Chapter 013

[Apple]

“Your apartment?” I shake my head, confused. “But then where does Hazel live?”

“Here with me of course,” he laughs. “Where else would she live?”

I feel like I’m at the butt of some terrible joke. Did Hazel set me up to be embarrassed by her boyfriend? Did she lie to me and tell me this is her place with roommates?

“The question is,” he finds his keys and holds them up, “Is why you are here. A strange girl in my apartment. Alone.” He tilts his head to the side. “I mean I guess I could just hold you here until you tell me the truth,” he smirks.

The young man reaches around me and shuts the door and for a brief moment, our faces are only a couple of inches apart. The smell of crushed leaves and fresh rain wraps around me like a cloak just before he steps back.

With his hands on his hips, he looks me up and down. “Are you really Hazel’s friend, or are you here for another reason?”

“I have no idea what you are implying,” I stand straighter, finding a bit of courage. “And I don’t