Spring

by Jessica Florence

  Now, I’d lived firsthand the fallout if I left again. How her joyous face became marred by despair. She ruled the world and climbed high to share her passions with everyone, only to fall apart from thoughts of abandonment.

  The next day she stayed glued to my body, even an hour after she woke up. I refused to move or speak unless she needed me to. Words weren’t doing me any good, only actions.

  At breakfast, she mumbled a “thank you” after I set down her plate of food and cup of tea by the couch. We ate and watched mindless TV for most of the day. She snuggled close, and when she changed positions as the hours passed, she always kept a part of herself touching me. Like she needed to feel I stayed with her even when her memories and emotions told her differently.

  We spent the night in bed and watched more TV wrapped in each other. The world outside didn’t exist in our minds, only she and I inhabited our world.

  Hazel’s spirit lifted when we woke up the next day. Her fingers traced my pecs and the lines of my arms and I smiled for the first time in twenty-four hours.

  “I’m sorry.” She leaned in to kiss my shoulder, then her gaze flicked upward to my face.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about. I should have left another note or—“

  Her guitar-string calloused fingers pressed against my lips, stopping me from uttering another word.

  “It’s safe to say I’m damaged when it comes to you leaving me. You’re allowed to go out and do stuff without me. I should have trusted you’d be back and only freaked out if you didn’t return after a few hours.” My heart broke hearing her words, she tried to swallow down her thoughts and I knew the strength it took to battle your own mind.

  “We’re both damaged, which has to be taken into consideration. I’ve only been back in your life for a little over a month. Be kind to yourself. I promised I’m not going anywhere, and now I have to prove it with care. I never wanna see you so heartbroken on the floor again because of me.” I looked into her eyes as I shifted my head closer to her lips, a silent question lingering between us.

  “I’ll try to act a little more reasonable,” she sheepishly admitted, and I smirked, our lips a breath away.

  “You’ve never acted reasonable, so no need to start now. I’ve known who you are and loved you anyway.”

  Our lips met, and she shivered at the connection. The kisses never strayed beyond gentle pecks, both of us fully satisfied to enjoy the basics without turning into heavy petting.

  “I have an appointment to get my hair done today, then we have the show in a couple of days.” She slowed our kiss with her words, then rested her head against my chest.

  “OK.” I’d survived worse situations than sitting at a beauty salon.

  “It’s gonna be a few hours. You don’t have to sit in there the whole time. Afterward I’ll just want to chill because my body will feel sore from sitting for so long. The weight of the braids and pulling makes my neck ache.” I understood her concern but I’d be there, especially after what just happened between us.

  “I’ll live.”

  She tried to get me to change my mind, but I lifted her chin slightly and kissed her into silence.

  “Fine. Bring your tablet and some earplugs if you want. The women like to talk a lot. You’re going to be a hot topic for them. They may tease and flirt with you nonstop, too. On second thought, maybe you should stay home. You’ll start a riot there.” She laughed and I smiled, loving the sound of her joy.

  We ate in silence like yesterday, only this time she had a bit more pep in her step instead of the zombie walk she’d donned before.

  Five minutes after we walked into the hair salon, I’d been hugged and swooned constantly. Hazel grinned the entire six hours, where she had her hair styled in faux locs. The six hairdressers, and four women getting their new do had the time of their lives with us in the purple building.

  By the time we left, I’d been given strict orders from ladies who never once treated Hazel like a celebrity and loved her very much.

  “Marry that girl, Maddox.”

  “You treat our Hazel right or I’ll take these shears to your nutsack.”

  “Y’all need to start popping out babies! You two will make beautiful little babes. Her skin and your blue eyes. Mmm, can we say ‘model baby’?”

  “Come back with her at the next appointment. We want to see a ring on her finger!”

  Oh if they only knew.

  I’d accomplish all those orders in a heartbeat if Hazel would support them. However, now wasn’t the time for marriage proposals and babies. I had the Collector to meet in a few days, and I’d end the threat to her life once and for all.

  Chapter Twenty- Four

  Hazel

  The high I’d been riding on since my time at the salon had finally ended as I waited for the show to start. Now my hands trembled slightly when I peered out into the crowd waiting for me to sing. The Collector stood out there among the people, waiting for me to do the show and then talk. Regret bubbled in my stomach for not telling Maddox about our meeting, but I didn’t want him getting involved or hurt. He stood with a scowl on his face, his attention shifting from the crowd to the people backstage. In his mind, anyone was a potential threat. Both of our powers could handle any perpetrators, so the trembling wasn’t from fear.

  I wanted to get this all over with so I’d have time to focus on my inner shit. Maddox had admitted he loved me, and while I’d guessed it, guessing and knowing had different effects on my heart.

  “Woo, look at this packed house! I know we are waiting for the woman of the hour so let’s get this party started! But first, how excited are you?” The announcer looked at me, then the crowd as they screamed at the top of their lungs.

  “I’m not sure you guys are excited for our guest tonight. I said, how excited are you?” The crowd managed to scream louder, and I smiled, my thoughts temporarily distracted from my problems.

