Page 35 of Love Hazard

The credits started.

It was after noon.

And still we sat, wordless, watching the TV as it turned tosomething else. He shifted in his spot and set down his wineglass again. “Thisis bullshit.”

“The movies?”

“No, the fact that a bear freaking ruined what could havebeen a day at the beach. Now, I’m sitting in a stupid hotel room, on a stupidcomfortable bed that has no business being this comfortable, with a hot girlI’ve already kissed and would kiss again, all because our dads are psychopathsand because I was doing mine a favor by giving him the time I knew he needed,using you as an excuse to—“

He stopped talking.

I tilted my head. “An excuse?”

He scowled. “She’s sick, Hazel. My mom’s sick, and Dad justgot home from his last trip. She’s not doing better, and he wanted some alonetime. Yes, the prank war was probably part of it, but it was just an easyexcuse for me to give him some time.”

“Excuse?” I repeated. “So, all of this was just me being areason for you to get away? I mean, I get that you didn’t want to spend timewith me, but being someone you loathe on top of being an excuse now just makesme feel like baggage.”

“Don’t make it about you,” he snapped, then ran his handsdown his face. “I’m sorry, it’s not that, it’s just…”

“What? What is it, August? Just be truthful.”

He was deathly quiet, not making eye contact when he saidthe words. “You aren’t the excuse. I make excuses or made excuses tosee you. You aren’t the excuse, you’re the reason. And life hasn’t exactly beennormal for us. With my mom being sick, I’m taking care of her. I didn’t evenget to finish my first year of college, and here you are, all smart, brilliant,pretty, and thinking that after six years, I’m still the same person whotaunted you from next door. And maybe that’s true. Because I do like tauntingyou. I like teasing you. I like getting a rise out of you because it’s cute,you’re cute, and I had a crush on you back then. Now, I’m literally having thehardest time sitting a few feet from you on a bed without thinking about whatit would be like to taste you again.”

My heart stalled in my chest, then got caught in my throat.

The buzz from the TV and the A/C were the only noises in theroom.

My exhale shuddered past my lips. I turned to look at him.His hair was a wreck, and he was staring down.

“So, are you done?” I asked.

His head popped up. “What?”

“With your speech. Are you done?”

His eyes moved back and forth, searchingmine. “What the hell are you talking about—?“

I jumped onto his lap and straddled him, my legs resting onboth sides of his.

His hands gripped my hips as he rolled his beneath me. “Yes,done. I’m totally done. I’ll never speak again.”

Our mouths collided in a rush, and his hands dove into myhair. Our lips were so meant to meet over and over again,the way his tongue flicked against mine as he moved beneath me.

August was mine.

That was the only sentence that kept repeating itself overand over in my head. That he was mine, and that this was inevitable.

He’d been my best enemy.

My first crush.

And now, I was kissing him.

His hands slid down my neck and then grasped my shouldersbefore our mouths broke apart in a pant. He nipped at my lip once, twice, threetimes, then flipped me over onto my back. “Ceasefire,” he whispered against mylips.

I could barely breathe; my heart was beating so fast.“Ceasefire? And what happens after?”

Something beautiful broke in his eyes as he stared me downand shook his head. “I don’t know anymore. I don’t know.”

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