Page 48 of Hazel and Elijah Find Out: First They F*cked Around

“You are good,” she said simply. “You are worthy of love.”

“I know,” I mumbled. Needing to move, I began to walk again, and she joined me—her feet falling in rhythm next to mine.

Her tone was softer, almost swallowed by the wind. “I’m falling for you.”

My step stuttered before I brought us to a stop again.

“Is it too soon to say that?” She tugged her hand from mine and ineffectively smoothed it over her hair.

I shook my head. The words were trapped inside my throat, caged in tight behind years of hurt, blocked by wounds I thought I’d healed in therapy. I wanted to tell Hazel, but my pain had been dredged up too recently.

My expression felt hard, my features set to portray impenetrability—jaw firm, eyebrows drawn, eyes narrowed at nothing over her shoulder. “Are you really?”

“Yes.” She wrapped her arms around me and pressed her cheek against my chest.

I hugged her closer, resting my chin atop her head. It was easier to tell her than it was to accept her statement. “I’m falling for you, too.”

Already fallen, actually.

The air around her felt charged, shifting with new energy.

The waves continued to clap, and the wind continued to rush past pulling and pushing us. But I could have sworn that the sun broke through the dark gray blanket of clouds, making everything warmer and brighter.

Tilting her head up, she stretched to her toes. Her mouth was soft as it brushed mine. I drew her in, as if everything I needed could be found in the delicate skin of her lips. She sighed and melted into my arms, and I was helpless to her silent demand. My cage’s doors curled open, and the steel barriers that had protected me gave way under the slightest urging from Hazel.

I wanted to open to her completely. Draw her in. Lay bare. All of my wounds in full view.

I just hoped she would still want me after she saw them.

Chapter 15

Hazel

Benji’swasquieternowthat tourist season was nearly done. There was maybe a weekend for color cruisers—people who drove around, looking at the changing leaves clinging to the trees. The autumn chill had grown too frigid—my cheeks were chapped and raw after our walk—but the cold couldn’t touch the hot flurry of emotions inside my chest.

It was even enough to quiet the constant “to-do” list that was always growing larger. But maybe Elijah was right; maybe I could pass some tasks on to others… Maybe.

He sat across the table from me, his body relaxed in the booth. He looked down at our joined hands.

We hadn’t spoken much through dinner. Every time I opened my mouth, his eyes locked onto mine, conveying a promise that stole my breath. Instead, we waited for his credit card to be returned so we could go back to my place.

I was so deep in my anticipation that I didn’t notice Tara Nelson until she was standing at the edge of our table. Surprised, I blinked up at her stern, round face, surrounded by bleached blond curls held in place by a matting of hairspray.

“Hi,” I said. She was my parent’s age, and I didn’t know her well. Mostly, I knew her from when I went to school with her daughter, Lily. I remember Tara was always calling the school to argue about a poor grade she thought was undeserved.

She fixed her icy-blue gaze. “Hello.” Shifting her attention to Elijah, she spat out, “You should never have come back here.”

The man at the table next to us glanced over his shoulder.

I sank deeper in the booth. Blood rushed in my ears, and I felt my cheeks warm. My stomach instantly felt too full and queasy.

Elijah’s fingers flexed, tightening his grip on my hand. Outwardly, his demeanor didn’t change—his arm casually draped across the back of the booth, his shoulder lounged against the wall—but his green eyes took on a sharp focus I hadn’t seen before.

His tone was almost bored when he said, “Okay.”

“You’re trouble, and you don’t belong here,” Mrs. Nelson growled.

“Noted. Are we done?”

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