Chapter Seven
Hazel
I woke up the next morning refreshed with my plans of sabotage. Maddox would tire of me so quickly, he’d be gone before dinner. With a huge grin on my face, I rolled out of bed and walked into the kitchen in my sweats and baggy T-shirt. Maddox sat at the table with coffee and his tablet in front of him.
“Do you remember the time when we lived with the Jolleny family?” I sat at the table and propped my feet up in his direct view, trying to be as obnoxious as possible. His eyebrow raised and I continued walking down memory lane.
“I was just thinking about the time we went swimming at the community pool. The time where the neighbor kid dared you to jump off the high diving board, then pulled your swim trunks down right before you jumped. Good times.” We had so many memories, some bad, some great, and some embarrassing.
“I kicked his ass behind the concessions after that.”
“And you were grounded for a month because of it,” I said, and thought of other embarrassing things to talk about. “Remember the time you saw our foster dad shave and thought you were supposed to shave, too? You cut your face with the razor and shaved half of your right eyebrow,” he countered and my cheeks reddened. I was a curious little bugger back then, and for reasons unknown, I did indeed think I needed to shave my face like boys did.
“Yeah. Good thing I did that. Now I have to shave my womanly beard all the time.” My lame comeback made him chuckle. I was not meant to be this awkward of a person.
“Sure.”
I scoffed and tried to regain my footing. So far, my plan was not making him irritated enough to leave. I changed tactics.
“Man, I am so not looking forward to my next period. I can feel the bloat coming already.” I pushed my tummy out an inch and patted it lightly. Maddie ignored me and I kept talking away.
“It must be nice to be a man. You walk around with your junk hanging there, no PMS, and no bleeding for days. I mean, the amount of blood I get on day one. It’s intense. Like totally bleed through your pants bad.” Part of me felt ashamed for bringing in the period talk, but I needed something to unnerve this guy. In my opinion, if you are OK fucking a vagina, then you are OK with a period. Same with ass play. Can’t be upset that women poop if you’re willing to stick your dick in it.
I watched as the left corner of his lips tilted upward as he continued reading his tablet. He looked completely unaffected and that annoyed me more than anything.
“I get mad diarrhea on my period, too. I think with everything cramping in there, it stimulates my bowels. Some days, I don’t even wanna leave the bathroom, just hot baths and the toilet keep my company. Like I said, you guys are so lucky.” I laid my exaggerations on super-thick and waited for a wince or him to excuse himself. Neither happened. Frustrated, I got up and poured a cup of juice from the fridge.
“Don’t you wish you could turn back time to change stuff?” I sat back down and waited.
“No.” He took a relaxed sip of coffee but his eyes watched me cautiously. I knew my question would lead us to dangerous territory but I wasn’t taking it there. Not that I was his girlfriend, but a big no-no for girlfriends is talking about your exes. Which is exactly what I’d do.
“Sometimes I do. I dated this guy when I was seventeen, and yeah, he had a car but I swear he never did laundry. He talked about his video games for hours and then would order takeout for us. Probably the reason my ass got so big was from all the fast food we ate. But he was really funny and made me laugh. He used to tell really funny jokes.” I snorted thinking about the truly corny jokes Marshall used to tell when I got sad.
“Like this one. Why did the man get hit by a bike every day?” I paused for dramatic effect and Maddox simply stared at me.
“Because he was in a vicious cycle! Get it?” I laughed at the sheer stupidity of the joke. Marshall would damn near piss himself when he told these simple jokes. Maddie didn’t laugh or roll his eyes, he simply returned to looking at his tablet.
“There was the other guy that was pretty good in bed. I mean, we are talking about a nine-inch dick. He loved to have sex all the time and I almost had to knock his ass out just to get some shut-eye. I could probably go back and change that one. He was sort of an ass, but maybe I wouldn’t. I still dream about days when he’d just come over after working at the bar and just bang me against the wall. I’m no small girl so the fact that he could lift me up so easily. Yeah, I wouldn’t change that. Just his sleeping around with other girl habits.” The more I thought about my exes the more I realized they were all wrong for me. It took years of therapy to even open up to that form of sexual confidence. This particular ex was awesome in bed despite us not meshing well together, but the version I was talking up was dramatized to piss Maddox off.
“I’m gonna go take a bath,” I announced and swiftly walked away from the kitchen. I’d set out to push him away and my obnoxious chatter did nothing to him and made me feel shitty.
After my long soak, my mind was cleared and I jumped back into my plan again. I chatted about my vegetable garden and whether or not I should get my hair braided or leave it natural for a while. While he picked at the veggie and tofu dish I had made us for dinner, I talked about the benefits of getting rid of meat. Was I going a little overboard? Maybe. However, nothing phased him. He ate the meal after deciphering the natural ingredient. He listened to everything I said, and at the end of the day, he said goodnight. The next morning, a steaming cup of black tea with orange zest sat on the table with a bowl of cut-up fruit beside it.
