Platonic My Ass - hizzie

THIRTEEN. hide and seek

This has been sitting in my drafts for so long.

HOPE'S POV

It's been a little over two weeks since Lizzie moved in.

I wouldn't say there's been a lot of change, nothing dramatic in the very least, but enough to mention.

MG handed in his resignation papers.

Penelope and Josie went public. Many co-workers had bet five dollars, so Jed was definitely benefiting from his crazed assumptions and "delusions". He was fifty dollars richer than usual, so he was doing the rounds of laughing in everyone's faces.

Dorian returned to work and already gravitated toward Lizzie. Which is great news. He wasn't pissed at me for making a decision without running it through him beforehand. And he had no intention to fire her. Consider it a win for us both.

As for Lizzie and I, we haven't spoken much. In fact, she's been distant since the day she moved in. Whenever I decide to call it a night and go to bed, she stays up watching TV or reading and waits until I've fallen asleep before she joins me in my room. And when I wake up, she's already at work or downstairs making breakfast.

It's like someone has backspaced the progress we've made and we're back to being nothing more than co-workers. It..almost hurt.

Was I that repulsive?

I want to apologise but where do I start?

I've been an asshole to her since we met.

"Hope, you down for a movie marathon tonight at Jade's place?" Kaleb's voice breaks my train of though. I blink a few times, realising I had zoned out and was glaring at the back of Lizzie's head.

"What time?"

"Eight. What's up with the longing stares? I thought you two were already dating?"

"We're just friends." Friends?

"Sure, friends. You're staring at her like you want her to take you to the back room and eat your pu-"

"Don't you have shelves to restock?"

"I do, but I would much rather hang 'round here and watch you watch her. Makes me feel better about my love life."

"Creep."

"And I would rather you get your ass to stocking shelves before you're scrubbing toilet bowls." Dorian appears behind us with an impatience look.

Kaleb's face pales. "On it!"

The thing about Dorian is, he's not in the least bit intimidating, but he is a man of his word. If he threatens you, believe it'll happen.

Dorian hoists himself onto the small counter. "I come back from holiday and you're not acting like your usual self. Where's miss sunshine?"

"She has a rain cloud over her head."

"You know the deal. Talk to me."

I let out a sigh. "I'm just worried I'm not feeling enough."

His eyebrows meet in confusion. "Please explain."

"I like someone," there's a thickness in my throat. His hand is comforting as it lands on my shoulder. "I'm terrified they don't like me back as much as I like them. I don't know. I guess I just don't want to waste my time like I did with my ex."

"All I'm going to say is I would rather try something and be hurt by it than be hurt I never got the chance to try it."

He's more of a therapist than my mom, and she gets paid to listen to peoples problems. Dorian's a man of free advice.