𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 - 𝑪.𝑭

chapter five

sixteen hours.

it had been sixteen hours since conrad saw the clarke girl, after she saw brooke run up to him she had been hauled up in her room. she had been refusing to leave it, as people from the outside were walking past the closed doors.

and behind those closed doors was a broken girl, a broken girl still immensely in love with her ex-boyfriend.with her tear stained cheeks and oily hair she had been refusing to wash for the past two days.

but denial was always the first stage of grief, but in this situation. she was grieving the lost of her boyfriend. the one who got away. but she was denial of one thing, still being in love with him.

but it was something she refused to say aloud, or to anyone for that fact.

with her tear stained cheeks, hazel forces her body up from the bed. levitating it, her muscles ache as she moves them in the slightest way.

the beach by the neighbourhood plays in the background as she makes her way into her bathroom. she pulls her hoodie over her shoulders, the skin tight material of her bra being pushed up, she unclutches the bra straps and watches as it falls to the ground.

next she pulls down her plaid shorts, them dropping below her ankles as she reaches for the shower taps.

the water cascades down the walls of her shower, steam rising to the ceiling as it turns from cold-to-hot.

her chestnut locks fold behind her ears while the water ricochets down her body. her perfect breasts and her slim waist. closing her eyes for the first time in sixteen hours, conrad is the first image. brookes arms on his body, conrads eyes on her. it made hazel sick, violently.

shaking her head relentlessly as she shrugs her eyes, hazel washes her face clear of dirt and sand.

she closes her eyes again, this time conrads hands are on her. riding up her waist, kissing her neck. touching her sweet spots. 

no hazel stop it.

covering herself in the cotton material, the wet hair drapes over her shoulders, covering the tattoo on her collarbone. 

emerging from the bathroom ensuite, the familiar sound of taylor swift becomes recognisable to her ears. a soft tune of the guitar bounces off her perfectly tinted walls as she dresses herself. 

settling on her pair of soft blue jeans and a white mesh top with beige sandals, hazel fights the urge to turn the knob of her bedroom door. would he still be there? apologising? laughing?

her thoughts were speeding through her mind, just do it. do it. just face him hazel. 

as if she were in a book or movie, hazel opens the door right on the beat to lover. you know, the type of beat drop when you see someone you love for the first time in a long while. she sheepishly smiles to herself, knowing her simple thoughts were ridiculous. 

turning the corner towards the stairs, hazels body clashes with conrads. he stabilises her, gripping a hand on her wrist and another on her waist. he balances himself, his eyes tracing down her body. 

"your out of your bedroom" he says in slight shock, his eyes gapped widely. she smirks to herself, "thanks for that little clarification conrad" she says in a sarcastic tone. 

pulling away from his grip, hazel moves forward, attempting to run downstairs. instead he holds her wrist again "hazel i-" she cuts himself with a forced smile "it's okay conrad. its in the past right, i'm happy for you" hazel pats his back before travelling down the stairs. 

standing at the top staircase, watching as she jumped down the stairs so joyously, he remains confused. happy? it's in the past?

like she had taken a blunt kitchen knife, charged it into his chest and dug it around. 

he shakes his head, shaking the thoughts away before following her down to the kitchen. she's sat at the head of the table, a bowl of cereal in front of her while she speaks with bonnie and susannah. 

belly and laurel disappeared over an hour ago, they said they had to run an errand? which conrad found simply unusual since his mother was not invited nor known of the fact. he sits in the kitchen bench, gouging his teeth deep into a red apple. 

he watches her laugh over the simplest things, like how bonnie would tease susannah over their high school days and when susannah would humiliate jere and conrad. it was something he loved about her. 

conrad feels a warm presence beside him, jeremiah is sat on the kitchen bench scrolling through some chicks instagram. "yo check out the ass on this girl" jeremiah tried to throw the device in his brothers face, instead finds his eyes sprung on the brunette sat at the table. 

jeremiah nudges his brother in the ribs, earning a soft squeal from the oldest fisher boy. 

"jeremiah piss off" conrad complains. 

"you haven't told her yet?" jeremiah whispers close to his brothers side "no i haven't and you won't either you hear me".

conrad stares into his brothers eyes, "i will tell her. brooke and i never did anything, you know that but i need to tell her myself". 

jeremiah nods his head to the hide as he swipes right on the girls of cousins "you know im proud your my brother some days". the two laugh at each other, grabbing the attention of the ladies at the table. 

hazel smiles at conrad, for the first time in a year. he goes to smile back when he notices her attention focused on behind him. looking behind him, conrads notices the beautiful korean behind him. her short dark hair and deep black pupils. marissa stands behind the fisher boys, a wide grin spread across her face. 

a large commotion of laughter and screams distort through the kitchen, marissa throws her bags down as hazel throws the spoon in the bowl. the two best friends engulf in a large hug, jumping up and down. pure excitement spread over their faces. 

marissa decided to study abroad for her final year of school, to get the full high school experience. so hazel had lacked a best friend these past ten months, if you don't count the numerous facetimes with belly.  

so when the two reunited, it was all back to normal. the trio, bonnie, susannah, laurel. 

"so that's where you two went this morning" jeremiah laughed at the two stood behind him, laurel and belly leant against the kitchen entry, watching in amusement. 

"wait you two did this?" hazel asks as she pulls back from marissa, she smiles at the conklins. grateful she had them in her life, the mother and daughter smile "yes of course we did. after the year you had, you deserved having everyone together". 

hazel and conrads eyes meet again, but conrads meet marissas as her eyes stare deep towards him, this summer is going to be fun he thinks to himself before resorting upstairs.