Chris And Hazel - Volume 1 Chapter 40

‘You are late’ a voice said as Chris sneaked back into the house with his shoes up in his hands.

“…Noooo” Chris froze right there shutting his eyes tightly as he cursed himself for getting caught.

‘Its way past midnight and this is when you come back home?’ the person asked making his way towards Chris.

‘Bro, I am sorry! I didn’t know it would take this long’ he muttered looking apologetically at his brother, Adam Finch.

‘Well, a mistake is a mistake! I am calling dad’ Adam answered fighting back a smile trying his best to keep his act alive.

‘Please bro! I am begging you, don’t do this. If dad finds out that I have partied all night, he would turn this as a reason to drag me into the family business’ Chris pleaded pulling a face at his big brother.

‘Adam! Enough! Stop teasing the poor thing’ a voice spoke out heeding to Chris’ plea.

Adam turned to look back at his wife, Evelyn Finch, walking towards them. But for Chris, she appeared like an ‘angel in disguise’.

‘Thank god you are here! Do me a favor by taking your husband inside’ Chris said rushing towards his sister-in-law, who just walked out of her room.

‘Well, I am going upstairs and waking dad up. You deserve to be punished’ Adam said in a stern voice looking at Chris, who hid behind his sister-in-law for support.

‘Adam, stop teasing him’ she said smiling at her husband who was enjoying himself as he continued teasing his younger brother.

‘Sis, what do you mean?’ Chris questioned muddled.

‘Your dad and mom are out of town. Adam is just messing with you’ she answered giving away her husband’s act as Adam continued to maintain a serious face.

‘Bro, that’s so not fair! I got scared’ Chris screamed walking over to his brother angrily.

‘I know…and I loved it’ Adam answered sneering at Chris.

Chris pounced on Adam pushing him on the sofa behind them, Chris playfully tried strangling his brother and Adam went with it, as they kept attacking and defending each other with a grin on their faces.

‘Both of you, quiet down! You will wake up the babies. And if they wake them up, then it’s your responsibility to put them back to sleep’ Evelyn warned watching the brothers play like 10-year-olds.

They instantly grew still listening to the punishment Evelyn just offered…they knew the consequences if the babies woke up. The brothers turned to face each other with a smile declaring a truce.

‘Well…today isn’t my day but soon I will have my revenge’ Chris proudly announced getting up from the sofa.

‘That day…will never come’ Adam said laughing at his determined brother.

‘Wait and watch’ Chris said confident as he was about to leave the hall.

‘Were you with Hazel?’ Adam asked, stopping Chris.

‘Well…she was also there’ Chris answered smiling sheepishly looking at his brother.

‘When do you plan on telling her?’ Evelyn asked laughing as she noticed how embarrassed Chris was on hearing Hazel’s name.

‘Soon…I guess!’ Chris responded not sure himself.

‘Maybe I should hack into your system and send Hazel a proposal’ Adam suggested teasing Chris.

‘Bro, Please I know you are a great hacker but please keep your skills to yourself. I promise I will tell her soon’ Chris assured his brother afraid that Adam would really do that.

And if he did, Chris couldn’t imagine the consequences.

‘Well you better do otherwise even if Adam lets you off, I won’t!’ Evelyn threatened smiling at him.

‘Fine…! Stop threatening a poor kid! I am going to bed!’ Chris said pouting angrily at them as he walked to his room.

 ‘Aren’t you gonna tell him?’ Evelyn asked after Chris left the hall.

‘I don’t wanna bother him, Eve! He’s not interested in business yet alone in the rivalries. So let’s not bother him, he’s happy like this!’ Adam answered as he unlocked his laptop from sleep mode.

‘You spoil him so much’ she said as she sat beside him on the sofa leaning onto his shoulders as he worked on his laptop.

‘I promised to take care of him, and I will’ Adam said his gaze still on the screen.

Chris stood near the stairs behind the pillar looking at the couple, as a sense of guilt washed over him.

‘Bro, I knew you had to give up your dream to take up the family business and you did that for me…I will not let you down’ Chris told himself as he smiled at his brother from a distance before going into his room.

It was around 4 a.m. when Chris and Hazel reached Chris’s house.

‘Chris, are you okay? You were quiet your entire way here’ Hazel asked concerned by his sudden silence.

‘Go to bed Haze! Take rest’ Chris answered as they stood at the entrance.

‘Chris, just answer me! I knew long before that you weren’t completely honest with me but I just assumed it wasn’t important enough but now I begin to wonder that whatever you told me wasn’t important at all’ she said unwilling to leave the place unanswered.

It was quite clear from Hazel’s reaction that she was confused but more than that she was so much worried about the person standing in front of her. Within seconds, her pride of knowing Chris the best was torn down to pieces…millions of pieces. Till now, her idea of each other’s life was, they both waited for each other for six long years with nothing but hope. They had to battle through many hardsh.i.p.s but at the end of the day, their love didn’t fade away. And now after Chris explained everything she thought it was a happy ending! Well …everyone did! But it was only a few hours earlier she realized that it wasn’t just a love story at least not anymore.

She looked up at Chris, she couldn’t read him. She couldn’t even guess what he was feeling right now. His looked tensed up but his eyes were empty and hollow!

Usually, she could sense a kind of warm feeling when he looked at her but now it was as though he was looking at a stranger.

“Chris, no matter how much I try, your life gets impenetrable with each passing day. Though we just became closer…why does it feel like we are very far away from each other?” Hazel’s mind overwhelmed with emotions as she looked at her love standing still.

‘Reality’s past is much darker than anything else Haze! Just get some rest, we’ll talk later. Now, I have some things I should take care of’ he said entering the house.

