Page 44 of Tangled Up In You
“I’m sure my students won’t agree with you, Mr. Taylor.”
The amusement in his voice was so natural and gave me hope. I’d worried he’d wake up and think what we’d done had been a mistake.
“Why not? If you were my teacher, I’d totally hit on you.”
“Go back to sleep, dork,” he said before kissing me again. “I’ll call you later, okay? We have some things to talk about.”
No longer feeling tired, I sat up and wrapped my arms around him from behind. I rested my chin on the top of his shoulder and brought him as close to my chest as possible.
I was afraid that when we talked, we’d get into another fight, and I wasn’t ready to go back to being angry at each other. However, having just a casual fling with Hunter was out of the question for me. Things needed to be discussed.
“I know we do.”
Hunter hugged my arm and leaned back against me. “You’re tense. What’s up?”
“I just don’t want to lose you again,” I whispered against his skin.
“Go back to sleep,” he repeated before gently shrugging out of my hold.
I lay on the pillow and watched as he looked for his clothes. He must’ve remembered we’d stripped them off in the living room because he gave up his search and walked toward the door. Before he left the room, he turned back and looked at me. He didn’t say anything before walking the rest of the way out.
I tried going back to sleep, but it was useless. My mind was alert and my chest felt hollow.
Why did things have to be so complicated? Clearly, both Hunter and I still felt the same about each other. But I hadn’t asked him if he even wanted a relationship. I’d just assumed he had.
Yeah. We needed to talk.
I only hoped it’d be about our future and not just rehashing the past for the millionth time.
Flipping onto my stomach, I grabbed his pillow and buried my face in it. The smell of him was all around me—the pillow, sheets, and blanket—and I lay there. Missing him. He hadn’t been gone for more than ten minutes, either, which was proof that there was no going back for me.
Now that I had him again, I couldn’t let him go. I’d tried to fool myself the other day by saying I’d be okay without him, but after experiencing his touch again and feeling that connection that I’d only ever felt with him, I needed him like the air that filled my lungs.
Eventually, I rolled out of bed and put on my sweat pants, shoes, and a hoodie. I’d get in a workout before taking a shower and starting the day. Before I walked downstairs, I saw it was five minutes until six a.m. I hadn’t been up that early in a while.
I yawned as I pulled my hood up and went outside. The cold air woke me right up, though. Fucking Arkansas weather. I didn’t mind winter, but I was ready for spring. Ready for new life and new beginnings.
I smiled as I started a slow jog down the dirt road. Maybe it’d be a new beginning for me and Hunter—if we could just work out whatever it was that threatened to keep us apart.
Football was my life, and I didn’t know what I’d do after this next season if I didn’t get signed for more years. Sure, I had a sort of modeling career as well, but I had a feeling that shit would end when I was no longer the star quarterback.
If my career ended, would I continue living in Kansas City? I loved it there, living in my house in Overland Park. But what about Hunter? If we agreed to try to work things out, would I just travel back and forth to see him?
I couldn’t ask him to move to Missouri for me and give up his job.
The more my thoughts swirled, the faster I jogged. The antsier I became. I didn’t want to choose between my love of football and Hunter. Why couldn’t I have both?
I’d already chosen football over him before.
“Fuck this shit,” I growled to myself, picking up my pace. “No more thinking.”
I tuned into the sound of my shoes hitting the dirt, the smell of wood smoke as someone nearby must’ve had their furnace going, and the sight of a gradually lightening sky as the sun prepared to rise.
The ground was damp, the air was thin, and there was a quiet that could only ever be experienced in winter.
Following the path, I came to a small clearing. A willow tree stood tall in the center, its branches long and nearly touching the ground. The location combined with the scent of snow in the air triggered a memory, and just like that, Hunter was back in my mind.
“Why is it so quiet when it snows?” I asked as Hunter and I stood outside, watching in awe as the flakes fell from the white sky. It stuck to the grass and started weighing down the branches of the trees.
