Chris And Hazel - Volume 1 Chapter 43 42

‘Hazel, the stylist is here’ Charlotte said entering Hazel’s room.

‘Great, take her to Ava’s room. I will be there in a minute!’ Hazel answered fixing her hair in the mirror.

‘No…the stylist is here for you’ Charlotte corrected as she walked inside.

‘Why? I am not the one getting engaged!’ Hazel said expressing her denial.

‘I don’t know! Your boyfriend arranged for them’ Charlotte said casually as she sat on Hazel’s bed looking around the room.

‘Boyfriend….? Boyfriend! I am starting to like the sound of that’ Hazel said gleefully.

‘Enough…enough…! I get it! I am the only single soul in the gang’ Charlotte said rolling her eyes at her love-struck friend.

‘You…? I know you have a boyfriend’ Hazel said turning to look at Charlotte’s reaction.

‘NO…No…Whaaattt…?! Where…on earth…did you get such an idea…? It’s…that’s insane! I don’t have any boyfriend…that’s just trouble!’ Charlotte stammered in defense, adding more to Hazel’s suspicion.

‘Chillax honey…! I am just messing with you’ Hazel said quickly trying to calm down her friend who was almost drenched in sweat.

Charlotte heaved sigh of relief after listening to Hazel but Hazel couldn’t relax. Sure, she was messing with Charlotte earlier but listening to her panic told a different story.

‘You ask the stylist to stay here. I will go and ask Chris why he sent them’ Hazel informed Charlotte before exiting the room.

‘…Sure’ Charlotte answered in a low voice still recovering from the incident.

‘Chris, why did…’ she froze at the sight of Chris standing right there in front of her in a navy blue suite, though he usually dressed like that something about his aura today made her stare at him in awe.

‘Have you stared enough?’ he asked smiling a little.

‘Well…did you arrange a stylist for me?’ she asked looking away from him.

‘Yeah’ he replied turning to face the mirror to make some minor adjustments to his coat.

‘Why?’

‘To help you get ready!’ he answered his eyes still fixed on the mirror.

‘But I am ready’ Hazel answered pointing to her dress.

‘No, you are going nowhere dressed like that! We aren’t going to an office party, Haze! It’s your best friend’s engagement’ he reminded her as he looked at her dress with so much resentment.

‘Ok…fine! Anyways I have to get ready fast…I need to be there for Ava today! She seemed nervous! I will get going and…’ she stopped waiting for him to look at her.

‘You look great!’ she complimented smiling at him.

‘Huh….Thanks!’ he replied turning away embarrassed.

As she was about to walk out of the door, she turned around and asked him;

‘Hey, did you know that Charlotte is committed?’ she asked in doubt. It has been bothering her since she left her room so she just had a hunch that Chris would know.

‘Whaaattt…?’ he asked trying to conceal the fact that he already knew before any of them.

‘Chris…she would have told me’ Hazel said in a feeble voice.

‘She will’ he assured her as he noticed her turning pale.

‘So when did you know?’ she asked still denying the fact that her best friend hid such an important fact from them.

‘Haze, she got committed way before Ava and Ed did. To be honest, you were the last soul I mean we were the last souls to get committed in our gang’ he answered trying to not sound insulting.

‘…’

‘How did you find out?’ he asked after noticing her sullen look.

‘I didn’t! I was just messing with her and she started sweating…’

‘Ohh…she got herself caught huh? Anyways what made you think I would know about it?’ he asked trying to keep her mind occupied.

‘You told me you investigated Char to get to me; it was an obvious guess’ she answered in an obvious tone.

‘My girl is a genius’ he said smiling at her.

‘Enough…go check on Ed and I will go check on Ava and I deal with Char later’ she replied firmly ignoring his last sentence.

‘Fine…fine! I won’t mess with you anymore’ he said walking over towards her.

‘…What should I do about Charlotte?’ she asked making a disappointed face.

‘Hazel, look! Charlotte cares for you more than any of us does. She’s someone who is ready to kill me if I hurt you again, and I am not exaggerating about this. Whatever it is, she gives you the first preference! She’s a great friend, Haze! She was your greatest strength for the past six years. And I know that she means a lot to you…so remember all this when you ask her about this’ he said placing a light kiss on her forehead before leaving the room.

