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Caleb stepped forward and onto the balcony, his big body casting a shadow over her as he stared her down. ‘You searched for me? Why? I’d missed nearly every other exam, why would you think I would still come to that one?’

‘Because…’ Her eyes met his, and to her utter shame, her eyes filled with tears, remembering a hurt she’d thought was long forgotten. ‘You promised me you would.’

Horror and understanding filled his eyes.

She was confessing so much. What girl would leave an exam to go searching for a rebellious teenager, who’d so far not turned up for any of his exams? A girl with an insane crush, that’s who. And had he heard that stuff about him being odd-looking? Writing their married name in her books, or, worse, had he heard all that stuff about Patrick – about how she’d come on too strong and picked out stripy bedlinen?

Oh God, he’s going to find out I’m a boring and neurotic control freak, obsessed with stripes!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Caleb hadn’t meant to eavesdrop.

No, that was a lie, he’d very much enjoyed listening in, until a few unexpected home truths had shaken him, and then he’d been unable to stop himself from asking about her exam.

Hannah’s lip trembled and her cheeks flushed as if she were on the verge of tears. He hadn’t meant to scare her, but he had to know the truth.

Immediately, he sat down in the seat opposite, worried he was intimidating her, looming over her as he was. He noticed his fists were clenched and he forced himself to relax them.

He was angry, but not at Hannah. His own actions – or, more accurately, the choices of his younger self – frustrated him. The teenager who’d left without a backwards glance or a decent goodbye.

‘You didn’t tell me you were leaving,’ Hannah said quietly, wringing her hands. She was behaving the same as back then, and he hated how anxious he’d made her.

No call or text, nor forwarding address. He’d treated Hannah as his mother had always treated him, like an afterthought, and he hated himself for it. Especially now that he realised the truth, that she’d suffered because of his callousness.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone would care.’

Hannah jutted out her chin in disbelief. ‘Everyone loved you.’

A worm of guilt dug deeper in his chest. Hannah had loved him back then – he prayed she didn’t love him now. He didn’t deserve it, never had. ‘Not everyone, just you,’ he said softly. Unable to help himself, he reached over to where her hair had fallen out of her ponytail and tucked it behind her ear. ‘What happened?’

‘I came across your gang of buddies.’ Her nose wrinkled at the memory, and he could well imagine how those assholes would have behaved. ‘They told me you’d left the country. I ran back, but the doors had already been closed on the exam hall, and I wasn’t allowed in.’

‘Didn’t you need maths for nursing school?’

She nodded. ‘But my parents wrote to the college. Told them I’d been anxious because of my mum’s health.’ A guilty expression crossed her face. ‘They lied for me, and, with my other results being so good and a letter from my teachers vouching for me, the college let me in anyway.’

Relief washed over him, but he knew he’d still hurt her in other ways and probably caused months of worry while she waited to hear about college. She’d gone through hell, while he’d been enjoying a new and exciting future with Baz. ‘That must have been nerve-wracking, at least until you found out you’d gotten in.’

Hannah didn’t say anything; her knuckles were white and she stared down at them. ‘It worked out in the end.’

‘I’m sorry I worried you. I shouldn’t have done that.’

Her eyes drifted back up to his. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving? You told those boys, but you didn’t tell me. It’s not even about you missing the exam, it’s that you never said goodbye.’

His throat swelled and he wasn’t sure if he could say the words. But he owed her this, and far more. ‘You mattered.’

At her disbelieving frown, he pushed forward. ‘I couldn’t stay. Paul didn’t want me there and my mom kept pushing me to find my own path. The only person who seemed to care about me was you. And you would have told me to stay, wouldn’t you?’

‘I—’ She paused, as if giving greater thought to her answer. ‘I would have said to stay until the exams were over. It was only a couple of weeks. You could have passed.’

He smiled, but it felt bittersweet. ‘I thought it easier to be a coward and disappear – leave as suddenly as I’d arrived. When you care about someone, it feels easier to do it that way.’

‘For you!’ she snapped.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the bad-tempered way she’d said it. It was a relief to see her fiery spirit again. ‘Yes, for me.’ He cupped her face, turning her towards him. ‘And I’m sorry that I didn’t say goodbye, and I made you fail your exam.’

‘It was a long time ago.’ Hannah shrugged lightly, her earlier unease disappearing, and a new flush filled her face. ‘How much did you hear?’