HAZEL “I can make them green all for you.” He smug. Right.“For now, focus on Ava.” I creased the skin of the back of his hand. “There’s nothing much for you to know about me. Honestly, I haven’t lived that kind of life.” He said to Ava being so blunt that I grimaced a little. God! When will he learn how to say the right thing at the right moment. “There’s this song called ‘Save the last dance for me’ that he loved and trust me that’s the only song that I’ve heard him listening. He’s allergic to strawberries; eating them can send him straight to the ER. Justin made him obsessed with Football. He never played but he enjoys watching it. He likes his coffee bitter and give him anything, he’ll eat; he’s not a picky eater. He hates socialising too and if I be honest then its’ more like he hates people.” I said, remembering every tiny detail about him from the past. I don’t know what came to me that I ended up talking for him. I guess it was the habit I picked when we were in High sch
HAZEL“I’m craving something sweet.” I mumbled, walking into the kitchen and spotting Justin gulping down the orange juice after taking it out from the fridge. “You and Atlas are together sweet enough for me to puke.” He retorted, passing me a bottle of juice.I yawned and sat on the chair. “Shut up.” My eyes lazily peeked out of the window and after noon sun hit me straight in my eyes. I over slept, I guess? Today’s Sunday so no college for Ava and hence, Justin overslept too. Bingo. “Is Atlas still asleep?” He asked, sprawling on the couch.“Nope. He’s attending meeting calls from different time zones since seven in the morning.” I answered. And I miss him. I mean I want to have a conversation with him but now he’s not just an ordinary man. He’s the CEO of billion-dollar company. Off course, he’d be busy with his work and all. “Have you talked about the possibility of his father being the psychopathic killer?” I shook my head. “No.” Not yet. Atlas told me that I’ll always sa
HAZEL Oh. Come on. “I was just joking, Atlas. I don’t want to marry anyone.”He smashed the cigarette in his hand most probably burning his skin. I clenched my teeth and forcefully tried to open his fist. After few failed attempts, I succeeded and threw the cigarette away. Scanning his palm, I saw a fresh burn mark. I get up to bring ointment but he held my wrist and pulled me back on the couch. “You’re burnt. Let me apply something or else you’d get a-”“Why can’t you marry me?” He cut me in middle.“It’s not about you. It’s about me. I can’t fucking marry anyone. I’ve never even thought about my wedding. And what the fuck is wrong with you, Atlas?” I yelled, controlling my urge to smash the glass filled with orange juice on the floor.“You’d marry me. Not now, not tomorrow but someday in future, most probably couple of years later. You’d marry me, princess.” He said, his voice hollow as he turned his face in my direction.My pulse throbbed in my chest. “Over my fucking dead body, M
HAZELI paced back and forth in my room, trying to figure out what Atlas said before. That man! God, sometimes I hate him to so many levels that I want to strangle but at the same time, I just can’t. I can’t because then I’d be dead too. He fucking crushed cigarettes in his hands just because I told him that I won’t marry him. What kind of fucked up situation is this? Calm down, Hazel.I took a deep breath and brought my attention back to Ava who was looking at me, hoping to get an answer that I had no idea about. “Your brother. He’s an asshole.” I breathed out. “We were not talking about my brother.” She whispers, a slight grin plastering on her face.Oh. Right.“I’m sorry- I was just…Please tell me where were we again?” I apologized.“I was asking that can you take me to some club?” She asked. “But Ava, it wouldn’t be safe.” She frowned. “Uh, okay.”I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We can go but you’ve to stay close to me.” She beamed with a wide smile. “Sure. Thankyou so mu
HAZEL “Don’t talk about your brother, I just hate his egotistical ass.” I replied, looking around as my eyes fell on a man who was staring at me from across the dance floor. I had an urge to roll my eyes and then flip him a middle finger before I realised that why I’m here. I’m pissed off and I’m here to fucking forget about the conversation I had with Atlas. “Will you join me on the dance floor?” I asked to Ava which just shook her head politely when a guy of around her age propped down next to her and tried to build up a small chat.“Enjoy.” I whispered into her ear and walked to the dance floor, emphasising extra sway on my hips.His eyes flickered at me with a smirk. Okay, that’s good. I might not be that good looking but occasionally I can attract opposite gender, right? As I reached closer to him, I took a brief look of him. He wore a black shirt, his hair neatly trim and blonde, he has a lip piercing that looked sexy though. “Dance with me.” He said, in a thick husky voice
HAZEL My head pounded as I opened my eyes, trying not to groan as a sudden nausea hit me.Remind me not to get drunk again.I get up lazily, rubbing my eyes and unconsciously I was about to roam my hand over the nightstand to find the water bottle but before that, someone handed me the glass full of water. I shot up my brows and found Atlas sitting on the edge of the bed. I took the glass from him and muttered ‘thank you’ under my breath when he passed me the Advil. I gulped it down my throat and walked straight out of the room to kitchen, ignoring him who followed me.“I’ve prepared a hangover soup for you.” He said, gesturing me to the table. I wanted to refuse the offer but it looked tempting. I really wated to eat something hot and delicious to cure my headache. I sat on the table and ate the chicken soup with rice noodles. It wasn’t tasty though. Quite bland but a bit salty. Anyhow it was edible. “How’s it?”“Not good but edible.” I replied, not bothering to act nice and lie
