❝ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ғʀᴇsʜ
sᴛᴀʀᴛ ɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ
sᴏʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ❞
~~~
🇬 🇦 🇧 🇷 🇮 🇪 🇱 🇱 🇦 :
Of course he can cook. Why am I even surprised? He looks like the type of guy who could possibly be good at everything he takes an interest in.
The omelet he made— especially for me— was heavenly, to put it lightly.
I go to cut into the second one when a hand moves in front of me. The person pulls their hand away, and pain pills now sit beside my plate. I look up and stifle the gasp that climbs up my throat. If I had food in my mouth, I might've choked.
Kaz sits in the chair beside me. His chestnut hair in disarray, and his cheeks flushed slightly as if he'd just woken up. His honey eyes glisten with a warmth I can't quite decipher, and his lips are pulled into a soft, warm smile.
My heart needs to calm down.
He scratches his stubble covered jaw as his eyes move along the table to take in the buffet Hunter and Tony prepared. He leans into me slowly, and my heart rate spikes.
“What did Taylors make?”
“Pretty much everything, Sullivan.” Hunter replies rather harshly. “Don't worry your pretty little head about it, I poisoned nothing.” He says with a feigned sweetness that's as clear as day.
Kaz arches a thick brow, “You sure about that? You seem in such a foul mood today, you might just want to take it out on me.”
Hunter scoffs, “If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have done it in such a pleasant way. No, poisoning you would be too easy. Too quick. I'd want you to suffer—”
“Could you two not? We're trying to have a really nice breakfast for Gaby, and you guys are ruining the vibe.” Theo's voice carries across the kitchen as she moves to sit opposite me.
A few moments of heavy silence pass when Kaz slides a glass of water in my direction. I look up at him, confused.
“For the pills,” He says through a mouthful of fruit. He swallows, “I know you have a headache. I can see the way you wince every now and then and subtly rub the sides of your head.”
“How did you… you weren't even looking at me.” The end of his lip tugs into a smirk, and he grabs an apple from the middle of the countertop.
Is he purposely avoiding all the food? Hunter said he didn't poison it, why would he still avoid it? Especially if the food is this good. I brush it off as he talks again.
“I'm always looking at you. I just so happen to have mastered the act of subtlety.” He says as his eyes meet mine. A flash of emotions dance across the honey surface, but like always, I'm unable to decipher them.
“It's getting late, I think we should get going.” Hunter speaks up as he starts toward the kitchen's entrance.
♡♡♡
“Hey, Gaby. Wait up!” I make my pace slower as Hunter catches up and starts walking in step with me.
“I, uh… I'm sorry about earlier.” Earlier? What happened earlier? This headache seems to be getting to me. I've suddenly acquired memory loss.
I look at him, my eyebrows drawing tight with confusion. He holds the door open for me as we enter the school and take a turn to get to our lockers.
“Being mean to Kazimir.” He says, with a slight twinge of embarrassment in his voice.
“Mean to Kaz?” I say with a laugh. “You basically threatened his life.” We get to our lockers, and I start packing a couple of books into my bookbag.
“Yeah, well, that's kind of normal for us.” He says as he closes his locker. “It's a mutual hatred.”
I look at him for a second, my mind making up scenarios for how they could've started hating each other. Theo said they were best friends… what the hell happened that they now can't stand the sight of each other?
“What happened between you two?” He looks at me, shocked, as if I'd caught him off guard.
“It, uh… it's a long story.”
“I have ti—” The warning bell rings overheard, and I sigh at the timing.
I close my locker and sling my bag over one arm. He starts walking beside me again.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He starts rummaging through his bookbag and slowly pulls out a small box wrapped in burgundy wrapping paper and a gold bow.
My mind immediately goes back to this morning with Theo. I knew it was a random question. Too random to think nothing of.
“Happy birthday. I wanted to give it to you earlier but…” He trails off, shaking his head.
“Thanks,” I say softly, my eyes glued to the box in his hand. “You really didn't have to get me anything. The breakfast was more than enough.”
He shakes his head again, now with a smile on his lips. “It's nothing. I wanted to get you a gift.”
“Hunter…” I pause, a lump forming in my throat as all the memories of my birthday for the past decade flash through my mind in a blurry haze. “I haven't celebrated my birthday ever since what happened ten years ago. I… I don't really like celebrating it.”
He places the box in my hand, “Just open it. Please.” We walk into Tony's classroom, and he guides me toward the front row. We take a seat, and I start peeling at the bow and wrapping paper.
A soft gasp parts my lips when my hand finds cold metal. My eyes drop to the object, and my heart flutters. In the box sits a silver necklace. The pendant is my birthstone; sapphire, shaped to form a crescent moon. The moon is bound to the chain by metal in the form of what looks to be the tree of life.
“I'd take that as a sign you like it.” Hunter whispers from beside me. I can feel him watching my every move. He points to the necklace and traces the metal forming the tree.
“To me, it symbolises how you left your old life behind, or in this case, it died, and you started a new life. You know… since the tree of life represents death and the cycle of life.” I meet his eyes. “A new life.”
I can feel my heart twisting in my chest at his words. And that familiar lump of emotion forming in my throat.
“Hunter—” My voice cracks, and I blink at the sudden blurriness in my eyes. I'm suddenly incapable of forming words.
“Thank you,” I whisper after a moment.
“You're welcome.” He smiles brightly at me, his dimples on full display. “Do you… want me to put it on?” I smile softly at him and nod.
Quickly, the lesson starts, and we're learning about the different states of matter. I can't help but touch my new necklace every few seconds.
A new life. I like the sound of that.
YOU ARE READING
The Heart Wants What It Wants
Teen Fiction❝ She wanted a fresh start, He wanted normalcy, But their past had other plans. ❞ ~~~ For the majority of her life, Gabriella had to endure all the things a child should never have to experience. After nearly two years of planning to start afresh...
