But I loved her enough to risk it.
“Hazel, I was never with Paisley. I didn’t know she was in my apartment that day, and she didn’t tell me you came over. I’m so sorry you had to see that, and that you thought I’d been with her. But mostly I’m sorry I was such a dick to you. You weren’t a mistake. We weren’t a mistake. Not to me.”
“I wanted to be wrong,” she blurted out, finally meeting my eyes. “It took me too long to admit it, even to myself, but I did. I’d decided your questionnaire wouldn’t work, and I was too stubborn to see beyond that. But you were right, Corban. You were right the whole time. Your questionnaire works. It made me fall in love with you. Although…”
“Although what?”
“It wasn’t just the questionnaire that made me fall in love. It was you.”
I tossed the sign to the ground and scooped her into my arms. Held her tight while she wound her arms around my neck. Her clothes were damp, and her ponytail was falling out, but I didn’t care. I pressed her body against me. The hole in my chest I’d lived with for so long had suddenly been filled.
This meant I wasn’t broken.
“Did you really just say you’re in love with me?” I whispered close to her ear.
“Yes.”
“I love you, too. So much.”
“Yes, I know, it’s what your sign says.”
I laughed and loosened my grip so I could look her in the eyes. Brushed a sweaty tendril of hair off her face. Her cheeks were pink, and her mouth turned up in a smile.
I loved making her smile.
Leaning in, I captured those sweet lips with mine, and kissed her. She tasted salty, and her body was warm in my arms. Her mouth was soft, and when the tip of her tongue brushed mine, I surged in. Kissed her deeply. Because I loved her and she loved me, and no matter what happened, I was never letting her go.
“I’m sorry I told you it was a mistake,” she said. “I don’t regret anything we did.”
“Me neither. I didn’t even mean it when I said it.”
“And I know you’re not a test subject. I didn’t mean to treat you that way. You’re not broken. I don’t see anything that needs fixing. I love you the way you are.”
“Even though I’m weird?”
She smiled again. “You keep saying that but I don’t think you’re the least bit weird.”
I touched my forehead to hers. “Maybe because we both are.”
“That’s a fair point.”
“That reminds me, I brought you something.” I reached into my pocket and drew out a smooth, round stone. “Here.”
She held out her hand and I placed the rock in her palm. “Oh, Corban.”
“Male penguins collect stones to present to the female they want to mate with.”
“And if the female accepts, she uses the stones to build her nest.”
I cupped her cheek. “Hazel, I’m glad we became friends, and I think we can both agree the other stuff was great. But I need you to know something. I don’t want to just date you. You’re brilliant and beautiful and yeah, sometimes you drive me crazy. But you challenge me. You love asking questions and picking things apart as much as I do, and I think we’re perfect for each other. I want you to be my penguin.”
Her hand closed around the rock and she put her arms around my neck. “I am your penguin.”
I kissed her again, feeling like I could fly. The fact that penguins were flightless birds ran through my head, but I pushed that train of thought aside. Someone nearby whistled at us, but I ignored them too, because love was awesome and for the first time in my life, I didn’t care if I made things awkward.
She pulled away but her legs buckled. I grabbed her again to keep her upright.
“Are you okay?”
She clutched my arms. “My legs don’t seem to want to work properly.”
“You must be exhausted. Hang on, I brought you something else.”
I made sure she was steady before letting go, then retrieved the bag I’d left sitting on the ground. I pulled out a banana and opened one of the bottles of Gatorade I’d picked up at the store.
“Thank you.” She took the bottle and drank deeply.
“We bought enough for everyone.”
“We?”
“Yeah, me and Shepherd.”
She took another drink. “Why were you with Shepherd?”
I shrugged. “He came over to ruin my life, but he actually helped me figure things out.”
“Ruin your life?”
“Never mind.”
A woman with curly blond hair, much of it wet and matted against her head, came up behind Hazel and wrapped her in a hug. She was followed by Shepherd, holding hands with a blond woman who was obviously Everly, and another pair, both with dark hair, who appeared to share the same genetic material. Probably siblings. The women all wore matching shirts and finisher’s medals around their necks.
“So this is him?” The dark-haired woman crossed her arms and looked me up and down, but she had the hint of a smile on her face.
Hazel slipped her hand in mine. “Everybody, this is Corban. If it’s not already clear, the events of last weekend were a misunderstanding. And I’m his penguin.”
“I don’t know what that means, but it’s so nice to meet you,” the curly-haired woman said. “I’m Sophie.”
I held out my hand, but Sophie came in for a hug—faster than I was expecting—and I practically punched her in the stomach.
“Oof.” She grabbed her middle.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
“Nope.” She held up a hand and took a deep breath. “Totally my fault. Let’s try that again.”
This time, I went in carefully, keeping my arms to the sides. She gave me a quick hug and I patted her on the back.
Everly gave me a bright smile and we executed a hug without any inadvertent punching. “I can’t believe we haven’t met you yet. I’m Everly. This is my husband, Shepherd.”
I nodded to Shepherd. “Yeah, we’ve met.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Everly winced. “Sorry about that.”