10 YEARS BACK “I’m sorry.” I apologized to Justin once I saw him. I totally forgot that he asked me for dinner last night. “No, problem. It’s pleasure to be stood by you.” He smiled. “Want to share table in cafeteria?” He asked.I smile, apologetically. “I’m so sorry, I really have something important to do.”“Woah man, you banging the school’s princess, huh?” Someone from his football team shouted from the back bench. My face turned beet red as everyone on the class started screaming and whistling. Football’s caption and popular girl. This is going to be part of our yearbook if we end up dating. “After school, coffee would be nice.” I whispered, trying my best to stop myself from smiling.“My pleasure, princess.” He winked. I went back to my seat and as I expected Alyssa and Sia were not happy. I faked a smile at them which they didn’t even bother to return. I turned around, cautiously to see Atlas who sat on his usual last seat near the window. His gaze met mine and I qui
TEN YEARS BACK HAZELI tucked the hairlock behind my ear and smiled. “The coffee tastes good here.” Justin smiled back. “Mhmm.” “You’re okay with going on dates with me, right?” He asked, passing me the cookies.I blushed. “Any girl from our school would die to go on date with you.”He leaned into his chair and smirked. “You look cute when you blush, you know that right?” My cheeks heated further. God! He flirts like a pro. “So, tell me something about yourself.” “I like white lilies and lavender fragrance. My favorite color is pink and I like rain. I prefer salad over anything. My favorite movie is twilight and..” “No. Shit.” But before I could complete my sentence, he cut me in middle.I raised my eyebrows and looked at him in nervousness. “I know that’s not you. So tell me about the real Hazel not the one she pretends to be.” I blinked, not knowing what to say. What does he mean by real Hazel?“And how do you know that what I told you was not real me?” I couldn’t help but
TEN YEARS BACK HAZEL “Hey, wake up.” I heard a familiar voice whispering next to me. I parted my eyelids and saw Justin tapping my shoulder. “What happened?” “It’s your turn to deliver the English project and yet you’re sleeping.” He pointed to the smart board.I quickly smoothen my hair and walked up to the podium. Rounds of hooting followed me and I couldn’t help but flush in all shades of red.Our homeroom teacher cleared his throat and gestured me to continue my project.I opened my ppt and proudly started the slide show. I’ve modified my project last night. Earlier I wrote that my dream is to become someone who’s loved by everyone. It was good with the words that I’ve molded everything. I would’ve gotten A+ for it easily but I never wished to become that. It was a lie to get good grades and to impress everyone in the school but after I talked to Atlas and heard his dream, I couldn’t stop myself from re-writing my whole project. So I made the project which says that my dream i
TEN YEARS BACKHAZEL “Have you completed English project. The due date is tomorrow?” I asked to divert the topic.He bit on his lips and exhaled. “Yes.”I narrowed my eyes. “You’re lying, aren’t you?”“Yes.” He added, not looking at me.This boy!“Do you’ve a laptop?” I asked to which he simply shook his head.Okay.“Come with me to the terrace.” I said to him grabbing my laptop and walking upstairs to the terrace.I looked up at the sky which was full of stars and smiled when cool breeze touched my skin. I sat on the floor crossing my legs, asking Atlas to grab a sit next to me. Opening the word file, I looked at him. “Tell me about your dreams.” “I don’t have one.” He answered.I pointed at the stars and he followed my lead. “For a moment, forget everything about yourself. Forget about what kind of life you’ve lived or what kind of life you’re expecting in the future. Just think that you’re among those shiny little stars and you’ve given a chance to live the life however you wan
TEN YEARS BACK HAZEL “I’m sorry I’m late.” I breathed out once I practically ran to my car and found Atlas near it. I almost forgot that I’ve told him to wait. Unlocking the car, I asked him to sit which he gladly did. Once I started the engine, I looked at my wrist watch which read half past six. Shit. He must be waiting for three hours or so. I lost track of time with Justin and later he accompanied me to the library where I picked out few fictions for him along with some for Atlas. “How was your date?” His sudden question caught me off guard.“How do you know about it?” “Whole school knows.” He shrugged.“Right.” I let out an awkward laugh. “It was fun. Justin’s nice.” I added, excluding the detail that it wasn’t anything like date. God! This is so embarrassing! He must be thinking that I left him to wait for hours just because I was busy on my date. Well technically he isn’t wrong.We reached my home and I unlocked the door before stepping inside. “Freshen up, I’ll prepare t
