Chapter 100: You Are Back
Hazel did not want to cause a commotion in her house, she had no choice but to keep Joshua a secret until after graduation.
After closing the bedroom door, Hazel ran to the front door and was just about to open it when she saw a pair of shoes out of the corner of her eye. Joshua left his shoes in the shoe cabinet by the door.
Her mother, Rachel, who was not as gentle as her feminine name, had the keen insight that the police should have. Hazel rushed to pick up the leather shoes, hid them in an empty shoebox nearby, and then opened the door for her parents.
"Hazel, why did you lock the door?" Harry frowned.
Hazel smiled unnaturally, "I didn't pay attention to it, it must have just been out of habit. We always lock the door at the dormitory."
Joshua probably locked it, and she was thankful he had locked it, or else things would have been really awkward.
"Why did you open the door so late?" Rachel got in the house.
"I was watching TV and heard that it was you," Hazel said with a blushing face, lying.
Rachel and Harry didn't think much about it and walked to the living room, where the food was still sitting on the coffee table. They had a puzzled look on their faces, and Hazel turned as white as snow.
Oh shit!
She forgot the two pairs of forks were on the table, she was too busy hiding Joshua and actually forgot about them.
Oh no, she could not encourage their vivid imagination.
"These dishes are my takeout!" Hazel said in a panic, "But I was eating alone and bored, so I added an extra fork to imagine that my brother was here with me.”
After telling a lie, Hazel couldn’t help but feel worried. Her parents probably would not believe such an unlikely reason? She prepared for the worst-case-scenario. If they discovered Joshua, she might just disclose their relationship, after all, her parents were not unreasonable.
Rachel's face became softer, she suddenly put her arms around Hazel. "My pumpkin, I should’ve come home sooner to spend time with you."
"Ah?" Hazel was a little amazed. "I am not a good father either." Harry hugged them both. Hazel felt uncomfortable, she told them such an unbelievable reason, and they actually believed her.
Hazel burst into tears, and her heart was full of guilty for deceiving her parents. Since she was a child, she had been an obedient girl, so they would believe whatever she said. Rachel led her to the couch so they could sit while Harry went to the kitchen to get more forks.
"Dad, Mom, why do you come home so early today?" Hazel asked.
In the past, if there was an emergency, they always came back late at night, this time, it was really unprecedented.
"This time, you are alone at home, so we should come back earlier to spend the Christmas night with you." Rachel said.
Hazel wanted to cry, "I am safe at home."
"But we are worried about you being alone." Harry tasted the shrimps, and he said unexpectedly, "Hazel, where did you get this food? It tastes amazing.
Tell me, so I can add it in the app."
"...I forget, I will check the phone after a while." Hazel really wanted to pull Joshua out of the room. It felt really uncomfortable to make up a story, and one lie usually leads to countless lies to cover it up. She was already thinking, if her father asked again later, how she should explain.
"Dad, Mom, haven't you had dinner yet?" Hazel asked. If they hadn't eaten yet, she had to order more food.
"We have eaten." Harry said, "I am looking at your food, though, and I can't help but want to have more."
Harry tasted the other dishes, and he was equally impressed. Rachel looked at him astounded, "Is it that delicious?"
"Try some for yourself," Harry said, "It's better than you... ah, which of course, is not as good as what you cook."
Rachel tried a dish, and she was silent; eventually, she said unwillingly, "Not bad."
Hazel snickered, her mother had approved Joshua's cooking. If her relationship with Joshua was disclosed in the future, Joshua could use cooking to impress her parents. No way! Hazel hastily denied this idea.
If Rachel tasted his cooking again, maybe she would figure out what happened today, and she would probably hate Joshua.
"Let's watch TV." Hazel smiled and began to shift the subject.
However, Hazel was somewhat absent-minded, she had a man hiding in her bedroom, even when Harry and Rachel talked to her, she was distracted.
Rachel stood up from the couch, and Hazel immediately asked, "What are you doing, mom?"
"I'm washing the dishes. What happened to you today?" Rachel looked at her strangely. Hazel was very embarrassed, she thought Rachel found something.
"No... maybe I'm too tired." Hazel hurriedly made an excuse to cover up, "Mom, I'll help you clean it up."
"You don't have to," Harry advised, "If you are tired, sit here and rest. I will help your mother."
Seeing that Harry also followed Rachel into the kitchen, Hazel didn't say anything more.
Fortunately, Joshua had cleaned the kitchen after he finished cooking. They should not find a trace of the homemade meal except for the refrigerator having fewer ingredients, and she hoped they would not realize immediately.
Hazel looked at her bedroom with some uneasiness and then looked at the door; it was not a good place to hide the shoes, there was still a risk of being discovered.
Hazel grabbed the shoes and snuck to her bedroom, as soon as she opened the door, she saw Joshua sitting on her bed, holding a book in his hands and reading. He looked simply elegant.
"You are back?" He chuckled.
"Don't mention it." Hazel hid his shoes and said with some shame, "I almost couldn't cover it! Joshua, what now?"
"What do you want to do?" Joshua looked at her helplessly, "Hazel, you are not going to kick me out of here, right?"
Hazel watched him quietly. He didn't want to leave. Was he sleeping with her tonight?
Although it was not the first time, this time she was sober.
"Girl," Joshua said, helplessly tapping her on the head, "You know which floor your apartment is on. You are not going to let me jump off the balcony, right?"