Hazel thought it would be nice to have a small gathering so everyone can be friends, but dinner with Jan, Finn, Marlon and Theo had proven to be a disaster. Especially when the topic of Stanley York came up and how Marlon had beaten him up. Stanley was one of Theo’s closest friends.
Both boys couldn’t seem to hold themselves from bickering at each other, it was a testosterone contest and somehow they made a nickname for each other, “The Jock” and “Justin Bieber” who can’t seem to get along. It’s a good thing they ended the night before anyone had too much to drink. A fight seemed to lurk on the edge with those two together in the same room.
Theo was at her place the next day, and the next day, and the day after that. He was there all the time and they were mostly naked in her bedroom.
Marlon invited them to hang out at his house, minus the Jock, of course. And Hazel had to convince Theo that he and Marlon needed time to get to know each other more so they can all get along which Theo didn’t care much for. Though he promised to try because it meant a lot to Hazel.
“So are you together now? Or what?” Jan asked Hazel at Marlon’s house.
She shrugged shyly, “I don’t know … we don’t really talk about it.”
Jan laughed, “Hah … and to think you’re the one who advised me to always be firm when it comes to relationships … don’t tell me you didn’t have time to talk about it? What did you guys do all those time? Fucking?”
They laughed. Though Jan was almost spot on, Hazel was too shy to admit it.
“But it’s Theo … you know?” she looked at Jan with a wide smile.
Jan saw the spark in her eyes, her face beamed with the mention of his name. Of course she knew all about it. Theodore Jordan Shanley was the only name that decorated her lips since they were 9 years old.
“I’m happy for you babe … you look really happy … I mean … after Lee, this is pretty fast, but he’s going back to college after summer isn’t he?” a good friend always addresses the elephant in the room.
Hazel pouted, her nose wrinkled, “I know … he has this tournament and he has to go back early … ” she raised her shoulders and sighed, “This was totally unexpected, who knew this would happen? But he’s just … he’s so …” she laughed, “I still couldn’t believe this is happening … you know?”
Jan could only imagine, Theo was her real life Harry Styles, she was happy for her but also afraid for her at the same time. She could only wish everything will go smoothly because things were going really fast from what she could see.
“Is he Okay not being here? I mean … it was quite uncomfortable the other day with Marlon?”
“Yeah, he’s fine … he’ll swung by later … he didn’t want to be here anyway … I don’t know how I’m gonna work it out if they can’t be in the same room,” Hazel said.
“Are you still talking about the soccer player? Please … don’t bore me with how amazing he is in bed … you should hear what my ex’s had to say about my bedding skills,” Marlon came in the middle of the conversation with drinks.
He handed everyone a drink, Finn followed behind him. He threw himself on the sofa and laid his head on Hazel’s lap. “Stop talking about him … okay, it’s boring,” he grumbled.
“Fine, I won’t, but you have to try and be nicer … he’s my boyfriend now,” Hazel said.
He looked up at her, “Is he? It’s official?”
“Well … he’s at my place everyday … he’s in my bed everyday …” she blushed.
“He humps you every day … that does not qualify as boyfriend,” Marlon snapped jokingly, though not really.
Hazel grabbed his cheeks with her hand and laughed, “It does for me … he’s special … okay … you have to get along with him … it’s important for me.”
“I’m not promising you anything, I hope he’s not coming to Goldstone … ’cause I’m not letting him stay at my place.”
“We haven’t really talked about it, he knows I’m going but that was before …” she raised her brows, “You know?”
“Before he humped you?”
“Marlon!” she nudged him, “Yeah … but Goldstone is pretty far, and he’s only staying for the summer and not even until the end of summer … I kinda want him to come.”
Marlon blew air from his mouth, “The next thing you know you’ll be abandoning everyone to be with him … fine, if you have to ask him … but he’s not staying at my place … how soon can we go? I was thinking next week but that was before I came back and find you with the jock.”
“Next week?” Hazel thought about it for a moment. “I’ll call my mom and ask her if she’ll be back before then.”
“My dad had been calling her to talk about the program … and other stuff too … I think your mom won’t mind … it’s the jock that’s going to be the problem,” he was looking straight at her from his laying position. “He’s not changing your plans, is he?”
“No … I promise … okay … but you have to promise you’ll be nicer next time, please Marlon I really want this to work out … he’s my Theo,” she blushed.
Marlon rolled his eyes, “Okay … I’ll try … but I’m not promising you anything.”
It was a similar answer Theo gave her, it was enough for the time being.