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Nevertheless, he nodded and followed his friend out of the gym and into the parking lot. They might as well get this over with.
Once they’d taken a seat on the old wooden bench, Zach waited patiently for Hunter to talk. The others had started off with a few questions before moving into their unique pep talks. So that was what he was expecting from Hunter too. But it never came. Nothing came out at all. They always joked that Hunter was a man of few words, but even this was taking the piss.
When a full five minutes must have passed without a single word exchanged, he finally gave in. “You want to talk but you’ve got nothing to say? Seriously?”
“Oh, I got plenty to say. I’m just waiting to hear your side first, that’s all.”
“My side? Are you for real right now?” Maybe this was all part of Hunter’s plan. Rile him up enough to get him to talk.
“Yeah, I’m for real. You think I don’t know what happened? I know what happened with you and Libby, man. I also know you were the one who ended it. So it makes no sense to me you’re stomping around here like a gorilla on ‘roids, beating the shit out of punching bags and snapping at your friends.”
Wait. How did he know? He hadn’t told anyone what had went down between him and Libby. No one. It was true, he wasn’t exactly hiding his pain, but he hadn’t confirmed or denied anything.
“Who told you?”
“Rachel.”
“Rachel?” Zach could feel his eyebrows shoot up. “Since when do you talk to Rachel?”
“Since now, asshole. What does it matter? What matters is that I know what happened. You gave her an ultimatum and when she didn’t give you what you wanted, you walked away.”
“Don’t give me that shit, Hunter. I fucking fought for her. I told her I loved her, and she gave me nothing. Nothing! She couldn’t even admit we were more than just fucking sex. What the hell would you do if you were me? Keep doing what we’re doing, waiting for her to throw me scraps every now and then like a fucking dog? I gave her my heart and she threw it back in my face!”
He couldn’t sit anymore. Anger, adrenaline and pure misery were shooting straight through his veins. This was why he didn’t want to talk. He needed his punching bag. He needed it right now.
“This is what I’m talking about.” Hunter rose to his full height. All six foot five of him. “I get it, you loved her. And, yeah, what happened fucking sucks. By all means mourn it. Be sad. Drink too much beer, eat a fuckload of wings or just come out with us and hang. But this anger, man ... I’m telling you now, it’s not healthy.”
Zach hated that he was right. It wasn’t healthy. And it wasn’t him, either. He’d never been an angry person. It was just that right now, being angry seemed a lot easier than feeling everything else.
Scrubbing his face, he let out a long breath. “Yeah. I know. I just ... It’s just hard, man. I fucking love her, y’know?”
Hunter nodded. “I know you do, brother. Look, I’m not a fan of cliches or anything, but it really does get easier. You’ve just got to give it some time.”
Zach felt his shoulders slump as all the fight left in him began to wane. Snapping at his friends wasn’t going to solve anything and it definitely wasn’t going to make him feel any better.
“I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole to you and the guys, I’ll try harder to keep my shit together.”
A big slap landed on his back. “It’s cool. Don’t sweat it. How ‘bout we go get those wings after our shift tonight?”
“Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, man.” As they made their way back to the station, Zach remembered something. “So, you and Rachel, huh?”
“Fuck off.”
Zach burst into laughter. It was the first time he’d laughed in a week and a half. Maybe there was hope for him, after all.
