“Are you okay?” he stopped mid-sentence to check on Hazel.
She was unusually quiet after they said their goodbyes to everyone at the competition and got into his car. He’d been talking most of the way, she only smile halfheartedly and nodded along to what he said.
“Yeah, fine, why do you ask?” she had been looking out the window with the whole world in her mind.
“Nothing, you’ve been so quiet … it’s not like you,” he laughed softly.
“Oh I was just thinking about … Mischa … ” she was surprised of her own answer.
“What about her?”
Yeah, what about her, Hazel? She paused for a moment. “She’s wonderful, isn’t she? Didn’t realize you were that close with her.”
In his wishful thinking, he was hoping she didn’t see that kiss so he didn’t have to explain it. Or maybe she wouldn’t think anything of it so that he can tell her what he had been building up the courage to say to her. “Oh, yeah … she’s great … she was so excited after the performance, I didn’t expect her to kiss me like that,” he chuckled nervously.
“Hmm … people do that, don’t they? Theo did that to me too,” she blurted out unfiltered.
It took him by surprise, “Who? Theo? He kissed you?”
She nodded with her lips pressed together, she wanted him to know he wasn’t the only one who got kissed.
“When? You never told me that?”
“In Goldstone … remember that stupid thing I told you he did?”
He thought about it for a moment, tried to remember what happened that night. “Right after we got back from the park?”
“Yeah … it was stupid … I guess it was in the spur of the moment,” she looked down on her lap, now she didn’t know what to do with herself.
Lee got quiet. He knew how he felt about Mischa, the kiss didn’t mean anything to him. “Is there a thing going on with you and Theo?” The courage he had build to tell her how he felt had suddenly crumbled into pieces.
She scoffed, “I wouldn’t date anyone who has a girlfriend, that’s just stupid.”
“And if he doesn’t have a girlfriend? Would you date him?” he turned to look at her.
She stared into his eyes, she hated the fact that she had to see him locking lips with Mischa and there was nothing she can do to undo it. “Maybe … I don’t know.”
He raised his brows and nodded, he kept his eyes back on the road. It wasn’t a ‘yes’, but it wasn’t a ‘no’ either. He couldn’t possibly tell her how he felt about her now. It would ruin everything. She would probably say ‘no’, their friendship would be awkward if there will still be a friendship, and their homecoming date would be cancelled.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter, something about Theo kissing her bothers him. He let out an exhale, “Hazel …”
He couldn’t bring himself to say it. “You’d come with me to Mischa’s birthday won’t you? We’re celebrating the win … it’s next week at her house?”
The last place she wanted to be was at Mischa’s house, celebrating the win she was not involved in. “I can’t.”
“What? Why? But I’ve agreed to it … I told her you were coming.”
“I’m house-sitting remember? My parents and Max are leaving on Sunday for a week.”
“Well … you can leave the house for a little bit, right? Please … I don’t want to go there alone.”
She could, but she didn’t want to. “No, I think you should go Lee … I can’t leave the house, I wish I could.” She looked at him with a convincing grimace on her face.
He was quiet for a moment, “Can I come by afterward? I really want to celebrate with you.”
“Sure … just let me know when you’re coming.”
“I’m leaving for Korea the next day, are you sure you can’t come Hazy? Please …” he always called her that whenever he wanted something, pleading nicely with his boyish grin and those dimples deep in his cheeks.
But she was too annoyed by that kiss. She had to keep her stance, “I really can’t … just come by after we’ll watch a movie and have some popcorn … bring some beers.” She forced a smile although she didn’t feel like smiling.
“Okay,” he finally agreed.
She went up to her room feeling depleted after hours of pretending she was not upset. She changed her clothes and threw herself on the bed. She was happy for his win but …
Not long after, she received a text from Lee. He was home. He sent her a series of pictures they took before the competition including a wefie of their faces pressed together with a wide smile. Her face before that kiss. He even changed his profile picture with that picture which made her smile a little.
She went to Instagram and the same wefie was posted on Lee’s account. He tagged her. “Thank you for being there for me, Hazelnut, I couldn’t have won it without you.” The caption says.
Sure he could’ve won it without her, he won it with Mischa who also tagged him of a video post she did. The video of their victory moment where she kissed him. Hazel grunted and accidentally liked it. “Urrgh … whyyy??” she threw her phone on the bed and buried her head under the pillow.