  “You are excited! I know our guest is, too! She’s saving the planet one flower at a time. She’s soothing your soul and fighting for justice with every lyric she sings. She’s the one, the only, Hazel Kennedy!”

  I walked onto the stage with a big grin on my face, ready to continue living my dreams.

  “Oh my God, it’s Hazel!”

  This particular club’s appeal came from the unknown guest stars every weekend. The crowd might see an up-and-coming musician or comedian. Then sometimes they had mega-celebrities like me do a mini-show. It kept business booming with the thrill of who would walk onto the stage. I waved at the crowd and took a seat on the stool by the microphone. I’d planned to sing a few of my hits.

  “Hey everybody!” I looked beyond the bright lights shining on me and strummed my guitar while they hollered excitedly.

  “I hope this was a great surprise! I’ve been squealing for days about coming on this stage and seeing everyone’s reactions. You all did not disappoint!” I loved talking with the crowd. They were my people. My fans supported me like none other in the industry. I treated them like they were part of the Kennedy family, and they appreciated that.

  “What song should we do first?” I asked. I already had a line-up planned, but I liked hearing what were people’s favorites.

  “Rainy Day Blues!”

  “All I Have Left!”

  “Pink Rainboots!”

  “Make a Wish!”

  So many titles flew from the crowd, and only one made my stomach churn. “All I Have Left” was a top-fan favorite. It had launched my career. I ignored the urge to glance at Maddox and see his reaction to their calls for the song I’d written about him.

  “Thank goodness we’ve got an hour, folks!” I laughed and strummed the notes to “Pink Rainboots,” while the house band behind me joined in.

  I sang and the world around me disappeared. I danced and shook my hips to the beat. I’d written “Pink Rainboots” to talk about how the little things in life were what made life fun, like being grateful for comfy sweaters, wool socks, and splashin
g in puddles wearing pink rainboots. I wanted the song to make people stop with the crazy rush of their day and think about the little things that brought them joy. Seemed silly to some, but science has proven that being grateful every day chemically rewires your brain.

  Each song morphed into another as I kept playing. Some songs were dark, and some were about love, while others made you dance. I’d learned how to play to the crowd years ago, and they ate it up like sugar.

  When the final song on the list arrived, the crowd chanted, “All I Have Left.” I dared a glance at Maddox, hoping the song wouldn’t hurt him. I closed my eyes and addressed the crowd. The chaos of emotions inside me twisted until the only sound I made were the hums to the start of the heartbreaking lyrics.

  “Mmm . . . Hmm . . . Mmm . . .”

  Feelings of his loss lingered from the fresh upheaval of memories of the other night. I’d thought he’d left me again, and I realized I hadn’t forgiven him for the past, which wasn’t fair to him. I needed more time to figure my head out. Did I want him in my life permanently? Or would our past keep us separated forever?

  “A crown of thorns pricks my head.” My fingers played the strings by heart, pouring my soul into each stroke.

  “But that’s not the reason for these tears on my bed. My best friend, my wish with every dandelion blow. Maddie, why’d you leave me all alone?”

  I opened my eyes, pleading with the crowd to answer the questions I’d been dying to know for years. Even though I finally knew why, the scar remained with the memories I didn’t know how to release.

  “I screamed your name into the starlight. Praying they’d give our story a rewrite. And you never came back. Life feels all wrong. Now all I have left of you is written in this song.”

  Singing this song now stripped me down like a chemical peel. Though I didn’t look at Maddox, his gaze burned into my soul. Vulnerable and raw, I wasn’t just singing this song, this insight into our story to the crowd, I sat here singing it to him, too.

  We both hurt for our past, and I wasn’t sure we could truly move on from it.

  Chapter Twenty- Five

  Maddox

  When we were younger, we spent most of our time in nature finding peace together. We’d heard when you saw a dandelion ready to spread its seeds into the air, you should pick it and make a wish. The seeds would fly far and take your desires with them, and then they would come true.

  I spent two months creating a necklace for her with two dandelion seeds I had saved. The necklace didn’t cost me much, since I had no money, but I’d hoped she liked it. I’d dreamed of being together until we died, then holding hands in whatever afterlife claimed us. Every once in a while, I’d see pictures of her carrying my wishes on against her heart and felt like I could conquer the world.

  The world I’d sat upon crumbled into dust with every strum of her guitar.

  Hearing her sing the song, seeing her face as the lyrics flowed past the lips I’d tasted shattered me. I didn’t deserve her. Fuck, what the hell was I thinking, coming back into her life and trying to insert myself beside her for eternity? The selfish need to see her and be around her coincided with protecting her. Deep down my intentions narrowed down to one, I wanted another chance at my dreams of having her.

  “You can’t have her all to yourself, you know,” a sultry voice purred against my ear. I reached out instinctually, wrapping my fingers around the delicate throat of a deep redheaded woman with green eyes.

  “If you want her to live, you’ll let me go.” She rubbed my forearm sensually, and I sneered, my fingers gripped her throat enough to drag a gasp from her struggling lungs.

  “Let go,” she whispered, and without a thought my hand released her. I stared at my hand like it didn’t belong to me.

