Part 3: The Dance
Hazel didn’t say anything for a long time.
Then she walked over to Eli and took his hand.
“You’re an idiot,” she said.
“I know.”
“You should have told me.”
“I know.”
“You should have given me the letter sooner.”
“I know.”
She pulled him close.
“But you made me a dress. And you put my brother’s words in it. And you stood by me when everyone else walked away.”
“I’ll always stand by you.”
She kissed him.
Right there in the hallway, in the dress he had made, with her brother’s words stitched into the hem.
I watched from the doorway and cried.
The prom was beautiful.
Hazel walked into the gym and everyone stared. Not because of the dress—though the dress was stunning. Because of the way she carried herself. She was radiant. She was alive. She was Hazel again.
Eli stayed by her side the entire night. They danced. They laughed. They took silly photos in the photo booth.
And when the DJ played a slow song, Eli pulled her close and whispered something in her ear.
She smiled.
I don’t know what he said. But I know it made her happy.
After prom, Hazel came home and sat on the edge of her bed. She was still wearing the dress.
“Mom,” she said. “I want to keep it forever.”
“You can.”
“I want to frame the letter.”
“We can do that.”
“I want to thank Eli.”
“You should.”
She looked at me.
“Do you think Mason would be proud?”
I sat down beside her.
“I think Mason would be the proudest brother in the world.”
She smiled.
Then she hugged me.
And for the first time in a year, she didn’t let go.
Part 4: The Aftermath
Eli and Hazel have been together for three years now.
They’re both in college. Hazel is studying fashion design. Eli is studying engineering. They live in a small apartment near campus and come home every holiday.
Hazel still has the dress.
It hangs in her closet, preserved in a garment bag. Sometimes she takes it out and runs her fingers along the hem, tracing the gold thread.
“For Hazelnut. I’ll always be with you. — Mason.”
She still has the letter too. It’s framed and hanging on her wall.
And she still has Eli.
He proposed last month. On the anniversary of Mason’s death. They were standing by the lake where Mason used to take them fishing.
“I asked Mason for permission,” Eli said.
Hazel laughed. “Mason’s dead.”
“I know. But I asked him anyway. I told him I’d take care of you. I told him I’d love you forever.”
“What did he say?”
Eli smiled.
“I think he said yes.”
The wedding is next spring.
Hazel is designing her own dress. She’s been working on it for months.
And in the hem, stitched in gold thread, she’s adding her own message.
“For Mason. Thank you for sending me Eli. I’ll always be your Hazelnut.”
The End
