My Lonely Duke

Girl's talk with Grandma

Hazel POV 

I am jumping with joy when I leave Kathy's house or should I say the Duke’s house. I don’t know his name yet or how he looks. Both the time I saw him, he was almost covered. I could understand that it was raining out but he was still wearing that same trench coat inside his own house. How does he explain it?

Thankfully, Grandma’s date was cut short and she is home when I come back. She is just like before when I left the town. I know people talk and say stuff about her but for me she is super cool. She lets me do anything. 

I don’t want to disclose it to Grandma that I would be taking care of Grace knowing that they are enemies, but I have to make an excuse to be out of the house for all day if I land up this job. I am myself stunned by my smartness this time. 

She is making the chocolate shake like she always has done for me in past when I enter the kitchen. Although being super old she is still fit as a fiddle and I want to know how. 

I go behind her and give her a big hug which I was not able to do when we met in jail, well not properly though. I have missed her a lot. The time spent away from her made me realize that sometimes even when we are doing things for others somewhere away, we are missing the precious moments with our loved ones. Specially when the loved ones are so old. I don’t even what to think what I would have done if something would have happened to her. 

I know when I was a small child, I never thought about this, I was too busy in shopping, playing dolls with my friends, talking about guys with my friends (not studying) to even think about things like this. 

When we are small we never realize that the time we are spending with our family would be so precious that it would be enough for a lifetime to make us feel loved. 

When I was working and earning what small amount the company gave me, I realized that everything I am owning is so important. The little lunch box I used to lose everyday must have been bought by the hard earned money. Well not in my case but in most of the cases. 

That’s when it hit me that this job offer was super important since I am getting to work at my hometown and that too at my neighbors house. I could save money on traveling, on food and I would always be close to my Grandma even if she doesn’t know about this. 

I feel like I was too lost in the thought that I didn’t notice when my grandma finished making the shake and is now waiting for me to leave her from the tight hug. 

She turns around and stare at me, looking at me from top to bottom, no idea what is cooking in her mind. 

“Hazel Dear, you got so thin” the statement is followed with a frown and with that she got busy again preparing some cookies. 

“It’s too late Grandma and I am not hungry and there is a lot of stuff that I want to tell” well that got her attention. 

“You mean girl’s talk” she is grinning and jumping like a teenager , what did I say, fit as fiddle.

“Yeah my sweetheart, girl’s talk. So let us take our shakes in front of the fireplace, put a rom-com and dive into the gossip zone” I am grinning myself too like a teen  girl, well I will since I am one of them. 

“Hazel Dear , you should have told me earlier, I would have made us some Margaritas then” she winks at me

“Grandma, I don’t think I should be allowed to drink” I put a horror face. 

“Oh common darling, it’s not like I don’t know that you must be drinking already” My grandma reply back 

Oh boy, she has too many expectations from me, I should say. I don’t know if I would live upto them soon. 

No I haven’t started drinking yet, I didn’t drink when I was home and the thought didn’t even once occur in my mind when I was working. It might be due to the fact that I was never in a group to be under peer pressure. 

Haha jokes on them or me? I don’t get it. 

“No Grandma, I am not drinking” I say 

“You will be soon dear” she responds back. It is more of a statement but I don’t know what made her say that. Then again I don’t notice things she says since I don’t want to lose my mind being still a maiden.

She takes no time in preparing one glass for her while I am already settled in front of the fire place holding my milkshake. Along with her drink she has brought blankets for us and pillows. I am feeling super happy being back at home. I can’t recall why I left it. 

“So tell me about it” she starts 

She just has to ask and I open up, I tell her everything, starting with me trusting my colleagues , the guy I had crush on (Oh he was never meant for you, you should have just texted me and asked, what was she said_), then the lead that asked me out and then the termination. 

She listens to everything patiently and keeps on commenting one thing or the other. 

“What about Liam?” She asks 

I am shocked from few seconds when I hear this, like how she knows then I remember that well she was the one to bail me out so she knows. 

I fill her up about what happened with Liam. 

“Hazel Darling, You two never even kissed “ she just states 

“Oh Grandma” is all I could say before I bury my face in blanket. 

She is really drunk I guess

After a few minutes I come out of the blanket peeking. 

“You know I don’t want to talk about all this” I say, looking down at my fingers. 

Even being Liam’s girlfriend I never found him attractive , well it’s a lie, I didn’t find any guy attractive till now that’s why I have never kissed anyone till now but I don’t regret it. I know that there is someone special for me (I know I am old school) who will just swipe me off my feet. Again with the fairytales Hazel, Come on  grow up.

By the time we are finished talking my Grandma has slept, I lay the pillow down next to her and fell asleep soon just thinking about what’s doing to happen the next day.