sunset sky above the flower field.
"How..?" she asked, remembering that they are in the mid of winter.
"We're not in real world. This is your memory, Hannah." He turned, shifting his eyes from the breathtaking scenery to Hannah's glassy eyes "So make sure you don't let go my hand."
"My memory?" Her voice stuck inside her throat. If this is her memory, then-
"Oh is that you? Who's with you?" Tyler pointed out Hannah's old self in her memory, running through the field with someone behind her.
Her breath stuck in her lungs.
It couldn't be.
"That's-"
She accidentally lets go her hand and then another bright light flashed on her eyes.
BAM!
Everything changed back to its current position. The furniture, and also the slightly cold air, even though there's a heater in the room.
Hannah exhaled either in relief or disappointed. They are back to her room. To the reality.
"Who was that?" Tyler asked, seeing Hannah was shaken by the eyeshot just now. "Are you okay?"
"Hmm-m. I'm fine." She crawls to her bed and hides behind her blanket "I uh a bit tired-"
"Oh sure, I'll leave then-" Her hand grips his shirt, stopping him from taking another step further.
"Stay here," she said without showing her messy face.
Tyler Haynes fell silent for a moment but then he held those small hands with his "Alright. I think I'll stay a little bit longer."
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Thank you so much for reading the second chapter! I must admit that I updated this pretty fast (haha) hope you enjoy this and as always, please vote & comment!
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Nine Point Eight
लघु कहानी—I'll be the one to break your fall instead of gravity— People always tend to have regrets, and that's perfectly normal for an imperfect human being. But what you need to know is this little thing called regret can make everything change. Now it's y...
