Chapter 913 Officially Establishing a Romantic Relationship
Hannah was chillin' on the swing at the park, her feet kinda dragging on the ground as she swayed back and forth.
It was that time of day when the park was pretty much deserted, just her hanging out by herself.
She leaned her head against the swing's rope, staring off into space.
She was totally lost.
Right before she and Austin were about to tie the knot, she freaked out.
Yep, she totally freaked out.
Even though she knew Quentin would lose his mind, she still bailed.
She dropped the pen, mumbled "sorry" to Austin, and bolted.
Now she was clueless about what to do next.
She couldn't even imagine how pissed Quentin would be when she got back. Would he be so mad he'd spit blood again, or drag her to City Hall himself to marry Austin?
She was too scared to go home.
School was a no-go too, 'cause Quentin might show up there to drag her back.
She didn't wanna bother Stella either and make her worry.
She felt like a lost puppy, not knowing where to turn.
She even had this crazy idea of heading to Sunset Bay to find Charles. Even if he never woke up, she'd stay with him and never come back.
Home was just too stifling, it was suffocating her.
Hannah was like, 'What now? What the heck do I do?'
She banged her forehead against the swing's rope a couple of times, and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone not too far away. She glanced over and then quickly looked away.
She froze for a sec.
Realizing something, she paused, hesitated for a couple of seconds, then slowly, like in a slow-mo movie scene, turned her head to look again.
It was Charles.
She thought she was seeing things 'cause she missed him so much. She rubbed her eyes hard, but Charles was still there. Her eyes got all teary, and she couldn't hold back the tears.
The next second, she jumped off the swing and ran straight into Charles's arms. He almost fell over but managed to stay on his feet after swaying a bit.
Hannah clung to Charles's waist, pressing her cheek against his chest, scared he'd vanish again.
It was early fall, still pretty warm, so they were both just wearing light clothes.
Charles's body heat seeped through the thin fabric to Hannah's skin.
At that moment, Hannah knew she wasn't dreaming; Charles had really woken up and come all the way from Sunset Bay.
The feeling was like thinking you were falling off a cliff, only to land on a cloud, all floaty and unreal.
Hannah's tears were flowing like crazy.
She grabbed Charles's shirt tight, pounding on his back.
She said, all excited, "You're awake, you're finally awake. Why'd you wake up now? Why?"
Charles's eyes were red too, his hands slowly moving to her back, first just lightly touching, then holding her tighter and tighter.
In the end, he hugged her so tight it was like he wanted to merge with her.
They were pressed together, feeling each other's heartbeats, like they'd been through a lifetime.
Even though he wanted to hold her forever.
They had stuff to sort out.
Charles said, "Let's find a place to sit! I just woke up, my body’s still kinda weak, and I can't stand for long."
Hannah snapped out of it, pointing to a bench not far from the swing, "There's a bench over there."
Charles nodded, grabbed Hannah's hand, and as soon as he took a step, his tall frame wobbled, his legs looking like they were about to give out.
Hannah, all worried, said, "What's up? Let me help you."
Without a second thought, she slung one of Charles's arms over her shoulder.
Charles didn't want her to strain herself, but his legs were killing him, so he had to lean on her to make it to the bench and plop down.
Hannah noticed he was in bad shape, "Your legs?"
She couldn't believe he had made it all the way here.
From Sunset Bay to Country D, and then to her hometown.
Such a long trip.
Charles bent down, rubbing his calves, and said casually, "It's nothing, just some leftover issues from the car accident. While I was out, my parents had doctors do rehab on me! I still need treatments. But it's not too bad; I'll be back to normal soon."
If it weren't for Martin and Patricia setting up rehab for him while he was in a coma, he wouldn't have been able to come find Hannah right away.
He had used a wheelchair to get from Sunset Bay to the airport.
In Hannah's hometown, he used crutches to get around.
After spotting Hannah in the park, he had Randy take the crutches away to avoid freaking her out, standing there with sheer willpower.
Only God knew that just standing for that short while, his legs felt like they were breaking.
But he didn't dare tell Hannah, fearing she'd worry.
Hannah squatted down, gently placing her hands on his knees, like his legs were made of glass, fragile and easily broken.
Hannah's tears fell one after another, soaking into Charles's pants.
Charles felt heartbroken, placing his right palm on her head, gently saying, "I'm really fine! My dad's condition was worse than mine. When he woke up, his legs were completely numb, and he was in a wheelchair for a long time! When I woke up, I could stand and walk soon after. Look at my dad now; he's doing great! The doctors said I would recover faster and better than my dad."
Because Martin had experience, he had arranged rehab for Charles during his coma, so he wouldn't be as severely affected as he had been.
Hannah, though sad, knew this was the best outcome.
Charles had woken up. And he didn't need a wheelchair.
Hannah nodded, "I'll be with you for rehab every day."
Charles teased, "What if I have to go back to Sunset Bay for rehab? Will you come with me?"
Hannah, without missing a beat, said, "Yes, I'll go with you! I can take a leave from school and come back after you're better."
Charles was so moved he almost cried.
He gently rubbed her head with the hand on her head.
Charles replied, "How could I let you take a leave for me! Since I'm here, I won't go back to Sunset Bay for now!"
Hannah's eyes lit up brighter than the stars, "Really?"
Charles dramatically raised his head, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "I seem to remember you saying that when I woke up, you'd agree to be my girlfriend, a girlfriend with the intention of marriage. Even though I couldn't wake up then, I heard and remembered everything! You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Hannah's face turned beet red.
She shyly lowered her head, but after everything that happened, she didn't hesitate, mustering the courage to say, "I haven't forgotten. I meant every word! Even if you didn't wake up, in my heart, you were already my boyfriend."
Charles felt a rush of excitement hearing her words.
He lowered his head, looked at her deeply for a moment, then leaned down and hugged her tightly.
At that moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the world, and everything else had disappeared.
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