The Lifetimes I Remembered

Chapter Fifteen: Hannah

Hannah rolled the helmet in her hands, eyeing Ivan. He was already seated on the bike and was offering her a hand to help her get on. “So where are we going, exactly?”

Ivan shrugged. “Have you had breakfast yet?”

Hannah shook her head. “Dominic has work around nine and we had to head to the nursing home as early as we could. We didn’t have time for breakfast.”

“Good,” Ivan said, smiling at her, “My Dad mentions a diner at the outskirts of town. He told me I used to love going there before the accident. Grace mentioned it once too. Told me I was the biggest fan of their chocolate pancakes.”

“Chocolate pancakes on a fine Saturday morning in the outskirts of town,” Hannah mused, shaking her head but a small smile creeping on her face. “Sounds good to me. But we’re still going around town, Ivan.”

He nodded and offered his hand again for her to take, to help her get on the bike. “Of course. We’ll explore every nook and cranny this town has to offer.”

Hannah rolled her eyes and placed the helmet on her head, Ivan doing the same thing. With a muffled voice, he said, “Hold onto me tight, okay?”

Hannah’s grip on him tightened as he sped to the highway and to the outskirts of town. Despite the helmet, she could feel the wind hitting her and blowing her hair the other direction. In that moment, she was brought to a memory tuck in the crevices of her mind, of a scene almost the same as this one but instead of bikes, there were horses.

“You better hold onto me tight, my love, I don’t want you falling off a horse a few days before our wedding,” Ivan teased as Hannah tightened circled her arms around his waist.

She scoffed and playfully squeezed his stomach. “I’ll have you know I’m also capable of riding on my own.”

He laughed. “You never fail to amaze me every day.”

They headed to the forest, where the trees and bushes would hide them from view, where her favorite berries were. After the announcement of their betrothal, they spent more and more time together. Sometimes they were all by themselves or among the people in the village.

Ivan stopped the horse and jumped down, offering his arms for her to leap into. She rolled her eyes but jumped into his awaiting arms, but somehow managed to cause the two of them to topple on the ground. Ivan’s laugh echoed in the quiet forest, mingling with hers.

Ivan rolled on top of her, grinning down. His lips were inches from hers and she waited for him to dip his head down and capture her lips in a searing kiss. But he never did so. They’ve never kissed even when the desire was obvious in his eyes, he hasn’t done so.

“Why don’t you kiss me?” She asked, her voice a quiet whisper, her cheeks burning hot as she asked the question.

Ivan’s ocean eyes stared at her with such intensity that she felt naked under his gaze. “Do you want me to?”

Did she? Was that really a question he was supposed to ask? She was his betrothed and he was hers, other than the official exchanging of vows and declaration of their union, she didn’t want her first kiss to be the one that sealed the two of them.

She couldn’t voice out her reply but hoped that she had managed to let him see the answer in her eyes. Slowly, he inclined his head to hers. “You have no idea how much meeting you made me happy, Hannah.”

When he dipped his head to hers and captured her lips, her eyes closed, her heart fluttered. His lips were warm on hers, like the sunlight basking you for the first time after a chilly day. Her hands reached to touch his face, pulling him a little more closely.

They had to break the kiss to breathe in some air but Ivan rested his forehead against hers and for a moment, Hannah was assured that the rest of her life would be as amazing as that instant. A future she thought farfetched now within reach, a dream coming into focus and true. And for the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to believe that Ivan was the one meant for her and no one else.

It took her a minute to realize that Ivan had slowed the bike and they were nearing a house that must’ve been the diner that he meant. The peeling purple paint on the window hinges indicated how old it was but it had an air of comfort and nostalgia around it and Hannah embraced the warmth and coziness it emitted.

“Well, I’ll be, it’s been a while since I’ve last seen you come by, boy,” the man behind the counter greeted them, addressing Ivan with a warm smile, his voice still heard above the noise of a busy crowd.

He was dressed in all white, and a white apron clung to him, a stark contrast to his dark skin. His gaze then fell to Hannah and there was a surprise in his eyes that was quickly masked away. “Well, who might this pretty girl be?”

Hannah smiled slightly at him and held out a hand for him to shake. “Hi, I’m Hannah Pearce. I’m new in Blue Valley. He’s just showing me around.”

“Ah, he’s just shown you to the best breakfast place around town. Well, technically fifteen minutes outside your town but you get the point,” he said, shaking her hand, “I’m Will Woodard, grandson of the founder of this diner.”

He turned to Ivan and winked, “I’m sure you already know the brief history of this place?”

Ivan turned away. “I’m sorry, Mr. Woodard but I’m not sure if you’ve known about my accident.”

“Your girl told me,” Will stated with a shrug and offered him a sympathetic smile, “Grace came by and bought you what she assumed was your usual. I didn’t have the heart to tell her you weren’t exactly the biggest fan of chocolate pancakes.”

“So what was my usual?” Ivan asked, wondering why the pre-accident him led Grace to believe he liked chocolates.

“I’ll surprise you,” Will said with a wink and then turned to Hannah, “Anyways, my great great grandfather founded this place when he was sixty years old. It was passed down to generations and now I’m here to handle it.”

“A family legacy,” Hannah mused and then looked around the diner, noting the ambiance of a home that it reflected, “This must’ve been a house once.”

“Yes. My great great grandfather built it for the love of his life but sadly, they didn’t end up together because she chose to love someone else,” Will said with a sad smile, “It’s hard to believe something beautiful could be the outcome of something tragic.”

The story broke Hannah’s heart but she couldn’t help but feel more than just sympathy for a love lost. There was guilt that crept into her heart but she couldn’t understand why. She placed her order to Will and she and Ivan sat down in the only unoccupied table the diner had.

