A/N : This chapter is a bit longer than others because I forgot to stop writing lol 

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Thank you!

April.

I was curling the noodles in my plate to my fork while thoughts whirled in my mind. What happened at school yesterday wasn't just a coincidence. Someone was after us.

"Morning honey." Mrs. Tucker said leaning down, planting a kiss on my forehead. I felt giddy as I greeted her back.

It was Saturday, one of my favorite day of the week, but my thoughts were still stuck on the events happened in school.  

"Why aren't you eating?" Leah spoke with mouthful of noodles.

"I am."

"You sure are." She looked at my plate which was still full.

Nerves were twisting in my stomach and nothing made me feel good the whole day.

In the evening I was taking a walk down the lane when I heard them. 

Footsteps. Lots of them. 

I was about to turn around when someone wrapped my mouth with a handkerchief. I resisted as I sensed arms snaking around my body. My scream wasn't heard. I struggled and struggled but finally my body gave in. 

***

When I woke up it was dark around. My head pounded loudly, making me unable to think. I looked around and found only one small window around the whole room. "Where the hell am I?" I muttered leaving a shaky breath out.

I waited in that empty room for God knows how long. Thoughts of Leah, her family and Jayson ran through my head, making tears fall out.

Why couldn't I live a normal life? 

The door burst open making me scream. I shut my eyes closed, terror spreading through my body making it shiver.

"Hazel."

As fast as I had shut them I opened my eyes and caught Christian standing in front of me. Few men in black coats surrounded him.

"Chris-" he cut me off and in a second had his arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"Thank God." He muttered, his low voice sent goosebumps on my neck.

I hugged him back and release a loud sob I was holding back. "Chris!" I cried. I'd been bottling up this emotion for two months. I didn't realize it this strong though. 

"Shh. It's okay. Everything is alright. I'm here." He whispered in my ear while his hand stroked my back slowly. After a long time my muscles relaxed. My mind breathed.

"Let's go." He said, cupping my face in his big ones.

We walked out of an old building I had no idea existed in our town. It was eerily old. It seemed like it was early morning.

"Take the other one." Christian spoke to his men pointing to one of the cars parked before us.

He then turned to me for a split second before taking my hand and pulled me towards the other car in which I supposed just the two of us were going to travel.

When we were inside a familiar scent of his cologne enveloped me. His car always smelled like him. It was weird that I remembered every small detail about him.

"Thank you for saving me." I quietly said, glancing over at him.

His eyes stayed on the road for a moment before he spoke. "I would save you from the world, the sun, the moon, stars. People." He paused, turning his head. "Anything that hurts you. I'll protect you from it." 

The insides of my stomach did a flip as I struggled to keep myself from grinning. Geez, What was he saying?

"Wow Chris you've mellowed down since I met you." I said failing to keep it to myself. 

He didn't say anything.

"Or am I the only one who gets this special treatment?" I pressed trying to get a reaction out of him.

He stopped at a traffic signal and his eyes landed on me. "You can say that."

I looked away to hide the crimson red that had appeared on my cheeks. What am I doing? Didn't I decided to become his enemy to find out the truth? 

I knew I could ask him. The easy way already existed.

But I was too afraid to do that.

I don't think you'll get this chance again. Ask him. My mind commanded me.

I gulped hard on my spit. "Chris I need to talk." I looked at him. "I need to confirm something."

"If it's important, let's talk when we get home." He briefly said.

"We can't talk at Leah's." I said and his eyes darkened.

"We are not going at her place." He said not looking at me.

"What? Where are we going then? Don't tell me you are going to drop me at my place." I eyed him intensely. If he really did plan that I would have preferred jumping from his car immediately.

"Don't you know your brother doesn't live there anymore?" His eyes glanced at me curiously.

"No.." I trailed off, surprised. I had cut off contact with him since two months now and I never tried to find out what he and his precious cousin were doing.

"Well, I can't leave you alone. You're staying at my place from now on." He stated making my eyes snap at him.

"What? Why? For how long?" The idea of living with him again sounded like a dream, but one side of me was scared.

"I didn't know you hated living with me so much." He tightly said, swiftly turning of a corner. 

"I didn't mean it like that." I glanced over at window. Looking outside was less awkward than looking at him.

He stopped at his house. I didn't realize how much I missed my house until now. My eyes flickered at the house next to his. The house where I grew up. My mother's memories came rushing and my eyes teared. I quickly wiped them before Christian could notice.

My stomach growled suddenly making Christian chuckle beside me. "Hungry?" He asked unlocking his house.

"A little. But you need to answer my question first." I demanded.

He paused for a moment before looking at me. His dark eyes were lightened grey with sunlight.

"You're not safe outside. Lara Anderson is targeting you." He said and walked inside.

What did the bitch want now? Her thoughts clouded my mind. I remembered what she had done last time. It sent chill down my spine.

"Didn't you take care of her already?" I entered the living room. His men followed.

"Let's talk about it while we eat. I'm ordering. What do you want?" He asked, phone already in his hand.

"Anything." 

******

Christian.

"You sure?" I said and she nodded. She was clearly upset and I knew why. Lara's name would never bring pleasant memories. She can only make people grieve.  

I had warned her thousand of times, but she never learnt the lesson. Last night when my men finally found out about the master behind the school incident, I had to control myself from going directly to her house and kill her. I'd never hurt girls, that's why she was alive even after all these years. 


I ordered for us and we sat around the table waiting for it. She was rigorously texting someone while I watched her. She wasn't safe because of me. 

I pulled out my phone and texted Sam about keeping an eye on my dad. I couldn't let him find out about Hazel. This time I couldn't afford to fail.

"Christian." She was looking at me with her brow raised.

"Yes?" I propped my elbow on the table, leaning closer to her.  

"So it was Lara, who was behind what happened at school the other day?" Her lips were twitching. So cute.  

"Yes. But you don't have to worry anymore. I'll protect you." I gave her a smile and she looked away.

"Also," she started still not looking at me. "I need to confirm something." She paused and glanced over at me after a moment. Her face was clouded in doubt and fear.

"What's wrong Hazel?" I straightened up.

"This is something that Austin had told me. I don't know if it's true or not and there is only one way to find out." She was fidgeting with her fingers as if she didn't want to get to the point.

I didn't say anything.

"Austin said it was," she paused again making me worry. What the hell did Austin say to her?

"It was you who were driving that truck, which killed my mother and my boyfriend Logan." She finished and closed her eyes shut.

What the hell was that about?

I blinked a few times trying to make sense of things. I was driving a truck, which killed her mom and her boyfriend? Her boyfriend was dead? Shit

"I have no idea what are you talking about Hazel." I said. "When did it happen?" 

"Last year." She said, looking as if some burden had been lifted from her mind.

"I was in Amsterdam then.  I have nothing to do with it." I took her hand in mind and gently gave it a squeeze. 

She nodded furiously tears flowing down her cheeks. "I knew it. I knew it weren't you."

I watched as she stood up and walked to where I was sitting. I gave her a curious look before she stepped forward locking her arms around me. My breath stopped. She sat down on my lap and automatically my arms wrapped around her waist.

"It was unbearable." She spoke, her lips trembling. "To think that it was you who killed both of them."

I caressed her hair gently. How much did this crazy girl trust me? After she was told I was the one who killed her mother and her boyfriend she still didn't believe it. She confirmed it to me.

Some strange feeling crowded my heart. I couldn't see her crying and at that moment,  maybe it had been too many days since we'd been so close together I craved for her touch.

I knew she felt the same because she didn't pulled back or hesitate when I pulled her down and pressed my lips on hers.

___END OF CHAPTER___