First Kiss

“Where have you been, coming home at this hour?” Mery said when she saw her daughter coming home at 11 pm. She had gone to bed by then, but when she woke, she found that Hazel hadn’t come home yet. Hazel couldn’t stay up that late, and Rainbow Cafe closed at 9:30 pm.

“That’s-“

“I don’t care what you do, but remember, this is my house. If you don’t follow all the rules I’ve set, you’d better get out of this house.” Mery said coldly. After saying what she wanted, the woman left Hazel alone.

Hazel murmured happily, “God, is my mom starting to notice me?” Finally, after all this time, her mother showed concern for her, even if not fully. Nonetheless, it meant a lot to Hazel.

It was undeniable that Mery hated Hazel because her life became a mess from the moment the child entered her life. The man who fathered Hazel was not worthy of being called a man, as he committed the heinous act of raping Mery because she rejected his affection. After the devastation he caused Mery’s life, he left without taking responsibility.

Mery, who was 20 years old then, felt her life had become meaningless. She experienced strong feelings of filth and abandoned her aspirations to become a model because of her pregnancy with Hazel.

Even when she was down, relatives and neighbors insulted her for being pregnant out of wedlock. She was not pregnant with her boyfriend, but a victim of abuse, and the neighborhood did not support her. Mery even contemplated suicide; she felt she could no longer bear the psychological burden.

Mery’s parents moved her to a remote village so that Mery would not be subjected to insults and abuse from relatives and neighbors. In the village, Mery’s life began to improve, but when she was about to give birth, her father had an accident and died. From then on, she attributed her suffering to the bad luck that Hazel had brought her.

A week after giving birth, Mery left the baby with her mother. She felt disgusted every time she saw little Hazel.

“Mery, Mom, please don’t leave Hazel alone. She still needs you very much.” Alice held her daughter’s hand back as she tried to walk away.

“No Mom... I’m sorry, Mery, because Mery can’t stand to be around that annoying kid anymore. That boy ruined all Mery’s beautiful dreams, and he also took away Mom’s father!” Mery replied in a huff. The woman was also suffering from baby blues, but due to the lack of knowledge in the village, no one knew about the psychological burden Mery was suffering from.

“She didn’t do anything wrong, Mery!” Her mother didn’t understand; she felt sorry for her red granddaughter.

“I’m sorry, Mom, Mery has to go.” Mery was 20 years old and left her mother with her red child. The child needed Mery, but Mery could not bear to see her child’s face all the time. Every time she saw the child’s face, she remembered all the misfortunes that had happened in her life because of the child.

Hazel knew all these stories, but her grandmother always told her never to hate her mother. “Grandma knows that Hazel probably hates Hazel’s mom a lot, but Hazel can’t because Hazel’s mom loves you, but Hazel’s mom just can’t show it because Hazel’s mom is different from the moms of Hazel’s friends. So Hazel can’t hate Mommy.” Hazel always remembers all the messages her grandmother gave her. It made the girl patient and resigned when she became a punching bag for her mother.

Back to now.

“Why do I miss Austin so much?” Hazel said shyly. The 18-year-old even covered her face with her pillow. “Uncle Austin gave me my first kiss, but why am I so happy?” Hazel said, remembering what had happened to her earlier.

Flashback

“Why has your tone changed?” Austin noticed the change in the girl’s voice sitting in front of him.

“I’m hungry uncle waiting for the main course to come.” Hazel scratched her head. That wasn’t itchy; she gave an excuse that made no sense.

“The food is here,” Austin supported Hazel’s lie. He knew what upset the girl, but he couldn’t do any of that right now.

“Finally,” Hazel said awkwardly. The girl immediately ate the food Austin ordered for her.

“Hazel, don’t make a mess when you eat.” Austin wiped Hazel’s lips with steak sauce. Austin carefully cleaned Hazel’s pee-stained lips until the girl was mesmerized by Austin’s eagle eyes.

“Thank you, Daddy.” Hazel gave him her best smile as the girl continued eating. Austin just chuckled at Hazel’s eagerness to finish her meal.

Ever since they first met, Hazel had a certain charm that made Austin mesmerized by the almost mature teenage girl. Many girls had willingly thrown themselves at him, but none could keep him in their grasp. Only Hazel caught his attention when they met by chance. She was beautiful, with a smile that always graced her chubby face.

Austin and Hazel finished their meal laughing. Today was very happy for Hazel; no one had ever noticed her. But the new Austin she knew had given her what she needed without asking. “God, did you send him to me in answer to my prayers?” Hazel asked in her heart, feeling that God had purposely found Austin to be the answer to her prayers.

“Where do we go after this? Are we going straight home?” Hazel asked after finishing her meal. Hazel didn’t want to leave Austin so soon.

“What do you want? Straight home or not?” Austin sensed she didn’t want to part with him, and he felt the same way.

“Just go for a walk. Hazel hasn’t been out like this in a long time.” Hazel replied sadly. The girl had spent all her time working and studying. Maybe that was why Barnett was having an affair with his best friend because he rarely had time for his girlfriend.

“Let’s take a walk first.” Austin thought spending time with the girl would be better, so Hazel wouldn’t be lonely.

“Yes...” Hazel squealed with delight, and the girl threw herself into Austin’s arms. Fortunately, Austin had a strong body, so the two humans didn’t fall.

“You’re naughty.” Austin kissed Hazel’s thin lips gently. The girl was silent as she digested everything that had happened. When she came, her face flushed, and Austin ruffled her hair anxiously.

“Don’t be quiet, you said you wanted to go out with Daddy.” Austin gently pulled the embarrassed girl’s hand to get into his car.

The two drove off into the distance before Austin died in front of Hazel’s house. The man kissed Hazel’s cheek as a sign of farewell. Hazel’s face expanded into an embarrassed smile; Hazel was innocent because they only held hands during her time with Barnett. Unlike what Austin did to her.

***

Austin Halton is Kenzie and Sheren’s first son.

Kenzie and Sheren’s chance encounter in the woods leads them to an inexplicable initial connection, eventually making them a couple, and they now have two very handsome sons.

Flashback

“Help me...” Sheren cried softly, begging for help. The young girl was in a very sad state during that period.

Kenzie, who was camping in a forest far from the city center with her friend, found Sheren helpless. Eventually, Kenzie took the blonde woman with her as she couldn’t bear to leave the dying woman alone in the forest.

Kenzie took Sheren to her tent and immediately treated her wounds. Her friend Jackson is unhappy with her for helping a stranger who could threaten him.

However, Kenzie’s humanity outweighed all the negative thoughts in her brain, so she didn’t care about any of her friend’s ramblings.

Kenzie, who was 25 years old then, carefully tended to Sheren’s wounds. Even though Sheren was unconscious for the 3 hours they were together, Kenzie brought her to her apartment to provide proper care.

Kenzie couldn’t take Sheren to the hospital or the police station because she feared her life was in danger. Kenzie did the right thing because Sheren was a kidnapping victim, and her life was in great danger then.

“Hmmp...” Sheren whimpered. The girl Kenzie had been waiting for finally coming to her senses.

“Who are you?” Sheren asked desperately, afraid of falling into the hands of the enemy again.

“I am Kenzie. I found you in the forest, near where I was camping with my friend. I waited for you to wake up, but you showed no signs of consciousness. I’m sorry I didn’t report you to the police or take you to the hospital because I feared it would get you in trouble. Kenzie explained firmly. The man could read that the foreign girl was suspicious of him.

“Why did you save me?” For some reason, Sheren didn’t trust people easily. Her family had too many enemies for her to trust anyone.