‘He’s right! Whatever it is, she’s my best friend…she will tell me when she’s comfortable’ Hazel told herself before leaving Chris’ room.

‘Hey sweetie…!’ Hazel said as she entered Ava’s room.

Ava looked up from her dressing table to look at Hazel walking into her room.

‘Please don’t tell me you are gonna come dressed like this to my engagement’ Ava commented as Hazel stood in front of her.

‘Whaaattt… no way…! I just came to check on you. It seems like your stylist isn’t here yet’ Hazel said trying to cover up the fact that she was already dressed.

‘No…they will be here any minute now! So within that you better get dressed and come back’ Ava said going back to their previous conversation.

‘Great! I will come back after getting…dressed. By the way, I still look good in this dress, right?’ she asked standing by the door.

‘Hazel White! You look like my great aunt’ Ava answered bluntly.

‘Got it!’ Hazel answered as she directed her way straight to her room.

‘You asked Ava about your dress, didn’t you?’ Chris asked standing outside her room.

‘Yeah…!’ Hazel nodded slowly.

‘She said you look old, didn’t she?’ he asked making way for her to go inside.

‘It’s like you were there’ Hazel said pouting at him.

‘Go inside and get ready, ok? I will see you at the party’ he said as a smile escaped his lips looking at her reaction.

She waved him goodbye before entering her room.

‘You must be Hazel white’ her stylist said as Hazel entered the room.

‘Ava, I am ready!’ Hazel declared entering Ava’s room.

Ava stopped her stylist from fixing her hair and turned to look at Hazel who was standing at her room’s entrance.

‘Hazel…you look wonderful!’ Ava exclaimed as she saw her friend at the door.

Hazel entered the door wearing a full length sleeveless blue-colored gown laced with a transparent frill covering her curvy waist. Her hair was taken into a sided braid leaving the rest of her brown hair fall on her shoulders in curls. Her makeup was light and she wore a pink fuchsia lip shade, perfectly bringing out the color of her eyes.

‘Are you ready?’ Hazel asked smiling at Ava. Hazel wasn’t used to compliments regarding her dress and makeup so when she heard one, she didn’t know how to react and so decided to ignore it.

‘You seriously should dress more often like this’ Ava said signaling the stylist to continue her work.

‘Answer me, Ava’ Hazel said in a commanding tone.

‘Yeah, almost’ Ava answered laughing at her friend’s behavior.

‘Have you seen Charlotte?’ Hazel asked after a minute of silence.

‘No…but she got ready’ Ava answered closing her eyes as the stylist was making some final makeup touches.

‘Ohh…okk’ Hazel sounded dejected.

‘What’s wrong, hon?’ Ava asked concerned by her tone.

‘I will tell you’ Hazel answered as she looked up at the stylist.

Within ten minutes Ava was ready;

‘I will take my leave’ the stylist said leaving the room.

‘So how do I look?’ Ava asked getting up from the chair.

She wore a full-length, long sleeved Gray blue ball gown that covered most part of the floor she was standing in. It was a full collared gown, transparent from her neck to her shoulders. The rest of her dress was silvery plated flowered all around with sky blue colored daisies. The custom-made dress sure did look heavy on Ava but it helped people see how beautiful she was. Her hair was pulled into a soft and messy bun, with the bun leaning to one side on her shoulders. Her hair was adorned with jeweled pins adding to her elegancy.

‘You look how you are supposed to look’ Hazel answered her friend with a smile.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Ava asked panicking from her meaningless statement,

‘You are supposed to look like a superstar and you look like one’ Hazel explained within her friend could go on a panic attack.

‘Really…?’ Ava asked as she looked down at her gown.

‘Yes, yes and yes’ Hazel assured. This is the second time she saw Ava this nervous, well the first time was when she was about to go on her first date with Ed.

“Only Ed could bring out this side of Ava’s” Hazel thought to herself as she saw Ava looking at herself in the mirror still unsure of how she looks.

‘I just don’t know Haze. I am so nervous. Maybe daddy was right! I think I am jumping in too soon’ Ava said as her eyes overwhelmed with tears. Ava couldn’t think straight, she wasn’t having second thoughts on marrying Ed but she was scared that she is rushing with these things…she didn’t tell anyone about this afraid that they would judge her but that didn’t help either.

