I was waiting for Hunter to show up at the diner. I started my shift at seven p.m. and I still had about fifteen minutes before I had to go in. I was staring at my phone, wondering if Hunter read my text.
“Oh, good. You’re here too.” I looked up, watching Adeline step out of her car and walking over to me. “Frankie texted me. He won’t be here tonight so we have to close this place when we’re done. And Elvis will only cook until eleven. He has to leave early too.”
“Okay,” I said, surprised that she still came around to work. Her makeup was freshly put on and her lipstick pretty much screamed for attention. She was pretty, yes. But I didn’t understand the concept of makeup. To each his own, I thought.
“I’ve never really worked an evening shift. But Frankie said the tips get bigger the later it gets.” She grinned, winked at me and then said, “This will be a fun evening.” She then entered the diner through the back door.
I rolled my eyes, looking down at my phone again. It won’t be fun. The men sitting there late at night were the worst. They were touchy, tried to lift my skirt several times, and asked me to sit on their laps for money multiple times. The thought of that made me shiver. “Disgusting,” I whispered to myself.
“What is?” Hunter’s voice startled me. I quickly looked up, happy to see his face again. I tried to smile, but the sight of his busted nose made me drop my jaw instead.
“Oh, my…what happened?” I asked, walking toward him, wanting to take his face into my hands for a closer look. Instead of letting me do that, Hunter grabbed my waist and pulled me into his arms. I hugged him back, leaning into his chest and closing my eyes to take in this moment. I’ve missed him.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He put his left hand on the back of my head, gripping my hair just enough to make it feel good.
“You just left this morning,” I said into his sweater, frowning. I wasn’t mad that he left. I was disappointed not to find him lying next to me, even if I wasn’t sure he remembered anything he said to me.
“I know. Sorry about that.” He loosened his arms slightly and pulled back just enough to look at me. His crooked grin was enough to forgive him. I studied his face for a moment.
“Who did this to you?” I asked quietly, hoping he would tell me. A busted nose meant he had a fight.
Hunter puckered up his lips, studying my face. Sighing, he brushed back one strand of hair behind my ear and said, “Jagger’s fist landed in my face the second I stepped out of your room this morning.”
My hand flew up and covered my mouth, keeping my eyes on his face. “Oh…”
“It’s not that ba—”
He stopped, realizing I was about to start laughing. “You think that’s funny?” he asked, smirking and grabbing the back of my neck with his hand.
I let out a small laugh, still covering my mouth with my hand. I was about to burst out into laughter. I knew it was wrong, but imagining Jagger punching Hunter was just glorious.
“Jag punched you?” I said, now letting my hand fall to his chest and throwing my head back, laughing so hard my stomach started hurting. I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed like this. Carefree and heartful. A real laugh. God, that made me feel so good!
“Fuck,” he suddenly said and I stopped laughing immediately. Oh, no. Is he mad? I looked back up at him and he was watching me closely.
His hands came up to cup my face, his eyes fixed on my lips now. He said, “Your laugh is just as beautiful as you are.”
Oh, my. My heart started beating faster than usual. That’s when I realized it was the first time I laughed in front of him.
It was the first time our conversation was clean, easy, and fun. No drunken words were spoken. No slurring of words from his side and no confusion between the two of us.
It’s not like I didn’t believe the things he said to me last night. The words he said just now made more sense. He was present. His mind was clear and he had plenty of time and strength to think about the words he spoke.
“Do you really mean that?” I quietly asked. Seemed like I still needed reassurance. But that was probably because I wanted to hear him say it again.
He let out a small laugh, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip slowly and then nodding. “Hell, ’course I do.”
His lips pressed against mine, holding my face firmly in his hands so I couldn’t move away from him. Why would I, though? This was where I wanted to be. Close to him.
I held my breath, closing my eyes and pulling at his sweater to hold myself up. My knees felt weak and soft, as if they were about to give in.
I felt Hunter’s tongue against my lips and I was more than happy to open up for him so I could taste him. I could tell he had been smoking before he came here, but that didn’t bother me much.
It didn’t bother me as much as Adeline, the moment she opened the back door and interrupted us.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Harlow
“Don’t mean to interrupt your hot make-out session, but I need you in here,” Adeline said, smirking at me, then looking over at Hunter who still had his hands on my cheeks.
I pressed my lips together, lowering my head to look at Hunter’s sweatshirt. I knew I was turning red for being caught making out with him. I couldn’t decide whether or not to bury myself or just run and hide.
Hunter chuckled. “She’ll be right there.” He was amused by this. Perfect. I didn’t want to get that kind of attention from anyone.
Adeline went back inside and I looked back up at Hunter, who now had a cocky grin on his face. “Relax, sweetheart. It’s not like she caught us having sex.”
“I know. It’s just…” I sighed, shrugged, and then shook my head. “I have to go.”
