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Episode 30: Simply Perfect
Sometimes going out on a date means spending hours getting everything just perfect for the special occasion. For Hannah, this is not one of those times. Yet somehow Chris finds her as beautiful as ever, even when confronted by a beauty queen of a totally different sort. In my continuing effort to keep you as confused as possible regarding the order of these stories, this one takes place a week before the events of Episode 24. Enjoy! --The Author
It was a warm, beautiful day in early autumn, as seventeen-year-old Hannah Jamison and Juliana Davis worked on cleaning up the room they shared. With it being the weekend, they had both slept in a bit, so it was nearly noon as Hannah finished making up her bed and Juliana gathered some laundry together.
"What are your plans for today?" Juliana asked.
Hannah shrugged. "I don't know, I'm gonna go see Chris in a little bit, but we don't really have any plans. What about you? Maybe we could go for a walk somewhere, since it's so nice out!"
"That would be fun, but I've got another theater performance this afternoon," Juliana answered.
"Oh yeah!" Hannah remembered. "It's the same as the one I came to last week, right?"
"Yeah, just a repeat performance."
"Ok, then I won't feel too bad about not being there! Y'all really are fantastic, though. I didn't always follow the story, but the costumes were gorgeous! You looked so beautiful!" Hannah gushed.
Juliana laughed. "Well that's what counts, right? Who cares about the plot?"
"Totally! Plus, doesn't everyone usually end up dying in those plays? That gets pretty depressing."
"Hey now, they're not all tragedies!" Juliana argued.
Having finished making the bed, Hannah paused in front of a small mirror on Juliana's desk, trying in vain to arrange her long blonde hair into her typical partial ponytail. "I'm glad I'm not the one who's going to be on stage today," she commented. "My hair is a mess!" Finally she gave up and twisted it up into a loose bun, held in place with a large hairclip.
Juliana glanced at Hannah, and shook her head. "That doesn't look bad, Hannah. You know you pretty much look adorable from the moment you roll out of bed."
Hannah laughed. She had no makeup on at all, and her jean shorts and plain teal-colored spaghetti top, while comfortable on a warm day, looked just as ordinary to her as her lazy hairdo did. "Hopefully Chris thinks so too, because I pretty much do look like I just rolled out of bed," she joked.
"You know he does. He's so cute!" Juliana said with a grin. "But hey, my hair doesn't just naturally look gorgeous no matter what I do to it, so I'm going to go take a shower."
"Sounds good," Hannah said. "Do you want me to put that laundry in now or were you going to wait on that?"
"Sure, you could put it in now if you want; I can finish it later if you go to Chris's," Juliana suggested.
"Ok, I'll get it started."
"Thanks, Hannah! I knew there was a reason we keep you around!" Juliana teased.
Hannah did enjoy keeping things tidy, so she sang cheerfully to herself as she dragged the laundry basket toward the utility closet. Hardly had she put the last piece of laundry into the machine when she heard her phone begin to ring. Hurrying back to the bedroom, she picked it up just in time. "Hello?"
It was Chris calling. "Hey sweetie," he greeted her.
"Hey you!" she answered cheerily. "What's up?"
"Not much, just wondering if y- you'd like to hang out."
Hannah smiled. "Of course! What would you like to do?"
"Well, I was thin- thinking maybe we could drive up to Look Rock," he suggested.
"That would be awesome!" Hannah agreed excitedly. "It's such a perfect day for it. We could take a picnic, too!"
"Oooh yeah, we sh-*hup* should!" Chris concurred.
Hannah giggled. "You have the hiccups, don't you?"
Chris blushed, even if Hannah couldn't see it over the phone. "Ugh, yes I do. I've had th- them since breakfast. Amanda has *hup* been teasing me about it all mor- all morning! They really suck."
"Awww," Hannah sympathized. "You feeling ok?"
"Yeah, they hurt a little bit *hup* but I'm fine," Chris assured her. "Just annoyed! They make me wa- want to run away and hide."
"So you want me to come rescue you?" Hannah laughed.
"Pretty m-*hup* much! Preferably before Amanda *hup* drives me crazy."
