As I punched the alarm to death, the morning view flashed my lazy eyes with its golden light. The shower was waiting on my body to show up, my toothbrush was ready to rape my teeth with a minty flavor. It was a good morning. My mood agreed with the sun from afar. Last night, I was dreaming about the things I wanted to do to Hazel. I wanted to burn her wings with lies and cherish her skin with dirty imaginations.

As I got myself ready, I made my way downstairs. Voices were murmuring from a distance. Unfamiliar tones were questioning my mind. Breakfast was already served. The taste of my hunger was as sour as my temper. My stomach was kicking for food. I was really stressed and It was my first morning with strangers.

I was even embarrassed to show myself into the kitchen.

'Babe, pass me the syrup'

Hazel's request woke me up from my thoughts as she smiled at her prince charming, nervously. There he was, smiling and kissing Hazel. There she was, sitting on his lap to share her affection with him. I wasn't mad but seeing her parents agreeing to this mistake made me so uncomfortable. He was the second man in the house. I was nobody.

The way he carried himself was extraordinary. He acted like a gentleman around them. His voice was mature and organized as a keyboard. His respect for Hazel was strong and firm.

Hazel's smile bothered me. Someone else was making her cheeks hurt and It wasn't me.

"Good morning, everyone." I made my entrance.

"Good morning, Hawk." Hazel's parents replied back with a smile playing on their face. "Please, take a seat." Mr. Dean stated. "Let me introduce you to Hazel's boyfriend, Max."

"Country Boy." Max made fun of me. "Hawk? Isn't it?" His tone reflected anger. "You're late for breakfast. A real gentleman is always on time. You know?" He was testing me the wrong way and I really didn't want to cause trouble or disrespect Mr. Dean and his wife by punching him straight in the face.

I ignored him.

"Babe? Do you need more pancakes?" Hazel asked, trying to change the subject and calm him down.

"No, baby. I'm good." He answered Hazel as he tried to light my fire even more. "Mr. Dean? With all due respect, Sir. You know, I love Hazel with all my heart and I wouldn't want anything to happen to her. I'm a little worried." He paused and glanced at me. "Strangers are dangerous and I can tell that you're not helping your daughter at all. You're letting an intruder sleep under the same roof as her." I pressed my teeth and squeezed my hands as I tried so hard not to lose it. "You need to be careful." He murdered me with his look.

Mr. Dean confronted him with good intentions but he wanted to add more to my fire.

"People can be dangerous around here." He kissed Hazel on the lips, purposely.

"Man!" I yelled. "What's your problem?!" I punched the table as I tried to control my anger.

"My problem?" He laughed. "What's your problem?" He reversed it back to me as he tried to play the innocent game.

"First off, you don't know me. Second, you're really not about to talk about me and act like I'm not even here. If you want to say something to me, say it and stop beating around the bush." I was so close to punching him.

He was getting me hot.

"Have some respect, man." He apologized to Hazel's parents and made me look dumb right in front of them. "I apologize too, Hazel." he played the victim.

Was he serious? Was he really playing the victim in the situation when he started the whole thing? I know I wasn't supposed to disrespect Hazel's parents this way but this guy deserved it. I was ready to shut him up. The fact that he made me look terrible in front of them made me uncomfortable in my own skin. I really didn't like him.

I had no other choice to apologize to Hazel's parents. They deserved my attention at least.

"I lost my appetite," I exclaimed. "Thank you for breakfast. Mrs. and Mr. Dean. I will be in my..."

"Yes, do us all a favor," He interrupted me. "And go make love to Daddy's picture upstairs?" I grabbed him by his shirt as I lost my cool. I punched him right in the face. Fresh blood was running through his nose. So was his mouth.

"Don't you dare disrespect my father like this ever again?" I yelled, Impatiently.

I couldn't help it but teach him a lesson. The disrespect was real. I tried to be a better gentleman and act mature but I wouldn't let anyone talk about my father the way he did. It did hurt. I just wanted him to rest in peace and move on with my life but some things can't change after all. I wasn't mad at the situation. I was mad at Hazel.

She told him.

She was the only one who was in my room last night while I was staring at my father's picture. She told him. My personal situation was taken as a joke and I was the only one who was in pain. I hated this house, I hated everything and everyone in it.

I thought Hazel was different. I thought she wasn't the kind of girl who spreads your personal matter. I thought wrong. I was living under her rules. She was winning my game, she was making my life impossible, she was laughing behind my back with Max, her boyfriend. Max was the man.

Max played his cards right. The war was far from over.

At that moment, all I wanted was revenge but my mind was dull. I had to think about a better plan. Hazel didn't respect me at all as a man. She didn't take me seriously. I was the joke. I was just a poker game to her. She was the one winning. I was ready to fake everything. I was ready to lie to her face and make her fall in love without me falling back.

