Drive Safely--Haria
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Hanna tucked her face into her girlfriend’s chest and wrapped and arm around her waist, groaning at the annoyingly loud alarm clock.
“Han, I have to get up,” Aria yawned, trying to remove Hanna’s arm. It was about as effective as trying to pull off a boa constrictor, or at least the way she imagined it would be.
“Stay,” Hanna ordered sleepily. Aria sighed. She’d known the word was coming, and she’d been preparing for it.
“I can’t. I have class,” she reminded her. Instead of moving, Hanna nuzzled closer.
“Just five more minutes,” she begged. Aria sighed again and ran her fingers through Hanna’s hair.
“Han, my class is at ten. If I don’t leave now, I won’t make it,” she said. Hanna lifted her head to look at the alarm clock.
“It’s five in the morning. You have plenty of time,” Hanna whined.
“Just five more minutes. I still have a four hour drive,” Aria reminded her, relenting. Pleased to have gotten her way, Hanna buried her face back into Aria’s chest.
Aria hated this; she hated long distance. She longed to spend every night like this, and not have to worry about getting up and making the four hour drive back to Boston. She was reminded once again why she’d meant to leave the previous night: while Hanna would never consciously make her miss class, she got clingy when she was still asleep. And at five in the morning, Hanna was definitely still mostly asleep.
Only six more months, she reminded herself. In six months she would be graduating and joining Hanna in New York. The blonde had gotten a coveted internship, so they’d both agreed it made more sense for Aria to move in with her. And Aria couldn’t be more excited. She had to force herself to pay attention to her classes, because all she wanted to think about was the future she’d be starting in six short months.
“Han, I really need to go,” she said regretfully. Hanna sighed but didn’t argue, and kissed her girlfriend.
“I’ll walk you out,” she offered. Aria shook her head, slipping out of bed. She tenderly readjusted the blanket around the blonde.
“Don’t be silly. You go back to sleep,” she said. Hanna didn’t argue.
“Drive safely. And call me when you get back,” Hanna ordered, a yawn interrupting her. Aria smiled and pressed a final kiss to Hanna’s forehead.
“I will. And I’ll see you next weekend,” she said.
Hanna had already fallen back asleep. Aria sighed to herself and collected her overnight bag.
After picking up a coffee from the shop next to Hanna’s apartment, Aria began the drive back to Boston. While she drove, she imagined what her life would look like in six months. She could already picture her and Hanna living together. They would be able to go to bed together and wake up in each other’s arms, without a five o’clock alarm rushing her out the door. They’d drink their morning coffee together and eat dinner together. She’d listen to Hanna complain about her boss. She’d find a job at a coffee shop or something until she could find something more permanent. It almost sounded too good to be true, but in a mere six months it would be her life.
She glanced at the dashboard, checking the time. She wasn’t worried about being late, but she secretly hoped Hanna would stay asleep until she got home. Ever since Aria had gotten into a minor car accident last year, Hanna worried, and worried, and worried, every time Aria got into a car. She hadn’t even been hurt, but anytime she tried to point that out, Hanna would hysterically remind her that she’d gotten lucky. Aria had considered switching to taking the bus, just to placate her girlfriend, but driving herself shaved off forty minutes. Plus, she didn’t have to tailor her plans to the bus schedule. Still, she hated knowing that Hanna worried.
Her phone rang and she rolled her eyes. Had Hanna woken up confused, thinking Aria had gone home last night? She normally didn’t call if she knew Aria was driving. She picked up the phone and frowned, not recognizing the number.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Is this Aria Montgomery?” a woman’s voice asked. Aria’s frown deepened.
“Yes, who is this?”
“This is Annaleigh Winters at Tribune Publishing Company. We’d like to offer you a job.”
Aria’s jaw dropped. She’d completely forgotten about applying to the company. She started to tell the woman that she wasn’t interested, but hesitated.
“Can I give you my answer in a couple of days?” she asked instead. The woman agreed, and they hung up. Aria sighed. She knew she couldn’t turn down this job. Offers like this didn’t grow on trees. She’d only asked for some time because she felt she owed it to Hanna to tell her before she accepted.
But… They were both so excited. How was she going to tell Hanna she was staying in Boston?