Edwin’s face filled the screen, his smile beaming. “Hannah! You finally decided to call. I was starting to think you had disappeared.”
“Stop it, you doomsayer. I ought to thump you for that.” From off—camera, a cheerful female voice interjected, and a hand playfully smacked Edwin on the head.
Edwin clutched his head, feigning pain. “Have you no shame? I invited you over for dinner, and this is how you treat your host?”
As he shifted, Hannah caught sight of her old friend Lydia in the background.
Lydia hadn’t changed; she still made a big deal over the little things, which somehow always felt heartwarming.
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“Hannah…” Lydia’s voice wavered as she looked into the camera, her eyes welling up. “When are you coming back? Both Grace and I miss you terribly.”
The camera shifted slightly, and Hannah could see Grace sitting beside Lydia, holding a piece of cake. Grace looked somewhat uncomfortable at being seen on the screen.
Hannah gave Grace a warm smile. “Grace, it’s been so long. Don’t you recognize me?”
“Yes.” Grace moved closer to the screen, her cheeks flushing pink.
“I. I miss you too, Hannah.”
Seeing the familiar faces made Hannah laugh wholeheartedly. “Why are you all gathered there?”
Lydia grabbed the phone from Edwin, giving him a playful look. “Why are you still hovering? Go help in the kitchen. Didn’t you invite us here for dinner? Better get moving.”
Edwin rolled his eyes and mimicked Lydia in jest. “Go help in the kitchen. I know you’re just trying to enlist help for Brayden. But my cousin’s also in the kitchen-he’s quite the chef.”
Regaining control of his phone, Edwin addressed Lydia with mock indignation. “Besides, Hannah called me. Why are you hijacking my phone?”
Edwin then turned his attention back to the screen, his smile wide and genuine. “Since you left, we’ve been meeting up in our spare time, mostly to catch up on news about you.”
Lydia squeezed her face next to Edwin’s and said with a hint of sarcasm, “But Hannah, I didn’t expect you’d be so busy that you couldn’t even drop us a call or a message.”
“Things did get a little dicey on my end, which is why I didn’t contact you guys.”
“We’re aware,” they replied.
Lydia added, “Your racing incident has made headlines nationwide. It’s impossible for us not to hear about it.”
Hannah, slightly taken aback, questioned, “Wasn’t this news supposed to be blocked? How did you all find out?”
Edwin squeezed in, saying, “They only provided verbal descriptions, no pictures or videos. Those of us who know you could tell something had happened just from those words.”
Lydia pursed her lips. “You had a major accident and didn’t inform us? We were worried sick and couldn’t contact you.”
Hannah offered a weak smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon, and we can catch up then.”
“What?” Lydia exclaimed, elevating her voice. “You’re coming back? That’s wonderful. I’ve been incredibly bored at home.”