‘Chris, I am here you still don’t have to face things alone!’ she murmured to herself as she slowly marched towards her room like a zombie. Though Hazel was so much worried about Chris, she was exhausted! And the moment, the only decision she could think of was sleep.

Hazel fell on her bed as her eyelids grew heavy; she gently closed her eyes detaching herself from the outside world.

‘….’

‘…’

‘Ah…why can’t I sleep?’ she asked herself as she threw the pillow from her bed.

She slowly got up from her bed, poured herself a glass of water and after drinking it made her way towards Chris’ room.

‘Chris…?’ she called out before entering through the door.

She noticed that he was busy over the phone talking to someone.

‘At this hour?’ she wondered looking at him worried by the cloud of tension visible on his face.

He signaled Hazel to sit down as he continued to talk over the phone.

‘I don’t care what you guys do, I need all the details before 10 a.m. today’ he said before disconnecting the call.

‘Chris, what’s wrong?’ Hazel asked trying to stay active.

‘Why aren’t you asleep?’ he asked walking over to her.

Just a glance; he knew how much worn out she was.

‘I didn’t sleep the whole night and I really want to sleep but I know something’s bothering you and when I think of that, I can’t sleep’ she explained as she leaned back on the pillow placed on the bed.

‘Go to sleep Haze! I will tell you tomorrow’ he promised sitting next to her.

‘No…tell me right now or else I am not leaving this room’ she answered nodding firmly at him with her half-closed eyes.

‘….’ Chris sighed at her stubbornness. He reached out towards but got interrupted by another call.

‘Haze, I am kinda busy now. So why don’t we talk later? Now go to your room’ he pleaded looking at his mobile’s screen.

‘I, Hazel White, promise not to leave this room without ….’ She stopped to yawn and then continued.

‘Getting an explanation from your side’ she finished rubbing her eyes.

‘Haze, you look pale, just go and sleep. Look at you, you already look like a drunkard and now you won’t quit blabbering’ he said getting up from there as he answered the call.

‘But Chris…I need to know’ she spoke out as loud as she could but to her surprise, it wasn’t audible at all. Hazel tried her best to stay awake trying to distract herself from the soft and welcoming bed beneath her.

‘Hazel! No, you can’t let your drowsiness take control’ she told herself straightening her posture.

Chris rubbed his sleepy eyes as he spoke over the phone standing in the balcony. When he returned to his room, he found Hazel fast asleep on the bed.

A smile spread across his worn out face as he watched her sleep, he slowly pulled the blanket over her.

‘I have some work now Haze! I will take care of him first and then explain everything and now that he has seen you, I should keep you well-protected! Sleep tight!’ he said in a low voice as he kissed her forehead before leaving the room.

Chris entered the room to find Hazel still asleep. The sun slowly peeked through the unclosed curtains and fell on her radiant skin making her glow even brighter.

Chris slowly closed the curtains making sure that that the golden rays didn’t disturb his sunshine anymore. As he turned to walk out of the door, Ed entered the room.

‘Chris? Where the hell were you last night? And Hazel was missing too, it took me ages to convince her dad that she was safe and did she happen to be with…’ he froze at the sight of Hazel sleeping on Chris’ bed.

He looked back and forth between Chris and Hazel for some time before coming back to reality.

‘Sorry dude…I didn’t know’ he apologized as he rushed out of the door embarrassed.

‘Ed, wait! It’s not like how you think it is’ Chris shouted hoping Ed hears him out.

‘Why is Ed running out from your room like that?’ Charlotte asked as she entered the room with a puzzled look on her face.

‘What the…?’ she stopped right there looking at her best friend sleeping on Chris’ bed.

‘When did you guys…? How…? What the hell!’ she screamed storming out from the room.

‘These guys…!’ Chris sighed heavily shaking his head in dismay.

‘Thank God! Hazel’s parents aren’t here otherwise I would have been dead meat by now’ he told himself turning to look at Hazel who was sleeping soundly unaware of the drama happening around her.

‘I need some sleep, I will deal with them later’ he told himself sitting on the couch nearby.

Within minutes, Chris was fast asleep.

It was quarter past 11 a.m. when Hazel woke up. She found Chris sleeping on the couch looking listless.

‘Did I sleep here the entire time?’ she asked as she noticed the blanket wrapped around her.

She slowly got up from the bed and made her way towards Chris. She smiled as she watched him sleep peacefully. She took the blanket from the bed and after taking the tab out of his hands covered him with the blanket.

‘Sleep tight’ she said as she kissed his cheeks before leaving the room.

As she walked out of the room, there stood Ava, Ed, and Charlotte ready to question her.

‘You look tired’ Charlotte said raising a brow at her.

‘I am tired’ Hazel answered confused by their behavior.

‘Why?’ Ava asked catching up with her sentence.

‘That’s because I didn’t sleep a wink last night’ Hazel answered casually walking away from there.

‘Did she just accept that…?’ Ed asked looking at the two unable to complete his question.

‘Yeah she did’ Charlotte answered walking away trying to cover up her shocked expression.

‘Why are these three behaving weirdly today?’ Hazel wondered as she made her way back to her room.

The office’s door cracked open as a man in his early thirties made his way inside with a file named confidential in his hands.

‘Here are the files you requested for Mr. Grayson’ the man said as he handed over the files to his boss.

‘Good job, Edwin! You can wait outside’ he answered not bothering to look at his secretary.

As Edwin exited through the door, Grayson opened the file placing it on the table before him.

A vicious smile spread across his face as he went through the details in the file.

‘Chris, get ready to taste the fruits of what you and your brother sowed’ he said as he threw the file onto the table before him.

‘And this time I won’t lose’ he added with a crafty smile on his face.