Page 20
The excitement on Annie's face as they pulled over was vivid. Hazel knew Vincenzo told them to come straight home but a little ice cream wouldn't hurt, right?
"I'll have the strawberry and vanilla flavours please," Annie said to the man by the stand.
"Coming right up young miss" The old man happily scooped her ice cream, whitling to himself
"Won't you have one, Hazel?" Annie asked
"I will. Just have yours first" Hazel smiled
Annie nods. There was no difference between her excitement and that of a kid.
"Here you go young miss"
Annie took the cine observing as though it was some magical substance.
"It'll melt Annie. You should have it quickly" Hazel advised
"I'll have just vanilla," Hazel said to the man.
"Vanilla coming right up"
The line by the ice cream truck was getting quite long and Hazel had to pull Annie closer to avoid looking for her.
"No time to savour uh?" Annie sighed
She took a lick of her ice cream, her face brightened up, it tastes so good. Do different from those branded ice creams in fancy containers that her dad got her whenever she craved one.
Don't get her wrong, those ice creams were great but this just ran its way up the ranks!
"Thank you" Hazel paid for the ice cream and they head back into the car where the driver took off immediately.
"This tastes so good! Better than all the ones I've had in the past! Could we come here frequently please?" Annie pleaded
"I don't know about that Annie. I don't think your dad would be happy to hear about this. Sorry" Hazel shrugs
Annie nods
"I understand. Thanks for the ice cream Hazel" Annie beamed
"You're welcome"
"Why did you have only Vanilla? You don't like any other flavour?" She asked
"I love different flavours but Vanilla seems fine to me and I wasn't really in the mood for something sweet" Hazel confessed
"Ah," Annie muttered
The ride continued in silence, till they finally pulled over in the parking lot. Hazel and Annie got out of the car strolling into the house like they'd done nothing wrong.
"Our tiny little secret Hazel, dad must never find out" Annie whispered
"Don't worry about it" Hazel assured
"What took you so long?"
The duo froze at the entrance, Annie's eyes went wide on seeing her father by the stairs. Arms behind his back and his eyes as cold as ever, he knows something.
"Nothing Dad. We were just heading in" Annie offered with a nervous smile.
Hazel thought the first step to keeping their secret is by orienting they did nothing wrong. But now, Annie's nervous smile ruined it all. Even she wasn't so worked up about finding him by the stairs.
The dark glare on his face said a lot more. And wasn't he suppose to be back home by dinner? Why is the back so early?
"Annie, upstairs" Vincenzo ordered
Annie hurried up the stairs, unable to meet her father's gaze.
He was like a wizard. He knew when his daughter has pressured another person to do her bidding.
Annie stood at the top stairs, waving ti get Hazel's attention. She lips a few words and hurried into her room before her father turns to see her challenging his little patience.
"You!" Vincenzo points to Hazel
"Follow me " he turned on his heels and went on to his library.
Oh no! What has she done now? She shouldn't have listened to Annie but this sister was the time to cry over spilt milk.
She had to face the consequences right?
Hazel walks up the stairs, her heart beating so fast that she thought it would pop out of her heart cage!
Breathe Hazel, you can't have a panic attack in front of this man. It would be the worst thing she could do.
Vincenzo was in his room, his back to her. Hazel walked in trying to put her regal face up. He didn't have to know and he couldn't just assume they did something wrong.
"Shut the door"
Now she knew this would be one gell of a talk. Thinking about it now, he had the right to fire her. This wasn't what she ordered when she wanted to get Annie off her back. Trying to make a little girl happy isn't too much to ask, is it?
Hazel shuts the door quietly behind her.
Vincenzo exhaled, his fist clenched as he glanced over his shoulders.
"What did I instruct you before leaving the house with Annie?" He asked coldly.
"You told her to stay far away from the windows and make sure we don't get out of the car nor follow Aunt Agnes into the airport " Hazel adds.
"And?" He asked
"To come straight home. No branching on the way" Hazel replied
"Do I need to ask you which of the rules you broke before I do the unthinkable?" He asked
"Mr Vincenzo, you can't assume we did something wrong without proof" Hazel offered
Vincenzo turned to face her, his eyes enough to make her scream in fright.
What the heck is she looking at right now? His eyes were green.
The abnormal shade of green shone in the dim-lit room too…
"I'm not here for jokes Hazel Miller" he groaned
Those eyes… were the same ones she saw that night at the club….
The VIP area.
Was he the one who….
Hazel stepped back, her hands shaking in fright. Why didn't she notice this before?
If his eyes were green, she would have known right?
"How…how did you know my name?" She whispered the whole scene, making absolutely no sense to her.
"Answer the question Zel!" He yelled
"We did nothing wrong, Sir! If you want to accuse me, then get me proof!" Hazel snapped, not sure where her boldness was coming from…
The lights came back on, brightening the room once more. His eyes had always been green, just not that cat-eye shade at night kind of green.
"I'll let you on with a warning this time. You take my instructions seriously or trust me, you have yourself to blame for whatever I end up doing to you" he warned
Why does that sound like he had a hidden meaning? He could fire her alright but he didn't seem like the type to do something like that when he had a zillion ways to make you regret your very next breath!
"Make time for Annie Mr Vincenzo. She might seem like a grown-up teen but she wouldn't mind having you around" Hazel offered
"What makes you think you could tell me this?" He asked, his eyebrows arched in question.
"I am saying this because I got to know her. And trust me, sir, I am a good judge of character" she assured him.
A chuckle escaped Vincenzo, one of mockery
"Are you now? The last time I checked, you just met her today" he reminded
"And that is one more reason why I should be more observant, sir" she informs.
Vincenzo approached her, one step after another, his hands behind his back.
"Tell me Hazel Miller" he pulled a stop right in front of her.
"How much did you observe about me that night?" He asked.
She couldn't see his eyes clearly but she could almost feel the heat in his body, radiating throughout his entire body….
"I..i" she couldn't find the right words to use.
How could he concentrate when he was so close to her and her inner senses wanted to pull him closer and kiss those lips that she'd come to miss on hers….
"Should I?" He asked, staring down at her, his eyes following every one of her moves.
She glanced up at him, not sure if she was following what he meant…
"What…what do..what do you mean?" She asked
Vincenzo ran his fingers through her hair, packed in a ponytail and a neat bun…
"You have that thought in your head, I can almost hear it" he whispered
What? He could almost hear her say it? Has she been muttering those words without realising?
Hazel bowed her head in embarrassment, how desperate and stupid she must have looked to him!
Vincenzo held her face, lifting it to meet his eyes. It was strange how she couldn't see his eyes though the room was brightly lit.
But yet the connection to him was so strong. Recalling that night, she could remember how familiar his touches had been and how much they had rhymed in energy and everything else.
She felt that way now…
Even more intense this time…
"Tell me, Hazel. Tell me what you want" he asked as though pleading.
She wasn't about to tell him to kiss her was she? But she couldn't deny she needed that kiss badly…
Vincenzo's lips caught hers as though he'd read her mind. She didn't realise how much she wanted this until her hands found their way to the back of his neck as he pulled her even closer