In the Middle

He had walked beyond one block with her, but she had not resisted. When they neared her neighborhood, however, she had politely told him she would no longer keep him from making the trek back to his own home. They had been standing on that street corner that she had announced this for quite some time, fingers interlocked lazily together. Cars drove past at a lazy pace and Hunter vaguely realized that while she was on her way home to crawl into bed, these people had just recently woken from their own slumbers and were making the much unappreciated journey to work.

Jameson pulled their hands up between them and gently toyed with her fingers. He stared at them as if they were some great discovery he had just made that needed examination. “I enjoyed spending such a lovely night with such a lovely woman,” he murmured before pressing his lips softly to her knuckles.

A blush crept to her cheeks and she mentally slapped herself. She should not and would not do this. She would not fawn over this man as if her were some sort of real-life Adonis standing before her on an elevated pedestal. Her comparison seemed slightly unreasonable the moment it had crossed her mind. She found him very handsome, that much was certain, but he in no way was comparable to the mythological God. He wasn’t undeniably gorgeous, nor was he aware of his good looks. Even so, he was drawing her in to his spell, which she was sure he was unaware that he had cast. She shook her head to clear these thoughts and plastered a smile across her face.

“It was indeed a rather enjoyable night, was it not?” she agreed.

“Perhaps,” he began, almost nervously. “Perhaps it wouldn’t have to be the last.” His eyes looked hopeful as he glanced up at her from beneath the dark, luscious fan of his eyelashes. His fingers remained entwined with hers and he gave a light squeeze when she didn’t respond.

Sure, he had had no problem at all in talking to this woman and holding her hand, but those were all just friendly gestures. He hadn’t wanted to be alone for the night and she had been more than a willing companion to him. He was hoping that she might want to accompany him again in the future during those long, lonely night, but the thought of her rejecting this idea made him apprehensive to even make such a proposition. He was still perplexed with the sudden courage that had swelled in him just long enough to suggest such a thing.

“Perhaps,” was her vague response.

He felt his stomach drop at this, but kept his face impassive. He didn’t interact with women enough to understand a thing about them, but he knew enough to read that her opinion on the matter didn’t quite match his. She hadn’t directly said no though, so he could still hold out for some glimmer of hope. Or at least, this is what he was telling himself.

“Goodbye Jameson.”

Her hand dropped from his and she began to back away from him, a timid smile lighting up her face. She raised her hand in a tiny wave before turning on her heel and hurrying off down the street. He watched her until she disappeared around another corner. Hunter was an amazing girl and he only hoped that he would have the chance to meet her again.

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and turned back the way they had come from. When the park was back in sight he smiled. He wasn’t lying; it had been a lovely night. When he reached the door he quickly unlocked it and slipped in quietly, but before he closed it shut behind him he took another glance across the street at the park that had become a sort of saving grace to him. He made his way quietly down the hall and into his room, crawling into bed. He didn’t smile, nor did he frown, but his eyes shone with joy as he relived his night with Hunter.

A few blocks away Hunter was sneaking into her own home, as silent as could be. She slipped off her shoes and set the keys on the table beside the door. Laying down on the couch, she attempted to get as comfortable as could be. Images of Jameson plagued her every time she attempted to close her eyes. She was distraught as she thought about the night. Why hadn’t she just gone home when she had initially intended to? Why had she let him get so close to her? And why had she been so rude before parting ways with Jameson? He may not have found it rude, but she had been taught better than that. She promised herself, if only to ease her troubled conscious, that the next time she ran into Jameson- if there was ever to be a next time- she would apologize for acting in such a manner.

She heard movement from the other side of the apartment and quickly shut her eyes and attempted to steady her breathing. Hunter knew that her best bet was to pretend that she had fallen asleep on the couch last night, but she doubted she would be able to pull this off. Footsteps padded down the hallway and into the kitchen, a bowl was set on the counter and cereal poured into it.

“It’s nice to see you finally came home, Hunter,” a thick voice spoke. She remained still, focusing everything she had on keeping her breathing steady. “Don’t be stupid, babe. I know you’re awake. You’re not very good at faking it, nor are you good at lying to me, so get your ass up off of that couch and get over here.”

Hunter sighed in defeat and made her way into the kitchen. He was just pouring milk into his bowl of cereal as she reached him and snaked her arms around his waist. She kissed his bare shoulder before resting her head on his back. She felt him tense at her touch and she squeezed him tighter.

“Good morning, love,” she murmured against his skin before planting another series of kisses across his pale flesh.

