Chapter 5 - Cracks Everywhere

HAZEL

I left the studio later that day still shaken, trying to push Miles’ words and that almost‑kiss to the back of my mind.

I told myself over and over that I was being unfair, that I was letting confusion twist my judgment.

After all, Danny was the one I’d chosen years ago, the one I’d built so many memories with. I made a firm promise to myself: I would stop looking for problems.

I would trust him, just like I always had.

So when he texted asking me to come over to his apartment that evening, I went with every intention of leaving doubts behind.

The door was unlocked as usual, and I stepped inside quietly, thinking I’d surprise him. But as I walked down the short hallway toward the living room, I heard his voice — low, soft, and far too intimate.

I froze just out of sight, my hand resting on the wall.

“…you know I only have eyes for you, baby,” he murmured into the phone.

“Hazel’s just… complicated right now, with the competition and all. She needs space, and I’m just giving it to her. But you? You’re the one who makes it easy.”

My blood turned to ice. I pressed my back against the wall, breath catching so sharply I almost made a sound.

He laughed that warm, easy laugh, the one he used to save only for me and then said it again, clear as day.

“Relax, Chloe. I’ll see you later tonight. Just don’t call when I’m around her, okay? We don’t want any messes.”

Chloe.

Another woman’s name, spoken like a secret, like something he was hiding right under my nose.

The promise I’d made to myself shattered instantly. All the little things I’d brushed off the late nights, distracted calls, the way he turned his screen away when I came near suddenly made terrible sense.

They weren’t misunderstandings. They weren’t stress. They were lies.

I wiped the sudden sting of tears from my eyes and stepped around the corner into the room.

Danny sat on the couch, phone still pressed to his ear, a lazy smile on his face.

When he saw me, the smile froze for half a second before he quickly hung up and tossed the phone onto the cushion.

“Hazel,” he said, voice lifting into that bright, casual tone. “I didn’t hear you come in. You’re early.”

“Am I?” My voice came out steady, even though my hands shook at my sides. “I guess I just got here in time to hear something interesting.”

His jaw tightened, but he recovered fast, leaning back and spreading his arms like he had nothing to hide. “Oh yeah? And what did you hear?”

“Enough,” I said, stopping far enough away that he couldn’t pull me into a hug.

“Enough to know you weren’t talking about me. Enough to hear you tell someone else I’m just ‘complicated’ and that you’re giving me space.”

Color drained slightly from his face, but his expression shifted from surprise to annoyance, like I was the problem.

“Okay, look, that was nothing,” he said, waving a hand.

“Just a friend from the team. She was upset, so I was just being nice. You know how people talk, you say things you don’t mean just to make them feel better.”

“Being nice?” I repeated, my voice rising. “You called her ‘baby.’ You said she makes it easy. You told her not to call around me so there wouldn’t be ‘messes.’ That’s not being nice, Danny! that’s cheating. That’s lying to my face every single day.”

“Will you keep your voice down?” he snapped, standing up.

“You’re blowing this way out of proportion. It’s not like that at all. You’re so wrapped up in ballet, so high‑strung, you can’t tell the difference between a friend and something else!”

“And you’re so good at lying, you probably can’t tell the difference either!” I shot back, anger and hurt finally breaking through.

“You told me you were at practice when you were at the diner. You left me waiting for hours and sent Miles instead. You’ve been distant, secretive, and now I hear you talking to another woman like I don’t even exist!”

He ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated rather than guilty, and tried to step toward me.

“Come on, don’t let this ruin everything. You know I love you. Chloe doesn’t mean anything, she’s just someone to pass the time when you’re too busy or too hard to please.”

The words hit me like a slap. Too hard to please. As if asking for honesty and respect was too much.

“You’re right about one thing,” I said quietly, trembling but firm. “I do need space. But not the kind you mean. I need space from all your lies.”

Before he could reply, I turned and walked quickly toward the door, ignoring his calls behind me. I didn’t stop until I was outside, breathing in the cool evening air, tears spilling freely down my cheeks.

-

“Hello, Little Swan,” he said, and the nickname felt like it belonged there, like it had always been mine to hear.

I walked toward him without thinking, feet light as feathers.

He took my hands, grip steady and strong, and pulled me gently against his chest.

“You see it now, don’t you?” he murmured, leaning down so his lips brushed my forehead, then my cheek, then hovered just above my mouth.

“He never saw you. Not really. But I have for years.”

His kiss me, it was deeper, more intense than the one in the car. It felt like coming home, like something I’d been waiting for my whole life without realizing it.

I kissed him back, arms wrapping tight around his neck, wanting to stay there forever.

But then Danny’s voice rang out, yelling my name, accusing me of betrayal. I tried to pull away, but Miles only held me closer, his voice soft but firm.

“Let him go,” he whispered against my lips. “Choose what feels true, not what feels familiar.”

I woke with a sharp gasp, sitting straight up in the dark, my heart hammering wildly.

My skin felt warm, my lips still tingling as if the kiss had been real, and my breath came in short bursts.

I sank back against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling, my chest aching in two different places at once.

I was losing the boy I’d grown up loving, and in the same breath, I was terrified that the only person who truly saw me was the one I should never have wanted.