You're The Only Hope For Me

Hazel woke up in the same position, with her eyeliner slightly smudged but otherwise looking fine, feeling like she’d slept better than she had in ages. She turned her head slightly and saw that Frank was still asleep. Not wanting to wake him, she just stayed in the same position and waited, not that she minded or anything.
Although she was happy, Hazel felt a little confused. Frank had saved her and brought her back to his house, he obviously appeared like he wanted something out of it as he had willingly bought her a complete new wardrobe, and had gone out of his way to try to make sure that she was happy. What he was hoping to get out of it, she didn’t know. Maybe he was just doing it because he was a nice person and it was in his nature to help people, or, the second option excited Hazel slightly although she was unwilling to admit it, maybe he was in hope of obtaining a relationship of some sort. Hazel was unsure of her feelings for Frank but she knew that give the choice, she would favour a proper, loving, caring relationship over one where she was the one receiving presents in return for giving sex. She knew that Frank was older than her, she wasn’t sure how much, but she didn’t think the age gap was very big as he was quite young looking. She also knew that some guys liked to take advantage of girls, and although Frank seemed the complete opposite of that type, she was still slightly wary due to the previous days experience. Anyway, she’d figure it out along the way.
She felt Frank stir and turned her head towards him again, his eyes were open yet blurry and Hazel thought he looked especially nice. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks and angled her face away so he wouldn’t see it. She felt the muscles in tense in his shoulder as he woke up, and heard him sigh gently.
To her surprise he kissed the top of her head.
He wasn’t fully awake and it wasn’t even a proper kiss, probably only friendly, but Hazel felt a smile start on her lips and couldn’t stop it spreading across her face. Yeah, maybe she was unsure of her feelings for Frank, but she was definitely certain that she felt something, and that something was turning to out to be something slightly more than friendly.
Controlling her manic smile to the best of her ability, Hazel turned her head to look up at him, the smile still visible “Morning.”
“Morning.” He replied, stifling a yawn and covering his mouth with his hand.
“Thank you.” Hazel said, still smiling up at him.
“For what?” He asked, blinking at her as his eyes adjusted to the light.
“For saving me yesterday.” Hazel answered simply, “I don’t know what they were going to do to me but you saved me from it, you possibly even saved my life. I really appreciate it and I never properly thanked you for it. If there’s anything I can do to repay you then please tell me and I’ll gladly do it because you deserve it, but yeah, thank you.”
“I like helping people.” Frank replied simply, “You’re welcome, Hazel.”
Hazel continued smiling and he added “I’m glad I did save you though, there’s something about you which I like, though I’m not quite sure what it is. And you don’t ever need to repay me, I believe that helping people should go without debts, but that’s just the kind of person I am.”
“I like the kind of person you are.” Hazel said distantly and buried her head into his shoulder, inhaling his scent.
“I’m glad” Frank smiled at her, Hazel looked up and her heart seemed to skip a beat.
“Can we go for a walk?” Hazel asked, suddenly, “With some of the dogs?”
“Ermm, what, just now?” Frank responded, a little startled by her suggestion.
“Yeah” Hazel beamed back.
“Sure, why not?!” Frank replied and made to get up; just before he did he looked at Hazel and grinned slyly, “You know, you look really attractive with your eyeliner like that. I know that’s maybe a little inappropriate of me to say so but yeah, you do.”
Hazel laughed as he removed himself from the sofa and got up and stretched, finally understanding the expression of having ‘butterflies in your stomach’.
Twenty minutes later the two of them walked through the wood together, each holding a lead which connected to dogs at the other end in one hand, and a carry mug in the other. Frank had made her tea as she’d requested, pulling a face at her and winking as he’d poured it, he himself drunk coffee.
Hazel had felt like she'd slept for days and had enough energy to fight the world seven times over while Frank looked like he was liable to drop off at any minute. He was trying to hide it with jokes and smiles but Hazel could see his eyes shift out if focus occasionally.
"No no, I'm fine don't worry. When we get back I'll drink another coffee and I'll be raring and good to go in no time!" He said I'm reply to Hazel when she said they could just go back if he was feeling tired.
After a while, Frank's stream of chatter ran dry and they just walked in silence for a bit. However Hazel's head was anything but silent, it was filled with thoughts and at least ninety-five percent of those thoughts were titled 'Frank'.
She didn't know what to do really, she was thinking about him non-stop and she felt like she was getting closer and closer to falling in love with him with every thought. She knew she should be wary, she’d only just met him and to be honest she barely even knew him all that well. However, he had saved her life, therefore she was allowed to admire him right? Hazel wasn’t completely sure, but she couldn't stop thinking about him so there was nothing she could do except watch him go deeper and deeper into her heart, whilst her entire being was bursting with emotion.
The dogs led them mostly, snuffling about a few feet ahead of them and sometimes stopping to sniff trees. Hazel and Frank watched them and just meandered along behind them, in no real hurry.
A quarter of an hour later, Frank broke the silence, "Hazel, how old are you?"
For a split-second Hazel considered lying, but thought better of it, "I'm eighteen in just over two months" she said.
"So you're seventeen just now?" Frank asked, a smile playing on his lips.
"No, well yeah but, almost eighteen makes me seem older." Hazel retorted, feeling a little stupid as the colour rose to her cheeks.
"Mhmm hmm?" Frank murmured, sounding slightly amused, "But basically you're seventeen."
"Yeah, but no, well- oh just shut up!" Hazel snapped in a teasing tone as he laughed, "How about you anyway?"