"How could a sweetheart like Amanda possibly drive you crazy?" Hannah asked with a grin. "You know I'm gonna tease you about them just as much as she does."
Chris laughed. "True. *hup* But it's different when it's y- you!"
"Why's that? Because I'll probably end up having them too?"
"That does *hup* help," Chris teased. "But anyway, when do you wan- want to come over?"
"I can be there in a few minutes!" Hannah answered. "Anything I should bring for a picnic?"
Chris thought for a minute. "I think we have pretty *hup* much everything we'd want here. *hup* Maybe something to drink?"
"Oooh I know, Juliana made up some lemonade the other day; I'll bring some of that!" Hannah offered.
"Sounds great!"
"Ok, I'll see you and your hiccups in a minute," Hannah giggled.
"Not if I can g- get rid of them before then," Chris countered.
"No way! You're pretty cute with them," Hannah protested.
"Whatever," Chris disagreed. "I'll see you *hup* soon! Love you!"
"I love you too! Bye!"
As it turned out, Chris hadn't been able to get rid of his hiccups by the time Hannah arrived at his house. Hannah was quickly made aware of that when he greeted her with a hug at the door, and his chest sharply jerked away from hers after just a couple seconds.
"Aw, you still have the hiccups!" she commented with a giggle.
Chris rolled his eyes. "Mhm. They won't go a-*hup* away." As they walked toward the kitchen, he quietly took a deep breath and tightly held it in.
"I'm so excited about going on a picnic!" Hannah said enthusiastically. "What do you want to take?"
Chris let out his breath for a moment. "I thought we could m- make some sandwiches," he suggested. Then he resumed his breath-holding attempt.
Hannah looked at him. "It's not gonna work," she laughed. "Just let them be; I promise I don't mind. To be honest, I'd forgotten that you had them until I came in."
He let out his breath again but didn't say anything.
"They'll go away. Mine always do," Hannah pointed out. "And that's saying something!"
Soon they had gathered their food into a picnic basket. After Chris finished getting ready to go and Hannah chatted for a few minutes with Amanda, they headed for Hannah's car. "We'll be back later on!" Hannah announced as they left the house.
"Y'all be good now," Mr. Beloit playfully admonished from the garage.
"Have fun!" Amanda called.
Look Rock was situated on a long, high ridge overlooking town on one side, and a larger range of mountains on the other. An observation tower at the top offered panoramic views. They were already halfway up the windy road to the top when Hannah noticed, "Hey, your hiccups are gone!"
"I know!" Chris answered with relief. "They stopped before we left the house."
"I didn't even really get to tease you!" Hannah lamented.
Chris laughed. "You'll survive."
They decided to have their picnic before going to the observation tower, so they made their way to the picnic area. Even on such a beautiful weekend, there were several tables available. They chose one farther from the parking lot, in the shade of the trees. Together they enjoyed their simple meal, chatting contentedly as they ate. No matter how much time they spent together, Hannah and Chris always seemed to have plenty to talk about.
After they had finished their sandwiches - and the peanut butter cookies Chris had brought along - there wasn't much left to clean up. "You want to go up to the tower?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, but why don't we just relax for a little bit here first?" Hannah suggested.
"Hm, that sounds good!" Chris agreed.
Hannah took the picnic basket from the table. "Awesome! I'll go get the blanket from the car."
Still sitting at the picnic table, Chris watched Hannah stroll leisurely back to the car, swinging the basket from her arm. A few strands of her golden hair had gotten loose, and fluttered lightly in the gentle afternoon breeze. It was amazing how cute she looked even when she wasn't trying.
It only took Hannah a moment to exchange the picnic basket for the large blanket they had brought from Chris's house. "Where should we *hic* put it?" Hannah asked, walking back.
"How about in the grass between these tables?" Chris suggested, getting up and walking toward the next table, which was still unoccupied.
Hannah unfolded the big blanket. After spreading it out on the ground, she let down her hair and ran her fingers through it a couple times. She pulled down her shirt tight where it had hiked up a little bit. Then she kicked off her flip-flops and lay down on her back, with her knees up. "This is *hic* perfect!" she commented happily. Chris soon lay down next to her.
