ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴏᴠ

𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴

♛♛♛

A month has passed.

A miserable, boring, sad month.

It's been a month full of endless cries, nightmares, exams and above all, grief.

She missed Julius like anything. Every day that went by she deliberately fought the urge to send him a 'how are you text' or an 'I miss you, please come home'.

But he warned her that it would be a while this time, it was going to be longer and he wasn't ever someone to call or text, but she knew that even if he wanted to, he wouldn't. And that was her fault.

She pushed him away because she needed time. She's had that time, she's spoken with herself millions of times and she forgives him for all.

Yes, his job was the most horrible thing on the planet. Hazel knew they could work around it, they won't talk about his career, and she'll have nothing to do with it either.

Hazel can't stand a second being away from him, though he lied, she fell for him happily yet miserably.

Trace and Gracie were the only two that ever told her about him, just so she knew he was alive. To which he very much was.

He was currently stationed in another small town just outside of Louisiana. With him still being in the states gave her some assurance, he was nearby and alive. That was all she wanted to know.

Trace, Gracie, and Percy have been keeping her company. Visiting her on days she was to be alone, or grabbing a hot chocolate with her in between her classes. She was grateful for them, and when she wasn't with them when they couldn't be with her, she knew why, but never questioned it as they agreed not to talk about it.

The day was new today. The sun was out, the weather was warmer, edging close and closer to summer. Her vase that lay in the kitchen had dead flowers in it from over a month ago, Hazel knew that today was the day to grab some new ones.

Today was the day he left one month ago. The day both their hearts left shattered. She didn't know if Julius would return home if he would even come back here. She didn't know if he still liked her, even just to be best friends.

She missed her best friend, so, so much.

It was like what she predicted, she'd get over it in a month. Well as 'over it' as she could be.

When her mother called, which was rare now, she would think of the terrors they put her through. And then she'd think of Julius. How he simply calmed her, made her feel safe and tried to get her to smile when it happened.

Another thing Hazel hadn't done was go out and eat somewhere nice. Not a restaurant or a cafe, she refused to. Not without her Julius.

This leads her to the oncoming phone call from Gracie with Trace joined by her side too.

Reluctant, she was considering going.

Instead of being cooped up in the home, crying, watching her comfort movies over and over again, Hazel might feel better just getting up and going out.

"Okay..." Hazel lets out a sigh whilst grabbing her car keys and then proceeding to slip on her slippers, listening to the other two women cheer with excitement.

Looking up at the sky, the white, spring clouds hover in the air like a beautiful summer's day. Glancing away, her car glistened underneath the sunlight, instantly reminding her where she would be heading.

"Yeah, sounds good guys. I'll see you soon?"

She could feel the smile gleaming on their faces from miles away.

They hung up and Hazel was already seated in her car, cruising out of the secluded neighbourhood.

Tonight was either going to be a wreck or an accomplishment. Hazel hoped it would be the last one.

♛♛♛

The flower shop was beautiful.

All rows and boutiques of flowers layered in buckets and pots, so many colours and types, she loved them all.

The particular section of roses caught her eye. They were white, pink, orange, and her favourite, red.

Though the mere sight of a red rose made every fibre within her rise to their very highest. That flower was a reminder of him. A sign that whenever she'd see a red rose, she'd think that maybe he'd be thinking of her too.

Hazel's hand reached for the boutique of red roses, and the rich scent of the plant immediately engulfed her senses.

As flashes of memories and moments of her and Julius repeated in her head, she glanced down at them, her chest heaving faster.

—

"Come on, Juls!" She giggled, looking at him from behind her shoulder.

He rolled his eyes playfully, the cigarette between his lips rolling into ash beneath his feet, as he then took her by the waist.

"You're too fast for me now, Hazel." He smirks against her neck, placing wet, delicate kisses along the curve.

A shiver rolled up her spine, embracing the touch of Julius.

"No...you're just too slow," She smiles cheekily, her pallid cheeks becoming as rosy as ever. She could feel the oozing mischief rolling off of him now.

"Oh, yeah?" He teases, bringing his hands further up her waist and reaching the most sensitive place on her body—the flesh just below her breasts.

"Juls, no—

And within a second his hands began ruthlessly tickling her. She laughed and squirmed, thankful that their garden was obscured from any neighbours.

He stopped for a second and then lifted her body up and over his shoulder, casually starting to walk back into the house.

"Juls!" She squealed and scrunched her hands up with the fabric of his shirt, the rose she was out there to pick now lost in her vision.

He chuckled, the sound vibrating to her heart.

—

A lone tear falls from Hazel's eye. She struggled to keep them at bay and she hesitantly placed the flowers back down, picking up the batch of white ones and moving over to the counter.

Once she paid, she exited the shop and looked over to another store, one that she adored with all her heart.

Derik and Scarlet's chocolate shop has been Hazel's ultimate comfort for the past couple of weeks. Scarlet has had Hazel over for dinner and Hazel eventually did speak about her situation with her father and mother.

Scarlet was tempted to call the authorities, but Hazel said there was no need. Julius had moved her into his house, now which was her own, and she never had to see them again.

