"Nathan?" My brows furrowed when I laid eyes on him.
"What are you doing in Jason's apartment?" I asked, confused as hell. "Do you two...know each other?" Jason glanced at me fretfully.
"Damn it Jase, why did you bring her here man!?" Nathan scolded from across the living room.
"Dude I didn't know you were here!" Jason shot back. I watched their interaction, in baffled silence.
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, not looking up as he spoke. "Why are you here?" He asked the other again, exasperation clear in his tone.
"I got off work early." Nathan clarified.
"Why didn't you tell me you idiot!?" Jason scolded. I stood there dumbfounded, adrenaline coursing through me as I watched their exchange.
"Will somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on?!" I shouted eventually, completely done with being an observer. I glanced over at Nathan who was shirtless. His black hair was dripping wet and he had a white towel draped over his shoulders. His jeans were unbuttoned, exposing his boxers. My mind raced when I caught sight of the familiar scar that cut through Nathan's abdomen. Instinctively, I walked forward, causing Nathan to back up as I approached him.
"H...Haze, Let me explaiâ"
"Shut up!" I snapped fiercely as I continued to scrutinize my potential boyfriend. There was something different about him.
"I was going to tell you on Friday..." he reminded as I backed him into the wall.
"Your eyes..." I trailed off as I continued to stare. He swallowed thickly.
"Please, let me explain!" He begged. "This was the only way I could see you again! I was going to tell you, I swear!" I pulled on my necklace unconsciously. It couldn't be.
"I must be going crazy." I muttered out loud as I clutched it and stabbed my hand with the dull point to make sure I wasn't dreaming. A small drop of blood trickled out of my palm.
"I can't believe you actually kept that." Nathan mused as he reached out and wrapped his hand around mine. This time, I was the one who backed up.
"S-stay back...." I stammered, my voice wavering as I gripped the necklace even tighter than before. My gaze automatically trained itself on Nathan's eyes which were no longer a faded brown, instead they were an intense shade of cerulean blue. I pressed my back against the wall as I hyperventilated.
"Hazel, calm down." Nathan urged as he approached me.
"Explain yourself!" I demanded. Nathan let out a sigh as he turned to Jason, who had an exasperated look on his face.
"I have to go buy...something." Jason mumbled before sticking his hands in his jeans pockets and leaving the apartment, closing the door behind him. Nathan ran his fingers nervously through his hair once we were alone.
"I was wearing contacts when we met." He admitted nervously. "This is my natural eye color." I arched a brow as I tried to focus on my breathing. "Why...why did you wear them...?" I asked in a small voice.
"I was...concealing my identity..." He trailed off as he glanced down at the shag carpet. "That's why I dyed my hair black as well." I clenched my eyes shut, desperately trying to process everything that I was just learning.
"So, what happened with Lucky was a lie? It was a set-up?" I asked him incredulously, my voice cracking towards the end. Nathan shook his head.
"That day, I don't know how or why, we actually met by chance. I knew you had a job, but I didn't know where. I just so happened to be near that shelter when lucky fell ill. That wasn't how I had planned to meet you again. It actually took me awhile to recognize you." He admitted as he fiddled with his hair.
"Who the fuck are you?!" I asked him in a shout. I could feel adrenaline coursing through my veins and hear the drumming of my erratic pulse in my ears
"You know perfectly well who I am. I can tell by that necklace you carry around your neck that you still haven't forgotten me..." There was a small pause between us as I stared at him.
"B-but you're...you're dead." I whispered as I shook my head and rested it against the wall to keep myself from falling. "This has to be a dream, a sick and horribly twisted dream." I continued as I shook my head. Nathan walked up to me and leaned his arm above my head on the wall. His sweet breath washed over me.
"It's not a dream...Princess." He whispered as he leaned in all the way in and closed the distance between our lips.
The familiar taste invaded my senses, causing tears to well in my eyes. If this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up. He pressed his body closer to mine as he took my hand. My stomach fluttered. An indiscernible cocktail of emotions flooded my mind as he pulled away. "I'm not as dead as I was made out to be." Croy whispered breathlessly.
"This whole time...you've been alive?" I muttered, more to myself than anything. "So this means that...Nathan wasn't real?" I asked, my mind still refusing to believe it.
"No, he wasn't..." Croy trailed off. "...though if you wanna get technical, he can be considered real." He added, confusing me even more.
"What do you mean?" I asked, exasperation clear in my tone.
"Nathan is my middle name." He admitted as he looked down at the carpet. I took in a couple of deep breaths as I tried to calm myself.
"You're alive." I repeated in a shaky voice. After a few seconds, I placed one hand on his chest and pushed him away.
"What's wrong?" He asked as he reached out to put his hand on my cheek. I pulled away and glanced at the floor for a few seconds. Without another word, I turned and began making my way towards the exit. "Where are you going, aren't you happy to see me?" He asked, hurt prominent in his voice.
"Happy. Happy!? I'm fucking thrilled Croy!" I shouted.
"Then why are you so angry? I thought you would be happy to know I'm alive." I glared at him.
"I'm mad because you didn't bring me a knick-knack." I shot back. Croy furrowed his brows at my sarcastic remark.
I rolled my eyes when I realized he really didn't understand. "I'm angry because I thought you were dead Croy! Why the hell else!? Do you have any idea the kind of pain you put me through? How losing you made me feel? I thought I'd never see you again!" I shouted breathlessly.
"I did it to protect you! I thought that if I were gone, your life wouldn't be so dangerous anymore." He admitted softly.
"How the hell would you feel if you thought I was dead?!" I snapped, my fists balled in anger. Croy's eyes widened as he considered that scenario.
"I wouldn't want to keep living..." he trailed off.
"Yeah? Well that's exactly how I've felt for the two years that I thought you were gone! Your death destroyed me. I haven't been able to have a decent relationship with anyone else because of you! Then you show up and lie to me. You pretend to be somebody else and just when I finally think I'm getting over you, it turns out I fell in love with you all over again? Just how cruel can you be!?" I shouted. My entire body was shaking.
"All over again.?" He asked as he turned to me. "Does that mean you were falling in love with Nathan?" he asked smugly. At that point, I turned around and without thinking, punched the wall as hard as I could. Croy's eyes widened when he saw the small trickle of blood slide down my knuckles and drip on the floor.
"Hazel?" he asked worriedly when my legs gave out and I fell to my knees. Tears poured down my face, the dam finally breaking. I was glad that he was alive, but I was angry at him for lying. I didn't look at him when he knelt beside me.
"If I would've thought things through a little better, I wouldn't have..." He trailed off as he focused his gaze on the shag carpet. He balled his own fists against the floor, then cinched his brows together. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I caused you so much pain, but you have no idea what it was like for me! I love you. I've loved you this entire time and the thought of not being able to see you again, destroyed me too!" He shouted, his eyes clenched.
"Pretending to be somebody else, it was torture! Not being able to tell you how I felt, to tell you that I've been here all alongâI hated myself for that! That's why I was going to tell you on Friday." He paused.
"I did it to protect you. I didn't want to risk losing you to one of Scaggot's lackeys, so I thought this was a better alternative...". I furrowed my brows.
"Scaggot's locked up. Why would you need to protect me from him?" I asked, my throat parched. Croy averted his gaze.
"You better tell me. I don't think I can handle anymore lies today." I warned. After shooting me a last, pitiful glance, he wet his lips and spoke.