The Tale Of Hearts

CHAPTER 85

Hazel's pov

The morning was a whirlwind of chaos as we scrambled to prepare for the trip Aunt had been desperately dreaming of for months. I managed to finish packing just in time, feeling a bit rushed as I zipped up my suitcase. One of the maids entered, take my bags not before mentioning that everyone else was already downstairs waiting for me. I let out a small sigh, nodded, and said, "Okay, I'm coming,".

As soon as she left, I spun around to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror one last time, my breath hitching as I took in the short floral dress Aunt had insisted I wear. It's not that I disliked it, but it was definitely shorter than I was comfortable with.  "It's okay" I mumbled to myself, grabbing my bag and purse. I hurried downstairs, knowing we'd have to pick up Tash as well. She had messaged me about ten minutes ago, saying she was ready and waiting for us. 

She was surprisingly thrilled about the trip, though her enthusiasm faded the moment Kevin decided to join.The thought of it made my skin crawl, I could already picture those two annoying best friends plotting ways to pester us the whole time, taking every chance to get under our skin. We're going to need a solid plan, I thought, already deciding to team up with Tash to figure out how to dodge them as much as possible. only that way this would be a enjoyable trip.

By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, everyone was already bustling about, loading up the car and double-checking last-minute details. Aunt's eyes lit up when she saw me, grinning looking at me , as she was supper proud of selecting this dress for me, but I could only muster a half-hearted smile in return as acutely aware of two piercing, hawk-like eyes fixed on me with unnerving intensity.  He was loading our bags into the car together with uncle Collin but without even looking at i could say he was watching me intensive. Taking a deep breath, I joined Aunt and Mom.

"Oh, my baby looks so pretty!" Mom exclaimed, beaming at me with a warm smile. I offered a sheepish smile, too flustered to speak. 

"Everything's set," Uncle announced, closing the car's trunk and walking towards us.

"Yay, finally, we're going on a trip!"  Aunt squealed, her voice high with childlike excitement as she clapped her hands and beamed with a radiant smile. Her infectious giggles filled the air, and it was clear she was as thrilled as a kid on a holiday. "Shall we leave, then?" Mom chimed in with equal energy, both of them giggling and playfully nudging each other. Even Uncle Collin couldn't help but laugh at their infectious energy. 

"Don't laugh at us," Aunt chided, though her tone was light and teasing. She gave Uncle's arm a playful swat. "It's been years since we've had a trip like this together!".

"Yes!" Mom echoed with a joyful shout. "And the best part is, we're going with our soon-to-be-married kids!" she added, her voice filled with delight.  Aunt's eyes sparkled as she giggled, "Oh, do you remember Fie, how we dreamed of this day? I never thought it would actually come true, but here we are!" She looked at us with a loving smile. I took a deep breath, trying to push away any lingering thoughts. Their excitement about  us always made my heart clench, a reminder of that i don't have no way out of this. Him

"Ladies, can we manage all of this while we're on the road?" Uncle asked with a teasing tone making aunt huffed "You're always like this, making fun of me!" 

"No, I'm not," he replied with a teasing glint in his eye. "But if I let you two go on like this, it'll be evening before we're even out of the driveway.we need to reach to the west coast before the evening" His words were laced with playful sarcasm as  he opened the door for aunt to get in which causing Aunt to sulk in return. I watched them, amused and touched, as they continued their banter, getting into the car still in the midst of their lovely argument.