Love Hate

30

a/n at the end of this chapter that is a must read

With one last wave goodbye to the golden-haired boy, Haven started walking across her lawn to her house. Just as she stepped onto the green grass, a thud from a car door caught her attention. Her eyes traveled to the Kuwonu household.

Zion's eyes lifted from the ground to see a faint figure with wild curls. Even with the bad lighting, he knew it was Haven. His eyes widened. This was his chance.

"Haven!"

She didn't want to meet him at the fence. She stood frozen as he walked her way. This wasn't what she wanted to do. She just wanted to ignore him and move on. Move on from Caleb Zion Kuwonu. 

But something in the back of her head made her feet start to move.

 It was Austin's voice telling her to just forgive him.

As she grew closer to the boy she once loved, she could feel her heart rate increase. Although she didn't want to admit it, Austin was right. Haven still loved Zion. 

Zion stared at the girl in front of him. He didn't know what to say first. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry, that he loved her too, that he finally understood. She stared at him with her big dough eyes. He could feel his heartbeat quicken. "So congratulations on getting third place."

"Thanks," Haven mumbled. There was a long pause after it. It was blatantly awkward with a lot more tension than what was welcomed.

"So..." the boy with dreads trailed.

"So...ugh did you like the, you know, ugh, the booth?" Her eyes trailed away from him. She had a feeling he would say no. Say he hated it. Say he hated the photos she used. Holding her breath, she waited for an awful response. 

"It was beautiful, Haven." 

Her coffee brown eyes met his dark ones. She was shocked, to say the least. "Really?"

"Yeah," he paused grabbing her right hand, "I think I finally get it."

The girl's eyes widened as she stared at her hand in his. This was what she had wanted since she was six. She couldn't believe it was happening. "What?"

"What you said the other day. I think I get it. I really didn't see things. I didn't get it. I finally do. I see you and I'm sorry for not seeing it earlier." 

He looked in her eyes searching for something. 

Anything.

But all she did was nod. And walk into her house, leaving Zion alone.

Just as she closed the front door, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. The overwhelming feeling Zion always caused grew in her chest. She honestly didn't think he would apologize. Or say anything for that matter.

Zion Kuwonu made Haven feel everything. 

Wiping her eyes from some of the falling tears, she raced up the stairs to her bedroom. She didn't want to talk to anyone for a while. All she wanted to do was think.

Slipping into a pair of sweats and a hoody she stole from Corey, she went to her spot on the roof. Her eyes stared at the night sky. Her thoughts ran wild of Zion. She didn't know what to do.

As the hours passed, the night turned to day. The sun was barely peeking out from the horizon. Haven hadn't left the roof the entire night. She couldn't sleep knowing what Zion said. How he felt about her. With this information, she couldn't think straight. He was obviously genuine. She knew Zion enough to see that. And she still loved him. There was no denying that. 

Sighing, the girl climbed back into her room. She needed something to take her mind off of him, even if it was only for a few hours. Heading to her closet, she grabbed a pair of spandex. She replaced her sweats with the stretchy shorts but kept the oversized hoodie on. Leaving her curls untamed, she walked over to her shelf, grabbing her camera and another lens. 

Walking to the kitchen, Haven wrote out a note for her mom and dad. If Haven knew one thing, it was that photography could easily clear her mind. 

Zion grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. He needed to clear his mind of Haven. She hadn't forgiven him like he thought she would. It wasn't like he expected a grand gesture from the girl next door, but only a nod? He thought she would at least say something. 

He hadn't been able to sleep the entire night. She was the only thing on his mind. His thoughts ran wild about the girl. He knew that running would let him clear his head. The boy opened his front door, standing on his front porch. It was a nice morning for it being mid-autumn. 

The boy's eyes traveled across the neighborhood until they landed on the house next door. 

That's when he saw her.

Haven's eyes were already on her. She looked at him in shock. Even when she was trying to clear her mind of the boy next door, he was there. Slowly, without much thinking, she walked over to the fence. She didn't know what she was doing. It just felt right.

Zion followed her lead. He didn't think about. He just walked until he was right in front of her. The only border between them was the fence, just like when they were six. 

Their eyes connected and just like the first time they met, Haven's heart fluttered. She could never deny the fact that she loved him and always would. 

"I'm so sorry, Haven."

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the end

hey guys, this is the end of Love Hate (I think). I just wanted to say how much this book means to me and the support you have given this book is insane. 

I quickly wanted to address a situation that happened between me and another writer. she took a chapter from this book and wrote it as a Zion imagine. I have nothing wrong with anyone doing this, in fact, I am so glad that some of you are inspired by my writing, I just want credit for the idea. when I commented on this girl's chapter asking for said credit, she ignored it. after ignoring me twice and being blocked, I posted on my conversation board asking for help from you guys and she must have taken it as me sending you guys to go attack her. that was not what I meant. I just didn't know how to handle the situation since she wasn't giving me credit. I was in the middle of a panic attack and didn't want to report her, but wanted to get credit. this book means the world to me and I put my heart into it. When I commented asking for credit, I didn't realize she would be offended or take it the wrong way. I was never trying to be mean or do anything to hurt her feelings or anything like that. I purposefully didn't @ her for that reason. I didn't want this to be that big of a deal nor did I want to cause any drama. to her, I want to say sorry if you took any of this the wrong way, I wish you luck with your writing. I shouldn't have to apologize, but I want to be the bigger person.

with that taken care of, I really hope you guys loved this book as much as I did. It has been over a year now and I have become so attached to Haven and Zion. I really put my everything into my works and I am so glad to see your appreciation. 

thank you, guys!

xx 

Sidnee