Chapter Eight
Hazel
Frustrated, I grabbed the breakfast contents and stormed outside to my porch swing. The spring air nipped at my skin, but I refused to go inside and potentially see him again while I grabbed a sweater. I savored the scent of orange mixing with the bitter taste of the black tea as it warmed my insides with every sip.
I tried using my body again to make him uncomfortable by walking around nearly naked most of the day. He did not flinch or divert his gaze to the door, like I’d planned. In the end, he made me weary from his continuous watching and the heated sensations of lust burning inside me when I saw him being the opposite of distressed. The man was Maddie for Pete’s sake. We had a past, we found each other as homeless kids, and on my sixteenth birthday he left me alone. I’d released those feelings for him years ago, letting them die in the past where they belonged.
The gangly teen who was my friend had grown into a man with a massive body, rippling large muscles, and a hardened face with striking blue eyes that could melt panties right off. Thank goodness I rarely wore such things. His sex appeal captured my attention, but his presence rattled me the most.
He took up so much space, his confidence radiated from him, whispering his dominance that drew an alpha woman such as myself closer. An act I would never let happen again. Break my heart once? Shame on you. Break my heart twice? I’ll turn your dick into a daisy vase.
Yesterday, I thought it would be smart to drive into town and do an impromptu show at one of the bars. Maddie would see how crazy my family life could be. I loved it, but it took a toll on many. Bodyguards got paid, most of them a lot, but sometimes the money wasn’t enough to put up with the chaos.
Nope, the show went off without a hitch and this morning tea sat patiently waiting for me.
“I cannot take it anymore! What is it going to take for you to leave? Haven’t you had enough?” I threw my hands up in the air, my frustration aimed at the man sitting calmly with his coffee and tablet before me.
“It’s been amusing.” The right corner of his lips tilted upward and my palms itched. If I lost control now, Maddie would find out about my powers. Fear gripped me in a way I’d long forgotten. If he knew, he could tell the label and expose me, my life, and everything I know would be ruined. A sharp sting bit into my palm, and without another word, I fled the kitchen. I hadn’t turned into a woman of thorns since that horrible birthday. I assumed my body grew a natural d
efense when fear tugged at me. True fear.
I walked out of the house and into the garden, enjoying the dirt beneath my bare toes and the scents of the fresh lavender and morning dew. I had to relax before I did something stupid.
“Hazel, what’s wrong?” A strong hand wrapped around mine, and I jumped.
“I’m fine, I just needed some air before I strangled you.” Not one hundred percent a lie, he did annoy me that much.
“Liar. Tell me what happened.” I glared a bitch face at him. He remained still and waited like an unmovable mountain sitting on my couch.
“I’m fine.” My emotions rose, and while I felt the prick of the thorn vanish, flowers began to blossom as if by magic behind him.
“Hazel,” he growled, like he had some right to my thoughts. But he didn’t. He had no right to anything pertaining to me.
“You have no right coming into my life like you did.” The words were finally out with no regrets. He hurt me in a way I never got over, despite trying many times.
“I’m not going anywhere this time.” He didn’t release me and took a step closer. My body froze, and the same fear from all those years ago gripped me tight. His hands held tightly to my arms and his breath caressed my cheeks. I wasn’t there in my garden with Maddie anymore, but back in the woods with Jarrod and his friends.
“No!” I screamed, terror seized my lungs and muscles.
“Hazel!” I heard Maddie’s voice but he wasn’t there in the woods. He had left me alone in the woods with them.
“Hazel, you’re right here, I’ve got you.” Arms wrapped around me and I thrashed, sending out my power to remove those arms from my body and my mind.
“I’m sorry, Hazel.”
My panic ripped the air from my lungs, making it hard to breathe. I gasped, and suddenly my vision cleared. I collapsed onto the dew-covered ground in my garden, my fingers at my throat.
Maddie was wrapped around my porch, vines strangling his body against the railings like a thousand snakes squeezing him.
His focus was on me, and my vision blurred.
As I began to flirt the line of consciousness, my vines lost their grip and Maddie broke free. Instantly, the air returned to my lungs, and I coughed violently. Some subconscious part of me knew it wasn’t my panic that stole the air from my lungs and kept it hostage. I pushed the thought deep into the recesses of my mind, unable to comprehend what it would mean if that power came from the only other person around. Maddie.
“I need some water,” I gasped, and before I knew it my body was hoisted into two strong arms and carried inside.
This time the terror didn’t consume me. The threat of suffocation dried up the panic for now. I’d thought I’d discussed all this with a therapist and gotten over it. Apparently, Maddie’s entrance back into my life dredged up more than I wanted.
He set me on the couch and was back in less than a minute with a large glass of water.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked, and he squatted down onto his heels to become eye level with me.
“It appears you and I have much to talk about.”
Chapter Nine
Hazel
Despite not wanting to talk about the past with Maddie, it needed to be done. I wanted him gone, but that desire wouldn’t be manifesting anytime soon. For the time being, he would remain as my bodyguard no matter what I did. It might be a good thing to clear the air between us. He didn’t need to know all my deep secrets, but we both deserved some sort of closure. We also needed to talk about my powers and his silence on them.
