Page 73 of The Prospect

I flash her a look of remorse. “Sorry again.”

She sighs as the elevator doors open and we pile inside. “It’s a good thing you’re cute…”

The ride up is quiet. The only sound being that of my heart pounding out of my chest. I don’t know why, but as we approach the dorm room, I can’t stop myself from running all the plausible things both Amira and I might walk in on as we step inside.

I find some comfort in the fact that if I know anything about Hazel, then my guess is that she and Hart are probably just talking.

Or watching a movie.

Or maybe she’s showing him her art collection?

There's absolutely no way they’re doing anything.

That’s preposterous.

Ridiculous.

We’re going to walk into a simple scene.

A normal scene.

Not the two of them?—

“Woah!” Amira’s voice inflates with surprise as she swings open the door, and as I peer in to take a look, the answer to my question becomes instantaneous.

Right in front of my eyes isn’t Hazel and Hart talking, watching a movie, or going through an art collection. It’s the two of them—shirtless. Kissing and completely disregarding the fact that Amira and I are standing right here, watching this all unfold.

If I thought my heart was beating fast before, I was completely mistaken. Now, it’s pounding out of my chest as the world slows—forcing me to feel an ungodly amount of agony with each millisecond that passes by.

Somehow, watching Hazel kiss Hart takes me back to the moment our lips were once one and how, since then, I haven’t stopped thinking about how not only was I her first kiss, but I was also her last.

The thought filled me with an egotistical sense of pride. Yet seeing how Hart towers over top of her, replacing my lips with his own, does things to my mind that I can’t even comprehend.

This needs to stop.

It has to stop.

Make it stop.

“Oi!” I don’t know why I shout out in protest, but I do. “Hazel!” I call out her name, Hart’s shoulders tensing up as I do. “That’s enough!” I don’t let up in the slightest. “Get off of her!” I demand. “Do you hear me, Hart? Get the fuck off of her!”

“Green?!” My outburst is shortly followed by a soft, almost concerning voice.

Hazel.

“What…what are you doing here?” She clutches a blanket against her chest to shield her frame as Hart falls to her side.

I gulp. “What am I doing here?” I ask. “What are you doing here, Hazel? Better yet, what the fuck is going on?!”

I start to lose all sense of rationality as I take in the discarded clothes around the room, falling victim to the thought of just how undressed the two of them really are beneath those sheets—did we just walk in on them having…

“Holy smokes, Green. You need to calm down!” Amira jumps in before I’m led down a darker path than it was already on. “It’s not like we weren’t just doing the same thing. Now, c’mon.” She reaches for my hand to pull me back. I hadn’t realized I’d charged my way into the room. “Let’s give them some privacy.”

“No.” My mouth moves faster than my mind, compelling Amira to flash me a suspecting glare. I want to inspect it, but I can’t, for as I turn back around, all I can see is that Hart hasstood up from the bed and is using his body to shield Hazel away from me.

Nothing hurts more.

“I think you’d be smart to listen to your girlfriend and go, Green,” Hart remarks, his eyes dagger into me. “Don’t make me have to be the one to tell you.”