Page 22 of The Sky Between Us

My face fell and my heart shattered as he turned and walked away. I followed his light blue shirt, until it disappeared in the crowd accumulated in the living room and only then I let one single tear roll down my cheek, staining my face. I didn’t understand why I felt this heartbroken when I didn’t even want anything to do with him, but I felt betrayed, lost and utterly confused. Another tear escaped from my eyes, and at this point I wasn’t even thinking anymore. I needed to forget this ever happened. I had to turn my brain off, before my thoughts went crazy. Just for a night I wanted to be like everyone else, not like the ice queen I played.

With that goal in mind, I reached for the half empty bottle of vodka sitting on the counter and I took a long sip from it.

Chapter 6

Iwalked away since that was what every human being would have done. Elliot’s words were still echoing in my head and I didn’t know what to believe. Was Sky really her brother or not? This question bore a hole in my brain and I couldn’t focus on anything else. I desperately wanted to take Hazel up to my room and get lost inside of her. Maybe then she would open up. But I first needed answers, because that was who I was. I always set the expectations clear before I moved in. And with Hazel, I couldn’t set it clear. I wanted her more than I ever wanted any of the girls I fucked, because in those moments when I could see through her mask, I actually liked the person she was. I found her ice queen play entertaining too, but it was getting old. I needed to see the real her before I could decide if she was worth my risk, because she was right about one thing. She was the coach’s daughter, and I had to be one thousand percent sure I wanted more than a quick fuck because my future depended on it. Needless to say, we were both adults, we could just hook up, but in my experiences, girls caught feelings quicker than sick people with the flu. I shouldn’t have risked taking a chance like that. And I wasn’t going to. Simply, until Hazel got her act together, we were back to being strangers. Ever since our kiss I wanted to know how her lips would feel wrapped around me.

After hiding out in my room like a little kid who lost his candy, I decided to rejoin the party and get shitfaced. Being sober wasn’t doing me any good. Plus, I was sure that the hour I wasted scrolling through my Instagram and TikTok was enough for Hazel to leave.

I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined seeing her in the middle of my living room, dancing with a couple of girls.

My jaw hit the floor as I stood motionless on the last step of the stairs. I watched her body move to the rhythm, her tiny dress riding up even further. I felt myself grow harder with every passing moment. Her hair hit her back, diverting my attention to her exposed skin and reminding me of her ass. She lifted her arms in the air and swung her hips side to side, hypnotizing my eyes. My shock was never ending when some other girls for the dance team joined her in and they squatted down deep, pressed against each other. I watched Hazel laugh with such ease and carelessness like I’ve never seen before. But then I looked into her eyes and reality hit me.

She got drunk.

And it pissed me off.

Why did she get drunk? She clearly told me she hated drinking and now there she was, taking shots with the girls and giggling. I never knew such a simple sound could feel so good. Somehow, despite everything, it warmed my heart. I’ve never seen her that happy. And it shouldn’t have been like that.

As my own plans to get drunk got cancelled, I put myself on Hazel babysitting duty. My eyes never once left her as she moved across the living room with her new group of friends and danced. Seriously, girls were best friends when they were drunk and sworn enemies sober. I never understood that shit, but hey, if it made them happy, good for them.

Hazel was talking at high speed, based on how quickly her mouth moved and even Claire was laughing at something she said. It felt surreal watching it, like I was sucked into an alternative universe where Hazel wasn’t an ice queen but an actual emotional human being.

The song changed to Ariana Grande, making the girls squeak with happiness and they all started to dance. I never gave it a thought but our dance team was good. Aall the girls there knew what they were doing, but once they ended up next to Hazel, they looked ridiculous. Even drunk, her moves were smooth, seductive, and on the dot. She didn’t look out of place, she had something in her that made everyone stop and stare. I wasn’t the only one noticing her: guys from my team crowded the living room entrance and stared at the group of girls.

I didn’t like their eyes on Hazel. It felt wrong how they mentally undressed her. If I couldn’t have her, no one should have her.

My body moved before I knew what I was doing and I found myself standing behind Hazel and wrapping my arms around her waist.

She sank into my arms and reached her hand up, her fingers dug into my hair, and her hips moved in slower circles against my crotch. Desire that was already sparking in me from watching her, burnt up my body suddenly. Yet I didn’t do anything, just stood there in one place holding her as she danced. She never once turned around and it made me angry. She didn’t care who I was. She would have done this with anyone.

Holding her waist firmer, I turned her around, snapping her out of her mood.

“What are you doing?” she asked with eyes wide with surprise. “I thought you didn't dance.”

“I thought you didn't dance,” I repeated her sentence back.

Hazel smiled, while her eyes remained hooded from the alcohol. “I don’t dance, but Vodka does,” she giggled.

It was the cutest sound I’ve heard and under different circumstances I would have done anything to hear it again. But at that moment, I was extremely angry at her. She told me she had a bad experience with drinking, parties and boys, yet there she was, drunk at a party and dancing with anyone. Part of me wanted to throw that in her face and tell her she probably deserved whatever she got if that was how she acted before. But she was intoxicated, so she couldn’t really be blamed for it. She wasn’t looking for it.

“I think you should get some fresh air,” I told her gently, and I wrapped my arm around her. “Come on.”

“I love this song,” she whined like a five-year-old as I led her outside far from the peering eyes.

“I’ll put it on again once we go back,” I promised, opening the back door for her.

Hazel stumbled outside and kicking off her heels she plopped down on the grass. I resisted the urge to laugh because she acted like a kid, and joined her on the grass.

“Are you okay?” I risked the question as she laid on her back not caring about ruining her dress. Others would have already freaked out over the possibility of a grass stain.

“Do you even care?” she muttered, placing her hands behind her head and looking up at the dark sky. The moon outlined some of the clouds, making the sky appear mystical.

“Yes, I do. You are drunk, and based on how much I know about you, you don’t do this often. My concern is justified.”

“You don’t really know me,” she mocked me childishly, still not glancing at me. She just laid there in the grass in that tiny dress, totally unbothered.

“You’re right. I don’t know you,” I admitted and moved to lay on my back too, despite me being concerned about the grass stain on my blue Boss shirt. I didn’t have many branded ones and I actually liked this one. But I wanted to have a conversation with Hazel, and it clearly required sacrifices.

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