She was about to taste poison as medicine. She was about to taste me.

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"Hawk?" Hazel entered the room. "Can I talk to you?" She exclaimed as the door carried her back, safely.

I ignored her. I knew that her apologies wouldn't work on me.

"Look, I didn't expect you to react this way. Max just left and honestly, Max is right." She wasn't here to apologize. Her words aroused me with anger. "dangerous. You disrespected my parents, me." She paused. "Oh, don't get me started with Max. He's such an angel. He didn't deserve what you did. I just want you to--"

"Are you here to defend your boyfriend or curse me out?" I interrupted with a petty tone. "Which one?" I asked, angrily.

"I'm not defending anyone." She twisted her words.

"Then why are you here?" I asked, firmly.

"I just want you to stay away from Max." She began. "It was wrong for you to just attack him like that. He's a gentleman and he's really patient."

"Are you done?" I asked, Impatiently.

"No," She replied. "I'm not done." Her tone was sharp and cold.

"I'm done listening." The fact that she was just here to defend him made me mad. She didn't even apologize to me. She was there to bring me down and confront me. At some point, her words didn't matter anymore. I didn't want to listen to her voice. I wanted her to leave my bedroom and stay away from it.

She was so unfair and selfish.

"Whether you like it or not. He'll come here every morning. I suggest that you stay in your room and I'll bring you food." She offered.

"Don't even bother." I declined her offer.

"About last night," She reminded me. "I don't want you to come near me ever again. I have a boyfriend and I love him. I just want you to know your limits and stay away." She begged. "Please."

"Done." I agreed.

"Thank you for understanding." She faked a smile.

"Please, leave," I asked, nicely.

"I was just about to." She closed the door after.

As soon as she left the room, I placed my father's picture on my bed as I admired it with pain. It has been a while and It was still hard to deal with this tragedy that was eating me alive. I was living with a family that didn't care about my feelings. I was suffering in silence.

Tears were falling down my face, gently as I tried to hold on to them. I wasn't trying to be a little boy again but I didn't know how to handle this pain any much longer.

At that point, I was forcing myself to be strong.

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A few days flew by. Hazel was invisible. I decided to stay away from her. She was never home. She was always out with her boyfriend. She was living her best life. She was so happy and distant. Her presence was hard to search. She was really giving me the cold shoulder and didn't want me to be a part of her life. I wanted to just move.

My intentions weren't the same. She hated me and thought the worst of me. I needed another strategy and I knew that It wasn't going to be easy. I knew that she didn't want me close to her. She wanted me dead. Honestly, I knew she was just a stranger to me but I still couldn't kill my attraction towards her. My revenge was the only thing that I was thinking about.

I wanted her to regret her words and chase me like a thirsty fly as her punishment. I wanted her to feel pain and end her happiness.

"You seem lost." Mr. Dean washed my thoughts away as he entered the bedroom. "Are you okay, Hawk?" He asked, worried.

"Yes. I'm okay." I lied as I faked a smile. "I was just thinking about my father's company." I showered him with another lie. Money wasn't on my mind. His daughter was on my mind. I was planning on making his daughter's life a living sacrifice and there he was, worrying about my health.

"My wife is worried about your health." He explained. "She really is sorry about what happened last week with Max."

"I'm glad to hear that but I'm honestly okay." I smiled.

"Hawk. I want you to know that this house is also yours. I truly am sorry. I didn't want to pick sides. That's the reason I stayed quiet at the table. I was embarrassed by Max's behavior. We both know that you're a great man and you're really strong. Don't let his words define who you truly are as a young educated man." He tried to make me feel better. "This is your car key. I bought it for you. I wanted it to be a surprise but Maria thought it was a great idea to give it to you now. You'll love it." He handed me a single car key as he tapped me on the shoulder.

"Thank you so much." I thanked him. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." He hugged me. "This credit card belongs to you. You can now throw a party or have fun with your friends." He laughed.

"I appreciate it."

"Now I'm going to see my baby girl." He started with a sad tone. "She's really sick. Her fever is getting worse. Max is out of town and she really needs someone to check up on her. I guess that's my job." He faked his laugh.

Hazel! Is she okay? What happened?

"How is she?" I asked, worried.

"Her mother told me that she's doing okay now but her fever is getting worse. Do you want to join me? I'm on my way to her room." He offered me.

"I don't think she wants to see me." I turned down his offer.

"Of course, she does." He replied, sternly. "Let's go."

His tone was firm. Hazel was sick and I really didn't want her to get worse by just seeing my face. I was the last person on her mind. Max was her prince charming and her hero. I was just her enemy from afar.

I was excited but at the same time, I knew that she didn't want anything to do with me.

I was uncomfortable in my own skin, I wanted her to suffer but the way her father described her to me was terrifying.

There I was, heading to Hazel's room. Her enemy.