Hope I Wake

Part Thirty-Six

''Mason Palmer and Hazel March, we contacted your parents. You are free to go. Of course, there will be a penalty. Let this be a warning for the next time.''

''Thank you, officer, you will never see me here again'', Hazel sighs.

After they picked up their bags Hazel and Mason walk in silence to his car. They haven't spoken a word since their fight last night. Mason fell asleep and Hazel cried herself to sleep. She had loads of nightmares though.

''Shall I take your bags?''

She hands it over to him without answering. Mason puts her bags in his car, then he gets in. There is tension between the two of them. The romantic, joyful feelings are completely gone.

After an hour of driving, he starts talking again.

''Hazel, can you please forgive me?''

''Why would I?''

''Because you promised to love me forever.''

''That was before all of this happened'', she mumbles.

''That doesn't matter, you promised'', he grins.

There it is, that beautiful smile she fell in love with. She can't help it but her heart makes a skip when she looks in his eyes.

''You promised to take care of me.''

''I literally punched a man to protect you.''

Hazel catches herself laughing. She sees he's happy that he sees her smile again. Mason takes her hand and squeezes it softly.

''What I did was wrong but never with the wrong intentions. Everything I did was out of love for you.''

''You have to work really hard to earn my respect again, Mason Palmer'', she smiles.

''I know.''

Slowly the icy tension begins to melt between them. They both start talking again and Hazel even shares a few laughs with him. She realizes he never wanted to hurt her.

After a couple more hours Hazel needs to use the restroom. They stop at a tank station so she can go to the toilet. He fills the car with petrol in the meantime. When he gets back into the car he hears the sound of a buzzing phone. It is Hazel's phone, her mother is calling her. He quickly picks up to end the call a second later, this way it won't show up in her missed calls. Mason is so happy she is finally not mad at him anymore. If she talks to her mother she might get angry with him again.

Her mother tries to call a couple of times after that and every time he does the same trick. He sighs, finally, she stopped calling. Mason sees Hazel coming back from the restroom. He quickly puts her phone in his bag.

''I am back'', she smiles.

''I'm glad you didn't get eaten by one of the crocodiles in the toilet water'', he jokes.

''Idiot'', Hazel chuckles.

''I am really happy you're finally not super mad at me anymore.''

There is silence.

''Isn't it weird how my mother hasn't called me so far? You haven't heard it ringing while I was on the phone right?''

''No, I didn't hear your phone.''

''Wait, let me look for it. Maybe I put it on silent mode. I just refuse to believe she wouldn't call her daughter when she just found out I spent the whole night in jail. It doesn't seem like her.''

''Yes, it is pretty weird.''

Hazel looks through her bags in front of her feet. She doesn't know that her phone is in his bag, so she won't find it.

''I can't find my phone'', she says.

''No worries, I think you left it in one of the bags in my trunk. We'll look for it later, okay?''

''I guess I have no other option.''

''Guess not'', he smirks.