TEN YEARS BACK HAZELI tucked the hairlock behind my ear and smiled. “The coffee tastes good here.” Justin smiled back. “Mhmm.” “You’re okay with going on dates with me, right?” He asked, passing me the cookies.I blushed. “Any girl from our school would die to go on date with you.”He leaned into his chair and smirked. “You look cute when you blush, you know that right?” My cheeks heated further. God! He flirts like a pro. “So, tell me something about yourself.” “I like white lilies and lavender fragrance. My favorite color is pink and I like rain. I prefer salad over anything. My favorite movie is twilight and..” “No. Shit.” But before I could complete my sentence, he cut me in middle.I raised my eyebrows and looked at him in nervousness. “I know that’s not you. So tell me about the real Hazel not the one she pretends to be.” I blinked, not knowing what to say. What does he mean by real Hazel?“And how do you know that what I told you was not real me?” I couldn’t help but
10 YEARS BACK “I’m sorry.” I apologized to Justin once I saw him. I totally forgot that he asked me for dinner last night. “No, problem. It’s pleasure to be stood by you.” He smiled. “Want to share table in cafeteria?” He asked.I smile, apologetically. “I’m so sorry, I really have something important to do.”“Woah man, you banging the school’s princess, huh?” Someone from his football team shouted from the back bench. My face turned beet red as everyone on the class started screaming and whistling. Football’s caption and popular girl. This is going to be part of our yearbook if we end up dating. “After school, coffee would be nice.” I whispered, trying my best to stop myself from smiling.“My pleasure, princess.” He winked. I went back to my seat and as I expected Alyssa and Sia were not happy. I faked a smile at them which they didn’t even bother to return. I turned around, cautiously to see Atlas who sat on his usual last seat near the window. His gaze met mine and I qui
HAZEL My head pounded as I opened my eyes, trying not to groan as a sudden nausea hit me.Remind me not to get drunk again.I get up lazily, rubbing my eyes and unconsciously I was about to roam my hand over the nightstand to find the water bottle but before that, someone handed me the glass full of water. I shot up my brows and found Atlas sitting on the edge of the bed. I took the glass from him and muttered ‘thank you’ under my breath when he passed me the Advil. I gulped it down my throat and walked straight out of the room to kitchen, ignoring him who followed me.“I’ve prepared a hangover soup for you.” He said, gesturing me to the table. I wanted to refuse the offer but it looked tempting. I really wated to eat something hot and delicious to cure my headache. I sat on the table and ate the chicken soup with rice noodles. It wasn’t tasty though. Quite bland but a bit salty. Anyhow it was edible. “How’s it?”“Not good but edible.” I replied, not bothering to act nice and lie
HAZEL “Don’t talk about your brother, I just hate his egotistical ass.” I replied, looking around as my eyes fell on a man who was staring at me from across the dance floor. I had an urge to roll my eyes and then flip him a middle finger before I realised that why I’m here. I’m pissed off and I’m here to fucking forget about the conversation I had with Atlas. “Will you join me on the dance floor?” I asked to Ava which just shook her head politely when a guy of around her age propped down next to her and tried to build up a small chat.“Enjoy.” I whispered into her ear and walked to the dance floor, emphasising extra sway on my hips.His eyes flickered at me with a smirk. Okay, that’s good. I might not be that good looking but occasionally I can attract opposite gender, right? As I reached closer to him, I took a brief look of him. He wore a black shirt, his hair neatly trim and blonde, he has a lip piercing that looked sexy though. “Dance with me.” He said, in a thick husky voice
HAZELI paced back and forth in my room, trying to figure out what Atlas said before. That man! God, sometimes I hate him to so many levels that I want to strangle but at the same time, I just can’t. I can’t because then I’d be dead too. He fucking crushed cigarettes in his hands just because I told him that I won’t marry him. What kind of fucked up situation is this? Calm down, Hazel.I took a deep breath and brought my attention back to Ava who was looking at me, hoping to get an answer that I had no idea about. “Your brother. He’s an asshole.” I breathed out. “We were not talking about my brother.” She whispers, a slight grin plastering on her face.Oh. Right.“I’m sorry- I was just…Please tell me where were we again?” I apologized.“I was asking that can you take me to some club?” She asked. “But Ava, it wouldn’t be safe.” She frowned. “Uh, okay.”I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We can go but you’ve to stay close to me.” She beamed with a wide smile. “Sure. Thankyou so mu
HAZEL Oh. Come on. “I was just joking, Atlas. I don’t want to marry anyone.”He smashed the cigarette in his hand most probably burning his skin. I clenched my teeth and forcefully tried to open his fist. After few failed attempts, I succeeded and threw the cigarette away. Scanning his palm, I saw a fresh burn mark. I get up to bring ointment but he held my wrist and pulled me back on the couch. “You’re burnt. Let me apply something or else you’d get a-”“Why can’t you marry me?” He cut me in middle.“It’s not about you. It’s about me. I can’t fucking marry anyone. I’ve never even thought about my wedding. And what the fuck is wrong with you, Atlas?” I yelled, controlling my urge to smash the glass filled with orange juice on the floor.“You’d marry me. Not now, not tomorrow but someday in future, most probably couple of years later. You’d marry me, princess.” He said, his voice hollow as he turned his face in my direction.My pulse throbbed in my chest. “Over my fucking dead body, M