Shepherd was still eying me like he hadn’t made up his mind about me. He didn’t look sorry at all.
“I’m Nora,” the dark-haired woman said. She gestured over her shoulder. “That’s my brother, Jensen.”
Jensen raised a silver flask with a smile. “Cheers, mate.”
Nora stepped close, putting her arms around me, and spoke quietly in my ear. “Good job, big guy. I’m glad Shepherd didn’t have to burn down your life.”
“Um, me too?”
She patted my arm and winked. “Don’t fuck it up.”
“Not a chance.”
I passed out bananas and bottles of Gatorade to Hazel’s friends. More finishers came in from the course, dozens of tired and triumphant faces passing by. A man with a purple and teal mohawk and wearing a peacock costume—complete with a huge fan of feathers—approached.
“Nice finish, ladies,” he said.
All four of them answered with a chorus of thank-yous.
“I love your costume,” Everly said.
Nora nodded. “It’s fierce.”
“Thank you.” He puffed out his chest, then turned to Hazel. “I just had to tell you, I really wanted to quit around mile ten. But I heard you asking everyone what they’re running for, and I remembered why I decided to do this. It gave me what I needed to finish.”
Hazel smiled. “I’m glad my spontaneous words of encouragement were helpful.”
He grinned at her. “More than you know. I also wanted to tell you I overheard that fake-ass group of mean girls giving you crap before the race. Don’t let those bitches dim your shine.”
“It’s too bad they punked out on us,” Sophie said. “Bella owes me five hundred dollars.”
Peacock Man raised his eyebrows. “She what?”
“Bella’s their ringleader,” Nora explained. “Sophie bet her five hundred dollars that our times would be faster than theirs.”
“And you won?”
“We crushed them,” Sophie said.
“Oh, hell no. Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.” Peacock Man turned and strutted into the crowd.
“Do you think he’s really going after them?” Everly asked.
Nora laughed. “I think he is.”
“You won the bet?” I asked Hazel.
“We didn’t just win.” She pushed her glasses up her nose. “We owned them.”
God, she was adorable. I grabbed her and kissed her forehead. I loved her so damn much.
A few minutes later, Peacock Man’s tail feathers appeared in the crowd. He approached with a smug look of triumph on his face. With a flourish, he stepped aside and sure enough, he’d brought a group of four women wearing the gaudiest outfits I’d ever seen. Bedazzled Bitches? Who in their right mind had thought that was a good idea?
They looked miserable. One of them scowled at Peacock Man. He shook his head as if to say, don’t even think about leaving.
Nora, Everly, Sophie, and Hazel all crossed their arms and narrowed their eyes. Shepherd and I shared an alarmed glance, and I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was thinking. I wouldn’t want to face the collective wrath of the Dirty Martini Running Club.
“Trying to leave before you pay up?” Nora asked. “Classy, Bella.”
One of the women in the middle huffed and rolled her eyes. I guessed she was Bella.
“It’s not fair,” the woman next to her said. “She shouldn’t have to pay. I think it was our shoes. We must not have broken them in properly.”
“Shut up, Drew,” Bella said. “It wasn’t your shoes. You just failed.”
“Me?” Drew asked. “We all ran today, Bella.”
“If you three hadn’t been weighing me down, I would have won.”
“Pay her, mosquitoes,” Hazel said. “Then go annoy someone else.”
I lowered my voice. “Mosquitoes? That’s a good one.”
She smiled at me. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t bring any cash,” Bella said.
“That’s okay,” Sophie said. “I’ll take PayPal, Venmo, whatever.”
Bella’s nostrils flared. She pulled her phone out of a pocket on her leggings, her narrowed eyes locked on Sophie. “Fine.”
Sophie cheerfully took Bella’s payment.
“You guys are like lions and hyenas,” I said.
Hazel looked up at me. “How so?”
“Female hyenas are vicious to each other. There’s usually a dominant female who controls all the reproductive opportunities, and the subordinate females attend to her like servants. Female lions are one of the few social predators who are completely cooperative. The lionesses in a pride all have equal access to mating opportunities and they almost never fight or attack each other. Plus they hunt together, share their kills, and help each other raise their cubs.”
Bella stared at me like I’d just sprouted another head. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“The fact that we’re badass lionesses and you’re mangy hyenas,” Hazel said.
“You know, it doesn’t cost anything to be a decent person,” Nora said. “You should consider it, especially since you’re a little short on money now.”
She rolled her eyes again. I got the feeling she did that a lot. “Whatever. Let’s go, ladies.”
Drew shot Bella’s back a glare, but followed. The other two copied Bella, rolling their eyes and flouncing away.
Nora smacked her brother’s arm. “Don’t check them out while they walk away. Gross.”
He scowled at her. “Good god, I wasn’t.”
“You’re telling me you wouldn’t hit that?”
“Just because I love women doesn’t mean I don’t have standards. Those four are a hard pass.”
Nora laughed, then turned to Peacock Man. “Thank you again, majestic one.”
“My pleasure. I love seeing some good karma in action.” He patted the tips of his hair. “My mohawk is starting to sag. I’m going to go put my feet up and eat a mountain of pasta. Have a good one, ladies.”