  “You are a strong man. Can’t wait to play with you, too.” She took a step back, putting distance between us. “I’m ready to secure my interest.” The woman licked her red lips and winked. Her hourglass body swayed to Hazel’s singing; her movement allured the men working backstage.

  “Why?”

  “I’ve always like collecting unique things. People with astonishing gifts are quite unique. I like surrounding myself with them.” She dared a step closer, her hand reaching out to run down my torso.

  I smacked it away with a growl. She may be beautiful, but I’d still knock her ass out if she touched me.

  “What’s stopping me from killing you this instant?”

  She giggled, and twirled around, her hands lifting to the air around us.

  “I can persuade anyone to do anything I say, a little gift I’d gotten when I turned sixteen. Right now, there are four men stationed throughout the crowd, with their sights on you and Hazel.”

  She pointed toward my chest to prove a point. A little red dot from a sniperscope showed on my chest. I looked at my hand, connecting the thoughts from moments ago. She’d told me to let go, and I did, not because I wanted to but because she said so.

  “Since we’re on the same page now, I’m going to make this easy for you. Deliver Hazel to me in one week. You can have your fun with her until then. After that she belongs to me.” She looked at Hazel and she glowed with excitement.

  “And if I don’t?” This bitch was insane if she thought I would hand-deliver Hazel to her. I’d sooner die than do that.

  The Collector turned her seductive gaze toward me again. “I’ll make you do worse things to her than leave. Take the easy way for once, Maddox.” She stood on the tips of her heels and neared my face. “Stay still and silent. Don’t use those sexy powers of yours.”

  She ordered and my body froze. Her nose nuzzled my cheek before she pressed a kiss there, and anger boiled beneath the skin.

  “I’ll be in touch. Now go outside to cool off for ten minutes. I have an appointment to chat with my prize, and I don’t want to miss it. I’m so glad she agreed to meet with me.” She rubbed the skin where her lipstick left a mark, then strutted off without another word. I stared at Hazel, willing her to look at me, to see me as my feet moved toward the back exit.

  I wanted to rip that woman’s jaw from her head. All the people who did horrible things to themselves and others from her persuasion. I’d wanted to know who we were up against, and now I knew. A few words from her lips and Hazel and I would do horrible things.

  Did Hazel know the Collector would be at her show? Would Hazel knowingly talk to someone who had tried to kidnap her and who tortured people to gain attention?

  With no choice but to wait ten minutes since my body couldn’t move, I stared at the door leading back into the club. I ached to keep my woman safe. Every horrible thought that my mind could conjure passed through my head. With every minute that passed, I became a mixture of rage and desperation. I looked at my watch and counted down the minutes until I could unleash a tornado upon the redheaded bitch.

  Chapter Twenty- Six

  Hazel

  This time when I didn’t see Maddox after the song ended, I reeled in my instinct to assume he left me. He said he wouldn’t leave, and I needed to trust his word.

  I smiled at my fans and high-fived some of the ones close to the stage before heading behind the curtain for a cold water.

  “You are exquisite and so beautiful.” I glanced at the woman who looked like a burlesque model while the stagehand gave me a glass to soothe my throat.

  “Thank you.” I continued looking for Maddox.

  “He’s outside. He’ll be back shortly. I said we’d meet and here I am. Ms. Kennedy, I am the Collector.”

  I reached for my powers to prepare for an attack. She smiled and her eyes roamed over my body in a way that had thorns sprouting from my skin. Shit. I hoped no one saw me.

  “Put those thorns away. I won’t hurt you.” The Collector walked closer to me, and my thorns followed her command like she controlled them.

  “I don’t have much time, but I have the power of persuasion. I can make anyone do anything, including your Maddie who’s in a timeout so we can ch
at. I want you for my collection. You’ll be taken care of and can have the world as your playground. I can make people listen to you as long as you remain mine.” She stood inches away from me. I didn’t fear her, although she’d proven herself to be very dangerous.

  “I belong to no one but myself.” I stood taller than her even in her four-inch stilettos, and I looked down at her with every bitch vibe inside me.

  “One week, then you’ll be mine. Enjoy the time. Until then . . .” She rested her hands on my hips, and I moved to fight her but then she stopped me. Paralyzed, I wanted to use my powers but she told me to stay still and quiet. I’d become a statue, and a chilling shiver rolled up my spine.

  Her hands moved up the sides of my waist, then back down to settle on my hips.

  “One week, dear.” She patted me on the ass more than a few times to be friendly, then strutted away.

  “You can move in two minutes.” She blew me a kiss, then disappeared behind a black curtain. I felt violated and out of control, which caused tears to break from my frozen body.

  “Hazel!” Maddox came running into the building, his hands cupping my cheeks, anger burning in his gaze when he noticed the tears.

  “Did she hurt you?” His guttural voice only made the tears flow harder. I couldn’t move, and I desperately craved wrapping my arms around him. He seemed to understand I couldn’t move because of the Collector.

  “I’m here, Hazel.” He wrapped his arms around me and stayed there until the two minutes ended, and I collapsed against him.

  “I can’t go with her. Maddox, what are we gonna do? We are powerless when she opens her mouth.” I hated being violated by her. Shame, anger, and fear tangled inside my head.