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1501 Words
Hazel stood frozen, her breath caught halfway in her throat as the man’s gaze dropped to her wrist. His eyes narrowed, sharp and assessing, the way a beast measured something before deciding whether to bite or spare it. The atmosphere around him shifted so quickly Hazel did not know what she had done wrong. A strange panic fluttered inside her. She felt his energy change, a silent pressure filling the space between them until it felt like invisible chains wrapped around her chest.
His brows rose ever so slightly. His gaze drifted from her wrist up to her face in one slow, deliberate line that made Hazel’s pulse trip. She had never felt so completely seen. So exposed. It was as if he could read every lie, fear, thought, and truth she tried to hide behind her makeup.
Hazel’s courage wavered. Her mouth felt dry and her fingers curled inward. The boldness she used to chase him, the audacity that allowed her to pin him against the wall, vanished under the weight of that cold, controlled stare.
He did not speak. He did not need to. His presence said everything. The air around her tightened again, pressing against her chest, making it hard to breathe. Her knees almost buckled.
Hazel swallowed hard, her pride collapsing like sand under heavy rain. She took a step back, trying to break the crushing tension that wrapped around her like steel chains.
“I… Forget it,” Hazel blurted, her voice shaky. She forced a weak laugh that sounded nothing like her normal confidence. “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Her trembling fingers lifted off his wrist and she stepped away fully. Her head lowered and her shoulders drooped slightly, like a stubborn kitten finally realizing the world was bigger and colder than she imagined. Embarrassment washed over her. She had been so bold, so pushy, so reckless. What was she thinking, forcing herself onto a stranger like that? He must think she was insane.
She turned around slowly, telling herself it was fine. She could find someone else. She would think of another plan. She would survive somehow. But even as she tried to convince herself, her heart sank painfully. Her steps were small, weak, almost dragging against the floor.
Then she felt it.
A cold ripple of air behind her. A sharp, cutting presence. It crawled up her spine and froze her in place.
“Can you leave now?”
The low voice came from behind her. Calm. Deep. But there was something metallic beneath it, something that pricked the edges of her skin like needles. A warning. A command. A pull.
Hazel’s breath caught. She turned her head slowly, her confusion clear as her eyes widened. “You’re not refusing…”
The man did not answer her question. Instead, he pushed off the wall with the slightest movement, and his long legs carried him toward her in two slow, calculated steps. Hazel stood completely still. Her feet refused to move.
He stopped right in front of her.
Her heart thudded painfully as she tilted her head up. His face came closer, filling her entire view. A face so devastatingly handsome it felt unfair. Sharp jawline, dark eyes framed by thick lashes, lips carved with arrogance. Up close, he looked even more dangerous. Like a storm waiting to hit.
Hazel’s breath trembled. She felt completely swallowed by his presence.
He towered over her. His shadow fell across her face. She could feel the warmth from his body despite the coldness in his gaze.
His eyes flickered over her casually, from her messy makeup to her shaking hands. But there was a shift now. A subtle one. He was no longer ignoring her. He was evaluating her. Studying her. As if something about her earlier words had struck a nerve he was trying to disguise.
When he finally spoke, his voice was deeper than before, smooth but edged with authority.
“Did you bring your household registration book?”
Hazel blinked.
For a moment her brain did not register the meaning of the question. Then when it did, her eyes widened so fast it almost hurt. She gasped, her lips parting. The flickering lights from the bar reflected in her pupils, making them shine like tiny stars.
“Of course,” Hazel breathed out, barely containing her excitement.
Her fingers clutched her bag tighter as she stood straighter, the light in her eyes brightening rapidly. All her earlier fear dissolved instantly. Warmth flooded her chest like fire chasing away cold.
Her lips curled into a smile she could not hold back. It was small at first, then wide, then almost glowing. She looked like a child who had just been given a miracle after believing none would come.
“You… You mean you will…” Hazel could not finish the sentence. Her voice trembled too much. She took a step closer to him, her pulse racing.
The man’s expression did not change, but something in his eyes softened, barely noticeable unless you stared too long. Hazel did.
“Do not misunderstand,” he said coolly. “I am not doing this because I want to.”
Hazel nodded immediately. “I know. I know it is just a contract. It is only for three months. I said that earlier.”
He stared at her quietly.
“And I will pay you,” Hazel added quickly. “I do not know how much you want, but we can write a contract, or I can pay in advance. I will not bother you. I will not embarrass you. I will not drag you into anything dangerous. I only need the marriage certificate.”
His silence stretched. Hazel’s fingers twisted with anxiety, but she held her ground. If she flinched, if she backed away, if she showed fear now, he might change his mind. She forced herself still.
The man finally took another step forward. Hazel instinctively stepped back. He took another. She stepped back again until her back hit the wall.
He leaned slightly, placing one hand on the wall beside her head. Not touching her, but close enough that she felt the heat of his palm sink into her skin. She stared up at him, trapped between fear and awe.
His voice lowered, barely above a whisper. “If you marry me, you cannot take it back.”
Hazel’s lips parted. “I… I know.”
“You cannot run back home crying.”
“I will not.”
“You cannot complain if things become unpleasant.”
Hazel swallowed. “I can handle it.”
“You cannot back out halfway if you regret it.”
Her chest tightened. “I will not regret it.”
He studied her again, deeper this time. The longest stare yet. As if peeling back her layers one by one until he could see the real Hazel beneath the makeup and bravado.
Finally, he stepped back. Hazel’s knees nearly buckled with relief.
“Where is the book,” he asked simply.
Hazel fumbled through her bag instantly and pulled out her household registration book, gripping it with both hands as she held it out to him like a sacred treasure.
The man took it with a slow, deliberate motion, his long fingers brushing hers briefly. Hazel felt the contact like electricity.
“We are going to the registration office,” he said.
Hazel’s heart jumped. “Tonight?”
“Do you want to wait until morning,” he replied calmly.
“No,” Hazel said immediately.
He nodded once, curt and final.
Then he turned and walked toward the exit.
Hazel scrambled after him, her steps quick and eager, her heart pounding so wildly she wondered if she might faint before they even reached the door. She had done it. She had found someone. She had found him.
The man she had chosen slipped through the crowd easily. People made space instinctively when he passed, as if sensing an aura they did not want to provoke. Hazel stayed right behind him, trying not to lose him again.
Outside, the night air hit her face, cold and crisp. Snowflakes drifted from the dark sky, landing softly on the pavement. Hazel wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm, but her chest bloomed with heat.
He stopped beside a black car parked on the icy curb and opened the door for her without a word.
Hazel hesitated, staring at him.
“You are really doing this,” she whispered.
His expression remained unreadable.
“Get in,” he said.
Her heart fluttered in her throat. She climbed inside, holding her bag tightly against her chest.
When he settled into the driver’s seat beside her and shut the door, she turned to him with wide eyes filled with equal parts fear, hope, and disbelief.
She whispered the words again, softer this time.
“You are really doing this?”
He turned the key in the ignition and looked straight ahead.
- Writer
