LOVE IS ALWAYS CLOSE BY

𝐒𝐢𝐱

✿ 𝐇𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐋

I had finally arrived at the airport. I was tired and numb. My body needed to lay down on a comfortable bed. Just as I'm about to call my parents to announce my arrival, they both ran up to me. It took me by surprise since they came out of nowhere.

"Hey, Hazel," My mother says, kissing my head. She glided her fingers across my precious locs. "Who did this?" She asked.

"This is lovely," she added. I explained to her about my friends who just got out of beauty school. She owns a place in Manhattan now. My father squeezed the life out of me. "I missed you so much, sugarplum," he says. Both my parents bunched up in a circle around me. I felt warm and loved by their embrace.

As we drove home, we talked of things they've missed out on and things I've missed out on. While talking, I couldn't deny the knot in my stomach. I was nervous to see you know who. I mean I haven't seen this guy for at least six years. I wonder what he would say. I wonder what I'm gonna say.

My father stops the car in front of the house before unpacking the back. I'm hesitant to walk out of the car when I see Xaviers lights on. Instead of walking towards his house, I decide to unpack. I couldn't disturb him right now. He must be doing something with his family.

As I walk into my childhood room, I'm in shock. Everything was just the same. My zebra curtains, iPods covering the desk, and the movies stacked beside the princess-themed tv. My mother didn't sell anything. Glad she didn't because these need to be kept for nostalgia purposes.

I laugh to myself when I find my stacks of diaries inside my closet. It was hidden behind my books. Everything from goosebumps to the fear street series. I lay them on my bed before kneeling in front of my bed. I open one up but was disrupted by sudden sounds from the house next door, Xavier's house.

He had left his curtains open which gave me a full sight of his room. He begins to strip out of his clothes, down to his underwear. My eyes widen when I see how much he's changed when he turns on the light. Muscles rippled his back and arms as he flexed around. His stomach was covered with abs. What made me even more shook was the bulge peeking through his underwear. And it was big. Really big.

Have I seen Xavier undressed like this?

Yes but that was whenever we had gone swimming for high school parties.

This was way different from what I've seen before.

His skin was a bit more tanned than it was last time and his dark curls were a bit slicked back. Tattoos covered his chest and biceps. I'm so captured by him that I didn't even realize that I had knocked an object against the window. Just as he turns towards my window, my head dunks.

I crawled outside of my room, making sure he doesn't see a thing. He probably caught me on my way down. I could potentially embarrass myself by conforting him. So, instead of going next door, I unpacked and thought of walking around town.

My mother sometimes sells fruit in the food market in town. She insisted on me helping her. I didn't mind because that means free fruit but to stand around wasn't it. But I guess this beats seeing Xavier.

I wrapped my apron around my waist and began helping out the customers. It was weird seeing people I used to know. Some I couldn't even recognize. I guess some people age aggressively.

"Hazel, baby. Could do something for me?" She questioned. I shook my head as a response.

"I usually take dinner to the people instructors working on the brand new hotel a couple of blocks down. Could you bring these burgers down to them?"

"I've got some at home for you," she adds. I nodded before packing everything into a bag. My mother doesn't use a car when she works, knowing that the house isn't as far. So, instead of using gas, we ride bikes. I haven't ridden one in a year, to be honest. I've mostly just used cabs or an uber. So, get to the hotel was a struggle.

I was panting and shit when I arrived at the scene. Men surrounded the building. It looked built from the outside but halfway in the inside. I looked around watching as people started knocking over walls and stair rails. One falls close to me causing me to pause in shock. I felt hands grip my waist before yanking me out of the way.

Men ran towards the entrance because of screams. I got embarrassed by all the stares. "Umm, I've got burgers. Everyone cheered before rushing downstairs to grab some.

The man who had helped me looked into my eyes. I could catch a glimpse of the green from the chandelier. He was very handsome. He had brown-reddish hair that was cut short and freckles that appeared upon his nose. He was about 6,2. He smiled at me with deep dimples.

"Thank you so much, sir. If I have some left, you'll get two burgers." I say, whispering the last part. He laughs and rubs his stubble beard. I'm a bit saddened as I see a wedding ring on his finger. One lucky girl.

"Nah it's fine. I got dinner at home with my fiancé." He says with a husky voice.

I smile at him and nod. He walks away leaving me to the group of hungry men. I place the wrapped tin foil pans onto a desk. I watched as some men got one or two burgers.

I gave the last man his burgers before packing things up. The door flies open revealing the one man I wish I could avoid.

Everyone cheered at the men, which he currently encouraged.

His eyes find me as I try to speed up my packing process and walking off.

"Hazel?"

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                        𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

Oooo not her getting caught...

-STAR⭐️