Hannah hiccupped again. "I guess *hic* I have the hiccups now. I hope you don't *hic* mind!" she turned her head and winked at him.
Hannah turned back to look up at the trees and the sky above. Chris watched her for a few minutes as they lay together, the quiet broken only by her hiccups and the occasional chatter of an agitated squirrel or call of a bird. Just lying next to her, Chris could feel her body shudder with every hiccup. Her chest jumped sharply; her stomach bounced her hands that lay folded across it; her neck sucked in a tiny bit - even her head twitched slightly. Yet she seemed completely oblivious to it all, a calm, blissful look on her face. Finally, turning slightly, he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, and joined one of his hands with hers. He too gazed at the view above them.
"It's fun to w-*hic*-atch the clouds," she said. "They're *hic* always changing, little by li-*huck*-ttle."
"Do you ever still try to find shapes in them?" Chris asked.
Hannah laughed. "Yeah, *hic* every once in a while! I re-*hic*-member when we w-*huck* were kids how Amanda and I used *hic* to do that when I'd come over *hic* to play. And when I was really little, some-*hic*-times my Mom would take me out to *hic* the park when she could, and *hic* we'd watch the clouds when I got ti-*hic*-red out."
Chris nodded.
Hannah sighed. "You never g-*hic* got to meet her, did you?"
Chris squeezed her hand. "She must have been an amazing woman."
Hannah just nodded and squeezed his hand back. "I hope *hic* someday I'm even half the mo-*hic*-ther that she was," she said pensively. Then she added, "But I don't *hic* know where I'd be with-*hic*-out you all, too. I mean, can you *huck* imagine?"
"Being without you? I don't think I'd want to imagine that," Chris answered.
"Oh stop it," Hannah giggled. "You're *hic* too sweet to me. You know, what's ama-*hic*-zing is that knowing *hic* me as well as you do, you still p-*huck* put up with me!"
Chris just laughed. Hannah turned and gave him a kiss. Now face to face, they kissed again.
It was several minutes later before either of them spoke again. "It's a good thing making out doesn't cure your hiccups," Chris joked.
"I know, *hic* right?" Hannah laughed. "They'd be *hic* gone for sure! It would *hic* be a pretty fun cure, though; I won-*hic*-der if that works for other people?"
"Only if they hold their breath while kissing," Chris suggested.
"But really, who'd w-*hic* want to make out with a girl *hic* who has the hiccups, anyway?" Hannah giggled.
"Yeah, I don't know. Probably some kind of freak," Chris laughed.
"Probably!" Hannah gave him another kiss.
"But you're as adorable as ever with them today, by the way," Chris told her.
Hannah shook her head. "I do not look ad-*hic*-orable today," she insisted. "I'm glad I g-*huck* got them for you though," she said, smiling. "You're *hic* pretty sweet, I guess you deserve *hic* it."
Believe it or not, Hannah and Chris didn't spend their whole time making out. Mostly they just lay together, enjoying the beautiful afternoon and chatting intermittently. It wasn't long before Hannah began to grow sleepy. "I could *hic* totally take a nap right now," she admitted.
"We've got plenty of time," Chris pointed out.
Hannah frowned. "Yeah, but what *hic* kind of date is it if I fall asleep on y-*hic* you?"
"Only pretty much the cutest thing ever," Chris answered.
Hannah laughed. "There you go *hic* being too sweet again! Me sl-*hic*- eeping is definitely not the cutest *hic* thing ever."
As far as Chris was concerned, Hannah would be cute even if she were changing her socks, or taking out the trash. It didn't even matter if she had the hiccups or not; he adored her every move.
Hannah cuddled up close to him. "Well I'm *hic* going to be cute for a while, *huck* if you don't mind," she announced with a smile and a big yawn. Halfway through her yawn, she hiccupped with a weird *hack!* sound, and they both chuckled. "I can't even *hic* yawn without hiccupping!" Hannah groaned.
She lay with her eyes closed for quite some time, kept awake by her hiccups, but basking in the warmth and the closeness. But finally Hannah fell asleep. Even in her sleep, the hiccups continued unabated, although her body's reaction to them seemed a little gentler. With her body still and limp, and her mouth slightly open, they made a quiet "hic" sound, each practically identical to the last.
