LOGINHAZEL The next few days went on as normally as they could.I had breakfast and lunch with Angela every day, and we had dinner together with Axel. We went to Axel's office together, and then he would get to work while I found something to read because I was still waiting for the nursing results to see if I had gotten in.Angela and Axel were pretty sure I was going to get in, so it kind of rubbed off on me. I was already planning a way to approach Axel and see if there was a way he could help me go to nursing school since we hadn't talked about it yet.Everything had been, like I said, almost normal. We never talked about the kiss again. It was kind of something we forgot, but not really, because we had both agreed it had happened. We had wanted it to happen. It just never came up.Then, days later, the results came in. I got an email notification, and when I saw it was from the nursing school, I immediately went in search of Angela. It was in the morning, around ten, and I was so sca
HAZEL I just stood there, watching him. Listening, watching and getting more confused by the second.“As I told you before, I have gotten so used to having you there. And you not coming to the office tonight.....knowing that you were upset at me, really ate at me.”He took a breath.“So I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I won't ever put you in that position again. I just..... I won't try to kiss you or do anything to upset you again.”My heart sank.“I just want things to go back to normal.” He looked at me. “I'm sorry yesterday happened. And that's why I'm here.”For a few seconds, I couldn't say anything. I just stared at him. Go back to normal? How was I supposed to go back to normal after what had happened?And the worst part was that he genuinely believed he had done something wrong. He thought he had taken advantage of me. He thought I was upset because he had kissed me. He thought I regretted it.“Axel.”He looked at me.“I didn't say I was upset because you kissed me.”His eyebrow
HAZEL I picked up my fork and then forced my eyes toward my plate, focusing on taking one bite after the other.“How was your day?” his voice suddenly sounded.I paused for a second before I lifted my gaze toward him. He was leaning back slightly in his chair, watching me.“Fine.”“Just fine? Nothing interesting happened today? No studying?”I looked at him before I responded.“It was fine.”He was quiet for a second before he nodded, and then we went back to eating in silence again. Angela brought in dish after dish as we ate in silence, throwing me glances I couldn't read, wondering what she meant with her gaze.But soon, the dinner was finished, and as usual, Axel stood up.“I will be in my office.”I nodded.“Okay.”He walked ahead without adding another word, as he always had, and I sat there as Angela cleared the dishes, giving me this look I couldn't understand. And I couldn't take it anymore.“What?” I said to her.“Nothing,” she said and continued walking.That's just great,
HAZEL Then I raised my hand toward my lips, feeling them, wondering if I had just kissed Axel or if that had all been my imagination.But no. That feeling, the way he held me, the way he kissed me... that was not an imagination. I always knew Axel wanted me, and it seemed like nothing had changed.But also... I swallowed as Harris's face came to mind.What am I doing? I shouldn't have kissed him. Why did I kiss him?Did he kiss me? Did I kiss him? I don't know who was to blame for what happened, but he had looked shaken afterwards. Was it that he didn't want to kiss me?Was it that his... I shook my head and stopped my mind from going wild. I could never figure out Axel. It was stupid to think about him. I should be thinking about myself and what that kiss meant.Did it really mean anything if the first thing Axel did after was, “We can't”?Did he regret kissing me?Did it have to do with Harris?Did it have to do with what happened?Or did he think I didn't want to?This was so fr
HAZEL I didn't know what to say. There was something in his voice that made the teasing suddenly feel different. It felt like this wasn't teasing anymore. This was heavier. More real.I looked away towards the garden."How much is long enough?"He was quiet until I looked his way quickly."I think that was enough questions for one night.""You told me that you were going to tell me everything you knew about me that I didn't know you knew.""You didn't tell me I had to say everything right now. Like the fact that you have never really had a best friend, one that you can tell everything, one that you trusted completely."I froze, then I looked back at him."Ho.... How.....?""I already told you," he interrupted. "I've been watching you."There was a way he said that that made me pause. As we sat there looking at each other in the night, some of the angles in his face a little darker than the others, I wondered.I wondered if he was still attracted to me. I wondered if he did all of thi
HAZEL Then I looked at how his suit fit him. I could clearly envision what his body looked like underneath it. I could feel what it would be like with my hands on him, running my hands over him. I couldn't help sticking out my tongue to wet my suddenly dry lips. His gaze went towards my mouth immediately following the action.I don't know what would have happened in the next few seconds if the phone in his pocket hadn't started ringing. The shrill sound was a wake-up call; we both seemed to come back down to earth with the ringing."Sorry, just one second." He said to me before he turned away to pick up his call.I used that time to compose myself and take a huge breath."Yeah?" He said into his phone. Then listened. "All right. Send it to me. I'll look it over."He hung up, then turned towards me."So, are you ready for that walk?""Ready as I'll ever be," I said as I stood up.He walked towards the door, opened it, and waited for me. I walked out first, trying to act like my heart
HAZELPutting on my best cheery smile, cheery voice, cheery face, I said, “Why would you ask that? Am I not at home? This is home, right? And this is the dining room if I'm not mistaken. I have breakfast here every day. Am I not allowed to come in here?”She stops and stares at me. It feels like s
AXELI sit back now, putting one leg on top of the other, leaning back on the chair, watching Damien Morozov. I can see the wheels turning in his head as he continues watching me, searching, before he looks at his right-hand man. And then he looks back at me again.He says, “As I told you, you won’
HAZELI didn’t even think. I didn’t even blink. The plate was just suddenly airborne, leaving my hand with this wild, reckless freedom I didn’t even know lived inside me. And for a split second, as it cut through the air, I actually felt good. Liberated. Powerful. Like maybe, finally, I’d gotten on
HAZELThe next morning, when I woke up, I wondered what kind of day I wanted this to be. Am I going to stay in my room all day? Am I going to get out? But then, thinking of seeing Nico… thinking how he must be feeling right now… he must be blaming me, right? I mean, there’s no way he’s not blaming







