Chris And Hazel - Volume 1 Chapter 33

‘Chris are you sure it’s gonna be okay?’ Ed asked entering the driver seat.

‘It’s gonna be fine, just don’t worry’ he assured standing outside the car laughing lightly.

‘Why are you laughing?’ Ed asked confused by his reaction.

‘Well, it’s kinda funny that Mr. Edward Richardson, the heir of the Richardson’s, is scared of his father-in-law’ he answered laughing again.

‘Well let me see your reaction when you meet yours, laugh all you want. Soon it’ll be my turn to laugh at you’ Ed said starting the car.

‘Well, that day will never come. Anyways you take Ava, uncle and aunt and I will take Charlotte, Hazel and the kids’ he said to Ed.

‘OK, just keep up and don’t get lost’ Ed said taking a reverse.

‘Okk, drive properly’ Chris said walking away.

‘Did Ed leave?’ Charlotte asked as Chris walked inside the house.

‘Yeah, he just left with Ava and your parents’ he answered stopping to answer her.

‘Ok, and listen up’ she said stopping him as he was about to walk away.

‘I won’t be coming with you guys since I got some work maybe I will come to Ava’s house by tonight or tomorrow, I already told Haze. So you guys get ready to leave soon’ she said turning away from him.

He nodded at her and made his way to the stairs to call Hazel but it wasn’t needed as he saw her coming down along with kids.

‘Hey, shall we go?’ he asked as she reached downstairs.

She slightly nodded at him, trying to avoid his gaze.

‘Is Hazel angry on dad?’ Robert asked whispering to his sister who was standing next to him.

‘Get used to it, they are angry at each other most of the time’ Aurora answered slowly, seeing to that Chris and Hazel doesn’t overhear their conversation.

‘Is it going to me like this all the time?’ he asked looking at her.

‘We will get used to it, come let’s go out’ she said pulling him outside.

‘Why are you angry on me?’ he asked as Hazel was about to walk past him.

‘I am not’ she answered still avoiding his eyes.

‘Look at me’

‘…’

‘Ms. White, look at me’ he commanded in a stern voice.

‘That tone will not work on me Mr. Finch. And to be honest, Yes! I am angry on you and I neither want to talk to you nor look at your face’ she said walking away.

‘Acceptable’ he said to himself following her outside.

As he went towards the car, Hazel was already in the passenger seat and the kids were buckled up in the back seat.

‘Do you want to drive?’ he asked looking at her through the window standing outside the car.

‘…why do you ask?’ she asked turning to look at him.

‘No reason, I am just a little tired’ he answered opening her door.

‘Okk…’ she said getting out of the car.

Chris entered the passenger seat as Hazel climbed into the driver’s seat to start the car.

‘You are hoping that I will tell you everything now, right?’ he asked as she drove out from the driveway.

‘Kinda’ she accepted her eyes on the road.

‘I know Charlotte told you about the story I tell the kids’ he spoke out after a short pause.

‘I saw Ed overhearing us’ she answered plainly.

‘Okk…before telling my point of view I want you to answer some of my questions, can you?’ he asked as he turned to look at his kids in the backseat, but they were busy totally immersed watching a movie.

‘Ask away’ she told him.

‘You didn’t have any idea about my existence for the past six years and yet you chose to remain optimistic for no reason…’

‘There was a reason…’ she said cutting him in the middle of his question.

‘What reason?’ he asked lifting a brow in confusion.

‘You don’t remember, do you? Well I am not surprised…just…just finish your question’ she answered her voice fading away slowly as her voice grew heavy.

‘Well….Now I am here and I promised you that I will tell you everything in a week and yet you can’t be patient enough…why?’ he asked finishing his question.

‘Well…the answer is simple. You weren’t there when I had my doubts and questions and so I thought it was ok for me to assume whatever my heart wants but it’s not the same anymore…you are here with the answers I was and am looking for…it’s just that I want to know whether my assumptions were right or not’ she answered looking at the phone placed in front of her for directions.

‘Can you wait till tonight?’ he asked looking at her.

‘…Will you tell me everything?’ she asked her voice hinting a sense of hopefulness.

‘Yes…I will’ he answered smiling lightly.

‘Anymore questions?’ she asked looking at him.

‘Yeah, just one more’ he told her.

She looked at him waiting for him to continue.

‘Do you still…I mean I know that you loved me and stuff but do you…still……love me?’ he finished his question with much struggle as it was quite easy when he asked it to himself inside his head but it didn’t come out the same way as he expected.

‘……’

‘Hazel?’ he called as there was no response from her side.

‘I…I…well…’ she stammered.

‘I need an answer, Haze’ he demanded.

‘Well…do you?’ she asked taking a U-turn.

‘I asked the question first’ he said looking away from her.

‘…I will answer if you’ she said daring not to look at him.

‘Haze…’ he started.

‘My dad likes you’ Aurora said interrupting him.

The tires of the car screeched as Hazel stopped the car in shock after hearing Aurora’s comment.