He wriggled out of her arms and rounded on her, setting the jug of milk on the counter behind him. The look in his eyes was frightening as he glared daggers at her. She didn’t understand why he was so upset with her, but she knew he was about to tell her.

“Where the hell were you all night?”

“I got in late and fell asleep on the couch,” she spoke quietly, her voice trembling. Her eyes never left the floor, afraid that if he looked into her eyes he would be able to see exactly what she had been doing.

“That’s a load of horse shit.” It amazed her how calmly he was able to speak when his words were so harsh. All she could do in response was shake her head no. It was a weak denial though. “I slept on the couch,” he snarled through gritted teeth. “I was waiting up for you, but you never came. I heard you when you came in- you weren’t that quiet. Maybe if I had been sleeping, you could have gotten away with it and fooled me into thinking you snuck in sooner. So what the hell were you doing all night, huh?”

“I was at the park.” This time she met his eyes, hoping he could see the truth in them. She may not be willing to tell him the full truth, but at least she could tell him this much.

“Bullshit. Who are you sleeping with, Hunter?”

“Sleeping… Who am I sleeping with?“ Hunter took a few steps back in shock. “How could you… How could you even think that, Robert?”

“YOU WERE OUT ALL FUCKING NIGHT!” he screamed in her face. The look of terror in her eyes made him back away, running his fingers through his hair as he desperately tried to calm his nerves. “What do you expect me to think?” he asked, his voice lowered and cracking.

“I expect you to trust me,” she whispered, a tear running down her cheek.

“How can I trust you when you don’t come home all night and then you lie to me about it?”

“Well I’m telling you the truth now. I was at the park all night long.”

“I don’t believe you,” he stated firmly.

“Well that’s too damn bad, because I’m not lying. I only told you I had been here because I was trying to avoid an argument. I knew you would act like this!” she exclaimed, finally gaining the courage she needed to defend herself.

The astonishment on his face was evident. They barely ever fought. In fact, neither of them could even remember the last time it had happened. But even on the rare occasion that they did, she never reacted like this. Ever. Hunter had always sat back meekly and let him yell at her until he was done. Then she would apologize for whatever had irked him so much, even though she was rarely in the wrong.

“Act like what?” he finally countered once the initial shock had worn off.

“Like an untrusting, self-righteous, pig-headed, arrogant prick!” She was nearly yelling by the time the last word was out of her mouth. And as soon as she was done she felt a hot stinging sensation spreading across her cheek.

“Don’t you ever speak to me like that again,” he warned deeply, his eyes cutting into her as sharply as his hand had impacted her skin.

He walked away, leaving her standing in the kitchen. Her own small hand reached up to the red spot that now marred her face. She bit back a wince as the silent tears streamed from her eyes. Hunter stared at the floor, dumbfounded. How could he have done such a thing? He had never treated her so poorly before. She felt her knees buckle and she dropped to the floor, her shoulders shaking with the force of her quieted sobs.

Robert emerged from the bedroom in his suit and stared at her in disgust. He watched her as he straightened his tie. She looked up at him and he grimaced at the sight of her face. “Have dinner ready when I get home from work,” he told her. She nodded her head weakly and he crouched down to her level. He gently brushed her hair from her face, his fingers lightly trailing along the outline of his handprint. “I’m sorry I hit you, Hunter. You just made me so furious.”

She stared down at her hands, her tears fading away. He hooked his finger under her chin, lifting it slightly. “Look at me, baby,” he commanded, though there was a slight pleading to his tone. She did as he asked, seeing that his eyes were slightly glassed over as well.

Robert crushed his lips against hers, holding her body tight as if afraid to let go. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into the kiss. It felt just as it did when he had kissed her after he first told her he loved her and her body was being flooded with the same emotions she had felt back then. His hands ran up and down her sides, gripping her hips tightly. His tongue brushed softly against her own and she sighed into the kiss. When they broke away, he rested his forehead against hers, their noses lightly touching.

“I love you, Hunter Rowan Jenski. I always have and I always will. Don’t forget that,” he whispered. His warm breath dried the tears that remained on her cheeks and he ran his fingers lightly through her hair. “I better get going or I’ll be late.” He pressed his lips to her forehead before standing and walking to the door.

“Robert, wait!” she called after him, getting to her own feet and running to him. She jumped into his arms and kissed him, her fingers tousling his short, dark blonde hair. When their lips parted, they were both breathless. “I love you too, Robert. I love you with all of my heart.”

Closing the door behind him, Hunter wondered if she really did love him with all of her heart.