“Holy shit,” Elena breathed.
“Yup.” There wasn’t much else to say, after all.
Elena stared at her for a moment, her eyes still wide. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing.” Hannah spread her hands. “Go and do the job I’m there to do. I’m not even sure he recognized me.” She’d gone back and forth a million times since she got home. Had he recognized her? He hadn’t acted like it. But really? After all the time they spent together, for him to not recognize her … her stomach dropped, her heart aching like her senior year all over again. The wildly swinging emotions caused by the internal debate had made it hard to focus on her homework. But she’d decided that if he really hadn’t recognized her, she wouldn’t clue him in, even though it hurt her to think he could just forget about her like that. It was better this way. Less awkward for everyone.
Elena’s mouth dropped open. “No fucking way! What a jackass.”
Hannah shrugged, trying to pretend it didn’t bother her. “It’s been more than three years. My hair’s shorter, I’m wearing clothes, for God’s sake, and it’s at his new job. He gave me a couple funny looks like he was trying to place me, but who would expect the girl they hooked up with years ago on their summer break to show up in their office? And at the time, I was planning on going to UW, so why would he think I’d end up here?”
“Still, though,” Elena looked disgusted, and it made the ache in Hannah’s chest a little better to know her friend was incensed on her behalf. “You spent the entire summer with that guy. He didn’t even recognize your name?”
Hannah shook her head. “It didn’t seem like it.” She got up and went into the kitchen, not wanting to talk about this anymore. Elena had already heard enough about the Matt and Hannah saga. And there wasn’t even anything between them anymore. That summer was ancient history. He’d already forgotten about it, after all.
Making a big deal out of it would be stupid. She’d gotten over the guy a long time ago, and he’d clearly gotten over her. She didn’t need to dredge up stuff from a million years ago. That wouldn’t help her at this internship. And she’d worked her ass off to get it, not even applying for any others. She only wanted to work for Eco Utilities. Their company philosophy lined up almost exactly with her own. Her parents had made it clear that she needed to find “a real job.” Her environmental activism was a nice hobby, but working for a non-profit wouldn’t pay the bills. Working for a company like Eco Utilities, who combined smart business with caring about the environment, made for the ideal situation. These kinds of companies didn’t exist in very many places. She wasn’t going to fuck it up trying to see if some jackass who’d dropped out of her life remembered her name or not.
After grabbing a soda from the fridge she went back to the living room where Elena still sat with her feet on the coffee table. “It’s not that big of a deal, really,” Hannah said, and she sounded like she was trying to convince herself, even to her own ears. Probably because she was. “Since he doesn’t remember me, I’m not going to bother reminding him about me. If he figures it out and approaches me, I’ll deal with it. But I’m there to intern with the marketing department and learn everything I can, and hopefully they’ll like me enough to offer me a full-time position after I graduate. I don’t have time for bullshit with some ex. Especially with Derek still bothering me like he didn’t get the message last month that we’re through. Hell, maybe I’ll even let you set me up like you’ve been begging to do.”
Elena’s eyes brightened at that, and she sat up straighter. “Really? Because you know there’s this guy—”
Hannah held up a hand, cutting her off. “I said maybe. It’s only Monday, and I already have a ton of homework, plus I have that thing with the Environmental Club on Saturday.”
Elena’s brows scrunched together again. “I thought you weren’t going to do that this semester. You know, with a full class load plus the internship, you said you’d be too busy.”
“I know.” Hannah flopped back on the couch. “But Derek started telling people that I was quitting because of him. There was this whole drama, and Courtney had me on the phone for an hour one night during Christmas Break begging me to stay involved. I couldn’t tell her no.”
Elena gave Hannah a look like she might start lecturing her about standing up for herself, but Hannah held up a finger. “Don’t start.”
Rolling her eyes, Elena sighed. “Fine. What about coffee tomorrow?”
Hannah looked down at her books. “Um, I have a lot going on tomorrow.”
“I thought Tuesdays and Thursdays were your light days. Don’t you just have one class in the morning those days and your internship in the afternoon? And you’re only there for like two hours a day. So, you should have time either after your class or after you get back from the internship.”
Blowing out a breath, Hannah conceded Elena’s point. “Fine. You’re right. Tomorrow is pretty light. But I do need time to do my homework for Wednesday. Wednesdays are a lot busier.”
“I’m just asking for an hour for coffee.