“OK.” I sipped the water to soothe my scratchy throat. He rose to sit on the opposite side of the couch, taking up way more space than I wanted.
“I don’t even know where to start.” The admission thickened the tension in the air, and someone needed to break it down.
“I’m sorry I left you.”
I nodded, unsure what to say. Did I forgive him for it? Not really. His apology held no explanation as to why he left me like he did.
“Why?” We were adults now and avoiding the tough questions seemed childish. I wanted to know the answer, I’d wanted to hear him tell me why for years. Back in our youth, Maddie didn’t talk much. He had kept to himself besides hanging out with me. His stubbornness rivaled mine in every way, and he always told the truth. Even when it got him in trouble or beaten, the Maddie I knew never lied. Had those traits of the white knight I knew changed?
“To protect you.” His unrelenting stare glued me to the couch, daring me to understand unspoken words.
“You left me to protect me?” What a load of crap. Anger burned my cheeks with the threat of my emotions boiling over. I scoffed and turned away from his face.
“I turned sixteen two days before you did and came into my powers. Without control over them, you might have died.”
I probed his expression for any hint of a lie.
“What power?”
The air inside the house swirled. Notebook pages sitting by the window rattled, and my hair whipped around my face. He controlled air. “You took the air from my lungs; it wasn’t panic from my memories. You did it.” My accusation came out harsher than I wanted.
“I did. What memories caused your panic attack?”
He moved on to the next question like he hadn’t just flipped my whole world upside down. He left me to protect me from his own uncontrollable powers, the type of powers that teetered on a dangerous line. On one hand a little breeze never hurt anyone, but no air killed people. Tornados and heavy wind storms each had the possibility of horrid destruction, which Maddox held the power to control.
“You can’t just drop that on me and want to know my secrets. You control air. That’s a big deal.”
“Almost as cool as controlling plants. Makes sense you’d have that gift. You always loved nature.”
Again, we danced around the deep waters of our issues. Neither of us wanted to drop our armor and dive deeper. I’d been to therapy. I’d worked on myself, and I knew what we were doing wasn’t positive behavior. It wouldn’t get us anywhere, and we needed some momentum.
“Fine.” I metaphorically shed part of my armor and divulged some of my pain for both of our sakes. He didn’t deserve the information, but I chose to use my voice for my own inner peace. Hopefully, after the tales were told we’d move forward, and I’d let my issues go with him.
“On my sixteenth birthday, Mrs. Brady, the music teacher, gave me a guitar as a gift. I ran home to tell you and couldn’t find you. Deep down I think I knew you left, but I didn’t believe it. I went to our fort and thought I saw you, but it was Jarrod instead.”
Maddox’s still body somehow managed to become more statue-like. Wind picked up in the room, and I reached over to place my hand over his. Our powers responded to our emotions. He knew Jarrod and probably knew the story’s direction. His gaze shifted to my hand touching his, then back up to my face.
“He told me you left, gave me the necklace you made for my birthday, then he and two other boys attempted to have their way with me. I came into my powers then. I grew thorns all over my body, then turned the vines on them.” I smiled, thinking about the threats I spoke to them on the day I became a little badass Hazel.
“In the kitchen just now, it didn’t go too far, but my emotions got the best of me. Fear about you discovering my powers. telling the world, and ruining my life brought up emotions I’d only felt that other time with Jarrod.”
The wind in the room died, like a fan turned off. Realizing my hand still rested on his, I quickly removed it.
“You don’t need to fear me.”
Somewhere inside my head, I knew he’d keep my secret, especially since he held secrets of his own.
“Your turn. Lay it out there, big boy.” Instant regret flooded my cheeks from the attempt to lighten the mood. He scoffed it off and leaned back against the cushions.
“I almost killed a boy down the street from that house on my birthday. I took the air right out of him and didn’t know ho
w to give it back. I ended up creating a tornado that swept me away from the scene. He lived after I got far enough away.”
I hated hearing his story, seeing the teenage Maddie in my head panicking in this scenario. I now understood why he left and made all the choices he did. His words may have given me the explanation I wanted for over a decade, but instant forgiveness for him leaving didn’t occur.
“Anything else you want to share?” The strength it took to hold back my attitude surely earned me an award of some kind. He looked at me, and I thought a flash of longing beamed in his blue eyes. But the indifferent expression took over so quickly, I assumed my mind had conjured the image.
Chapter Ten
Maddox
“I need to take a walk. Do you want to join me?”
Her expression fell, but I’d locked the only words left to say tight inside myself. For now, I needed to be in the open air and digest what had happened to us. She shook her head and pulled her knees up to her chest.
“No, I think I’m gonna stay and write.” I’d been in her space, regretfully stunting her creative muse the past few days. We needed a balance to our new relationship or whatever understanding it could be called. Not friends, but not enemies.
“I won’t be gone long.” I walked to the door and gripped the handle.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“The Maddox I knew wouldn’t let any harm come to me, so I feel my secret is safe with you.” The tiny smile on her lips made it hard for me to breathe. She may not have power over the air like I did, but she had power over me.
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