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He seems to be surprised by my answer, and he can see that I am not in the mood for his stupid chit chat, but he still decides to give me some shit.
“I thought we were friends, Z. I told you everything that’s going on with me and Chloe…”
“Yeah, I know.” My tone is on the sarcastic side. I still hate it when people call me Z, and Van should know better than use it on me. I can tell that he’s trying to cover up the laughter that’s bubbling out of him. “Make sure to keep that to yourself. We’re not a couple of sorority girls trading boy stories. What’s next, braiding each other’s hair?”
I hear the doors of the elevator sliding open, and cuss under my breath when I don’t see who we’ve been waiting for. The next car dings gently to signal that the doors are about to open, and I finally see her. After seven miserable years, she is finally walking toward me.
I look at Van, but he’s not paying attention, so I elbow him to look up. “Here we go…”
Hunter and Chloe both see us at about the same time. The look of surprise on both their faces is priceless. I don’t pay much attention to Chloe though. There is only one face I’ve been dying to see.
I thought I would hate her on sight, I think to myself. Or that I’d feel anger toward her. But all I feel is my heart beating in my chest like it wants to jump out and run to her, beg her to take me back. Well, this is a surprise.
“Hello, ladies.” Van, like the clown he is, bows in front of them, leaving them completely speechless, even more so than before.
“H-h-hi,” his girlfriend stutters, but I can’t take my eyes off Hunter. When he hits Chloe with a very bad pickup line, I snort in disbelief.
“Lame, dude,” I cough into my fist. Chloe doesn’t seem bothered by it, quite the opposite. They really are perfect for each other.
However, things sort of go downhill from there. Van starts talking shit to Chloe about seeing other guys during their break, and that seems to get Hunter riled up.
“Hey, don’t talk to my cousin like that, buddy,” she gets right in his face. Well, as much as she can considering how tall the motherfucker is. And while Hunter is taller than average, she can’t compete. “You were on a break. Actually,” she turns toward Chloe abruptly, “you still are on a break. She didn’t do anything wrong.”
Van takes offense to that. “What are you, her peanut gallery?”
“Oh my gosh,” Hunter gasps. “I used to think you were so cool. But you suck. I can’t believe you’re in love with this guy, Chlo,” she looks at her cousin while pointing at Van.
Van is about to do something stupid, I recognize the signs, and Hunter doesn’t seem to be scared of him at all which I think only aggravates him more.
“You better watch what the fuck you’re doing right now,” I growl into his ear. I’m gonna kick his ass so hard if he touches Hunter, he’ll wish he was still on bed rest from his bum knee.
“Hunter,” Chloe calls to her. “Will you be okay if I go talk to Van for a bit?”
The question seems to be like a slap of a reality check to Hunter’s face. She looks scared all of a sudden, and I find that ironic. She was ready to get into a physical altercation with six-foot seven Van Boyd, hockey star of her favorite team, but she is scared of spending a few minutes alone with me, the guy she claimed to have been in love with at some point.
“Y-yes,” she finally mumbles, but she doesn’t sound sure of herself at all.
Chloe grabs her shoulders and pulls her in a hug. Whatever it is that she is whispering in her ear seems to relax her enough to lose the scared look on her face.
With that, Van grabs Chloe and drags her away like the savage that he is. That used to be me back in the day. I would’ve killed whoever looked at Hunter like they wanted her, forget about taking her out.
Me and Hunter are left alone in a sea of people milling around us. I am staring at her, but she is refusing to look at me. The floor under her feet must be a lot more interesting, I muse.
“Hunter,” I finally call her name to get her attention.
When she lifts her eyes to mine, staring at me like a deer in the headlights, my heart cracks just a fraction. She looks pale all of a sudden, and her lips are dry. She keeps on running her tongue over them, and my arm lifts of its own volition to stop the onslaught on them.
“Zach,” she says my name like a prayer. It’s like the last seven years didn’t even happen, and I want to kiss her senseless.
“Let’s go.” I grab her by the arm in the same way Van just dragged her cousin off to God knows where. Except that I head toward the bar and don’t stop until we are both seated in a corner.
“I don’t drink,” she whispers.
“You do tonight.” A waitress materializes out of nowhere and I place our order for drinks, double scotch for me, rum and Coke for her.
“I haven’t had that in years,” Hunter chuckles nervously. “I’m probably going to get wasted on it.”
I don’t comment on that, a plan hatching in my head already. I’m going to get her drunk, then I’m going to make her tell me all her secrets.
