Chris And Hazel - Volume 1 Chapter 27 26

‘Hey, what are you doing here?’ Hazel asked knocking the study room’s door.

‘Just work! Come on in’ Chris replied looking up at her from his laptop.

‘Hey, even I have got some work to do, do you mind if I join you?’ she asked expectantly.

‘Sure’ he said signaling her in.

‘Just a sec!’ she said running up to her room to grab her laptop.

She entered the study room and sat across Chris opening her laptop.

‘Please don’t tell me you are gonna do some office work’ Chris said looking at her.

‘Whaaattt…? No way’ she squealed closing her file within Chris could discover that she opened her laptop to complete her report.

‘I know you closed some file and it was about work’ he said returning his eyes to his computer.

‘Even you are working’ she complained looking at him.

‘Well I have to, I am your boss. I can’t stay idle but I don’t work like you. I have my breaks’ he clarified looking at her.

‘Even I take breaks when necessary’ she said pouting slightly.

‘When was the last time you went on a vacation?’ he asked closing his laptop.

‘Well…last year…nope…I think it was…’ she strived to remember.

‘Three years back’ Chris answered smiling.

‘How did you know?’ she asked nonplussed by his guess.

‘I guess?’ he said trying to cover up the obvious.

‘Wow…so much accurate for a guess’ she said lifting a brow in suspicion.

‘Fine, Ed told me’ he gave in.

‘Ohh…okk’ she replied not knowing what else to say, well of course she had a doubt why Ed told him about that cause it didn’t seem like a common topic to talk about but she decided to take things slow and find out one by one.

It was quite an irony, when she was away from him all she could think was if only she could get a chance to talk to him alone and then it would answer all of her questions but now that she has that opportunity to do so she doesn’t want to. She didn’t know what was holding her back but all she knew was she just wanted to embrace the current moment and not let go.

‘So coming back to the topic, when was the last time you went on a date?’ he asked her.

‘That’s an easy one…’

‘Don’t include Ryan’ he interrupted.

‘But…’ she started.

‘Nope’ he said shaking his head decisively.

‘But why?’ she asked in objection.

‘Cause you did that to fool yourself and show me that you moved on’ he answered bluntly as he got up from his seat and moved towards her.

‘…’ Hazel looked at him; her body froze by hearing his comment. He hit the bull’s eye.

‘Well…no I moved on years ago’ she managed to blurt out because if she continues to remain silent it will prove that he guessed right.

‘Really?’ he asked closing the distance between them.

Hazel looked up from her seat and there he was standing inches away from her staring right into her eyes. He was insanely close to her and Hazel was afraid that even if he walked a little bit closer he might hear her heart beat.

She was pretty confident that she had forgotten how it would feel when the guy she likes comes towards her but…what does she know? Time proved her wrong…there it was again. She felt butterflies inside her stomach and her knees grew weak and yet there was a sense of warmth around making her feel secure and it was Chris who was successful in doing it…again.

‘Chris…you are really close’ she said in a low voice.

‘Well does that bother you?’ he asked leaning in towards her.

She looked up and there it was; his face right above hers. Hazel was sweating like hell. She wanted to walk away but her legs stuck to the floor just like her eyes which struggled to look away from Chris’. She sat staring at Chris, her eyes looking into his and she thought for a moment that she forgot how to talk as words won’t come out no matter how much she tried.

‘On considering your defense, I pronounce you guilty Ms. Hazel White’ he murmured softly into her ears. Hazel felt his breath on her neck, she grew red instantly.

‘Hazel, are you okay?’ he asked looking at her condition.

‘Are you unwell?’ he asked feeling her head to check for fever.

“It’s all because of you, you over smart idiot” she thought to herself scolding him.

‘OH my god! Not again’ Chris shouted looking at Hazel’s desktop screen.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked confused by his sudden shift in character.

‘Are you looking for houses online, again?’ he yelled in disbelief.

‘Yeah, it’s just a common thing why are shouting like this’ she asked unsure of why he was angry.

‘Common thing? You just got cheated by some idiot over the internet and now you wanna repeat the same thing?’ he asked fuming with rage over her foolishness.

‘Then how do you think I am gonna find another house to rent, did you think that I could stay with you for eternity?’ she asked rolling her eyes.

‘I know you won’t but I arranged a realtor to find you a good house so stop all this non sense’ he said walking away from her.

‘Oh then forgive me for not being able to read your mind’ she said sarcastically.

‘I was about to tell you but how was I supposed to know that you started searching for houses without telling me anything?’ he said trying to calm down.

‘Let’s not turn it on me now ok? You are the one who is being unreasonable’ she said blaming him.

‘Well then forgive me for caring’ he said turning towards her.

‘Well I didn’t ask you to’ she said filled with anger.

‘…Ohh…well then I guess it was my fault the entire time’ he said in a slow voice looking at her.

‘Yeah, you know what? Thank you so much for your hospitality maybe I can handle it from here’ she said closing her laptop.

‘If you really think so…I don’t have any objection…oh maybe you can ask Ryan to help’ he suggested with an empty smile.

‘Yeah at least he won’t shout at me like you did’ she said storming off from the room.

