f i v e

HAZEL

"Hot sex? I'm going to puke, Hazel." Justin clenched his stomach once we were alone in our room at Atlas house.

I waved my hand to dismiss him and jumped on the bed. Damn, it is soft and comfortable.

"Are we really going to pretend this?" He asks.

"Yep."

"Why, Hazel?"

I exhaled a sigh. "He was freaking going to shoot himself. I asked him to stay away and he said he can't. I hate him, Justin, I do but I would never wish him dead."

He shook his head. "Has he lost his mind?"

"I don't know. Don't care."

"Okay then, I'd help you and that bastard too. I don't want him dead either." He snorted.

I went to washroom to take a shower and since I haven't bought my stuffs yet, so I borrowed Justin's t-shirt to wear.

Damping my wet hair with towel, I found him asleep. I smiled at him. He's the only constant person in my life.

Stealing his headphone, I plunged it into my ears and blasted some random songs. Walking out of the room, I went to kitchen and searched something in the fridge to eat. I was starving. I haven't eaten anything since morning.

"Hungry?" A familiar voice caught my attention.

I quickly removed the headphone and rested it around my neck. "Yes."

There stood Atlas only in his sweatpants; his naked chest on show.

"Let me cook something for you then." He smiled.

"Eh? Don't tell me you learnt how to cook." I asked, hiding my surprise.

"I did."

I sat on the kitchen's counter as he took out noodles from the cabinet and started chopping veggies.

"But why did you learn to cook? You might have tens of world class chef hired to prepare food for you." I asked the first thing that popped into my mind.

His chest vibrated through his luxury chuckle and he turned his head in my direction. "I never cooked for myself."

I cocked up my eyebrows. "Then? For your sister or your girlfriend?"

He shook his head instantly. "I don't have a girlfriend, princess. I never had."

I blinked in disbelief. "You never dated anyone in last ten years?"

"No."

"And never had sex?" I couldn't help but ask bluntly.

He turned his face back to chopping veggies. "No."

Woah! He's the freaking rich for god's sake plus he's gorgeous, women would throw themselves at him. I understand that he might not be interested in dating or he might not have time for it but how can someone not have sex for ten years?

"You've so much restraint on yourself, don't you?" I teased.

"No, I don't." He muttered under his breathe.

"Then how come...."

He cut me in middle by turning around and taking out cooking pan from the cabinet above me. My breath caught up in my throat when I sensed him in too close proximity to me. Why is it so hot in here?

"You don't have any idea that how hard it is for me to control myself around you." He added, tilting his head a little, looking straight into my eyes.

His green eyes were devoid of any emotion but they were very familiar. It was like the time when I first talked to him.

"I have a boyfriend, Atlas." I said, trying my best to stop the fluttering feelings in my belly.

He went back to his initial position. Biting his lips, he stared at the floor. "I know." His Adam's apple moved down. "I'm happy for him, for you, I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundary. I assure you; I do not intend to betray Justin; I don't intend to break our bro code."

I laughed. "Bro code? Are you seventeen or what?"

He shrugged. "I said that to make you smile."

And here we go again with hundreds of butterflies bursting into my belly.

Only he can say something this sweet while maintaining a straight face.

Next, we didn't talk much. He kept cooking and I just stared at him in amusement. As long as I remember he hated cooking. He wasn't even able to cook a proper meal. All he knew was to boil ramen.

Once he finished preparing the food, he served it on the dinning table. I jumped from the counter in excitement and was about to pull out the chair before he did the honour. I smiled, mouthing a 'thank you' to him and looked at the food.

Fried chicken and pad Thai noodles. He took out the chilled beer from the fridge and placed it next to my plate.

I started digging in. The second food touched my taste buds, they exploded in delight. I stuffed the chicken in my mouth followed by beer and grinned. "It's been so long since I ate home made food. And this is so good."

He sat across the table and crossed his hands over his bare chest. "I've always thought about this moment."

"Huh?"

"I learnt cooking so that one day if we meet by any chance, I'd prepare something for you to thank you for all the food that you gave me." He told me.

"You learnt it for me?" I asked, not giving flying fuck to my over surprised tone.

He nodded. "Only for you."

I didn't how to react to this new found information.

"And what if we never met?"

"I don't know. I would've spent my entire life in a hope that someday in future I'd get pleasure to cook for you."

"Entire life? Aren't you exaggerating a bit?" I asked, not daring to look into his eyes.

I don't like where this conversation is going on but I don't want to stop.

"I'm not."

I gulped the beer from the can in one go and let out a humourless laugh. "Oh really? And what made you so sure that if we'd meet then I'll eat the food cooked by you?"

"Because I know you, princess."

"But I don't know a shit about you, Mr. Barrette." I chuckled.

He didn't say anything next. Just watched me finishing the food. I thoroughly enjoyed it and probably it was because I was famished or because the food tasted so goop or because he made it for me, I don't know the reason, but I was happy.

"You're twenty-seven, you should find a girlfriend. Life is too long to be spend alone." I said, gulping another cant of beer down my throat.

"Being alone isn't the problem for me, princess." He smiled but it was one of his sad smiles that I remember.

"I'm happy for you though I hate you for what you did and all your lies but I'm happy for you, Atlas."

"Hazel, want to hear a confession?"

"Sure."

"I was happy with the life I had ten years back, not now."

I scratched the back of my neck and for a second searched his face for a hint of humour but there was none.

I rolled my eyes and get up, grabbing another cant of beer, I went to my room.