Chris couldn't understand how Hannah slept with the hiccups; he was sleepy too but there was no way he could fall asleep with her hiccupping right next to him! He just lay awake, watching the clouds as Hannah had been. It was nice to just relax and think. He thought back again to when he and Hannah met as little kids, and through the years that followed. Even though they'd only been dating for a little over a year, they had always been close friends, right from the beginning. They always had so much fun together, and they had each been there for the other when they needed it the most.
He remembered that fun day at the pool a summer ago, when he had really started to fall for her - while she was in the middle of an especially violent case of the hiccups, of course. Then came their first date, and the last year seemed like a blur: a wonderful, beautiful blur. Nothing is perfect, but he felt like their relationship was about as close to perfect as could be. They never fought, and while there were little bumps and disappointments every now and then, he couldn't possibly imagine anything better.
He thought about Sarah and Nathan; he knew they both loved each other incredibly deeply too, but he could never handle a volatile relationship like his sister had. A relationship ought to be something safe and calming, that you can always turn to, he thought. Maybe theirs was different because they were usually so far apart. He wondered what might happen if he went away to college next year; Hannah didn't even know if she wanted to go to college, so what would happen if he had to go without her? Would they start to drift apart? He couldn't imagine letting that happen. Maybe he'd just go to a community college, so he could stay close to home. Or he could just go straight to work with his dad and Mr. Tanner in their landscaping business. They could certainly use the help, but he knew his mom would never go for that. "You'll never find yourself wishing you didn't have a college degree," he could hear her chiding him.
Every now and then a hiccup would awaken Hannah with a little start. Usually, she fell right back asleep, but finally she opened her eyes after another sudden awakening. Seeing Chris still awake, she asked, "Did you sl- *hic* sleep at all?"
"Nah," Chris said "I was fine just lying here with you."
"Aww, well *hic* thanks, that was amazing!"
Chris smiled. "Glad you enjoyed it. I don't see how you can sleep with the hiccups like that!"
Hannah rolled her eyes. "Seriously, it *hic* isn't easy," she admitted. "They wake *hic* me up a lot!"
"Aww, I noticed that," Chris said sympathetically.
"It's *hic* ok though, I still slept good! You *hic* want to go up to the to-*hic*-wer now?"
"Yeah, let's do it!"
It was only a short drive to an overlook where the trail to the tower began. It didn't take Hannah and Chris long to make it to the top, just half a mile away. The observation tower offered 360-degree views of the whole area. In one direction they could see down into town and the surrounding fields and forests, with the lake and a larger city beyond. On the other side, the mountains stretched out in front of them. The higher ones were already showing some of the colors of autumn, while the lower ridges retained most of their lush green color.
"Wow, it's *hic* so beautiful," Hannah breathed. She and Chris had been here many times, but every time she was amazed by the panoramic beauty. Chris stood behind her and held her as they both admired the view. Hannah relaxed and leaned back slightly, perfectly comfortable in his arms. "Do you think we *hic* could find your house?" she asked.
"I don't know, we never did last time," Chris remembered.
It took a while, finding the streets in their view and mentally following them toward home; but finally Chris found his house. "I think I see it," he announced.
"Aww, show m-*hic* me!" Hannah pleaded. "I haven't even found *hic* the neighborhood yet!"
Chris chuckled. Still holding her close, he tried his best to point her in the direction of the house.
"It's so hard *hic* to follow where some-*hic*-one else is pointing," Hannah complained, still struggling to find it.
"It always looks way off from where they actually mean," Chris agreed.
"Oooh, *hic* I know!" Hannah had an idea. Leaning her head over onto Chris's outstretched arm, she looked down it like a gun sight. It seemed to help her follow his direction, but her hiccups kept bouncing her head. "This would *hic* be a lot easier without the h-*huck* hiccups!" she laughed.
"Do you see that house with the blue tin roof?" Chris guided her.
"Oh yeah, I *huck* see it now!" Hannah said excitedly. "That's the *hic* Timmons' house, right?"