‘Look who’s being unreasonable now’ he shouted loud enough for her to hear.

‘Mr. Finch, I think Ms. White left the house and she seemed upset’ the housekeeper said rushing into the study room.

‘I know’ he replied calmly.

‘Mr. Finch aren’t you gonna stop her?’ she asked worried.

‘Nope I am good’ he replied looking at his phone.

The housekeeper nodded slowly and left the room understanding that their conversation has ended.

‘Idiot, you are the most foolish person on this planet’ Charlotte screamed. Hazel had to take the phone away from her ear worried that her ear drums might explode.

‘But he was the one who started getting angry first’ Hazel complained.

‘He was just trying to talk some sense into you…you know I wouldn’t be worried if you walked away in anger just cause he shouted at you but you walked away when he was about to open up to you, you are the dumbest person I know’ she said sighing loudly.

‘Do you think I am dumb to not know if he was gonna open up to me?’ Hazel asked.

‘Then what was “You are guilty Hazel” about?’ Charlotte asked trying to make Hazel understand.

‘Oh my god! I am so dumb’ Hazel said realizing it.

‘Not surprised’ Charlotte said rolling her eyes.

‘Enough Charlotte, leave the poor girl alone’ Ava said taking the phone from Charlotte.

‘Haze, don’t worry ok? You know Chris better than us and you know he’ll come around’ Ava said.

‘But Ava, I just acted on impulse when he yelled at me but I failed to realize that if I was a bit calm then all of my questions would’ve been answered by now’ she said in a worried tone.

‘I know but don’t worry there is time, Chris will never get angry on you so don’t worry’ Ava consoled.

‘Anyways did you find a place to stay in?’ Charlotte asked putting the call on speaker.

‘Nope, all the hotels here are either booked or costing the life out of me and since I have to stay somewhere at least for a week, I can’t afford to spend so much’ she said.

‘Ok now where are you?’ Ava asked.

‘I am at the park’ she answered.

‘Do one thing it’s already getting late so just drop by our old apartment today and tomorrow go find a hotel for the time being, I spoke to the landlord and he told me that he wasn’t renting it out till I come back to pick up my things, maybe if you don’t find anything tomorrow just stay there till we are back and we’ll give the landlord some minimal rent for a week’ Ava suggested.

‘Yeah I can do that’ Hazel said nodding her head.

‘Haze did Chris call you?’ Charlotte asked before Hazel could disconnect.

‘Noo and that annoys me more’ she said angrily.

‘It’s fine, just go take rest now’ Charlotte said assuring her.

‘Yeah bye guys’ she said disconnecting the call.

Hazel booked a cab and reached her old apartment.

It was half past five in the evening; she unlocked the apartment and walked inside the apartment.

‘Well I was expecting you’ a voice said as she entered.

‘Chris?’ she called out looking at him who was sitting in the living room drinking a cup of coffee.

‘Hi’ he said smiling.

‘Hi? What are you doing here?’ she asked looking at him bewildered.

‘Waiting for you’ he replied getting up.

‘But I thought we weren’t in talking terms’ she said looking at him.

‘We aren’t, I am just here to pick you up’ he said.

‘What?’ she asked confused.

‘Well I didn’t come here to console you, I am angry too, I have heard girls complaining that I am not caring enough but you are the first one to complain that I cared and that sounded offensive so I am not ready to talk to someone like that’ he explained.

‘Girls?’ she asked looking at him.

‘Yeah, so what?’ he asked looking away.

‘So you won’t talk to me?’ she asked after sometime.

‘No’ he answered stubborn.

‘In that case I am not coming with you’ she said determined.

‘Well your choice then. And I caught the guy who cheated you regarding the house thing. Too bad you don’t wanna meet him’ he said walking towards the door.

‘What?’ she asked holding out her hand to stop Chris from leaving.

‘Bye Ha…Ms. White’ he said pulling away from her.

Hazel locked the apartment and rushed downstairs to stop him from leaving.

She reached the parking lot trying to catch her breath and noticed that Chris was sitting inside the car waiting for her.

‘You could’ve told me that you were gonna wait’ she said walking towards him catching her breath.

‘Oh I am sorry I just thought if I did that it would seem like I cared’ he said looking at her.

‘Ok enough with this! I am sorry, ok? I was angry that you yelled at me and that’s why I yelled like that and so please forgive me’ she pleaded looking at him.

‘I didn’t mean anything Chris, in fact I am happy that you care for me’ she said looking at him.

‘Fine’ he said after some time.

‘Fine? That’s what I get after pouring out like that?’ she asked staring daggers at him.

‘Ohh did that seem caring too?’ he asked innocently.

‘Oh for heaven’s sake! Mr. Christopher Finch, enough with your melodrama. You know what? Just name it… just tell me what I should do for you to forgive me’ she asked annoyed by his weird behavior.

‘Dance with me’ he said without thinking for a second.

‘What?’ she asked surprised.

‘DANCE WITH ME’ he elucidated it out for her.

‘Dance with you? Where? ‘She asked looking at him.

‘Here’ he answered softly getting down from the car.