Hazel in the Demon's Den

The fountain show was everything Hazel hoped it would be and more but despite multiple texts, she hadn't been able to find Billy. Had he seriously lost his phone again? He had the worst habit.

She rolled her eyes and decided to keep walking around. There was a lot to see on the Strip. Now that she was outside, she didn't want to go back and keep trying to work on a lost cause.

She wandered all the way to the far end of the Strip outside the Venetian hotel. It was pretty cool how they had real gondolas on a fake river that went from outside to inside that people could ride on.

Hazel wished Billy would answer his phone. He might take her on a gondola ride if she asked. It wouldn't be as fun if she went alone; those sorts of things were supposed to be romantic.

Following the fake river inside, she was amazed how much the interior of the hotel looked like pictures she had seen of Venice. These Strip hotels really got into their themes. She took a picture of a gondola sailing past a painted backdrop meant to look like the city. This would be fun to paint later.

Hazel wandered a little further and saw a macaron shop. Weren't those supposed to be French cookies? What were they doing in an Italian themed hotel?

She had never had a macaron before. It might be worth checking out. She stepped inside but cringed when she saw a single tiny cookie was $3.50. Unbelievable! She didn't have that kind of money on a freelancer's salary!

She immediately backed out of the shop and right into a couple holding hands. "I'm so sor—"

Hazel cut herself off when she saw who it was. Billy. Holding another woman's hand. She blinked at him uncomprehendingly.

"I'm his girlfriend, who are you to ask him that?" the woman asked in a snobbish voice.

Girlfriend. The word echoed around inside her head. No! That wasn't right! She couldn't be his girlfriend because he was her fiancé!

Hazel steeled herself despite typically being a non-confrontational person. Crossing her arms over her chest, she put on her best scowl to hide her heartbreak.

"I'm his fiancée."

The other woman immediately turned on him and began asking questions, demanding for the truth. Billy's usual smile was replaced by a stoic, somber expression. He ignored the woman's line of questioning and when he did speak, it was to Hazel.

"You're too obsessive, Hazel. And you insist on saving yourself for marriage. A man has needs, okay?"

This wasn't possible. There were so many things they were supposed to do. So many things he had promised her.

Tears pooled in her eyes. How could this have happened? Billy was the one person in this world she was supposed to be able to depend on. He had been since she was a mute seven-year-old girl that nobody wanted. How could he possibly change that much?

There was only one explanation.

"You're not my Billy, are you?" she asked faintly.

"No I'm not. Certainly took you long enough to figure that out," he scoffed.

Seized with a sudden fury that she had wasted so many years of her life loving an imposter, she reached out and pounded on his chest. "Why did you lie to me about that? Why?"

Billy shrugged. "I recognized you from a general ed class we had together and thought you were cute. You seemed to think I was an old friend so I rolled with it as best I could, figuring you wouldn't talk to me otherwise. That was my mistake. You never even liked me; you liked the memory of someone who probably isn't even alive anymore. Honestly, it's kind of pathetic."

Gathering all of her strength, Hazel stood on tiptoe and slapped him across the face.

"You're the worst kind of person," she hissed. "I can't believe I ever thought you were him! You're a disgrace to his name!"

Billy only laughed. "Definitely pathetic. Have fun chasing after your delusion, Hazel. I'm out."

After that little declaration, all the heartbreak welling inside of her turned to hatred. There was no need to be sad over such a scumbag.

She stalked off in search of something very sugary to drown her sorrows in. There was an advertisement on the wall for a bar/restaurant here that sold gigantic milkshakes. That would do in a pinch.

There were a lot of options for these crazy milkshakes. There was also no way she could afford one all by herself. It cost $17 dollars. She sighed and stared at the menu longingly.

"You look like you really want a milkshake," an amused male voice next to her spoke up.

"Yeah but I can't afford it," Hazel said bitterly. "Starving artist and all that."

What was she supposed to do now? She and Billy had been roommates even though she refused to sleep with him. She had nowhere to go back to.

All of the things that truly mattered to her were in her suitcase back at the hotel, which she still had a room key for, but her clothes, shoes, and a bunch of art supplies were back at that jerk's apartment.

"I'll buy if you'll share it with me. I don't think anyone could finish one of those on their own," the man offered.

She eyed him warily. "Are you hitting on me?"

"I can if you want me to but you do seem upset so I figured you could use a pick-me-up," he said with a crooked grin.

Her heart nearly stopped at the sight of that grin. Stupid. She shouldn't be comparing anybody else to her Billy. She had already made that mistake.

Fake Billy was probably right; her Billy wasn't ever coming back. If he planned on finding her, wouldn't he have done it already? At this point he was nothing more than a sweet memory.

She did her best to smile back. "I'll take you up on that. Thanks."