Chapter 10
1089 Words
HAZEL’S POV
Whatever Simon does, that was the least of my business.
That was what I kept telling myself as I sat cross legged on my bed. The glow of my laptop screen was the only light in the room.
My stomach growled for the second time in ten minutes, reminding me that I had skipped breakfast after skipping dinner last night.
After the fallout with Simon, I had refused to leave my room, not because I was afraid of seeing him.
It's just that, I didn’t trust myself not to throw a fork at his forehead the second he opened his mouth.
After what he said last night, how could I not?
Frustrated, I slammed the lid of my laptop shut with a groan and then leaned back against the headboard, letting my eyes flutter close for a second.
Why does he always do this?
Why does he act like I’m some villain invading his perfect little world? Like I asked to be here, like I’m forcing myself into Aurora’s life when all I’ve ever done is love her as her aunt.
“Ugh,” I muttered, sitting up and yanking the laptop open again.
The Zillow tab was still up. A long list of crappy one-bedroom apartments I couldn’t afford was glaring right back at me.
Taking a deep breath, I typed in a new zip code which was further away from Simon’s house and adjusted the price filter to fit my budget.
But it didn't, the apartments were still too expensive.
My budget was laughable. The kind of money I had saved wouldn’t even get me a decent motel for a month, let alone a safe place for a fresh start.
But I didn’t care, I needed space. I needed to breathe without constantly feeling like I was one step away from being reminded that I wasn’t welcomed.
I was already preparing to yell into my pillow when a knock came through. It was soft and hesitant.
“Aurora?” I called, already sliding off the bed. I already had a large smile plastered on my face to hide my frustration. I didn't want her to see her aunt’s real emotion.
Yanking the door open, I was going to crouch to her level but the second I saw who was standing there, my body froze.
It was no other person than Simon.
He was dressed in a pair of gray pants and a crisp white shirt with the first two buttons undone like he didn’t have the energy to finish getting dressed.
His sleeves were rolled up, his hair slightly messy, and his face unreadable.
I didn’t think twice before I decided to slam the door shut on his face. Before I could carry out my plan, he slipped inside like he owned the space.
“Seriously?” I barked, glaring murderously at him. “Are you incapable of knocking and waiting like a normal human?”
“I knocked,” he said in his defense.
“And you didn’t wait.”
“You were going to slam the door on my face.”
Rolling my eyes, I crossed my hands on my chest as I headed towards the window, “What do you want?" I huffed.
Instead of giving me a response, he allowed his eyes to fall on my laptop
“You’re looking at apartments.” He stated the obvious.
“Congratulations, Sherlock.”
Ignoring me again, he said, “I never asked you to leave.”
“Of course you didn't but you made it clear that I’m a nuisance in your house.”
“That’s not what I said.” He argued
“You don’t have to say it when you wear it all over your face, Simon!” I snapped. “I’m not stupid.”
And once again, he ignored me, switching the topic to suit himself. “I saw the listings. You’re searching for an apartment outside the town, why?”
“Because I need to get away from here and you. I don’t want to be a burden, okay?”
“You’re not a burden, Hazel.” I rolled my eyes, a low scoff escaping my throat.
“Look,” he said, taking a step forward. “I didn’t come to fight, I came to apologize.” He said, making me halt as I swirled around to face him.
“I came to apologize about last night. I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was… angry. That’s not an excuse, but it’s the truth. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Stunned, I kept staring at him.
Was this really happening? Was Simon Veneti actually apologizing to me?
For a moment, I almost wanted to applaud him, throw confetti and maybe even offer him a cookie but of course, he ruined it.
“I just need you to tell Aurora that I apologized,” he added, his voice quieter now. “She refused to eat breakfast because she’s upset I yelled at you last night. She said she won’t eat until she knows I’ve said sorry.”
Pushing his hands into his pockets, he shrugged, “I've done what she asked me to, you just need to affirm it."
My stomach twisted. At this moment, I didn't know the cause of my anger, if it was the smug look on his face or the faked apology or the fact that he wanted to use me to calm his daughter.
Pursing my lips, I pushed my hand into my hair before leaning forward. A million thoughts were running through my mind at once.
And the topmost of it all was to knock him out.
Sadly, a punch from me would just be a pat on his shoulder.
“Is that why you're here?" I forced myself to ask, already dreading the response that was going to come from his mouth.
“Of course. We have nothing else to talk about."
Nodding, I crossed my hand on my chest, “You want me to talk to Aurora? Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll tell her you said sorry. But after that, I’m done.”
“What are you talking about?" He asked as I shoved him towards the door.
“Acting as a mediator between you and your daughter."
“Hazel—”
“Get out.”
He stepped out, but before I slammed the door shut, he turned around, meeting my gaze with something I couldn’t quite place.
“I meant it,” he said. “I am sorry for everything.”
- Writer