"Yep!"
The Timmons lived only a few houses down from Chris's family. "Awesome, I see y-*hic* yours now!"
They tried for a while to find the Davis's house, but finally gave up. "Next *hic* time we'll have to bring binoc-*huck*-ulars," Hannah suggested.
"We should," Chris agreed.
Hannah leaned back in his arms again. "Thanks for com-*hic*-ing up here; this is so *hic* much fun," she said. "Oooh, we should *hic* get some pictures!" she suddenly suggested with excitement, taking her phone from the back pocket of her shorts.
She held the phone facing them, and reached as far as she could in front of them before snapping a few pictures. "Aww, cute!" she giggled when she saw the resulting close-ups, some serious and some silly.
"We should get some with the background too," Chris suggested.
The phone's camera didn't have a timer mode, so they had to settle for taking pictures of one another with the scenery. Hannah took at least ten or twelve pictures of Chris before he finally protested, "Come on, it's your turn now!"
They switched places, and Hannah stood smiling next to the railing as Chris took some pictures. "Let me *hic* see!" she pleaded after he had taken a couple.
"I look so *hic* blah," she laughed when she saw the pictures he had taken. "And you really *hic* could have told me my bra *hic* strap was halfway down my *hic* arm," she admonished him, putting the black bra strap back up next to the thin strap of her shirt. She readjusted her hair clip, pulling her hair a little tighter. "Let's try that again!"
Hannah was much happier with the next batch of pictures. "That's b- *hic* better!" she said as they looked back through them. Chris loved them all, but his favorite was one where she had been she had been looking out at the scenery, and he had taken the picture from behind her. Serene and natural, he thought she fit right in with the beautiful scenery beyond her.
Hannah and Chris stayed at the tower for a while longer, but eventually they headed back to the car. They were nearly back to Chris's house when he got a call from his dad, asking if he and Hannah wanted to join his parents and Amanda at a restaurant. They had been out most of the afternoon, and were almost ready to go get some supper.
Chris relayed the offer to Hannah. "Sounds *hic* good to me!" she said. "It seems like we just *hic* ate, but I guess it is about *hic* that time."
They agreed to meet at a restaurant downtown that they all liked. Being close to that area already, Chris and Hannah arrived before the rest of his family. There was a short wait, so Chris put in their name. With no seats available, they stood waiting in the restaurant's foyer.
This restaurant had a program where local artists would put artwork up on their walls, with a new artist providing the paintings every month. Intrigued by the latest batch of artwork, Hannah took a few steps toward the wall to admire a couple pieces.
Suddenly, Chris heard his name. Puzzled, he turned around and saw a familiar face approaching, on her way out of the dining area. It was Mallory, a girl who used to go to his school. With a mini-skirt hiding precious little of her toned legs, a stylish top, impeccable dark-brown hair, and liberally-applied makeup, Mallory looked as striking as always. In fact, she enjoyed competing in beauty pageants, often winning. She and Chris had dated for several months until she unceremoniously dumped him for a rich guy who also happened to be the quarterback of the football team.
That had obviously put a damper on their friendship; but once Chris got over it, and then started going out with Hannah, Mallory's attitude toward him - always friendly and flirtatious before - seemed to become downright hostile. It was as if she had wanted him to come crawling back to her like guys always did, begging to get back into her good graces. Seeing him instead incredibly happy with a girl who was the absolute antithesis to everything she was: that's not what was supposed to happen! Even if she hadn't really wanted Chris back, she relished the power she held over guys. But Chris figured maybe she was over it by now, especially after having moved away several months ago. Her greeting was friendly, and she approached him with a smile.
"Hey Mallory," Chris answered, still a little nervous. "What brings you to town?"
"Just catching up with some friends. What's new with you?" she replied, giving him a short arm-hug. Chris flinched slightly; even her hug felt so fake to him. She noticed his tepid reaction, and though it hurt her feelings a little, she said nothing about it.
Chris shrugged. "Not much, just school and all, you know."
"You waiting on someone?" Mallory asked, seeing that Chris appeared to be alone.
"Yeah, waiting on my family to get here," he explained.