‘No Ava, don’t get confused. I know this is such an important moment for you in life but today you are supposed to be happy, ok? I know all this happened so soon and seems overwhelming but you are gonna get engaged to Ed, the one whom you love! And I promise honey, it’s gonna end well and don’t ever have second thoughts about getting engaged to your love. If you think you are jumping in too soon, there’s nothing wrong with it. When you find your true love, you needn’t wait anymore plus we aren’t getting any younger and your daddy was just looking out for you and no one better than him know that Ed is the most suitable groom for you ever’ Hazel convinced looking at her friend who stood there feeling helpless.

‘You really think so?’ Ava asked feeling a bit relaxed after listening to Hazel.

‘I am sure of it, now let’s go there and wow your love’ Hazel reassured.

‘Thanks hon’ Ava said hugging her friend.

‘Hey, what am I seeing here?’ Charlotte asked amused, as she entered the room.

‘Hey Char! Where were you?’ Ava asked pulling away from Hazel.

‘I was out’ she answered plainly.

‘Probably on a date’ Hazel said thinking out loud.

“Shoot! I didn’t mean to say that out loud” Hazel thought regretting her words.

Ava looked at Charlotte confused of what was going on there.

‘No…not on a date’ Charlotte said looking away from them.

‘I was just joking Char’ Hazel said covering up her actual thoughts.

‘Anyways it’s getting late! We should probably get going’ Charlotte said looking at the two as she walked out of the door.

‘Does she have a….?’ Ava asked looking at Hazel.

‘Yes, she does’ Hazel answered fishing out her question.

‘But, why didn’t she tell us?’ Ava asked quite disappointed with the news she just heard.

‘I don’t know but am sure she will’ Hazel said hoping for the same too.

The three reached the engagement hall.

‘Hey, by chance have you seen Ed?’ Ava asked looking at Charlotte.

‘I don’t know Ava. He and Chris left long before we did’ she answered.

‘They are probably inside, you two go on in. I have to go look for Chris’ parents. I told them I will take care of Rob and Aurora after they bring them here’ Hazel said looking around for the kids.

The other two nodded at her and went inside the hall. Hazel turned around to look for the kids but they were nowhere to be found. As she was about to go inside to have a look, someone stopped her;

‘Miss, may I know your name?’ a voice asked stopping her. She turned to look at the person as the voice sounded familiar.

‘Chris? What are you trying?’ she asked as she noticed Chris standing behind her.

‘Oh…you seem to know me? Chris answered surprised.

‘Fine…I don’t know you! Bye’ she answered turning to leave.

‘Ok…ok! I won’t play around anymore’ he gave up holding her hand to stop her from leaving.

‘Ok now tell me what that was about?’ she asked crossing her hands.

‘Well…’ he stopped as he looked at her up and down, though he wanted to say something the words just won’t come out.

‘Have you stared enough?’ she asked fighting back a smile.

Chris dragged himself back to reality after hearing her comment.

‘I must say…you look …’ he stopped.

‘I look…?’ she asked earnestly waiting for him to continue.

‘You look …stunning!’ he completed as he kissed her flushed cheeks.

‘Shall we head in?’ he asked pulling away.

Hazel nodded as she covered her reddened face.

The color blue matched her skin tone, making her glow under the evening lights. The dress suited her well as it perfectly flowed down her body bringing out her figure. Though Hazel was flushed pink, she resembled grace as she walked down the hall holding Chris.

As the couple walked down the hall they heard a faint chatter among the crowd and Hazel could feel most of the eyes on them.

‘Do you feel awkward too?’ she asked in a low voice as they walked.

‘Most of them here know me so they are just surprised that I have date today usually I go alone’ he answered looking at her.

‘So…?’ she asked still confused by his reply.

‘Get used to it’ he answered smiling at her.

Well he said it easily but Hazel didn’t know how long will it take for her to get used to all this.

‘Look who we have here’ a voice said as Chris and Hazel reached the table where Robert and Aurora were seated.

Chris’ face got clouded with despair after hearing the voice.

He turned around to face the person;

‘It’s a pleasure Mr. Christopher Finch’ he said extending his hand.

‘Hello Mr. Denzel Grayson!’ he greeted back with a firm handshake.

“It’s the man from the park” Hazel remembered as she looked up at the two twirling around a heavy atmosphere.