My Courageous Heart

Hazel Morton had woken up earlier to quickly make Ethan Roy a hangover soup and then leave before he would wake up as she was seen rummaging through the cabinets to collect the necessary recipes.

Earlier, she had caught a clear view of Ethan's living room, she could tell it was one with a look of extravaganza. Decadent and very much spacious, decorated with high quality home furnitures. But more was at stake, the reason she had dashed off into the kitchen to quickly finish up her business and then leave quietly.

She tried to avoid making much noise in the kitchen; she wasn't ready to face Ethan that way, as she felt embarrassed by what had cropped up between them last night.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find any suitable ingredients for a hangover soup.

"How does he feed himself when there are no ingredients to cook?" Hazel mused to herself.

After much searching and finding no recipe, she left the kitchen and tiptoed to the room to pick up her pair of shoes and bag.

Her heart romped as she saw Ethan sitting on the bed, already in an awoken state, with a confused expression plastered on his endearing face.

"How did you come in?" Ethan asked with a hint of frostiness in his voice.

"Em. Actually, I managed to bring you home last night after seeing you in a bad state in your office. I'm sorry for that, boss. I'll leave now." Hazel spoke timidly while stuttering, and she hurriedly picked up her belongings to avoid more interrogations from Ethan.

"Hold on."

Hazel paused abruptly, hearing Ethan's cold sounding order.

"You mean you were the one who had brought me home last night? Which means you would have helped me to my bedroom, and then, you stayed back till this morning?" Ethan gave her a suspicious look.

"Did anything transpire between us last night?" His baritone, cool voice queried in a suspicious manner.

"Nothing at all boss! I only stayed over due to the state you were in. "I couldn't bare to leave you all alone in such a state." Hazel lied, trying to cover up whatever had gone down the previous night.

Ethan was smart enough to discern she had cooked up a lie as he could perceive a strange but mild scent on himself.

He walked proximately to Hazel and snuffled her gently, and he could tell it was her scent that had rubbed off on him.

Hazel shivered at his action, she recalled how fascinated she had been last night and how she couldn't resist Ethan.

The winsome eyes that had stared deep into hers with tenderness and pleasure the night before, were now fixed on her in contempt.

I should have just left! Hazel scolded herself inwardly, when she heard Ethan frosty voice pierced through her ears again.

"Why did you lie?" Ethan's voice sounded calm but terrifying.

Hazel knew she'd been caught, and to keep lying would only put her in a more difficult situation.

"Em. President Ethan, I'm truly sorry, I was only carried away. I never meant for anything to occur, I'm sorry, please." Hazel felt so embarrassed as she pleaded guilty.

"From your tone, it truly means we had an encounter yesterday, right?" Ethan probed more, wanting to be sure, as his anger slowly increased.

"It's my fault, please. I'm truly sorry!" Hazel pleaded as tears rolled out of her eyes. She truly regretted letting such a thing ensue.

"Did you do this because of money? Or so you could blackmail me? Or did someone send you to ruin my image, and you feel getting on my bed is the best way?"

"Well, that has been achieved! But note, I won't let this go." Ethan threatened her, meaning every word he'd uttered.

"No! No! It's really not what you think; I could swear on it... I only lost control; that was all. I dare not blackmail you. Do not worry, boss, I will treat this like it never happened; please, President Ethan, believe me." Hazel pleaded more as tears kept rolling out of her eyes.

"Believe you? You know what? I only find you despicable! Because even if I had seduced you due to my drunken state, you could have pushed me off or run out; you could have stopped it! But I see you have your selfish notions; the reason you'd allowed it! And I so much detest people like you!" Ethan thundered at the top of his voice as he felt cheated. His eyes full of chills that could ice up a furnace.

"Now-get-the-hell-out-of-my-house." Ethan said it carefully while panting from anger.

"President Ethan, I'm so...

"Get the hell out!" Ethan yelled louder, not letting her finish her statement.

Hazel could only pick up her shoes and bag and walked out in sheer embarrassment.

****

Hazel headed straight home and didn't bother to resume work for that day.

She flumped on her bed and cried bitterly. She'd never been embarrassed the way she had been at Ethan's house earlier.

She had suffered heartbreaks from two different relationships, and in these recent years, she had gradually healed from the pain and permitted an affection to slowly surge in her heart again, even though it was one sided.

She criticized herself.

She blamed her selfishness and wishful thinking.

How could she think Ethan would want her?

A man like Ethan would surely have a lot of women around him, right?

And if he could have truly loved someone so much, then it meant such a lady couldn't be compared to anyone; every other woman would surely be like dirt to him.

What was she assuming?

Hazel weeped more at her conceptions.

She switched off her phone, as all she wanted was to be alone and cry her heart out.

****

The next morning, Hazel awoke, feeling famished. She strode to her less spacious kitchen to prepare an omelette for herself when she heard her doorbell rang. Earlier, it didn't occur to her to check what the time said as the hunger in her was more intense.

She strode forward to check and she saw the familiar face while she unclinched the door to let him in.

"You seem to be idle, coming to a spinster's house early in the morning." Hazel said while stroding back to the kitchen.

"When it comes to you, I don't mind being idle." Alfric Gagmon replied with a beaming smile that Hazel missed as she was turning her back against him.

Alfric leaned on the kitchen door casually staring at Hazel as she prepared her omelette. One could tell, he was very much apprised with Hazel's home.

"Do you care?" She asked Alfric, referring to the omelette.

"I care!" Alfric replied while he laughed.

"Why do I seem to feel like you're hiding your face from me, huh? It ain't the first time I've seen your morning look when you appear to look like a little witch, especially with your ruffled hair. Alfric teased mockingly.

Hazel couldn't resist the urge to hurl back as she turned and snapped at him.

"Say one more word, and I'll throw you out of my house!"

"Oh, here comes the little witch threat..." Alfric paused his speech and gazed closely at Hazel.

"Hazel! Is there something I need to know?" Alfric questioned in curiousity.

Hazel realized Alfric had caught a glimpse of her swollen, red eyes, and she swiftly spun around to continue cooking, not giving Alfric a response.

"For real? You aren't going to tell me?" Alfric sounded playfully hurt.

"It's nothing, Alfric; I was only reminiscing on the past; you know, that's human nature; we recall some past event once in a while." Hazel replied eventually, not being entirely truthful.

"I already told you to let me kick their asses then, but you refused. I really don't know why you have such a kind and soft heart, Hazel." Alfric took the bait, believing all that Hazel said was the truth.

"Enough of the talk; let's eat." Hazel lifted the two plates of omellete she had placed on a tray to the small wooden table in her crampy living room.

She went to her fridge and brought out a jug of fruit drink. She sat down, poured some into a glass cup, and passed it to Alfric.

Alfric picked it up immediately and gulped some down his throat.

"Madison brought this three days back." Hazel spilled this, seeing how Alfric had hurriedly drank the juice.

"Pfft!!!" Alfric spat out the juice left in his mouth in shock. His dark-brown eyes turned reclusive instantly.

★★★