Mallory brightened. "Oh! How's Sarah doing? She's in college now, right?"
"Yeah, she's in college." Chris finally began to feel comfortable. "She seems to really like it so far; she's studying accounting."
"Accounting? That doesn't really sound like her," Mallory said with surprise. "I hope she likes it, though. Tell her I said hi next time you see her!"
"I'll do that," he promised. "Hannah's going down there next weekend, and I'll be seeing Sarah when we pick her up."
The smile melted from Mallory's face. "So you're still going out with that street girl?" she asked sarcastically.
Chris bristled. "Yeah, she and I are -"
Noticing Hannah over by the wall, Mallory interrupted him. "Oh, there she is." She didn't say anything to Hannah, just eyed her critically for a moment. She scanned Hannah's lazily-done hair, her cute but unglamorous clothing, and her brightly colored flip-flops. She would look like a wreck if she went out like that. How did Hannah always look so effortlessly charming? She saw Hannah jerk a couple times with her hiccups; even in the noisy restaurant she could hear the hiccups clearly. She looked at Chris with a smirk. "Looking sophisticated as always," she commented. "I hear shorts and plain camisoles are in this time of year. The two-minute hairdo is a nice touch, too: she's pretty much nailed the twelve-year-old look."
Chris glowered, but she continued, "Hard to believe you used to go out with me, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it sure is." Chris agreed heartily.
"Now you're stuck with a kid who can't even control her own f--king breathing."
Incensed, Chris tried to stay calm. He thought for a moment. "You know Mallory, I've been wanting to tell you something," he began, feeling surprisingly confident.
"Oh yeah?" Mallory raised an eyebrow.
"It's been about a year and a half now since you dumped me," Chris explained. "I used to be pretty upset at you. But you know what? In that time I've been lucky enough to be able to go out with my absolute best friend for life. She's not rich, she's not particularly elegant, she's not tall and leggy like you, and yeah, she kinda sucks at breath control. But I happen to think she looks absolutely adorable today. That simple beauty she always has: it starts on the inside, you know. She's incredibly sweet, ridiculously cute, totally perfect for me, and we have the most fun together all the time. It's been the best year and a half of my life! How could I ever be upset about that?"
"Hmph," Mallory scoffed.
"Oh, and I love her hiccups!" Chris added with a grin.
By now Hannah was acutely aware of the conversation going on about her, and had walked back to where Chris and Mallory stood. "Hey Mallo-*hic*-ry, haven't seen you in a while!" Hannah greeted her innocently.
Mallory scowled and turned toward the exit. "Come on," she said to her friends.
"Was it *hic* something I said?" Hannah looked at Chris.
Chris just shook his head. "I never have understood that girl."
"I heard what you *hic* said about me," Hannah said quietly. "That was sooo-*hic* sweet. Did you really mean all *hic* that?"
Chris nodded and hugged her a little tighter. "I love you so much, Hannah."
"I l-*huck* love you too," she replied glowingly.
* * * * *
On their way back to Chris's house after dinner, her hiccups finally gone, Hannah spoke up. "This was pretty much the best day ever! I had so much fun," she exclaimed.
Chris laughed. "Me too!"
"And thank you so much for what you said to that girl tonight; that meant a lot to me," she confided.
"I just couldn't let her keep talking about you the way she was," he said simply.
"Well really, a lot of what she said about me is true," Hannah confessed. "I mean, I usually do a better job with my makeup and hair and whatever, but this is still kinda how I am all the time. Do you ever wish I was more, um... fancy, stylish, whatever you call it?"
"Sophisticated?" Chris suggested.
"Grown up, basically," Hannah laughed. "But really, does it ever bother you that I'm not like that?"
Chris looked over at her. "You know, watching you napping on the blanket today, I kept thinking, 'Is there any way she could possibly be cuter?' There's not. I wouldn't even want you to be all sophisticated like that. You're exactly what I want."
Hannah beamed. She leaned over and gave him a kiss. "That's good, because I'd be hopeless at being sexy and all," she admitted with a giggle. "I'm a lot better at napping."
Chris laughed. Was this girl perfect or what?