‘Aurora…’ he called out looking at his daughter bewildered.

‘Well you weren’t going to, dad’ she answered not bothered by his heated gaze on her.

‘He has a picture of you at home in his room’ Robert said looking up at Hazel from the monitor’s screen.

‘Robert and Aurora get back to watching your movie and not a word more’ he said in a threatening tone.

‘…Okk’ they said in unison looking dejected.

‘Stop shouting at them, how can you be so mean and rude to everyone?’ Hazel asked looking at him.

‘You know what Hazel; you better stay out of this. I don’t want you to lecture me on how to handle my kids’ he said in a firm voice avoiding her eyes.

‘Daddy is mean to Hazel’ Robert said looking at him.

‘You know what, I need some air’ Hazel said getting down from the car.

‘Why did you guys tell her that?’ he asked as soon as Hazel got down.

‘Because you weren’t going to’ Aurora answered.

‘That doesn’t mean you can tell her, see there are certain things that only daddy can handle, ok? So both of you don’t repeat this’ he said his voice softening a little.

They both nodded at him obediently.

‘Stay here, I will go and talk to Hazel’ he informed them opening the car’s door.

‘Say sorry’ Aurora requested as he was about to get down.

‘I will honey, thank you’ he answered smiling at her.

‘…Hazel?’ he called out standing behind her.

‘We are good to go’ she said turning to walk away.

‘Can we talk?’ he asked holding her hand to prevent her from walking away.

‘I heard enough’ she answered trying to free her from his grip.

‘Stop struggling’ he said letting her go.

‘You have two minutes’ she said looking down at her watch.

‘I am sorry, I shouldn’t have said that because I of all people know that you are very good with kids’ he apologized sincerely.

‘…Yet you told me not to interfere, right?’ she asked tearing up a little.

‘I know…and I am very sorry about that. I was just angry…I am really sorry’ he answered looking right into her eyes.

‘…fine’ she said turning to walk away.

‘No it’s not fine, just punish me…I will do anything you say’ he said rushing in front of her.

‘Anything?’ she said smiling lightly.

‘Yeah, anything’ he nodded knowing that things were gonna end up badly…for him.

‘Make my anger go away within ten seconds’ she said looking at him.

‘Ten seconds?’ he asked stunned.

‘Yeah, just ten seconds. If you could make my anger go away I will forgive you or never ever talk to me’ she replied determined.

‘…Okk…actually that’s easy’ he said smiling wickedly.

‘Well…here we go…one…two…three…’ she started counting.

Chris watched her count smiling silently.

‘…Six…seven…eight…nine…and t…’ she stopped right in her tracks frozen as his lips covered hers.

‘Did I win?’ he asked moving away from her.

‘You…you…how…could you?’ she managed to ask turning away so that Chris doesn’t notice her colored cheeks.

‘…You want me to show you again?’ he asked closing in again.

‘We have to go…it’s already late’ she said moving away from him afraid that this time it won’t be him who takes the initiative.

‘And…you drive’ she said walking away hastily almost tripping.

‘Careful’ he shouted a she watched her walk away in haste.

Chris started the car and started driving soon to find that Hazel was asleep.

‘Hazel, wake up! We are here, you needn’t have to pretend to be asleep anymore’ he said removing his seat belt.

Hazel slowly opened at eyes trying to act sleepy.

‘I know you didn’t sleep now head over, Ed already reached’ he said getting down from the car.

Hazel got down from the car after making sure that Chris wasn’t around anymore, she slowly walked towards the main door with the kids looking around for him and to her luck he wasn’t around or inside the house.

‘What took you guys this long?’ Ava asked walking over as she saw Hazel walk inside with the kids.

‘Did they reach too?’ Hazel asked looking at Ava.

‘Yeah they reached before us. I didn’t know you called them’ Ava answered surprised.

‘Well I thought they would come in handy when we try convincing your dad’ she told smiling optimistically.

‘Thank you and come on in, everyone are in the dining hall for lunch’ she said taking Hazel and the kids inside.

‘Hey, what are you doing here?’ Chris asked walking over to Ed who was standing next the car he drove in.

‘I don’t wanna go inside, I am too scared to think of what will happen once I go inside’ he answered moving over to give some space to Chris to stand next to him.

‘You can’t just stand here forever and remember you are doing this for Ava, ok?’ he said convincing Ed.

‘Yeah, at least thank god you are here. Let’s go!’ he said nodding hopefully at Chris.

‘Plus, why are so scared of your father-in-law? Learn something from me, I am never scared of anything easily and I am sure I will never be of my father-in-law’ Chris said teasing Ed as he pulled him into the house.

‘Dude, you are scared of my sister’ Ed teased laughing.

‘Well…that’s exceptional case’ he answered rolling his eyeballs.

As they were about to enter the dining hall, Chris stopped right there pulling Ed outside the room.

‘What’s wrong, Chris?’ he asked confused by Chris’ strange behavior.

‘What’s Hazel’s dad doing here?’ he asked freaking out.