Tides of the Heart (Crestwood Chronicles #1)

Chapter 14

"Charlie, wait!"

Ignoring Hazel's shout, which he somehow makes heard even above the din of the club, I reach the door and slip through into the relative quiet of the street just as a large group arrives and blocks the entrance like a logjam, momentarily trapping Hazel inside.

Taking advantage of this, I set off down the sidewalk, but I know Hazel won't be delayed for long. Seeing my options as run, face him, or hide, I go with the least strenuous choice and duck into the used bookstore a few doors down from the club.

It's nearly deserted this close to closing time, and the tall shelves and maze-like aisles offer plenty of concealment. There's a basement devoted entirely to graphic novels, though, and it's to this I descend. There, I pretend to browse while the scene in Chase plays on repeat in my head.

I'm as much ashamed by my reaction as by the fact I hadn't even considered that Hazel might have a lively past. It's a good reminder that despite having spent nearly a month in close proximity, there's still a lot we don't know about each other.

Flipping blindly through a random volume of One Piece, I bite my bottom lip and fight tears. If I was someone else, maybe I could have played things off with a witty comeback, or a cutting reply, making my claim on Hazel known. Instead, I'd been too shocked to speak, betraying myself as the clueless innocent I was, before fleeing like a Cinderella who'd overstayed her welcome at the ball.

Like Prince Charming himself, Hazel would come looking for me—I know him well enough to know that—but I'm not quite ready to be found.

Thirty minutes later, the store's loudspeakers announce closing time, and I ascend to the street level again.

Outside, the air is cool, the night mist having rolled in from the bay, and the crowds have dispersed. I hug myself and shiver. Lana had talked me into wearing a very thin t-shirt, and if I hadn't regretted it before, I do now.

I glance up and down the street, but there's no sign of Hazel or Lana. We'd taken Hazel's car, and—alarmingly—there's no sign of that, either.

So much for Prince Charming.

As reality sinks in, I assess my options. The buses stop running at ten, and I'm five minutes too late to catch the last one. A ride-share could cost me half my monthly allowance at this hour, and I don't have any other friends to call. Meanwhile, the apartment I share with Lana is a little over three miles away, or an hour and a half, at an easy stroll.

Sighing, I set off on foot. At least it's free, and I'll have plenty of time to sort out how I feel.

Thinking that Hazel will have given Lana and Trey a ride, and hoping to avoid being spotted on the road, I choose an alternate route and follow the aptly named Ocean Street past Crestwood Beach. Warm from walking, I stop for a while and sit on the sand. The beach at night has its own charm, and the voice of the waves murmurs with a constant low rumble and hiss. When I start to get cold again, I get up, brush the sand from my clothes, and continue on towards home.

I arrive a little after midnight, letting myself in as quietly as possible in the hopes of not disturbing Lana. I quickly perceive I needn't fear, as I find her sitting on the couch, staring at her phone and worrying her bottom lip.

She looks up when I enter, and bolts to her feet as her face goes pale with relief.

"Oh my God, Charlie!" she shrieks. "Where the fuck were you? I was ready to file a missing persons report!"

"What?" I laugh awkwardly as she whacks my arm with the back of her hand and sweeps me into a hug, though the top of her head barely reaches the middle of my chest. "I think you have to wait twenty-four hours for that."