They were hesitant, but they heard all about Julius, but for some reason had trusted their instincts that he'd protect her, which was why they let her be.

Entering the shop, Derik comes into view with his glasses perched on his nose and his eyes flickering over a paperback between his hands.

"Hi, Derik!" Hazel smiles as she enters the warm store, her favourite bar of chocolate right in front of her eyes.

His eyes peer away from the book, instantly placing it down as he notices the infatuated woman.

"Hazel, dear, you're back!" He smiles, standing from the seat to observe from behind the counter.

"I am," She trails off, humming as she picks up two blocks of chocolate. Hopefully to last her a week or so.

"These chocolates are the only thing you're living off, isn't it Hazel?" He teases, chuckling as he scans the chocolates and hands them to her in a paper bag without the payment details.

"You got that right," She mumbled, passing him some cash. Just over the amount due.

"I don't want any of your money, Hazel. You know you are like a granddaughter to me, that means no money."

He looks at her sternly, leaving her to sigh without an argument. She's been here before, she never wins.

"Thank you, Derik. Please tell Scarlet I say hi," She places the paper bag under one arm, holding the boutique of flowers to her chest—tightly.

"Of course, love. Enjoy your day!" He sits back in his chair, adjusting his reading glasses and Hazel smiles at that.

Waving once more, she exists and walks back over to her car with her arms full as ever.

Once placing her flowers gently in the passenger seat, along with her chocolates, Hazel walks back around the car and gets into the driver's side.

Sighing longingly, she turns up the radio and begins her journey home.

♛♛♛

The evening came incredibly fast.

The white flowers sat in the same vase with clean water on a modest coffee table set aside just outside the living room.

She liked it there. It is perfected with the decor and living space.

Hazel looked down at herself once more, checking that her shoes were tied, her cardigan buttons were done up and the flair of her jeans was also up.

She had a habit of forgetting to do those parts.

The doorbell rings just on cue, clutching her only evening purse, she proceeds to the door with a wreck of nerves.

She'd only cried once today. Which was a record for her, in comparison to the last four or more weeks.

Opening the door, Trace stood outside with a grin. Her hair was out in its natural curls, her skin glowing from the golden light and dressed in a vibrant red, body con dress.

"Looking beautiful as always," She says as she pulls her into a tight hug, placing Hazel's cheeks red.

"You look beautiful too, Trace." She smiles back, taking her hand that was out for her.

"Gracie's in the car," She mentions and closes the door behind Hazel.

Nodding, Hazel was led by Trace toward the black Audi.

Her door was opened for her, and gracefully, she slid into the back.

Gracie turned her head immediately as Hazel slid in. The warmth of her smile eased Hazel's anxiety.

"Hi, gorgeous." She grins and leans her arm over to give her a small hug. Hazel embraces her for a second before they brake away.

Once everyone is settled in the car, the music gets cranked up and the car ride begins.

The restaurant was much closer than she had anticipated. They parked in the valet, which made Hazel's brows raise.

Exiting the car, Trace sealed her arm around both girls and they began walking their way to the front of the restaurant.

It had a dark appearance, and it was interesting because the restaurant was also surrounded by glass. However she soon realised it was the kind of glass that was veiled and secretive, allowing no one to see inside but allowing everyone inside to see outside.

A tall man dressed like a butler came up to them, Trace said her name and the booking time and he immediately nodded, turning around with some menus and they trailed off behind him.

Hazel's gaze wandered around the room, taking in the rich scents and well-dressed women and men, and she started feeling out of place.

They take a seat in a more secluded area, where there were no other people, which Hazel appreciated.

The man placed the menus on the table and stated that someone will be there shortly to take their orders. Looking down, she noticed the menu was brief and there was an entire booklet dedicated to alcohol, which made Hazel frown.

"Yeah they're pretty big on drinks than meals here," Gracie mentioned, skimming through the book.

She hummed in response, only flickering her eyes over the food options. Some of it was seafood, which Hazel didn't eat. She despised seafood, ever since she was a child.

Though, the carbonara pasta was tempting.

"What are you girls getting?" Trace asked, looking up from the menu.

Hazel sat in front of them both, the weak golden light from above casting a soft glow on their faces. Trace smiled at her, a gentle one.

"The pasta," Hazel answered with a smile of her own.

Her relationship with the two women stayed unchanged. They continued to treat her like the innocent woman she was, and Hazel continued to regard them as the two friends she knew when she first met them.

Even if the knowledge of what they do for a living lurked in her mind now and then, she would never bring it up. Ever.

"Have you guys been here before?"

They both hummed and shook their heads. "Yes, the restaurant is owned by—

Gracie coughs, loudly.

"We've been here before." Gracie covers up, leaving Hazel to frown and Trace to glare slightly.

"It's okay," Hazel whispers, her bottom lip becoming her own type of stress ball. "You can say his name,"

Gracie turns a shade red, while Trace smiles unevenly and shakes her head.

"We just want to be sensitive around you, babe."

Hazel shakes her head, adjusting her position in the chair.

"I know, I appreciate that. But it's okay, I'm eventually going to have to get over it."

