LOGINHAZEL There was so much hope."I don't want to ruin tonight," I admitted quietly."I don't either." He took another careful step toward me. "Then let's not ruin it."His voice was almost tender."We don't have to prove anything. We don't have to rush..... We can just be together tonight."I searched his face. The sincerity in his eyes made it so much harder to untangle the knot in my chest. Part of me wanted to throw my arms around him, and another Part of me wanted to cry. Because I loved him. I really did, and yet... That small voice inside me still hadn't gone away.It wasn't screaming, and it wasn't even warning me. It was only whispering....Slow down. I couldn't explain why; I couldn't justify it. I only knew it was there.I looked at him for a long moment before taking a slow breath."I..." I began."Don't overthink it." He whispered, pulling me towards him. "I know you're scared because it's your first time....""I....""Shhh..."His arms settled around me as he rested his for
HAZEL But the truth was... I wasn't sure I understood anything. I simply didn't know what else to say.He leaned forward and kissed my forehead."So..." He smiled. "Are we okay?"I looked into his eyes. This was Harris, the man I loved, the man who had risked everything to get me out."Yeah," I said quietly. "We're okay."His entire face brightened."Good."He stood, wrapped me in a hug, and took my hand."So," he asked with a grin, "what are we doing today? Watching a movie?"The rest of the day, he seemed determined to erase the memory of the other night. He made me laugh, he teased me, he cooked with me, and he held my hand whenever he could.At first, it was difficult. I caught myself watching him more closely than before, trying to understand what had happened between us. But little by little... The familiar Harris came back, or at least, I believed he had. By evening, I'd almost forgotten about the argument entirely.That night, when we went to bed, Harris wrapped an arm around
HAZEL 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
HAZEL I looked away instinctively. But, of course, Harris wouldn't let that go. His hand came to my chin, gently trying to turn my face back toward him. When I didn't cooperate, he simply pulled me closer and captured my mouth in another hard kiss. "I can't wait to make you mine," he whispered against my lips. "I've been thinking about this for months." He finally pulled back and began getting rid of the rest of his clothes. I didn't know if it was because I was still coming down from everything I'd been feeling over the past few weeks, or because my mind was finally catching up with my body. I just knew that what was happening between us didn't feel fair. Not to him. Not to me. It wasn't that I didn't want him. I did. I thought my body was ready; it had certainly responded to him. It was my mind that wasn't. I knew that once we got out of hiding... once I stopped feeling like I was living as a captive again... once I stopped living a life that, in so many ways, reminded me of
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
HAZELWhen Nico finally decides to come back, I almost don’t recognize him. There’s a darkness in his eyes now, something sharp and dangerous. The nervousness is gone. The panic is gone.This version of Nico?It scares me. It’s the kind of look that says, Stay the fuck away.So I do. I don’t utter
HAZEL“Nothing… just that you like to stir trouble everywhere you go, don’t you, Hazel?” Nico says, "Cool," almost teasing.I start breathing hard, the anger, the panic, and the humiliation pressing down on me. Nico notices and says, “Come on, let’s go outside.”He takes my hand and starts leading
HAZEL“Nico,” I begin, my voice trembling. “You’re freaking me out, okay? I don’t care if he decides to kill me. I guess it was a long time coming....”He stares at me, unblinking. “He already sold me in there...to that man called Mac,” I say, the words tumbling out. “I’m supposed to go spend the n
HAZELWhile I’m fighting with my inner self, Axel suddenly just stops laughing, just as quickly as he started. His laugh dies in his throat, and his face slips right back into place.It strikes me how easily he could do that. How easily he could switch from one person to another. As if the laughter