He nodded, kissing my forehead, and then taking a step back. I immediately started missing him. I wanted him close. As close as possible. But I had to work and I wasn’t sure he would want to stay here for over six hours, since today’s one of the busier days and the diner would be open until after midnight.
“Jagger picking you up later?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. He studied my face, wondering why he did that so often. But then, I liked looking at his face too. Even with a busted nose. It looked hot.
“Yeah,” I said, tilting my head to the side. “When will I see you again?” Seems like my mouth couldn’t just be quiet, instead, it said all the things that run through my mind when I’m with Hunter.
He smiled, shrugging. “Whenever you want to.” He leaned back against his car. God, why did he have to be so charming? Now, I know all the things he has done to me before were not right. He hurt me. Mentally and physically. But he had his issues. I knew that. And no matter how hard this would be, I wanted to understand him and his mind. He was a mess. Lonely. And I liked him when he was all calm and sweet.
“Maybe I can come over to your place tomorrow after work.”
And just like that, his face changed and the smile was gone. He raised an eyebrow, looking at me like I had just said something stupid.
“No,” he simply said.
“Why not?” This was stressful. His changes in attitude were annoying. But I had to remind myself that everyone had their reasons for their words. I was still a bit hurt by his rejection.
“I said no. You gotta work.” He nodded toward the back door of the diner. “I’ll send you a text tomorrow.”
I rolled my eyes. He was all cold and annoyed again. That was quick. I guess I gotta get used to that if I really wanted to find out about him and how his mind works.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me,” he warned before opening the car door and turning to look at me once more. “And stop frowning.” His gaze lingered on me for a while, then he got into his car and drove off.
Great. The moment of happiness didn’t last long and worry started to come up again. It seemed like he shut off any positive thoughts as soon as I triggered him with the wrong words.
Working at the diner last night wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. Probab
ly because Adeline was there and took all the attention off me. Lucky me. I still got some tips, though. Enough to finally be able to go grocery shopping today and stack up on two weeks’ worth of lunch and dinner. Of course, Jagger and I tried to buy the least expensive things. Lots of canned food and only chicken for meat.
Jagger wasn’t working today so after I came back home from school we went to the grocery store so we went to the grocery store before noon. I had written a list of the things we’d buy some years ago. We always got the same things because we knew it would be the cheapest way to buy the most products.
We never had any sodas or other special drinks. Well, besides beer. Jagger needed it. Other than the beer Jagger drank, we drank water from the tap. It was free and unlimited. As long as we paid our bills, that is.
After we arrived back home, I put all the groceries away and hoped to talk to Jagger about the money he used to bail out Dean. But the second we got home, Jagger told me he had some things to handle and disappeared again.
What he did when he wasn’t home or at work was none of my business. He made that clear a long time ago and I didn’t ask him about it either. I knew I wouldn’t get any answers from him. So, I just had to let it go.
It was getting dark and Jagger wasn’t home yet. He texted me he would be home late and that I shouldn’t wait on him for dinner. I made chicken soup, ate some of it, and put the rest in the fridge for Jag.
I’ve also been checking my phone more often than usual. Hunter didn’t message me, even though he said he would last night. I had no reason to be mad at him. He had his own life and probably worked too. Not sure what he did, because he never told me. Jagger also never said a word about Hunter’s work. And again, that was probably none of my business.
Still, I felt the need to check in on him. Make sure he was okay. He probably just forgot about me. But instead of sending him a text, I had the brilliant idea of going to the trailer park to visit him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Harlow
I’ve never been to the trailer park. It’s located right at the city limit of Hastings, so I had a long walk ahead of me. Taking the bus wasn’t an option since that would cost me money I would rather spend on something more needed. Walking wasn’t a problem anyway and I had enough time to think about what possibly could go wrong visiting Hunter at his home.
I found out where he lived some years ago when Jagger told me he needed to go to the trailer park to help Hunter fix something. I also found out that day that Hunter didn’t have any family in town. Well, he did have Bliss working at the diner out of town, so she probably lives close by too.
Knowing it was probably a bad idea going there, I forgot about Hunter possibly not even being there. What if he was at work? If he even had a job. No, he does have one. How would he be able to afford a car without any income?
I pushed the thought of Hunter being unemployed aside. It just seemed wrong to think about that. Even Jagger and I managed to have jobs.
The walk to the trailer park was longer than I had imagined. Even if I was walking at a normal pace, I was slowly getting a side stitch. I never worked out or did any kind of sports, so this was normal, I thought.
It was already getting dark out, not that Hastings would ever have the sun shining over it. At least it wasn’t raining tonight. I liked it, but I had to walk back home after this and I wasn’t sure I would want to get soaked.
I finally arrived at my destination and the first thing I saw before the entrance was a big sign made out of wood that had the word T.P. on it. Underneath it said in smaller letters: Dogs bite, be cautious.
