Now I Watch Her Love Him novel · Chapter 15 of 24

Chapter 15: The Bench

Hannah's POV

Jonas's shop smelled of cedar and cold coffee, and he had left one work light burning over the long bench.

It was Thursday night, five days after the party.

I had told Beth I would be late, and Beth had said, "Take your time and text me a thumbs up."

"You're quiet," Jonas said.

He stood at the far end of the bench with a plane in his hand, not using it.

"I told you a thing in your bed that I haven't told anyone," I said. "I want to tell you the rest."

He put the plane down.

I sat on the stool by the vise and kept my coat on.

"When I called the ninth time, someone picked up," I said. "A woman. She said he was asleep and not to call again."

I looked at my hands.

"For the first second I thought it was his voice. Then I heard it wasn't."

"Hannah."

"I sat on the nursery floor with the phone against my chest until Beth came.

"I thought Dylan knew I'd called. I never thought she was the only one who did."

He came around the bench.

He did not touch me. He crouched in front of the stool, so his face was lower than mine.

"Say her name," he said.

"Wren." My voice broke on it.

"I'm listening."

"I'd like to stop being sad in front of you," I said. "I'd like to be something else for an hour."

"You can be anything you want in here."

"I want to be on top of that bench."

He looked at me.

He looked at the bench, which was a slab of white oak, clean, chest high.

"It's got a vise on the end," he said, very dry. "I'll be bruised in three places."

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