Page 40 of The Confidant
And as the song detailed all the different experiences the couple had together that told them they were in love, I also knew it was the same for Hunter and me.
Because even though we never got the chance to say the words aloud before breaking up, I knew it had been love.
I blinked my eyes shut, urging the memories to just stop. To wait until I was back in my room, so no one would see the way this song made me want to cry.
But the memory of how Hunter had looked deeply into my eyes before pulling me close and kissing me on the forehead only became more vivid with my eyes closed, so I forced myself to open them again.
That was a mistake. Because when I looked past Xander’s shoulder and saw who was dancing right behind him, I found Hunter staring right back at me.
When our eyes locked, my heart squeezed hard in my chest because he was looking at me the same way he’d looked at me that night on his bed.
Like he loved me.
I knew I should look away, to not add any more memories of Hunter to go along with this song. But since this was the first time all night where neither of our dates could see Hunter and me watching each other, I just let myself stare—to hungrily rake in the beautiful boy with chestnut-brown hair and green eyes who looked amazing in his navy-blue suit and tie.
For just a moment, I let myself imagine it was Hunter with whom I was dancing. That it washisjawline that my temple rested against.Hishands that wrapped around my waist.Hisshoulders my hands rested on.
And as his gaze only seemed to get more intense as Addison pulled herself closer to him, I wondered if he was doing the same in his mind. If he was imagining it was me he was holding, and we were back to that night in his room.
He had to be feeling the same things as I was, right?
It had to be just as hard to see me dancing with Xander as it was for me to see him with Addison. I couldn’t be the only one feeling this.
The music swelled as the final chorus played. Hunter pressed his lips together, like he had something he wanted to say to me.
What does he want to say?I wondered, holding my breath.
After three more heart-pounding seconds, he met my gaze again and mouthed what looked like the words, “I wish…”before stopping and closing his mouth again.
Even though my heart had been pounding hard before, it now felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest because I wanted to know what he had almost said.
Did he wish he was dancing with me?
Did he wish we could be together?
Or did he wish we’d never dated in the first place because everything was so much harder now?
I watched him as he looked down at the wooden floor, like he just might need a moment to think over the words.
Words were powerful, and Hunter was someone who knew that better than most people.
After studying the dance floor for a few seconds and giving his head a slight shake, Hunter met my gaze again and mouthed, “You look beautiful tonight.” Then after a short pause, he added what looked like, “And I wish I’d stolen that dance with you.”
Even though I knew that I shouldn’t, I clung to those words. I repeated them in his voice in my mind so they could be burned in there forever. Because after the long and confusing day that I’d had, I needed to know that he still found me beautiful.
And since I didn’t want him to be the only one to be vulnerable tonight, I mouthed back, “I wish you’d stolen it, too.”
13
HUNTER
“Which girl areyou ordering flowers for today?” Asher asked, breaking the silence in our room and startling me from my deep thoughts. “Addison or Scarlett?”
I looked behind me, surprised that Asher was awake this early on a Sunday morning. It was nine o’clock on the day after the Valentine’s dance, and I had just finished writing upThe Confidant’s column in our dorm room—opting to skip my trip to The Brew since I’d needed some extra sleep this morning.
“I was thinking about getting a Valentine’s Gram for Scarlett.” I glanced at the online order form that I’d just brought up on my computer. Today was the very last day to order them since tomorrow was the actual Valentine’s Day and the florist would need time to put together the last-minute orders. “But I’m trying to figure out a way to do that without offending Addison.”
I actually wanted to take Scarlett on a real date with dinner and some other romantic activity—something that might make up for not stealing that dance last night—but since that wasn’t allowed, I figured flowers were the next best thing.
