The Bodyguard

chapter 15

Hannah POV

The next morning, I woke up thinking about Camille. I didn't like the feeling. I had dealt with suspicious people before. It was part of my old life. I knew what it looked like when someone was trying to figure me out and Camille was definitely trying to figure me out.

I got dressed and headed downstairs. The smell of coffee hit me before I reached the kitchen. Alexander was standing at the counter, making breakfast.

"Morning." He looked over his shoulder.

"Morning." I replied. He handed me a cup.

"Black. No sugar." He said.

"You're getting good at this." I smiled.

"I pay attention." He said with a smirk..

"Thank you." I took a sip.

"You were quiet last night." He leaned against the counter.

"I was thinking about Camille." I said looking at my coffee.

"Did she say anything else?" His expression became serious.

"No." I shook my head. "That's the problem. She doesn't have to." I said.

"You think she's investigating you?" He studied me.

"I know she is." I replied.

Alexander was quiet for a moment. Then he reached for my hand. "Remember what I said." He said.

"Deal with it together." I stated.

"Exactly." He nodded. I smiled. It was strange how much those words comforted me.

A few months ago, I would've handled everything myself. I would've lied, run, changed my name and disappeared. But now, when something scared me, my first instinct was to look at Alexander and that realization made my heart beat faster.

I was changing. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.

---

Camille POV

I didn't sleep well. I kept thinking about Hannah's notebook. There was something wrong. I just couldn't figure out what.

So I started with the easiest thing. Find out about her past. I sat at my desk with my laptop open. Hannah had told the family a little about herself. Nothing unusual. She had moved around. She'd worked different jobs. She didn't have much family. It was vague. I started searching. Nothing.

I tried another combination. Still nothing. No old social media accounts. No college records. No pictures with childhood friends. No family or history. It was almost like Hannah had appeared out of nowhere. I leaned back in my chair.

"That's impossible." I mumble to myself.

Everyone left a trail. Everyone had something. But Hannah? She had nothing. I opened my phone and looked at the pictures I'd taken over the years.bThen I stopped.

There was one from several years ago. Alexander and I were standing beside his father's truck. He was laughing. I smiled at the picture. I knew that version of him. I knew the person he had been before Hannah.

That's when another thought crossed my mind. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place. Maybe Hannah wasn't hiding her past.nMaybe someone was helping her hide it. I stared at the screen. Alexander? My stomach tightened. No.

I shook my head. Alexander wouldn't lie to his family. Would he? I wasn't sure anymore.

That afternoon, I found Hannah in the kitchen. She was helping Alexander's mother prepare dinner. She looked completely comfortable. Like she'd been part of the family for years.

"Hannah," I said.

"Hey." She looked up.

"Can I ask you something?" I smiled.

"Sure." She hesitated.

"Where did you grow up?" I ask. She paused.

"Different places." She replied.

"Like where?" I question further. Her fingers tightened around the spoon she was holding. I could see she didn't want to talk about it. So I changed the subject. "Do you have any siblings?" I asked.

"No." She replied.

"Parents?" I push further. She went quiet.

"No." She says softly. There was something in her expression. Pain. Real pain.

For a moment, I almost felt guilty. Then I remembered the notebook. I wasn't trying to hurt her. I was trying to understand her.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's okay." She gave me a small smile.

I nodded. Then I asked casually, "Where did you go to school?"

"I didn't really stay in one place long enough." Her eyes flickered toward the doorway.

That answer bothered me. Not because it was impossible. Because it sounded rehearsed. Like she'd said it before.

"That must've been difficult." I smiled.

"It was." She says. Then she turned back to the food. Conversation over. I walked away, but I had another piece of the puzzle and I didn't like the picture it was making.

That evening, I watched Hannah and Alexander from across the room. He was sitting beside her on the couch. Their shoulders were touching. Hannah said something. Alexander laughed. She smiled at him.

Then he reached over and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. It was such a small gesture but it made something twist inside me. I'd known Alexander for years. I'd seen him with women. I'd seen him date. I'd never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at Hannah and that was the part I couldn't understand.

If their relationship was fake, why did it look so real? I watched Hannah laugh at something he whispered. Alexander smiled. For the first time, I wondered if maybe I had been looking at this the wrong way.

Maybe Hannah wasn't using him.nMaybe Alexander was the one hiding something. I picked up my phone. I opened my notes.

I typed:

Hannah — investigate.

Then underneath it:

Find out who she really is.

I stared at the words. I wasn't going to accuse her. Not yet. I needed proof. Something solid. Something neither of them could explain away and I had a feeling I was going to find it soon.

---

Hannah POV

That night, Alexander and I were getting ready for bed when he looked at me.

