Compelled ( 2nd book in the Forced Series)

Chapter 16

~unedited ~

Chapter 16

“You’ve got to go back.”

Van looked away from the TV across from the bed, down to take in Hazel’s expression. He was propped up against the bed head, whilst Hazel lay sprawled on her back beside him. She had been absentmindedly playing with his fingers, a habit Van liked very much, for quite a while. Now, her tone and solemn look told him that she had been thinking.

“What are you talking about?” Van asked, looking back up at the football game.

“You know what I’m talking about.” Hazel sat up, effectively blocking the screen, “You have to.”

Van played it cool, determined to not have that conversation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m trying to watch the game.”

Hazel’s eyes narrowed, “Don’t bullshit me, Van. We are having this conversation.”

Feeling agitated, Van threw his legs over the side of the bed, getting up and heading out the bedroom door. He pulled his shirt over his head. “I need some air.”

Hazel followed behind him slowly, trying to keep calm. He was, after all, acting childish. Hazel didn’t want to fight, but it seemed like that was exactly what they were going to be doing. She thought it over and over. No matter how she looked at it, they had to address the elephant she’d been pretending was not there.

Van was staring into the refrigerator when she found him downstairs.

“Didn’t you say you needed some air?” Hazel asked, staring at his back.

Van ignored her, heading through the back door. He stopped at the porch railing, leaning against them with his head hanging down. Hazel followed, stopping in the door.

“ ‘Needing some air’ typically means storming out of the house, slamming the car door, crunching gravel as you drive away to go shoot some pool with your friends.” Hazel taunted, she took a step forward, ignoring the way the light breeze had her hair wiping at her face, her arms folded, “I’m being a crazy bat. You should do that to get away from me.”

“Let it go, Haze.” Van muttered. He straightened, folding his arms across his chest.

Rolling her eyes, Hazel walked up to him. She leaned her hip against the railing, looking up at the side of his face, “Do it. Go out with Zash.”

“I’m not going out. For Christ’s sake, it’s ten o’clock.” Van turned to look at her. The fire of determination was burning in her eyes. He loved it, for the life of him. He loved that look so darn much, but he didn’t want to argue. “Besides, I’m sure China won’t appreciate that, and I want to spend my Saturday night curled up with you.”

Van attempted pulling her in for a kiss, but she turned so that his lips fell on her cheek.

“Stop making excuses.” She pushed at his chest so that he would take a step back. “And what’s so special about tonight?”

Van shrugged, “It’s Saturday.”

“So?” Hazel attempted to glare, “We stay here every day. We’re together every night. You don’t go out for work, neither do I. So what’s so special about tonight being Saturday night?”

Van’s mouth hung open for a while, he scowled, looking away. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think you wanted to get away from me, like you’re tired of me or something.”

He laughed a bitter laugh, “Like you want to leave. Again.”

Again.

The word stung, Hazel swallowed and said, “We both know that that is not what this is about.”

“Oh do we?” Van muttered, “Silly me, and I thought it was.”

Hazel wanted to tell him to stop picking a fight, but then she’d be a hypocrite. She was the one who started this.

“I don’t want to fight.” She muttered, “But you know I’m right. You have to stop doing this. I would love to keep you to myself every moment of every day but I can’t. You can’t either. You had a life before we met, and you put that life on pause. It’s time to go back. You earned CEO, and all the people you locked out.”

Van sighed, “I don’t want that job. And the only person I want is you,”

“Bullshit! You only agreed to marry me, a crazy hag you would have never stressed over otherwise, because you love that job. Go back.”

“No.” he bit his lip, “If you’re worried we’ll go bankrupt or something, I can always get an online job, and I have enough money saved up. You already have your studio set up. I don’t need to go back.”

Hazel sagged, “Van, please. Stop it. We can’t keep skirting around this! I want to selfishly agree with you but you can’t live like that! God!”

She turned away, walking down the porch steps and sitting cross legged on the cool grass, “You can’t keep yourself locked away from everyone, attached at my hip, pretending that just staying at home like the whole world doesn’t exist outside of this house.”

“Haze –.”

“No, don’t Haze me. You can’t. I won’t let you. You’ll get tired of this, tired of trying to keep me locked away, keep yourself locked away. You have got to trust that I won’t leave. That you can live without thinking that if you aren’t by my side something horrible is going to happen. You’ll resent me. You’ll grow to hate me.”

Her voice broke at the end. Van rushed over to her, pulling his obviously distraught wife up into a hug. She sagged into him, crying harder than he’d seen her cry in a while.

“I’ll never resent you.” Van swore.

“Yes, you will.” Hazel said, “You already do.”

*****COMPELLED*****

Yaaasss! A new chapter! Finally!

I churned this out in one sitting and I think it's absolutely perfect.

Let's cross our fingers and hope,  that now, at the very mouth of my looming exams, I can update again soon.

With all my love and sugar plums,
Ambi ^_^

PS. I don't know where my signature is T_T

PPS. Q : What's your favorite movie/series ?

A: Some beautiful place 😍 between the Harry Potter series and Something about 1%. 😻

What's yours??? 🙌