"He's protective of you," Shawn spoke from the driver's seat as he drove out of the city. 

There was no use in denying or underplaying it. "Yes, he is." Mostly David was just a friend, but he'd kicked it up a notch since Hannah began working at the bar. 

"I'm happy someone's looking out for you here."

Hannah turned to look at Shawn. This was why their relationship was doomed and this was why she had to get away. Everyone changed their role from whatever it had been to her caretaker. While David looked out for her, it wasn't in the way Shawn was used to doing. 

Shawn hovered and David gave her space. 

Shawn tried to take care of everything himself, always in a rush. David took things in stride and only helped her when she was clearly in need of it. If she failed, it was her failure and not because she'd been discouraged from ever trying. 

"Are you mad at me, Hannah?"

"Take the next exit." Hannah looked away from him and out the window. "Does Lil—y know where you are?"

"I told her I might stop by and see how you're getting along."

"But she does—n't know you're g-go—ing to stay at my place to—night," Hannah guessed. 

"No, she doesn't."

Hannah mindlessly nodded. "You should tell her. And tell her that I'll be slee—ping in the other house to—night."

"You're making a big deal out of nothing, Hannah."

This wouldn't have been a big deal to her if they were still together and Shawn had snuck off to see his ex, then crashed at her place with just the two of them without talking to her about it first. "I w-won't help you s-s-sab—ot-" 

"Sabotage?"

"Your marriage." She hated when he finished a word for her to get it over and done with. It was a little thing, sure, but it had festered and remained this constant thing hovering over her. 

"Say what you're really trying to say."

She looked over at him. "I think you're st-still in love with the per—son I was and think if you hold on long enough, I'm g-go—ing to be that per—son again. But I'm never go—ing to be her again, Shawn, and I'm nev—er going to be fixed."

Hannah ran her fingers through her hair, getting caught in a snarl. "Lily loves you and you are—n't let—ting your—self love her back. Not the way you need to if you want this to w-work with her."

"So, you want me to let you go? Is that it?" Their was an edge to his normally docile voice. 

Hannah wasn't sure what he was looking for when he came here, but whatever it was, it wasn't there for him to find and no matter how defensive he got, she needed to show that to him. "I need you to be—cause I need you to be h-hap—py. I need to be hap—py."

"Are you happy with him?" 

"Take the next right," she told him. "And Dav—id and I are—n't t-to—geth—er."

"You didn't answer the question," he pointed out as he took the next turn. 

That was because it wasn't an easy answer to give. "He d-doesn't make me feel broken. He helps me with—out m-mak—ing me feel use—less. He talks to me and listens like I'm a nor—mal p-person. He does—n't try to force the per—son I was be—fore the ac—cid—ent because he did—n't know her and doesn't see the worst t-time of my life w-when he looks at me. 

"Yes, I'm hap—py he's in my life. I'm hap—py I have someone around who did—n't know me before and does—n't look at me like I'm a freak or tries to ba—by me."

"I never tried to baby you," he fired back with that same edge in his voice.

"All of you d-d-did. That's why I left."

The remainder of the ride was quiet and she saw Shawn's surprise when they reached the house.

Hannah knew people must have constantly judged David, just as they judged her. It was true he was loud and rough around the edges at work with eyes that looked like it'd lived six lifetimes filled with darkness. 

People didn't see the gentleness within him, mostly because he didn't allow them to see it. They didn't see his good nature or talents. 

"Some house."

In the little over two weeks Hannah had been there, she still found herself occasionally in awe of it as well. "It is."

Shawn put the car in park and looked over at her. "This David guy, does he treat you right?"

It seemed like such a silly thing to ask since they weren't actually dating. She lived in his guest cottage. She ate the meals he cooked. She worked at his bar. They shared good conversation and watched the occasional movie together. "He treats me great," she answered finally. "I know he does—n't look it, but he's a sweet guy."

"Then I should probably go, shouldn't I?"

Hannah was relieved he'd come to that conclusion on his own. She didn't want to force him to leave; didn't have the heart to. But if he had any chance of making it down the aisle with Lily and making something last between them, he could no longer hold onto the past. "I think it would be for the best."

Shawn nodded, then looked up at her apartment. "Mind if I use the bathroom before I hit the road?"

It was nearing one in the morning when her phone began ringing beside her, filling the room with Meggie's ringtone. 

"Hello?"

"Okay, I don't want you to freak out." Meggie's voice gave her the opposite feeling, however. It was rushed and panicked, which was completely unlike her. "Some guys showed up to rob the bar tonight."

It was as if history was repeating itself, but she wasn't there to experience it this time. "Everyone's okay, right?"

"Not the robber's. One's dead, one's in critical I guess and the other should be fine. David's at the police station right now. It'll probably be morning before he gets out  of there. He wanted me to call you and tell you not to worry or wait up for him."

David's request, much like Meggie's, was impossible. She took slow, deep breaths in the hopes a panic attack wouldn't take over. She was about to ask why David was at the police station and why in the hell would they keep him for so long. But before the question could reach her lips, Hannah realized she already knew the answer. "Dav—id was the o-one who k-k-killed him, was—n't he?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone that told her everything she needed to know. "It all happened so damn fast. One second the guys are yelling at all of us to get on the ground and the next second there were four crazy loud gunshots. I was too scared to look up, but then David yelled at me to call the cops."

"But he's okay?" She needed Meggie to say it. She needed to hear it. 

"His arm got grazed by a bullet, but I promise you he's fine. Paramedics patched him up. He was more worried about how you'd react to all this than anything. He's scared that you won't feel safe here anymore."

That should have been the first thing on Hannah's mind, but it wasn't. The only thing on Hannah's mind was that David had just been grazed by a bullet. Every other fear besides that could wait. "Will you call me if you hear anything else?"

"Of course I will. And you call me if you need anything. I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight."