Page 41 of 2204 Hunter Lane
And Hunter smiled.
He smiled so brightly that the world could’ve fallen apart on his head and he would’ve rejoiced.
“For once…” He whispered, his voice breaking. “For once you noticed.”
A slab of weight pressed itself against my chest as I watched Hunter carefully, taking in a second of vulnerability in his eyes. Those blue crystals that were filled with anger and hate dissipated into a cloud of sadness right before me. And I wanted to capture the moment forever just to show him that he was capable of feeling.
Whatever that emotion was, it faded the second Dex tossed him to the side, shoving him towards the staircase.
“Clean yourself up n’ get your ass to bed.”
Hunter didn’t move for a moment, surveying the havoc he’d caused in a short time. His eyes moved from his father’s, to Payton’s, than mine, and that look returned… but only for a second before he made his way up the stairs and slammed a door shut.
Payton came to my side but I stood frozen, staring at the bottom of the staircase as Dex climbed up and he, too, slammed a door.
“Good God, deary, are you alright?” Payton asked, sweeping up the glass shards with a nearby broom.
I swallowed hard as I forced my eyes to meet Payton’s, nodding once before returning my gaze to the base of the stairs.
It was then that I knew…
Hunter was carrying the weight of a thousand swords on his back, and he never let a single soul in. His entire persona was centered about being in control, but when he got drunk he let that mask slip and he was a wreck; a deeply, damaged individual who didn’t have the first clue on how to love,how to be loved.
It was then, in the chaos of tonight that I realized I wasn’t the one who was drowning…
It was Hunter.
Chapter Eighteen
Hunter
It took me a while to finally get some shut eye but once the liquor reached its peak, I was knocked down.
The sunlight poking through the shudders yanked me out of sleep, forcing me to recognize the severity of last night’s events.
After I dropped Piper off at home, I found myself at the nearest bar which was a bummed out shithole but hey, two dollar highballs.
Didn’t think anyone could beat my buzz but about half a dozen later, a fat fucking snowplough barged into my lane and knocked my glass over, hoping to start a fight probably. Guys like that had nothing better to do.
Next thing I knew, snowplough was shoving my chest and shit, making a scene and I lost it; drove my fist right into his jaw and then the other while he was still recovering.
I took my leave, slammed way too much money on the bar and jumped into my truck.
When I got back, I realized how peaceful the comfort of my own place was and I relaxed with a few more drinks of bourbon.
The rawness of my knuckles didn’t feel too bad once the alcohol settled in my veins; I actually completely forgot it was there. That was until Bambi showed up.
God, I fucking lost it. I fucking lost it when I saw her and all the words she’d said to me earlier waterfalled through my brain.
I don’t remember a damn thing that came out of my mouth, but I knew it was bad. Cause what I do remember was the way she looked at me. The way everyone fucking looked at me.
Like I was a goddamn monster.
A disappointment that couldn’t be helped. A fuck up, a menace to society.
Dad told me to apologize to Bambi when I woke up, and I was planning on it already but not by his orders.
The look on his face when he sized me up, the anger on his features written in regret… fuck that.
