Hazel in the Demon's Den

It took Hazel a moment to process what Will just said. That definitely seemed like flirting. So what was actually going on? He said he had only ever liked one person…but now it seemed like he might like her too.

When he used the word 'lost' did it mean that the one he liked died or she got snatched up by someone else? How long ago had it been? If the woman he really cared about was married already it wasn't such a stretch that he wouldn't care about who he ended up with.

Maybe they were in the same boat. Both of them had someone else tucked away in their hearts but knew that things would never work out. Hazel had been about to become homeless and Will lived by himself in the middle of nowhere without any sort of companionship.

In practical terms, they were a perfect match. They fulfilled each other's needs to a T. Will gave her a place to stay and in turn she was a readily available person to play pool with and talk to when he came home from work.

Spending all of that time alone must have been hard before she came along. Hazel could relate. She had spent so many years of her life completely alone. Even once she could speak again there was no one to talk to.

"In what possible way am I an excellent wife," Hazel scoffed. "I'm not even like a wife at all."

Will brushed her statement off. "You're fun to talk to and it's nice not having to cook for myself all the time anymore. You're passionate too. I could listen to you go on about your art all day."

Usually she was pretty apathetic about the world. The one thing she could truly appreciate was beauty, specifically in nature. Landscapes had always been her favorite thing to paint.

"You're a very strange person," Hazel informed him. "Nobody likes hearing the ramblings of an art nerd."

He shrugged. "Guess that makes me nobody then."

She settled back onto the beanbag, sitting cross-legged. The more he said the less she knew. Will really was an odd one.

If she had to guess, the woman he truly loved must be an artist too. Why else would he get such a soft look on his face when she talked about something as mundane as layering techniques?

Suddenly Hazel wondered how stupid that woman had to be to choose someone else when Will was so obviously invested in what she had to say. Her heart may be closed off but sometimes it got to her. Having someone be sincerely interested in what you were talking about was more than a little flattering.

"I don't think you're nobody," Hazel found herself saying. "I think you're really nice."

A genuine smile lit his face. "Thanks, Hazel! That's probably the nicest thing you've said to me since we got married."

She frowned. Was it really? Had she been so terrible to him? That made his earlier statement about her being an excellent wife even more confusing.

He was too patient. Too understanding. Too nice to the stranger he had married. Will Sheffield had to be some kind of saint.

"Well that makes it sound like I'm mean to you," she pointed out.

"Does it?" Will asked in an amused tone. "I don't think you're mean at all. Personally I think you're a lovely person."

No one had ever described her in such a way. Words like 'lovely' were reserved for heroines in romance novels, not former mental patients who never fully adapted back to society.

How would he know, anyway? They hadn't been acquainted very long and she had kept the information she gave him superficial. Will didn't know what he was talking about.

Sure, he was kind to her now, but if he knew the truth he would probably divorce her immediately. Maybe that should be how Hazel eventually broached the subject. Nobody would want to stay married to a certified crazy person.

Although…when would be the best time to do that? Her comic work only made her a little over a thousand dollars a month. She would need savings to buy a car, put down a deposit to rent an apartment, and get some furniture.

If she used his money for all living expenses and still bought her own art supplies it would take about a year to have enough to move out. But where would she go? Somewhere else in Utah? Moving to a different state would be expensive.

How was she supposed to live with this enigma for an entire year? The past two weeks had been an emotional rollercoaster. Hazel bounced back and forth between suspicion and confusion. Sometimes she was even a little happy, like when Will complimented her just now.

"Me, lovely?" she asked doubtfully.

Will sighed and got off of the recliner. He plopped down next to her on the beanbag chair and slung an arm over her shoulders. This wasn't the first time he had done something like this but her heart still raced from the unfamiliarity.

"My dear sweet Hazel, we really need to work on your self-esteem."

Hazel raised an eyebrow. What about her was dear or sweet? Had he lost his mind?

Besides, it wasn't like she hadn't tried working on her self-esteem. But the trauma of rejection never truly leaves you. Being showered with compliments wouldn't suddenly make her believe them.

"I already know that. You know what you need to work on? Personal space," she said as she shoved his arm off of her.

Will pulled a dramatic wounded face. "Ah, rejection. You'll get used to it eventually though."

The reference to 'eventually' was perplexing. As if they would ever become more than what they were now. There was no reason for Will to want her to stay married to him.

Well, Hazel supposed it might be difficult to find someone else desperate enough to marry a stranger just so he could have some company. Convenience. This whole thing was about convenience.