She laughs. “The one and only.”
“Holy shit.” I shake my head. “What are the chances?”
“Not many people make the connection because she’s my mum’s mum.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal, but for someone in the industry, her gran is a name often spokenaround the dinner table. “As her only granddaughter, she hoped I would study politics, but it really doesn’t interest me. My brother and one of our cousins have taken that path, though, so I’m off the hook.”
“I’m an only child,” I confide. “And my uncle had three girls. So, I pretty much inherited the legacy.”
Hannah arches a brow. “Women can’t be involved in the oil industry?”
“Of course they can,” I say. “But in my family’s eyes, they’ll get married one day. Their kids won’t have the Bentley family name.”
“They’ll still be Bentleys, though,” she points out. “I’m still a Finlay, even if my surname is Abbott.”
“I know that, but the decision wasn’t up to me.”
She shrugs. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, you know. What would you do if you could do anything in the world?”
I stare at her. No one has ever asked me that before. It’s always just been expected that I’ll follow in the family footsteps.
I clear my throat. “I haven’t really thought about it.”
Hannah shakes her head, not letting me take the easy way out. “The world’s your oyster, Noah. What is your dream?”
I take a moment to consider her question, and she waits patiently. My mind drifts to the way I felt after the scandal in Perth. “I don’t know,” I say finally. “Something that matters, I guess. Not just chasing money for the sake of it.”
“What kind of something?”
I shrug, staring at the condensation sliding down my drink. “Maybe something to do with mental health. Helping others who are going through… stuff.”
She tilts her head, her sparkling eyes studying me. “I didn’t peg you as the type.”
I huffa laugh. “Yeah. You and everyone else.”
The conversation flows naturally as our meals arrive, and the more I get to know her, the more I like her. If only I felt some sort of attraction to her. It would make everything so much easier.
As the night wears on, my mind wanders to the mask hidden in my gym bag in the back of Jasper’s car. It was reckless for me to throw it in there when the whole point of tonight was to stop me from doing anything that would screw up my life even more than it already is, but the more I try to drag the night out with Hannah, the more I realise this isn’t where I want to be.
After dessert, which I force myself to swallow down despite loving a good crème brûlée, I ask for the bill and wrap up the night.
I walk Hannah to her door, all the while feeling antsy over what I’m about to do.
When we reach the entrance to the dorm, she turns and smiles up at me through her lashes, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“I had a really good time tonight, Noah.”
“Me, too.” It’s not a total lie. She was easy to talk to, and we shared a few laughs.
She hesitates, then says, “Look, I know I don’t really know you that well, but I could see the spark in your eye when you spoke about mental health earlier. I think you should give it some thought. You might be able to tack on a double degree or something.”
I rub the back of my neck. My father would never allow it, but I don’t want to admit that to her. “Yeah, maybe.”
“We’re all in charge of our own lives, Noah. You can make your own decisions, and your family will accept it, eventually.” She bites her bottom lip and takes a small step towards me.
Feeling like I owe her something, I reach over and release her lip with my thumb before brushing my mouth over hers. There’s absolutely zero spark, and I can’t help but think her skin is too smooth.
I don’t deepen the kiss, but when I pull back, she looks… dazed. My stomach clenches. I shouldn’t be leading her on like this.
Walking backwards, I lift a hand and wave. “Night, Hannah.”