“Great,” I said, sighing and looking past the sign to the narrow path that led to all the trailers. To be honest, it didn’t look that bad. Maybe this small community wasn’t as bad as everyone said.
It took me a moment to start exploring, but when I did, I was quickly fascinated by the trailers. All of them were close to each other, some were painted in different colors, but most of them were just grey or white. Some of them had little gardens in the front with flowers and trees. Mud and puddles were common in this city but the T.P. had more than enough of it. I bet it’s fun for kids to play here.
I found myself smiling at the thought of that and quickly realized that I was roaming around almost without any destination. I had to find Hunter’s trailer. But how? There were no mailboxes around and I didn’t see any names on the doors.
“You lookin’ for something, sugar?” a male voice said behind me and I quickly turned to see who it was. A bold elderly man stood there, his chin high up in the air, looking down at me with narrowed eyes as if I was some sort of intruder. Theoretically, I was.
“Yes,” I quickly answered, taking a step back just to get my personal space back. “I’m looking for Hunter.”
The man laughed. “Of course you are.” Then he nodded behind me. “Turn left at the end of this path. The teal one.”
I nodded and thanked him before turning around and heading to where he just told me to go. Of course you are, what’s that supposed to mean? Did he have lots of visitors? Hard to believe when Hunter himself told me not to come here yesterday. Or was it just me he rejected to come to visit him?
I stopped in my tracks and thought about that for a minute. What if he doesn’t want me here? What if he wants to keep all of this to himself and not share his private life with me? I was thinking about myself too much without considering that Hunter might have his reasons why he didn’t want me here.
I couldn’t do this. He didn’t want me here and I was invading his privacy when I was told no before. Why did I have to be so damn selfish all the time?
I shook my head, hating myself for standing here without an invitation. I quickly turned around again, walking back to the exit. The man who talked to me before was sitting in a chair in front of a trailer which was a dirty white color. He watched me as I passed him and raised an eyebrow before grinning. Great. Making a fool out of myself was becoming a talent of mine.
I ignored his funny stares and left the trailer park. I didn’t stop but walked along the street to get back into town.
I was angry at myself. Angry that I thought I could just show up there and act like he wanted to see me there. Hunter didn’t want to see me. Hell, he didn’t even text me even if he said he would. I was too naïve. At least I was realizing that.
But it was still stupid. God, he didn’t text.
He still hadn’t texted and I was starting to think that he wouldn’t do so anyway.
My mind was drifting off to a different place, keeping my head low and staring at the pavement underneath my feet. My thoughts were running wild and I had no intention of looking back or even up to see what vehicles were coming toward me with high speed into my direction.
And that was a mistake.
A loud honk, a voice shouting my name, something hitting my body with force and everything went black.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hunter
Watching her body being hurled through the air after being hit by a car and landing in a ditch on the side of the road was terrifying. I had seen some shit along the way up until now but never had my mind and body gone numb from anything I’ve seen. The sight of her motionless body lying there hurt in a way I had never felt before. It shocked me to the point that my body felt sick and weak, and hell, not even the death of one of my best friends made me feel this way.
I felt sick to my stomach because I knew this happened because of me. Wilson knocked on my door to let me know a “beautiful young girl” asked for me just minutes before. I wasn’t sure why any girl would ever look for me here. I never told anyone besides Jagger and a few other guys where I lived. Girls weren’t allowed in my personal space. My own four walls I kept safe and secret from anyone. I never had girls over. That’s not my style. If I needed to let out some steam I would drive out of Hastings. But the last time was months ago.
But that was not the point. After looking at Wilson with a raised brow, he
sighed and pointed to the exit of the T.P. and added, “Pretty eyes, long hair, freckles.” And that sent me off running.
I had forgotten about her. Fuck! I forgot to text her. How the fuck did I forget about sweet Harlow?
I ran after her in the hopes she would still be in sight and I could catch her before she was too far gone. When I got to the street I immediately saw her walking at a fast pace back toward the city. Her body was tense and her head was low. I had made her upset without even talking to her. And her coming here had needed an explanation. Jagger must’ve told her. No other way she could’ve found out.
I called her name once but she didn’t react. Probably didn’t hear me. The cars were driving by fast and it was loud. I called her name again, this time louder. She kept on walking. She was either ignoring me, or she really didn’t hear me. I couldn’t imagine her ignoring me. I saw the way she looked at me and how her eyes lit up when she saw me. I knew something in her sparked the second she was close to me, and I’m not trying to flatter myself, but I knew her heart was set on me. Even after all I’ve done to her.
It was a way of defending myself. To keep her far away from me because I knew the second I let her get too close, I would break. I wasn’t one for romance. I didn’t get any growing up and I knew it was not something I deserved. Harlow knew what real love was. Jagger was her better half. The one guy in her life who showed her what real love was. He protected her and cared for her. He treated her like a damn princess and I knew I wasn’t able to give her more than what her brother gave her all her life.
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