Stolen Kisses and Competitions

Love at First Sight - 2

One week later, Hazel leaned against a wall watching perfect looking teenage girls spill out of a dance studio. She loved dance class but this had not been how she wanted to spend her afternoon.

A peppy, confident girl with a honey blonde bob and a glossy hot pink smile emerged, somehow managing to look more perfect than all the rest of the girls put together. Amber was skipping closely behind a tall boy about Hazels' own age. This must be him, Hazel thought.

Hazel looked at the boy and caught her breath. He was an absolute dream. He looked like every fantasy boyfriend she'd ever had combined, brought to life and made even hotter. Tall, insanely fit and strong looking like he could lift her up easily, his walk was confident but not arrogant and he had thoughtful deep blue eyes and curly dark hair that Hazel suddenly wanted to run her fingers through. Wow, Hazel thought, Amber has good taste.

"Hazel?" Amber's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Um – hi Amber"

"Did mum send you to pick me up? Oh my God I'm fourteen she knows I'm able to walk home by myself." Amber groaned with an almighty eye roll.

"Well actually..." Hazel had not thought this through. Luckily Amber kept talking before she had to explain herself.

"Anyway there's no need because I'm going to Kayla's house to practice for the talent show. We're going to sing."

"Okay well, go then." Hazel's eyes kept darting over to the dream boy. A few seconds and she'd loose him...

"Bye." Amber said.

Hazel barely gave Amber a chance to walk off before she darted after the boy, but as soon as she got close to him her mouth dried. What was she supposed to say that would make her seem cute, cool, interested and unbothered at the same time? She just followed him silently, feeling like an idiot.

"Hey." He said

Hazel looked around. Then died of embarrassment when the boy said "I'm talking to you princess."

"Yeah, sorry. Hi." Hazel said

"Hi. I'm Alfie."

He smiled at her, she smiled back, and that when she fell in love. Hazel would always feel slightly embarrassed about falling for a boy who called her 'princess' before he even knew her name but she couldn't have helped it.

She liked his smile. No, she loved it. It was direct. Meant specifically for her and no one else. Hazel felt a part of her heart flutter away like a butterfly and attach itself to him.

"I'm Hazel. I think you know my sister, Amber."

Alfie nodded. "I've seen you and your sister waiting for your ballet class while I'm doing jazz."

"You noticed me?" Hazel asked, then mentally screamed at herself.

"Some faces are too pretty to forget."

Hazel caught her breath, how is this guy so smooth. She took a second to collect herself before deciding to tease him.

"You think Stella is pretty? Well sorry but I don't know if you have a chance with her, she's actually AroAce."

"Shame." Alfie teased back "I had my eye on Stella. I wonder if she has a younger, prettier sister or something."

"Yes that would be Amber, but as you know, she's fourteen."

Alfie laughed "So you have two sisters, what's that like? How do the feel about not being as stunning as you?"

"Oh please." Hazel scoffed "You know Amber, she's second to no one, and Stella is so –"

"Why won't you believe I noticed you?" Alfie interrupted her. The sincerity in his voice tugged at her heart.

"No one does." She said quietly.

Hazel didn't want to overshare, but her insecurities got the best of her. Stella and Amber shone so brightly that Hazel often faded away. No one had ever seem all three of them and decided to look at her but now this gorgeous boy was saying that she was the one he saw. She felt so special and wondered if she'd made him up.

"What if I told you," Alfie said, his voice as gentle as velvet "I look for you every time I leave jazz class and I'm disappointed if you're not there, but when you are I'm too scared to speak to you."

"You didn't seem scared today."

"Because I realised that you'd noticed me. You didn't before."

He was right, she hadn't. Why not? How could she have missed a boy like Alfie?

"What if I told you," he continued "I almost switched to your ballet class, just so I could have the chance to dance with you."

Hazel was about to laugh, but then she realised...

"Seriously? Why didn't you?"

"Amber told me not to go."

"What?"

"I told her that I was thinking about changing classes, I didn't tell her why, but she said that she didn't want me to go. She said I was her only friend in that class so I decided not to move. I had pretty much lost my nerve by then anyway."

"It's funny actually," Hazel said "Stella noticed you and Amber together a lot, and she can be pretty protective of us, as the oldest, and she seemed to get the idea that you might be interested in Amber. So she told me to tell you to stay away from Amber because, you know, Amber's only fourteen so... yeah that's kind of why I followed you."

Alfie laughed "So you weren't drawn to my good looks and charm?"

"That too." Hazel replied shamelessly.

Alfie grinned and Hazel's heart fluttered for the seventieth time that afternoon.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Amber got a sixteen year old boyfriend though." Hazel said "Well, assuming you're sixteen?"

Please don't let him be too old or too young...

"I am." Alfie said.

"Me too."

They smiled at each other and there was a short, electric pause.

"Crazy idea," Alfie said "Can I see you dance?"

They had wandered into the middle of a park. The sun was shining, the grass was swaying and peace and joy filled the air. Why not dance? Hazel's natural self-consciousness was overridden by her desire to impress Alfie. She felt like she could do anything. Alfie made her feel like that with just the way he looked at her and really seemed to see. The way his hand occasionally brushed against hers as they walked.

Hazel stepped off the path, onto a clear bank of grass, and began to dance. Pointing and flexing her feet to the rhythm of her soaring heartbeat. The music Alfie created throughout her body carried her every movement. Hazel jumped and extended her arms, trying to touch the leaves of the trees, letting the butterflies in her stomach fly her away.

She held out a hand to Alfie and pulled him into the dance with her. He was the perfect partner and dancing together came naturally to them. Alfie drew her forward and gripped her waist. Electricity flooded through Hazel at his touch and the realisation that he was going to lift her. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and her feet left the ground. She was flying, and she was never ever going to come down. She was too bright and proud and elated and on fire. Hazel understood how it felt to be a cloud. She was still in the clouds when Alfie put her down so she didn't notice him standing a little closer to her than was necessary. She didn't feel his hand brushing through her hair, she only came down when his lips met hers.

Hazel believed when he kissed her that he had wanted to do that for a very long time. He kissed her like he meant it.

"Can I see you again?" Hazel murmured

"I hope so."