Doll House: Book Four

two | love

"So?" Hodges repeated after silence engulfed the entire room directly after he asked his initial question. "Were any of you going to tell me about Cece getting married?"

"Um-no, because-we knew you'd be upset." Hazel said in a voice that sounded way more timid than she had intended.

"And clearly we were right." Ivy added.

Hodges looked at all of the girls individually as if he were trying to figure out how his own investments could betray him. His demeanour was still as cold and tense as when he'd entered five minutes ago and there was no indication of that softening.

"I'm not upset with you girls." He lied. Hazel could tell just from his body language. "This is important information and I expected us to be honest with eachother."

"It wasn't our secret to tell." Candy said softly.

"How did you even find out?" Hazel asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. She wanted him to know that he could still trust the girls but first the essential questions had to be asked. Even if the topic was uncomfortable.

Hodges sighed and checked his watch. "We'll film the video next week." He didn't bother saying anything else. He simply walked out of the Studio, his steps once again echoing until the girls heard the metal door shut with his grand exit.

"Fuck." Ivy said what the other girls were thinking.

"Did someone leave an invitation lying around?" Winter asked but all the girls shook their head because the first thing they'd done upon receipt of Cece's wedding invitation was tuck it away somewhere in their rooms.

"Okay well what're we gonna do Hazel?" Chanel asked.

But Hazel didn't have an answer. She could barely make sense of everything and as the maid of honor she felt powerless.

"I don't know." She shook her head and hurried past the girls to leave the Studio without another word.

                                     • • • • • •

The only action that made sense to avoid the possibility of having a panic attack was for Hazel to find Gabriel and have him provide some logic. He seemed to always know what to say when things were out of control.

So Hazel hopped in a cab to the Rebel house and was greeted by Gabriel right out front who looked down at his phone to the text she'd sent him explaining the entire ordeal.

"Need a hug?" He asked, reaching to pay the driver before embracing her.

"Cece trusted us to keep this quiet."

"Do you know how he found out?"

"We don't know." She looked up at Gabriel. "But it doesn't even matter. Her wedding is in two weeks and we just got blindsided with this. Plus, all the girls are looking to me for answers and rightfully so. I was supposed to help make her day special. Now Hodges is gonna find a way to ruin it."

"Hazel, stop being so hard on yourself." Gabriel chuckled lightly. "You're gonna drive yourself crazy. Tell Cece what happened and start planning around a solution."

"Easy for you to say."

"So we'll say it together." He took his keys out of his pocket then started toward the red mustang parked in the driveway.

"We will?"

"Yeah, text Ivy and Zane and tell them to meet us there. Sounds better coming from the best man and maid of honor."

"You're so-" she grabbed his hand and blushed. "I love you."

She was reminded of how supportive and kind he'd been with her especially after finding out that her family shuns her.

But then she stopped, because Gabriel's smile over the hood of his car reminded her of something else.

This was her first time telling Gabriel that she loved him.

His cheeks flushed the rosiest shade of pink before he quickly ducked behind the steering wheel.

"I don't know where that came from." Hazel said, covering her face from embarrassment as she slowly slid into the passengers seat. "I've never even said those words to someone. Well that's a lie, I said to it Autumn when she was alive but-"

"Hazel." Gabe interrupted her string of words. "I love-you too." He said with a soft chuckle and touched her hand to lower it from her face. "You don't have to pretend it was a mistake."

"Really? Because it wasn't a mistake." She said quietly.

"I know it wasn't." He looked down at her hand and weaved his fingers through hers before making eye contact and smirking.

"Let's go relay some bad news."