“Didn’t know this place had that sad story,” Ivan commented once the two of them were seated, “Well, maybe I knew, pre-accident Ivan, but still it must’ve sucked for the first owner.”

“He made a house for the love of his life but still got rejected.” Hannah shook her head. “I wonder what made her choose someone else.”

“Maybe the right one just waltzes in her life and swept her away,” Ivan said, looking at her with a small smile.

Hannah turned away, remembering the dreams that she had been having. “What if she assumed that the one who came was the one she was meant with?”

“So you’re saying she made a mistake?” Ivan asked, an eyebrow rising.

Hannah shrugged as a waiter came with their food. Hannah had ordered blueberry pancakes doused with homemade syrup while Ivan had strawberry waffles. The small grin that spread on his face fluttered her heart. As much as she wanted to deny it, the attraction was there and no matter how many times she avoided him, she just ends up next to him.

“I’m saying that sometimes we don’t see the ones meant for us because we’re too busy looking for them in someone else,” Hannah said and took a bite of her late breakfast. She closed her eyes, savoring the burst of her favorite berry.

“Tastes good, eh?” Will said, appearing in front of them with their drinks. Hannah had ordered vanilla milkshake while Ivan simply had orange juice.

Hannah nodded in agreement. “Yes. Where do you get your berries?”

“There’s a farm five minutes from here. You could pick as many berries as you wanted and only pay 12 bucks for them,” Will said grinning and then nodded at the two of them, “You two look better suited than the one you brought here before. Chemistry’s there, kids, saw it the moment you walked in the door.”

He headed back to the counter and left the two of them basking in awkward silence. Hannah avoided Ivan’s gaze, focusing on her food and her milkshake. She could only pray that he blush wasn’t that noticeable.

“Farm,” Ivan muttered and then looked at Hannah, “Would you want to go there?”

“And pick out berries?” Hannah said almost laughing. She wanted to explore the town, not head out and pick berries. But then again, was there anything about Blue Valley that she really did want to see? “I’m in.”

Ivan had asked Will for the direction of the farm and the old chap was right, it did only take five minutes to get there from his diner. Hannah marveled at the sight of trees and shrubs sprouting with the delicious fruits. She turned to Ivan grinning.

“I feel like I just died and went to heaven.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and laughed, handing her a basket. He looked out of place in the field of trees and shrubs and vines with his leather jacket and dark jeans and boots. He held his own basket and Hannah couldn’t stop the laughter from spilling out of her lips.

“You seriously look out of place. I think if you ditch the jacket and scowl on your face, you’ll fit right in.”

Ivan rolled his eyes but did remove his jacket. He tied it around his waist and was left in a plain white shirt. Hannah stared at him for a moment but then turned away, avoiding eye contact. She headed straight to the field like a child going in an amusement park. Her enthusiasm made him amused him and he followed her, albeit at a more casual pace.

“How are you so happy right now?” Ivan asked plucking a berry from a tree that she could barely reach. He turned to her, amusement painted on his features.

Hannah merely shrugged. “My Dad used to take me and Dominic here. Mitch didn’t like it too much but Dom and I, we loved it. He’s gonna be thrilled to know there’s a farm here.”

The mention of Dominic soured Ivan but he tried to mask it away. He pointed at a branch of a tree and said, “Want me to get those for you?”

She looked up and then looked at him. “Could you?”

Ivan merely shrugged. “Piece of cake.”

Turns out it wasn’t exactly that easy to climb a tree in jeans and he struggled so much that Hannah couldn’t contain her laughter. He desperately tried to catch the branch but misstep and tumbled down. Hannah stopped laughing and rushed to his side as he groaned and cradled his arm.

“Are you okay?” Hannah asked even if she knew that the question sounded stupid. Ivan could only groan in response. Hannah bit her lip and touched his arm. “Do you think it’s broken?”

Ivan shook his head, wincing. “No. Bruised, yes, but not broken.”

She helped him up and they both headed to a bench for him to sit on. He sighed and plopped down. She checked his arm and poked at it a bit which only caused a yelp from him and a glare. “I don’t think that’ll help, Hannah.”

“You didn’t need to climb a tree in skin-tight jeans too, Ivan.”

He rolled his eyes. “A few minutes rest could do me some good.”

Hannah nodded and settled beside him, resting her back on the chair. She pulled her legs up and crossed them, making herself comfortable. The noonday sun didn’t feel harsh on their skin, nor was it too bright for their eyes. The breeze was cool and kissed them with freshness, along with the scent of the berries wafting in the air.

“I like this,” Hannah commented, leaning back, “I haven’t felt this relax in a long while.”

Ivan turned his head to her and watched as the sun paled her hair and brightened her liquid gold eyes. He allowed the moment to imprint longer on his mind before he responded. “You said something at the diner earlier.”

“I said a lot of things.”

“Sometimes we’re don’t see the ones meant for us because we’re too busy looking for them in someone else,” he quoted, his eyes looking at her with such intensity that it pierced to her soul, “Did you mean it?”

Hannah didn’t know how she was meant to respond to that. She said it in acknowledgment of what she had gathered in her previous lifetimes but Ivan wasn’t supposed to be the one to hear it. She turned to him and didn’t have to wonder why she always, in all her lifetimes, ended up where he was.

The attraction they had was undeniable, the chemistry that sparked and burned brightly, clearly there to be not seen. She bit her lip and tried to play it cool; wanting to drop the subject before he could ask questions that would lead them to the truth she desperately tried to deny.

“It’s true for some people. Not everyone, Ivan,” she replied, wondering if her answer was the right one and the one he should be hearing.