Hazel in the Demon's Den

Did he really just say what Hazel thought he did? Will was acting like it was no big deal when the sky was basically crashing down around her. He had a point though. Never did he specifically say he didn't like her.

Why would he tell her this? He knew her feelings on the matter, even if he didn't know why she was stuck on someone long gone. Telling her would only make things weird.

"You're teasing me again," she said finally, giving him an out. He could take back his question if he wanted to.

Will sighed. "Hazel, you're far too suspicious of people. Which answer would put your mind at ease? Do you want me to like you or not? Personally, I think it would be better if we did like each other. We are married after all."

Did he have to be so blunt about it?! Her poor heart couldn't take it, especially when she was trapped in his embrace.

But to answer his question…what did she want? It was flattering to be liked and he did treat her almost too well but she couldn't return his feelings. If he truly did like her, at some point he would expect some reciprocation and would be let down.

And wouldn't he want her to stay married to him even after she figured out what to do with her life? Hazel wasn't sure she wanted to be married to someone she chose on a whim for her whole life, even if he was nice. She had always been a loner. But it takes two people's consent to divorce.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "But you may as well quit beating around the bush. I'm tired of wondering."

Will's tone was as casual as it was earlier though his arms did tighten around her slightly. "As you wish. If you must know, I do like you."

"Why?" Hazel asked in disbelief.

There really wasn't anything special about her. She wasn't the prettiest, smartest, or most sociable. Everyone at school had always thought she was weird when she was a kid so she eventually stopped bothering with them and kept to herself.

She was single-minded, obsessive, and had enough emotional baggage to fill an entire airline. Honestly, she couldn't think of a single redeeming quality that would make someone like her. Especially since they had only known each other for a few weeks.

In all that time, they hung out some playing games and talking but mostly they quietly did their own thing in the same room when Will was home. In what world was that enough to start liking someone?

Will answered her question with a question. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"You sound like the first half of a bad pick-up line," Hazel scoffed. "Of course I don't."

The very concept was ridiculous. She had fallen in love slowly after months of consistently spending time with Billy, who treated her like a real person when no one else did.

Even her way of falling in love wasn't how people typically went about it. She was self-aware enough to realize that her deep, abiding love for Billy was more than a little rooted in dependency and the need for human contact when she was vulnerable.

Sometimes Hazel wondered if she would have fallen in love with him if they met outside of that mental hospital as kids in a park somewhere in Oakland. If her parents were alive. Would she still have been drawn in by that lopsided, toothless smile and endless enthusiasm about all the things to see in the world?

"I suppose that was a dumb question," Will chuckled. "But at the very least there can be interest at first sight, no?"

Hazel conceded his point. "And?"

"I thought you were interesting and wanted to get to know you better. I couldn't let you go marry some random potentially dangerous person, now could I? Now that I have gotten to know you a little better, I like you. Simple as that."

She still didn't get it. Will might have seen her daily habits and experienced some of her quirks but he didn't know her. He didn't know her past or what she was really like. They hadn't spent enough time together.

It might be better to nip this in the bud before his feelings got any more serious. The truth ought to scare him off.

"Would you still like me if you knew I was crazy?" she asked bluntly.

"Everyone is a little crazy, Hazel."

His reply perplexed her. Yes, everyone had their own strange things they did or cared about but that wasn't what she meant. She had been crazy enough to lock up; very few people were on that level.

"Be serious for a moment, will you? I'm not the person you think I am. You really shouldn't like me."

Hazel tried pushing his arms off of her to leave. This whole thing was a mistake. She never should have married a stranger.

Muffincake had been right on one point; this was like a romance comic. In those things somebody always inevitably caught feelings for the random person they married. Stupid. She needed to figure out a new plan.

But Will wasn't about to let her go so easily. He was a lot stronger than she was and refused to let her budge even a little.

"You're wrong about that," he said lightly. "I'm being perfectly serious. You're exactly the person I think you are, even if you believe you're crazy."

"And what kind of person is that?" Hazel snapped, frustrated at being unable to break free.

"A creative, passionate, curious, funny, and beautiful one."

She was so surprised by his assessment of her that she momentarily stopped struggling and twisted her head to look up at him. Will was giving her that look again. The soft one that originally led her to believe he liked her. He was being serious after all.

The rest of his words were harder to deny. She was creative, passionate, and curious about the world around her because of the sheltered life she lived. But since when was being curious something worth admiring?