Everyone waved their goodbyes and Peacock Man left.
Nora put her arm around Sophie’s shoulders and squeezed. “How did that feel?”
“Amazing. Brunch is totally on me. And did you guys notice? I didn’t trip once. This has been the best day.”
“You were fantastic,” Everly said.
“It has been a remarkable day,” Hazel said, meeting my eyes again.
I put a knuckle under her chin and tipped her face up to meet my kiss. “Are you ready to go?”
Her shoulders slumped. “Yes. My ability to remain standing is rapidly deteriorating.”
“Let’s get you off your feet.”
Hazel and her friends all agreed to plan a celebratory brunch after they’d recovered. After several more rounds of hugs, they said goodbye. I grabbed the sign and the last of the Gatorade and took Hazel home.
Erwin greeted us from his cat bed with a slow blink and a few ear twitches. Hazel decided she needed a shower, so I joined her. Mostly so I could help her wash her hair and be sure she didn’t collapse. She leaned on me, resting her head against my chest while the hot water cascaded over us, and I couldn’t remember ever being happier.
I helped her dry off and got her into bed so I could massage her legs and feet. She looked content and sleepy. When I finished, I climbed into bed with her. She tucked her body against me and murmured a thank you. I slipped my hand around her and took a deep breath, smelling her damp hair.
“I love you, Hazel.”
Her voice was soft. “I love you, too.”
And just like that, my life was complete.
40
Hazel
“May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live.” ~ Robert A. Heinlein
The bar bustled with activity, the air filled with the clink of glasses and hum of conversation. The walls were adorned with glass shelves and prints of vintage cocktails, and the dark wood and dim lighting gave the establishment an elegant feel.
I stood with an excellent dirty martini in my hand, wearing a hot pink dress Nora had chosen for me. Corban met my eyes from across the room. Dressed in a suit and tie, he was both devastatingly handsome and charmingly adorable. The half-smile he gave me sent a pleasant tingling down my spine.
Love was truly a remarkable phenomenon.
We were surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues. Elliott and his wife stood chatting with Corban and several other members of our department. Molly and Martin had left Kate with her grandparents and were enjoying an evening among adults.
My girlfriends were all here. Sophie was beautiful in a short black dress that flared from her waist, her curly hair down. Nora had helped her find a pair of heels with a strap across the ankle to make walking easier. Everly looked amazing in a champagne cocktail dress. Shepherd stood next to her, dressed in a suit and tie. He rubbed slow circles across her back while she talked with Nora and Sophie. I hadn’t missed the fact that Everly had been sipping water, not a martini, all night, and I wondered if it meant she’d soon have news to share.
Nora was characteristically stunning in a bold red dress with red lips to match. She’d arrived with Jensen and complained that he’d invited himself. I didn’t mind. He wandered among our other guests, entrancing them in conversation.
We’d gathered tonight to celebrate the successful acquisition of our grant funding. Instead of applying for separate—and competing—grants, Corban and I had combined our efforts. The resulting proposal had been stronger than anything either of us could have completed on our own. We’d been awarded enough to fund a five-year study. The accelerated intimacy theory would soon be put to the test—a variable-controlled, unbiased, statistically-relevant test.
I had no doubt the results would be fascinating.
Although throwing a party, particularly one that included dresses, heels, and suits, wasn’t typical protocol for receiving a
research grant, Corban had insisted. And I was glad he had. It was important to take time to celebrate an accomplishment. And any excuse to see Corban in a suit was worthwhile.
I wandered over to my friends. Nora held up her drink and I clinked my glass against hers.
“Cheers, darling,” Nora said. “That color is so fabulous on you, I can barely stand it. You know, this would even look cute if you put a cardigan over it.”
“I’m glad I took your recommendation even though I initially balked at the bright color.”
“Own it,” she said with a smile.
Corban came up beside me and slipped an arm around my waist. Shepherd met his gaze and gave him a subtle nod. I wasn’t sure if I’d call them friends, exactly, but Shepherd had stopped eying Corban with undisguised suspicion. And Corban only greeted him as Satan about half the time now.
I glanced up at Corban and his smile gave me tingly feelings all over again.
“You two are so disgustingly cute.” Nora shook her head, then nudged Sophie. “It’s just you and me, now.”
Sophie sighed. “Yeah.”
“Don’t give up, Sophie,” Everly said. “Your Prince Charming is out there.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Although knowing me, I’ll accidentally give him a black eye or something.”
“Don’t be silly,” Nora said. “You’re going to trip and fall right into his arms. And you’ll know he’s the one because he’ll catch you without injuring himself.”
“He sounds perfect for me,” Sophie said. “And I’m sure your prince is out there too.”
Nora sipped her drink. “Princes need not apply. I like my life the way it is.”
“Are you sure?” Everly asked. “You’ve been going to rage yoga a lot lately. Maybe you have more pent-up frustrations than you admit.”
“Oh, I admit it,” Nora said. “I could definitely use a good fuck. What does that have to do with finding a Prince Charming?”
“Someday, Nora,” Everly said. “You’re going to meet the man who changes your mind and it’s going to be amazing.”
Love According to Science Page 30