Gracie frowned but smiled ever so gently, along with Trace.

A female waitress approached them and took their drink and meal orders. Since they were driving, Hazel ordered a traditional sprite with extra ice, and the girls both got mocktails.

After some silence of just observing the restaurant and the soft hum of chill RNB tunes that played in the background, their drinks had arrived.

The black straw she had requested was now in use and conversation strikes up again.

"We're going away for work in a few days. I think it's for about a week, is that right Trace?" Gracie looked over to her girlfriend, her brows furrowing for confirmation.

"Yeah, about a week. Down at Queens,"

Hazel nodded, already preparing for the loneliness she was going to face that week. Managing school and work, she'd just bury herself in that to pass time.

"Is Percy going too?" She nervously swirls her straw around the glass, in slow, slow circles.

"No. He's being placed somewhere else, not too sure we're though..."

Hazel hums, nodding slowly.

It seems that was all she used as a response these days. Slow nods and hums.

She hasn't been herself for a while, well ever since the incident happened. Or ever since he left.

Just the thought of him now brought Hazel to nearly bang her head against the table. She was doing good so far, she went a few hours without thinking of him.

That obviously flew right out the window.

"Haze? You okay?" Trace leaned forward, grasping her hand with a frown.

It was obvious that Hazel's attitude changed right then and there, and she refused to become anything like Bella from New Moon, so she plastered a fake smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay." The lie fell straight through her teeth, somewhat not convincing the women, but let it slide.

They had a few conversations here and there until Hazel was as silent as ever while eating. She savoured the delicious food with all of her might; it was genuinely amazing and well worth the price she knew she'd have to pay.

The dinner passed by as quickly as any other, as if time was speeding past. Hazel was ready for her trip back to the house, fully stuffed and somewhat content.

Not before the three women could grab their ice creams though.

Standing outside of the parlour, you could nearly see the hearts in Trace's eyes upon looking at all the flavours.

Gracie chose the regular vanilla, mentioning that the flavour was underrated. Trace chose Hazelnut, which erupted a giggle out of Hazel herself.

And then Hazel got chocolate chip ice cream.

Because Gracie was gluten intolerant, she couldn't have the ice cream in a cone and had to settle for a cup instead. Not wanting to leave Gracie out, Hazel and Trace also placed an order for a cup.

As the man started to scoop up their ice creams, they turned to each other and rapidly scampered to grab enough money to pay.

Trace ended up paying for both Hazel and Gracie's dinners, and when Trace denied Hazel's money to pay for her meal, Gracie managed to slip a note into her handbag.

This time, Hazel made sure to place her cash down in front of the cashier faster than they had a chance to blink.

"Ugh, Hazel!" Trace scowled while Gracie frowned at her with a pout. "You shouldn't have done that, Haze." She sighs and brings her into a hug.

Hazel blushed ever so slightly and hugged Gracie back. "You guys always pay for me, I owe you way more than this."

Trace scoffs sarcastically and hands her the ice cream cup. "You don't owe us anything, baby. It's just friends being friends, right Grace?"

She hums, nodding her head repeatedly while scooping up her vanilla ice cream.

Hazel laughed softly as she shook her head. The women walked down the half-filled streets, individuals glancing at them now and then and some just blankly ignoring them like regular strangers, which was refreshing.

The world around them always seemed so on edge. Especially with Hazel.

It was like everyone was scared of her. As if she'd done something so bad that everyone was even afraid to look at the girl.

And it wasn't until she actually looked at the stares that she realised it.

Not filled with disgust anymore but now filled with plain terror.

Last week, in one of her Lit classes a girl had asked her if she was 'mentally stable'.

Another asked her what it was like to 'dance around with the Devil', whatever that means.

She's never been more confused, though it was easy to connect it to her relationship with Julius.

Now aware of the evil that goes around in town and many other towns, she knew that every line drawn was connected to Julius.

The world around her just in mere hours became so clearly known to her eyes.

They hopped into the car, Gracie was driving back, and the first to finish her ice cream too.

As Hazel was a fast eater too, she had finished soon after.

Ice cream was always so refreshing, it always calmed her, just like regular chocolate did.

Billie Eilish played on the speakers, Gracie's favourite artist. Hazel didn't mind Billie, she liked a few of her songs, her voice was very soothing, something that Hazel enjoyed purely.

Hazel stared out of the window, feeling slightly weird. Her stomach was feeling iffy; as if butterflies fluttered their wings millions of times per second.

It wasn't the feeling of anxiety...or maybe it was.

She didn't know.

But watching the cars they passed, the lights that went red then turned green, the slight laughs and hums of Trace and Gracie from the front, everything felt so heightened.

"And you say, as long as I'm here no one can hurt you"

The song blasted in her ears like a whisper at the back of her neck, the lyrics somewhat connecting to her heart.

By the time a bump ensued from the car, she looked back to the front and was shocked to see they were entering through the towering, black gates of her residence.

The water fountain was beautifully lit, and the mansion's walls and porch were lit up with soft golden lights.

"Alrighty," Gracie slowly turns to the front of the staircase, braking when reaching the front.