“No, I’m not,” she laughed.
“C’mon, teach me something,” I insisted. She shook her head, hiding a smile behind her hand. “No?”
I rose slowly, letting the challenge hang between us as I walked toward the piano. I could practically feel her eyes tracking me, her shoulders tensing. I sat, flipped the lid open, and set my fingers over the keys with an exaggerated seriousness.
I knew I was about to make a fool of myself, and I knew she knew it, too. Hazel glanced nervously at people around us, enjoying their lunch, clearly imagining the embarrassment of me hammering out some dreadful tune. Her lips twitched, torn between laughter and panic. I pressed one note, deliberately off-beat, and her eyes widened.
“Okay, okay!” she burst out, rushing to my side, laughing as she grabbed my wrist. Her touch was warm, her grin helpless. She leaned closer, light and alive, her skirt exposing her thigh, and I had to draw in a full breath. It was completely unacceptable how much the ink covering her was affecting me.Controlling my thoughts, my attention, my impulses. My sense of reality.
“But only so you don’t traumatize the whole place,” she said, shaking her head, still smiling.
I noticed she was less guarded on this trip. Felt safer, more open. And I enjoyed it so much. There was so much to know about Hazel when you really tried.
“That’s my girl,” I murmured, surprised at how easily the words slipped out. I’d never called anyone that before out loud. It repulsed and pleased me at the same time.
“Play these two notes, and then these two on repeat like this.” She pressed the keys, showing me the rhythm, and I followed.
We slowly started playing. I did a decent job at playing my pathetic two notes while Hazel’s fingers flew around effortlessly. Her sound wrapped around mine, creating a symphony. Her expression was light but focused, her eyes tracing the path of our fingers. In that moment, we were one. We were beautiful.
“You’re a good student,” she praised me, after the last note faded into the thick plant wall. I gazed into her eyes. Hazel was holding this invisible string, slowly pulling my body to hers. And I was barely holding on.
I cupped her cheek and kissed her, gently but firmly. A small moan escaped her mouth. I caught it with mine as Hazel’s palms landed on my neck.
My heart was now a grayish paste she could mold into a beautiful vase or throw into the trash.
I had never been as happy as I was right now. To be in this exact moment, holding in my hands the one thing that scared the hell out of me.
* * *
On our way back, we made an unplanned stop at the beach. It was also the reason why Hazel was now sitting in the dunes, wrapped in my shirt after a swim. Somewhere in the distance, people were laughing and kicking up saltwater under the fading sun, while we had found a quiet, sheltered spot.
“Hey, I have something for us,” Hazel said, digging through her bag before pulling out a tiny joint.
I faux gasped. “Hazel, are you a criminal in this country?” I asked, inspecting it from all sides. Good rolling technique.
“I saved it from the first night. I can count exactly how many puffs I need for a specific good time. One makes me calm and relaxed, two make me dizzy but in a good way, laughing gradually increased, three make me laugh my ass off. Four make me sick, though, so I always stick with three.”
“Thanks for the manual. Duly noted.”
Ten minutes later, I saw what she meant. Hazel was laughing at clouds, her head resting in my lap, chasing them with her gaze.
“Going for a third?” I asked, offering the joint.
“I’m not sure. Last time we smoked, the questions from Truth or Dare got intense pretty quickly.”
My eyes traced her body. Her bare feet were crunching the sand, knees bent, forming a perfect triangle. Sweet heaven.
“The question I really wanted to ask was what color panties you were wearing.” My fingers skimmed her thighs, the oversized shirt shifting with my touch. Hazel drew in a sharp breath, and my grin appeared without permission. I barely grazed her inner thighs when goosebumps spread across her skin.
“How...” She gasped softly, eyes fluttering shut. “How do you know I was wearing any?” My heart skipped.
“Oh, Hazel, good answer,” I exhaled hungrily, rewarding her by tracing a slow, deliberate line down from her belly button,until I reached her panties. She arched, gripping my forearm, and I pulled her closer. “I... I haven’t felt like this in a long time.” Her lips dragged along my skin as my thumb grazed its way along the waistband, hugging her skin. “I haven’t been touched like this,” she said, trying to justify her reaction, thinking it was a flaw.
The things I would do to hear that. To own it.
My eyes fell to her chest, nipples digging through my shirt. “Injustice.”It should have been reported as a crime.“You look so fucking sexy when you’re horny.”
Her palms rushed to her face, giggling. “You can’t say things like that.” Blushed, and aroused, and beautiful. She rolled onto her side, hiding against my stomach. I ran my fingers through her luscious hair.
