Back to Square One

“Hazelyn, damn it,” I hissed, chasing after her.

“Leave me alone!” she yelled before closing the door on my face. Fortunately, the door didn’t have a lock and I could follow her in. She was sitting on the back couch, looking pissed off.

“We’re fucking stuck in a house together. That’s locked from the outside. You have to talk to me!” I snapped at her.

“I don’t wanna talk to you!” she growled at me.

“What the hell is your problem?”

“You! You’re my damn problem! My life was totally fine without you, but no. You just had to come back and fuck it up again!”

I was taken aback from her outburst, but I kept pushing the subject. She was right in front me now, and looking straight into my eyes with fury. “Are you fucking serious? Fuck it up? If you could tell me right here right now that this is all you’ve ever wanted. If you’re truly happy right this instant, then look into my eyes and tell me that even though we’re fighting like this, that you don’t feel a thing. That you don’t have that feeling tugging at the bottom of your heart that you want me to stop talking and just shut up because you don’t wanna fight. Tell me right here, right now that you don’t want me in your life, then I’ll fucking leave you alone,” I told her.

“I told you to not to get carried away with this whole thing!”

“YOU kissed me, remember? After your mom left. That was not part of the plan. And you started ignoring me after. So how the fuck is it my fault?” I growled.

“I don’t know!” she groaned and flopped herself on the couch.

“Hazelyn,” I sighed.

“Ryan, can we not? I just wanna get home and sleep. Please,” she pleaded. “I don’t wanna-,” she paused. “I just don’t wanna stay here.”

I shook my head and pulled my phone out from my pocket and dialed Kyle’s number. I had a small chat with her and he agreed to open the front door.

“Truce?” I sighed. She looked at me and nodded, her lips pursed.

We both walked towards the front door and got into the car, having a nice light and comfortable conversation with Samantha and Kyle. We walked into the mansion, greeted by Tristan and my sister. “Didn’t know you guys could make up in 10 minutes,” Tristan huffed.

“Please. Hate to break it to you bro, but we don’t have make up sex when we make up,” she snorted.

Tristan looked shocked and Stephanie just looked embarrassed. “Mom’s here,” he said after a few seconds.

“Are you serious?” Hazelyn asked. He just nodded at her and led us towards the sitting room.

Leslie was waiting for us with a cup of tea in her hands. “Oh there they are. Tristan said you guys went on a date?” she winked at us.

“Yeah,” Hazelyn smiled as she gave her mom a hug.

“Good. Well, we’re leaving early in the morning. So Jerome, you should just sleep over,” she suggested. I looked at Hazelyn and her eyes went wide. “Don’t act too surprised Hazelyn. You wouldn’t mind would you?”

“Not at all,” she smiled as she cuddled herself closer to me.

“Go on, get some rest and we’ll leave bright and early,” she urged pushing us towards the stairs. Once we got to the top, Hazelyn pulled away from me and walked into the room as I followed her. She threw some clothes at me – some of the ones I kept here back in high school.

“Can I borrow a pillow?” I asked her as I made myself comfortable on the couch.

“Why?” she asked.

“The throw pillows aren’t very comfortable,” I frowned.

“Just take the bed, it’s huge,” she shrugged. “Plus my mom might walk in here and see you on the couch.”

She walked into the bathroom with her pajamas and left me alone. I climbed onto the familiar bed, and laid down on my used-to-be-usual side and turned on the TV. She walked out of the bathroom in her sweats and a tank top, padding her way over to the other side of the bed and got in.

“You want another blanket?” she asked as she rolled over to face me.

I shook my head no and smiled at her. “Thanks though.” She nodded and was about to turn the other way but I stopped her. “I’ll turn around, I know you’re not comfortable sleeping on your left side,” I told her and turned around, so she wouldn’t have to face me.

A few moments of silence, and she called my name.

“Yes?”

“Thanks,” she said, and left it at that.



“You guys are so cute!” Stephanie cooed as we were on the boat on the way to the island that we used to spend our summer vacations in.

Hazelyn was currently cuddled up to me, hugging my waist as I had my arm around her shoulders and our free hands toying with each other’s. Our day had been going pretty smoothly. We kept our cool, and we got along pretty well. Not as close as we were as friends but had small talk here and there. We didn’t talk when it wasn’t necessary, but we weren’t bitching at each other, hoping to avoid another ‘getting locked into a house or room’ together to stop bickering.

Hazelyn glared at my sister, whom gave her a look back to play along. She then bit her lip and buried her face on my chest.

“Aren’t they so cute ma?” Stephanie asked Leslie.

“They sure are. I might need to start planning another wedding soon,” she giggled. Stephanie bit her lip, seeing that Hazelyn and I had both tensed. “Look at those two. They’re too adorable.”

“Beach house! I’m back!” Hazelyn jumped from her seat and jumped from the boat to the deck, not even waiting for us to dock the boat.

“She missed the beach house. She hasn’t been back in three years,” Stephanie sighed.

I nodded, knowing that already. I spent my summer vacations in the beach house, hoping that she’d show up one day. Didn’t happen though, because she knew me too well.