"What?" He asked me.

"You've been staring at that ring for five minutes." I looked down.

"I was thinking." I state.

"About?" He questioned me.

"How weird this all is." I hesitated.

"That's one way to describe it." He smiled.

"I mean it." I laughed.bI looked at the ring. "Your family thinks we're getting married." I say..

"Grandma definitely thinks we're getting married." He replies.

"And your mother is already planning things." I responded.

"She likes to be prepared." He shrugs.

I shook my head. Then I looked at him. "What if they weren't wrong?" I ask.

"What?" His smile disappeared.

I swallowed.nI hadn't meant to say it out loud. "What if..." I looked away.b"What if someday this wasn't fake?" I ask him. The room became quiet.

"Hannah." Alexander stepped closer.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore." I looked up at him.

"Neither do I." He gently took my hand. His thumb brushed over the ring.b"But I know I don't want to go back to pretending I don't care about you." My heart raced. I looked into his eyes and this time, I didn't look away.

Maybe that was the scariest part. I wasn't pretending anymore.

—---

Camille POV

I spent most of the next day thinking about Hannah. Something about her story didn't add up. I opened my laptop and started searching. I wasn't looking for anything specific at first. A place she'd lived. A job she'd had. A school she'd attended. Anything that could help me understand her.

Hannah had told the family she'd moved around a lot. That made things harder, but it also made me more suspicious. I searched the names of a few towns she'd mentioned. Then I searched the businesses she'd said she'd worked for. Nothing.

I frowned at my screen. Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe she really had moved around that much. But then why couldn't I find even one photograph? One old account? One person who knew her? Everyone left something behind. Everyone except Hannah. I leaned back in my chair. "Who are you?" I whispered the words to myself.

Then I remembered something she'd said during dinner. She'd mentioned working at a small restaurant several years ago.nI searched the restaurant.bThis time, I found something.bAn old business listing.nI clicked through it.

There were reviews from years ago.nPictures of the staff.nI scrolled through them slowly. Then I stopped. There was a group photograph from several years earlier. I zoomed in. My eyes narrowed. There she was. Hannah or at least, a woman who looked exactly like her.

But the name underneath the photograph wasn't Hannah. I stared at it, maybe it was a mistake. I searched for the name. There were a few more results. A different city and different job. Another photograph of the same woman.

My stomach tightened. This wasn't a coincidence. Hannah had used another name. I wrote it down. Then I stared at the screen. Why would someone change their name? I knew there could be innocent reasons, but something told me this wasn't innocent.

I closed the laptop. I wasn't ready to confront her. Not yet. I needed to know more.

---

Hannah POV

By the time I came downstairs, Alexander was already in the kitchen.nHe was making coffee. I walked over and stole a sip from his cup.

"Really?" He looked at me.

"What?" I ask innocently.

"That's mine." He stated.

"You weren't drinking it." I responded.

"I was going to." He said.

"Too late." I smiled.

"You've become a coffee thief." He shook his head.

"Maybe you should make two." I said to him.

"Maybe." He poured another cup and handed it to me.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"How are you feeling?" He leaned against the counter.

"About Camille?" I ask. "Still worried." I sighed

"She's not going to stop until she finds something." He nodded.

"I know." I said softly

"Then we'll be ready." He reached for my hand.

"You're really not going to let me deal with this alone, are you?" I looked at him.

"No." He smiled

"Even if it gets messy?" I ask.

"Especially if it gets messy." He says with a chuckle.

I smiled. I wasn't used to that. Having someone stay and someone stand beside me when things became difficult. For most of my life, the moment something went wrong, I ran. Now I had someone telling me he would stay. That meant more to me than I wanted to admit.

Alexander looked at me for a moment. Then his eyes dropped to the ring.

"You know..." He begins.

"What?" I ask.

"I've been thinking about something." He mumbles.

"That sounds dangerous." I raised an eyebrow.

"It might be." He smiled.

I waited, but he didn't say anything else.

"Alexander?" I ask again.

"Not yet." He says..

"Not yet what?" I question him.

"You'll know." He shook his head.

"I hate when you do that." I frowned.

"I know." He laughed. He leaned closer and kissed my forehead. My heart fluttered and I realized something. I wanted to know what he was thinking.

---

Alexander POV

I watched Hannah walk away. I couldn't stop smiling. I had almost told her, but I wasn't ready. I wanted to do this right.

If I was going to propose to Hannah, I didn't want it to be because everyone expected it. I didn't want Grandma's ring to be the reason. I wanted Hannah to know that I was choosing her. For real.

I reached into my pocket and touched the small velvet box I'd bought earlier that morning. I wasn't ready to give it to her, but I was getting there.