LOGINHAZEL Our eyes locked, but neither of us spoke. The silence seemed to stretch on forever.Then, all at once, something in him changed. The tension slowly left his shoulders, and His expression softened. Almost as though he had realised he'd gone too far. He let out a slow breath before sitting back down on the bed, but his posture had lost its edge."Relax," he said quietly.He rubbed a hand over his face."You just need to clear your mind."His voice was gentle again."This is it, babby." A faint smile touched his lips. "This is us moving forward."I wanted to believe him. I really wanted to. But in that moment... Something I couldn't name... Something I couldn't explain... Stopped me. It wasn't him.At least... I didn't think it was. He watched me quietly, waiting for me to say something. "I'm sorry," I whispered."I don't want you to apologise."His voice was calm again. Almost too calm."I just want you to trust me.""I do trust you.""Then why are you doing this to me?"I lowe
HAZELI could see it in his eyes. The longing. The desire. The hunger for me... for my body.This was the night we were finally going to become one after everything we'd been through.And the thing was...I wasn't sure I was really ready for it.But then again...This was Harris.I loved him.He had risked everything for me. He had been so patient, so understanding. He had never once pressured me before.I looked up at him as he said quietly,"Now... panties off. Slide them off."He held my gaze without blinking."...And spread your legs.""I want you open for me."I didn't make a move.Neither did Harris.He simply stood there watching me.The silence stretched between us.A strange discomfort settled inside me.I couldn't name it.I nodded slowly and pushed myself up onto my elbows."Harris..."He tilted his head slightly."Yes?"My throat felt tight as I searched his face, trying to find the right words."I..." I started, then stopped.His gaze sharpened just a fraction.I swallowe
HAZELI could see it in his eyes. The longing. The desire. The hunger for me... for my body.This was the night we were finally going to become one after everything we'd been through.And the thing was...I wasn't sure I was really ready for it.But then again...This was Harris.I loved him.He had risked everything for me. He had been so patient, so understanding. He had never once pressured me before.I looked up at him as he said quietly,"Now... panties off. Slide them off."He held my gaze without blinking."...And spread your legs.""I want you open for me."I didn't make a move.Neither did Harris.He simply stood there watching me.The silence stretched between us.A strange discomfort settled inside me.I couldn't name it.I nodded slowly and pushed myself up onto my elbows."Harris..."He tilted his head slightly."Yes?"My throat felt tight as I searched his face, trying to find the right words."I..." I started, then stopped.His gaze sharpened just a fraction.I swallowe
HAZELI couldn't help it. I laughed, and He laughed along with me."There she is," he said softly. "I've missed that laugh.""I laugh all the time," I argued."Not like that." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "That one... That one's my Hazel.""I missed you," he added.Something warm settled inside my chest."I've missed you, too.""I know we've been together. But... I've missed us." His smile faded into something more tender. "I've missed us a whole fucking lot....."For a while, neither of us spoke. We simply stood there, forehead to forehead. His arms around my waist and mine around his neck."I love you," he whispered.The words came so naturally, so effortlessly. Like he'd been holding them back all day.I smiled before answering."I love you too."His eyes closed for a second, as though hearing those words had permitted him to finally relax. When he opened them again, he smiled."A few more weeks. Then we're gone. No more hiding and no more running. Just you and me, bab
HAZEL When Harris left, I worried the whole day. I wondered most whether he would come back, and if he would come back in one piece. Every sound outside made me look toward the window.Every passing hour felt longer than the last. When evening came, I found myself pacing through the house, unable to sit still. I kept telling myself that he had promised to come back. He always came back. He would come back.Late that night, I finally heard a car pull up outside. Relief flooded through me. I hurried to the front door and pulled it open. There he was. The moment I saw him, I felt something shift inside me.He was still Harris—the same man who had left earlier that evening. But... He was different somehow. I couldn't explain it, and I couldn't point to anything specific. There wasn't another black eye, and there weren't any fresh bruises that I could see. Yet something about him had changed.I didn't let myself think about it for long. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, gr
HAZEL Ever since our talk with Harris, ever since we had a concrete plan, ever since we were finally on the same page, things just seemed to fall into place on their own.It was fun being around him. We talked for hours, and sometimes he would get phone calls and step away to answer them, but I didn't pay much attention to that. The rest of the time, we were together. We cooked together, we washed the dishes together, we watched movies together, and we laughed.For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn't constantly looking over my shoulder or wondering what was expected of me. I could just... Be.Every night, we went to bed together, and He would hold me until I fell asleep, just like he had been doing since I got here. Little by little, everything between us felt... easy. Natural and Comfortable. Like we were slowly finding our way back to each other after everything that had happened. For the first time since Axel had taken me... I felt like I had a future again.The day
HAZELThe idea excites me more than it should. The thought that Axel might still care enough to want me warm. To order something for me..... It’s stupid, I know it is.But Amanda shakes her head. “No. I was just finishing up in the kitchen when I noticed you. I’m leaving with my brother.”“Your bro
HAZEL“Enough.” Natasha's voice snaps. “You don’t get to talk back. Not now.”"Fine. I am not here to talk back at you, but you have to see things on my end too...""Are you here to apologise or make me understand your selfish side of the events?"I clamp my mouth shut immediately. Little mouse. L
HAZEL“Maybe you didn’t,” Axel replied coolly, “but you live under my roof. You follow my rules.”“And whose decision was that?” I shot back. “Did I want to live here? Did I want to follow your rules?”I stepped forward without realising it.“I haven’t followed a single one of your rules,” I said.
HAZELI stop chopping and listen.... Silence.I wipe my hands on a towel and walk to the kitchen door. I try the handle. It doesn’t open. My smile fades. I go to the front door. I pull Harder. It doesn’t open. I rush to the back door, the one that leads outside.... Locked.That’s when the thoughts