“Steph and I will get the basement bedroom. You guys take the upstairs bedroom and mom, you take the master’s?” Tristan asked walking in with his’ and Stephanie’s luggage. I carried Hazelyn’s and I’s and one of aunt Leslie’s bags.

“Sounds good,” Leslie said.

“Wait, why do we have-,” Hazelyn started but caught herself. “Come on Ry, let’s get unpacked! I’m excited!” she squealed and pulled me towards the bedroom that we usually occupied. “Seriously man. I wanna go swimming!” she told me as she threw her bag on the bed and started digging through it. “You wanna go? Then hit up the mainland with the jet ski’s and walk around?” she asked me.

I looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. “Yeah, sure.”

“You don’t look so happy about it,” she pouted.

I laughed. “Sorry, I’m just not used to you being nice and like this,” I told her honestly. She just shrugged and walked into the bathroom with her clothes.

I stripped out of my own clothes and got into my board shorts, leaving my shirt off.

Hazelyn walked out of the bathroom in her bikini but a sun dress over it. A very sheer sundress. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. Her curves were just too dangerous, and damn that ass…

“Please keep your jaw shut and your eyes off my body. I know it’s jawdroppingly beautiful but if you wanna stare, please do so discreetly,” she smirked at me.

“In your face,” I chuckled as I grabbed my wallet from my other shorts and walked out to the living room. “We’re gonna go out!” I called out to the house, not really caring if anybody heard me, and walked out to the blazing hot sun.

“You left me,” Hazelyn called out, and jumped on my back.

“You sure you wanna do that?” I asked her as I put my wallet on the sand, and started walking towards the dock.

“Whatchu gonna do about it?” she mocked.

“You’re testing me, aren’t you?”

“Boohoo I’m so scared,” she laughed.

I shook my head and started running full force to the end of the dock, and jumped off, ignoring Hazelyn’s squeals of protests.

“Bastard!” Hazelyn yelled at me as she swam from me, scrunching her face.

“I thought you wanted to swim? And that’s for mocking me,” I grinned at her.

We just played around for a couple of hours, and decided to lay out in the sun for an hour or so.

“I’m hungry,” Hazelyn mumbled.

“Let’s go to mainland?” I asked her. She nodded and got up, grabbing my wallet and throwing it to me. “Jetskis or boat?” I asked.

She scoffed. “You know my answer,” she smiled. I rolled my eyes as I walked over to the side of the house where we kept the jet skis. I opened the garage door, as I got on the jet ski and Hazelyn got on hers.

“Race?” I asked.

“Yeah bitch,” she grinned.

“Let’s get out of the garage first,” I laughed as I moved my ride forward, and she followed after me. Once the garage was safely closed, I looked at her and laughed. “On 3. 1, 2, 3!” I yelled and my ride jerked forward.

The waves sent us flying and jumping, both of us screaming to the top of our lungs in pure enjoyment and joy.

“To that piece of wood!” I told her and she yelled out a ‘yeah!’ and we both sped up even more.

Turned out that Hazelyn won, making me look bad - but that’s how it is. You let the girl win. But honestly? She’s not like any other girls. I wouldn’t just let her win. She was actually good competition.

We grabbed a bite at one of the restaurants and walked around the shops, burning our food off.

“Jerome Dolciani?!” I heard a voice from behind me.

“Holy shit. Melanie!” I smiled as I hugged her.

She was one of the girls I had a fling with last summer, and well, she seems to be hoping for another one with the way she was frequently touching me and giving me the bedroom eyes. I introduced Hazelyn to her, who just gave an awkward smile.

“Is this your girlfriend?” she asked me, looking at Hazelyn disgustingly.

I was about to say no, but Hazelyn beat me to it. “Yes,” she grinned sweetly.

“Oh too bad. But if you want some fun tonight, you can hit me up. You know where to find me,” she winked as she kissed my cheek and walked away. She was still hella fine.

“Whore,” Hazelyn mumbled. “If you wanna go chase after her, I’ll just go right now,” she said and walked back towards where we parked out jet skis.

“What are you talking about?” I asked with a grin playing on my lips as I wrapped an arm around her waist.

“She said if you wanted some fun, go after her.”

“But you told her you were my girlfriend,” I nudged her a bit.

“That didn’t stop her from giving you an invitation to get into her pants. Well, she doesn’t have those anymore anyways, a step easier,” she hissed.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You were fine a minute ago!”

She got on her jet ski and turned it on. “It’s nothing,” she said.

“Don’t tell me it’s not anything. Are you possibly jealous?” I smirked.

She turned around and looked at me dead in the eye. “Dolciani, I don’t like you,” she started.

“Didn’t say you did,” I interrupted.

She glared at me. “Dolciani, I don’t like you. I just don’t like you flirting with other girls,” she told me before she sped away towards the beach house.

I would’ve chased after her, but I was too shocked to even comprehend what she had just said.

Did Hazelyn Mae DeLuca Macintosh just admit she was jealous?