𝚈𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 • 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚁𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕

V.

𝙷𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎,
𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝, 𝚑𝚎
𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚢.
𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎: 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐.

-𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝙰𝚕𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚎

He noticed.

Even though he pretended that he didn't. It was pretty difficult not to notice really. He decided not to say anything about it, it wasn't his place to do so. But it felt like the air got punched out of his lungs every time he looked at it. Then just don't look at it. He tried but it felt like his eyes got drawn to it like some sort of magnetic force. Before he could finish asking himself the question who did it he already knew the answer.

Lando.

Of course it was him, who else would it be? Anger boiled up inside of him and he had to take a few deep breaths to maintain his calmness. He knew he had no right being angry about this. "Everything alright?", she asked him, having no clue what was going on in his mind at the moment. George cleared his throat, trying to shake off the thoughts. "All good". But his grumpy voice gave him away. Hazel raised her eyebrows at him. "Doesn't seem like it". Yet she didn't say it in a confrontational kind of way, more like concerned and caring.

George sighed deeply. "Don't worry about it". Hazel still looked at him with a concerned look on her face and George couldn't help but let his eyes wander to the purple bruise on her collarbone. "Oh", she let out softly as she noticed what George was looking at. Hazel mentally cursed herself for not wearing something different to cover it up, but in her defense, she wasn't expecting George to show up today. Thank god Lando had already left before George came, that would've been one hell of an awkward situation.

Her heart ached as she thought about the moment Lando had left this morning. She tried so hard not to cry, they both did actually, and deep down she hoped Lando broke down crying as soon as he left, just like she did. Hazel knew he was right and she knew it wasn't fair to him to keep doing this. The thought of deleting his number to make sure she wouldn't contact him lingered in her mind. A bit too dramatic maybe?

George had noticed her tear stained eyes as she greeted him at the door. He'd asked her if she was alright, she just simply nodded and let him in without saying another word. It was hard for Hazel because she wanted to give George a chance, she really did. He has been so nice and understanding with her, so patient, so loving and caring. And even though deep down she knew she could trust George with her life she still kept an emotional distance between them, tried to not get too personal with him. But as George's eyes were glued to the purple mark that Lando had left on her collarbone she realized there was no such thing as emotional distance between them anymore, the situation just got personal. George took it personal, she knew that. He didn't even have to tell her.

"I", she started off but George interrupted her. "You don't owe me an explanation Hazel". He cleared his throat and softly mumbled "I don't even think I wanna know". Somewhere in his tone she recognized pain. Hazel felt horrible for making George feel that way. Suddenly she felt so guilty for the way she had been treating him all this time. All he did was fight for her, try to convince her he loved her, stayed patient with her and cared for her unconditionally and she just gave him a big 'fuck you' and had sex with her ex boyfriend. Unbelievable. Hazel had blamed George for being so inconsiderate of her feelings just a couple weeks ago and look at her now, completely oblivious to how he must feel about this. She felt like such a hypocrite.

Hazel looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry", it was a heartfelt apology. "I am so sorry for being so fucking inconsiderate of your feelings. I am such a hypocrite". George reached out for her hand and she hesitantly took it. "It's okay", he tried to reassure her. "No but it's not! You have been putting in so much effort for me, you have been so patient and caring and I just-". Hazel groaned in frustration as she let her head fall forwards onto George's shoulder. She was so frustrated with herself. In fact, she hated herself for the way she had been treating George. "Ungrateful", she murmured.

George, who was taking aback by her sudden burst of frustration, gladly took her into his embrace. This was the first time that Hazel's body was this close to his since the night that they decided to come clean about their soulmate bond, since the night he nearly had drunkenly kissed her. Wait no, that's not true. He held her when she cried about a week ago, when she had called him in the middle of the night. "It is okay", George repeated himself as he gently stroke her hair. "I don't blame you for anything. I know it has been a rough couple months for you. I can only imagine how conflicting this situation must be for you".

The fact that George was still so nice about it all made Hazel feel even more guilty. For a second her mind wandered back to the night that she had called him up, crying. She could deliberately set him on fire and he would still tell her it was okay and it wasn't her fault, that he probably deserved it. Hazel felt like not much had changed since then. She didn't quite understand how one's mind worked like that, did he really have no sense of self respect?

Right here, staring into George's eyes, she wasn't sure whether she was drowning or floating. "It's not that I don't want you", she started softly, not breaking eye contact with him. "I've been just so confused with what I've been feeling". Hazel was very well aware that she had caught feelings for George. She had told him that the way she loved Lando had changed but she quickly came to realise that wasn't true, she had still loved him to death. Making all of this a lot harder than she would've wanted it to, making her say things to George, and act a certain way she never meant to.

George reached out for her face and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. "There's no need to hurry this Hazel, take your time. "But-". "We've got all the time in the world Haze", he flashed her one of those smiles she loved so much. His sweet words made her feel warm inside. She rested her head against his shoulder and smiled as George wrapped his arms around her. This time around his embrace didn't suffocate her, it made her feel safe and protected.

George sighed contently. He really didn't need much more in life than this. All he needed was to have Hazel believe in him, believe in them. To have her close so that he could protect her against any harm that might come her way. He firmly believes they crossed paths for a reason. George was a caretaker, a protector. He needed someone to take care of, to protect, to feel like he was useful, like he mattered. And Hazel needed someone who would care for her unconditionally, someone who's patient with her and made her feel safe and protected.

They were meant to be together.

"Promise me everything will be alright in the end", she whispered against his skin. A smile grew onto George's face. He might've been drunk out of his mind but he remembered everything from that night, the night he realised how much he loved her. He meant it when he said those three words. A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts they say.

"Everything will be alright in the end", he told her, just like he did that night.

"And if its not alright, its not the end".

Merry Christmas loves ✨✨