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As if he reads my mind, his hands move up and down his exposed arms, his skin prickled with chill. I watch his jaw clench and unclench while I answer, “Nothing. We just got back.”
Seth pops his head out of his room and I watch him stride into the kitchen, looking Hunter up and down. “Where did you come from?” He sniffs and groans, taking a step back while covering his mouth. “Shit man, where the hell have you been? You smell like a fucking bar.”
Hunter chuckles while scratching his head. “Yeah, I should probably go take a shower.”
Lucas strides in from behind, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. “Hey man, you’re back.” He looks Hunter up and down before crinkling his nose and making a face. “Where have you been?”
I cross my arms, mirroring Lucas’s stance while I mutter, “Obviously not at the gym.”
Hunter groans, his head rolling from side to side as he straightens away from the counter and towards his room. “Nowhere important.”
“We were worried about you,” says Lucas as Hunter strode past him.
Hunter pauses, his hand on the doorknob to his room. “Yeah, well, you didn’t need to be.”
Seth sighs and takes a step towards Hunter. “You can tell us, Hunter. We-”
“Oh my fucking god!” shouts Hunter while throwing open his door. “Will you leave me the fuck alone!”
He slams it shut in our faces and all three of us stare at it. I don’t know what the boys are thinking, but my mouth gapes open, wondering why he went from zero to one hundred in the blink of an eye.
We just want to know if he’s okay.
He’s obviously not.
I step towards Hunter’s door, wanting to knock on it, wanting to give him a hug and tell him whatever it is he doesn’t have to tell me. I just want to be there for him. I want to beg him not to push me and the others away.
But Lucas grabs my shoulder, stopping me.
I turn around, seeing Lucas’s and Seth’s glares and deep frowns. They glance at each other for a moment before giving me a shake of their head in unison, as if they are able to read each other’s minds.
“Don’t, Rachel,” says Lucas while pulling me into his arms. I sniff, wrapping my arms around Lucas’s waist before nuzzling my forehead into his shoulder. “Just give him his space for now, alright?” he whispers into my ear.
Seth comes to stand next to me, nuzzling his forehead against my cheek while running a hand up and down my back. “You don’t deserve to be treated that way,” he murmurs and I sniff again, blinking back tears.
Oh, why is this so difficult? Why can’t Hunter just talk to me? All I want to do is be there for him. But I guess…
That’s not what he wants.
I force a smile and push the two away, wiping the tears from my eyes and hoping I’ve put on a brave face. They both stare back at me solemnly, and I force a chuckle, taking their arms and leading them to the couch.
“Let’s do something fun!” I say, trying to sound as cheerful as possible, but my voice comes out thick, slightly trembling as I try to swallow a sob. “It’s our last night.”
Thankfully, Lucas and Seth decide to ignore the quivering in my voice and both smile at me. Lucas grabs his phone and holds it up while announcing, “I’ll order the pizza.”
Seth leads me to the couch. “And I’ll prepare the entertainment.” He waggles his eyebrows while lowering himself on the floor, picking up two games and holding them in front of my face. “Halo or Mario Kart?”
I grab Mario Kart, giggling when Seth rolls his eyes with a mocking groan. “Knew it!”
He shoves it into the player while Lucas speaks with the pizza place. Seth sidles next to me on the couch, handing me a controller while wrapping an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. I chance a glance behind me, at Hunter’s door, silently wishing he would come out of his room and join us.
Yet, his door remains shut.