Frank looked at the ground, scuffing his feet, "I turned twenty-one last week" He replied.
So there wasn't that big an age gap between them, just over three years Hazel realised.
"That's cool," Hazel responded, "I think I recall seeing the birthday cards."
Frank laughed, "Yeah probably, so what about your studies? Are you at school or what? What's your ambition?"
"I finished school and I should be going to college really but I'm on a gap year just now. No idea what I want to study or work as, I'll maybe take another year off after this if I still haven't decided. I don't actually know to be honest."
"So you wouldn't, uh, you would be alright with staying with me for a bit?" Frank asked.
Hazel looked at him and his cheeks were tinted with pink.
"That is, of course, only if you want to," he added quickly.
"What about your work?" Hazel asked, her heart beating so loudly she was sure he would hear it.
"Oh, I don't really work as such," he answered, "I'm a musician and I get paid for that, I also have quite a bit of money anyway so I don't really need to work a lot, I mainly work because I enjoy it," His already pink cheeks turned red, "Though I don't like telling people about my money usually, I'm worried they'll judge me as arrogant and presumptuous, or take advantage of me, by befriending me for my money, I really hate that and it makes me feel worthless."
Hazel looked at her feet to hide her smile, "Yeah, of course I'll stay then!" She said and Frank looked towards the ground also.
They walked in silence for a moment, the only sound being their feet against the ground until Hazel spoke, "You know, I like you for your personality, not your money. Your money wouldn't have and didn't save me from those guys, that was your kind heart and braveness alone."
Frank didn't reply but Hazel felt his hand that held the dog lead brush lightly against her own hand for a few seconds. She smiled at him but he was just staring straight ahead, they walked in silence for five minutes before he started humming. Hazel knew the song, ‘I Don’t Care’ by Fall Out Boy, and joined in with him. That amused them enough until they returned to the house.
Frank had to do some music recording when they returned, so after eating breakfast together, Hazel amused herself for the rest of the day. She swam in the pool, watched some DVDs, ate ice-cream and started unpacking her new stuff into the room which Frank had said she could have.
Later on in the afternoon, Hazel was just sitting in the living room - she had been right about the birthday cards sitting on the top of a cabinet - when a drawer below them caught her attention. She got up and walked across, the drawer was stuck slightly but with a little force she got it opened. Inside it were a few pin badges, a locket shaped like an oval and, the last one fascinated her, a photo album. She was about to close the drawer, as this was Frank’s property and she had no right to invade, but her curiosity got the better of her and she cautiously flicked through it, not wanting Frank to find her in case he didn't want her to see these.
The book contained pictures of Frank with various people, one was of him with a girl with large brown eyes and brown hair, possibly his ex-girlfriend? She was pretty; Hazel would give her that easily. Another person who caught her eye was someone who was in quite a lot of photos, a man with pale skin, hazel-green eyes and mid-length black hair. He wasn’t very tall but he was still just less than a head taller than Frank. Hazel suspected he was the best friend whose drunken actions had cost Frank his relationship. In all the photos Frank and the man looked happy; drinking together, dancing together, laughing together, singing together, Hazel could easily imagine them kissing. They would even make quite a cute couple! The funny thing about the man was that in the photos in which they were drunk he didn't even look old enough to drink legally, he was cute and the smudged eyeliner he wore highlighted the detachment in his eyes, confirming her suspicions that, despite his look of innocent youth, he was most definitely pissed. “What’s his name?” she wondered as she replaced the book in the drawer.
She thought about the photo album all evening but when she got into bed her thoughts returned to Frank.
She didn't know how to order her jumbled thoughts; she didn't even know what she was thinking properly.
He was lovely. He was kind. He was caring. He was funny. He was good-looking. He was talented. He was brave. He was selfless. He seemed cheerful. He was just amazing Hazel concluded.
She liked the feel of having him next to her. She liked being cuddled by him. She liked how he lent her his hoodies. She liked the way he constantly made sure she was happy. She had liked how he had kissed her head this morning. She liked him, was the final thought on that.
Despite all these positive thoughts, Hazel still couldn't decide.
Plus, she liked how she was able to be herself with him. She liked how he made her feel safe. She liked how he always thought of others. She liked how he was able to have a laugh. She liked how he seemed to make almost any situation fun. Yes, she most definitely did like him.
What if he didn’t like her though? Who was she kidding, he was twenty-one and she wasn’t even eighteen, he would definitely want someone closer to his age, right? He probably only felt sorry for her, what with being kidnapped and having no plan for her life and all. Yeah, that was it, that must have been he asked her to stay, because she had nowhere else to go.
But he must like her, if only a little otherwise he wouldn’t have taken her shopping let her sleep in his arms or kissed her head in the morning. Maybe he saw her as a little sister he felt he ought to protect. Why did she even care so much when she was unsure of her feelings towards him herself?
"Fucks sake," she whispered out loud, "you barely know him! Get a grip!"
A voice inside her head replied "oh, but it only takes zero point five seconds to fall in love..."
Urgh, why was romance so confusing?! She punched the pillow in frustration then laughed at all the good it had done her. Her brain was filled with swirling thoughts and mixed feelings and she just couldn’t organise it.
Hazel fell asleep still trying to suss it out.

Notes

Chapters are getting longer... o.O
Feedback is welcome so please comment and rate it so I know what you all think
Thank youu! c:
~Stay beatiful, keep it ugly~
x