CHAPTER 2: … HOT FLASH!
1360 Words
HAZEL'S POV
I blinked once as my brows furrowed in confusion.
“I don't think I heard you clearly. What did you say?”
“I'm breaking up with you, Hazel. It's over.”
“Over?” I repeated. “What's over?”
“Oh come on, Hazel!” He exclaimed, barely stopping his hand from hitting the table, “How else do you want me to say this?”
I watched his face closely, waiting for some kind of clue.
Surely, this must be a prank, a joke of some kind.
Twisting my head to the side, I looked around, waiting for the clown to pop out.
“What are you looking for?”
“For where the joke is at. Is Aunt Mabel around? Maybe she would pop out from behind or something,” I answered.
“This isn't a joke, Hazel,” he sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, obviously tired.
Of what? Me?
Once upon a time, I had found that little act of his, sexy and hot.
Over time, it had become an annoying habit he couldn't let go of.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why what?”
“Don't ask me that!” I snapped, struggling to keep my voice low, “Why would you say something like that?”
“Because it's the truth. Do you know how hard this was for me?”
My brows lifted as I stared at him in disbelief.
“If it's so hard, then why?”
“Look, I've been trying to break up with you for months now.” He confessed.
“What?!” His words hit me like a slap.
It felt like the perfect world I had created had just disappeared into thin air.
“But, you made it so hard…” he continued, ignorant of what I was going through.
“I tried my best not to break up through a text…”
“Oh, so you want me to be grateful that you had the gall to do it to my face?” I cut in, interrupting him.
His brows furrowed together in a frown as he glared at me. He never liked that. Never liked when people cut him off.
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
Good. He deserved that and more.
“I don't mean you should be grateful, Haze..” he continued, “but, i know we can be mature about this.”
“It wasn't working anyway,” he muttered lowly, but I heard him.
All of a sudden, some of his past actions, his refusal to show up at my events, his excuses. They all began to make sense now.
“Since before the new year?” I started, “Was that why you didn't spend the holidays with me?”
He stared at me, his eyes blank and slightly unreadable.
“You said it was your boss that you trapped you in a mountain of work,”
And as stupid as his excuse had sounded, I had believed him.
Against my better judgement, I had forced myself to believe him.
He exhaled as his eyes avoided mine for a second.
A guilty expression flashed through his face for a brief moment.
A chuckle left my mouth as I caught sight of it.
“Oh, this can't be real.” I muttered as I shook my head.
Leaning forward, I grabbed his glass of wine on his side of the table.
Throwing my head back, I downed it all in one go.
“And you thought it was fine to bring this up now? Before my birthday?” I asked as I slammed the empty glass on the table.
He raised his shoulders in a shrug, “I was fed up of lying to you.”
Ha! Fed up!
“Ten years, Derek.”
“It's not ten years,” he corrected.
“Don't!” I raised my hand to stop him as I felt a sharp headache.
I exhaled loudly as I tried to bring my temper down.
“So, you're just going to throw away all our plans for what reason? That you're fed up?”
“Of me? Us?”
I shook my head, “No, it's something else.”
I refused to believe it was that easy for him to just drop things, drop us!
Not after everything we had been through– what I'd been through for him!
I leaned back on my chair, crossing my arms against my chest as I looked at him, studying him.
Really studying him.
My foot tapped ceaselessly on the floor while he glanced at his watch like I was taking up his time.
Suddenly a memory flashed through my mind.
“You're cheating again, aren't you?” I asked, my voice calm.
His head shot up towards me, “Of course not!”
“Just because I want to free us from this dead relationship doesn't mean I'm cheating,” he defended.
A scoff left my mouth as I shook my head at his words, his lies.
Gosh!
I should have left his sorry ass that time, but the scumbag had come crawling on his knees.
Even going as far as pleading with my aunties.
All for what?
Instantly, the urge to arrange something surged up within me.
My hands trembled as I moved to grab the already folded napkin on the table, and began to rearrange it.
“Haz–”
“Don't!” I snapped at him as my brows furrowed together, concentrating on the napkin as I neatly folded it.
Letting out a deep breath, I looked at my handwork as I regained my sense of calm.
After seeing my work, I stood up from my chair.
“Where–”
“To the restroom,” I interrupted him.
I needed to think, needed to wash my hands, needed to do something, other than sitting down.
I stomped to the restroom, not caring if I crashed into anyone along the way.
Turning the tap on, I rubbed my palms together under the running water .
Ten years with him.
Okay, eight years to be exact, but what was the difference?
I had given everything to that scum, and he was just going to dump me.
“No way,” I muttered as I shook my head, “If he wasn't cheating, then it had to be something else.”
“Something was definitely off,”
The feeling of a light breeze touching my bottom brought me back to reality.
“Oh, damn!” I had forgotten I was practically naked.
Great!
Failed plan, failed relationship.
Grabbing a paper towel, I wiped my hands together as I stared at the restroom mirror, my eyes threatening to water.
I would not cry. I would not cry.
Not for him.
Letting out a deep breath, I trashed the paper towel and pushed open the restroom door with my shoulders.
Oomph!
I slammed into a wall, the impact sent me staggering backwards as something else steadied me.
Blinking, I looked up at the wall I just collided with.
No, not a wall. A man.
A tall, hot man, dressed in a suit, no tie. His hair and eyes bore the same colour— Chestnut brown.
His hand on my waist– which he used to keep me from falling– felt big and strong.
I blinked as I shook my head to clear off the distraction, “Sorry, excuse me,” I muttered.
As I moved to the side, a clinking sound drew my attention.
My head moved slowly to the floor and I saw two buttons rolling on the floor.
Strange. They seemed familiar.
“Uhhh…”
I raised my head to look at the hot stranger.
“You might want to take care of that,” he said, his brow arching as he pointed towards me.
My head moved down slowly as I looked at myself.
The flap of my swing coat had fallen open, my left breast and the side part of my right breast were practically on display for all to see.
Fuck damn s**t!
- Writer
