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“She was waiting until your client was gone.” Hunter says in a deep voice, but I try to ignore the effect it has on me.
“Not my client anymore.” I mumble quietly, but with the way Hunter’s eyes sharpen, I’m pretty sure he hears me. I’m not sure if Nicole knows everything that’s gone down the past few days, and I’m not about to clue her in right now. So instead, I shake my thoughts of Noah away and smile brightly at her.
“Lunch sounds great! I’m pretty sure Willow should be done with her video call in just a second. How’s Italian sound?”
“Perfect!”
Ten minutes later Willow, Nicole, and I are sitting at one of only ten tables in this small Italian restaurant around the corner from our office. Nicole invited Hunter to join us, but he opted to just grab a burger from a place across the street and eat on the bench outside. I wouldn’t say things are weird between us necessarily, but we haven’t really had a chance to talk. He didn’t get home until late last night and I was already asleep. He climbed into bed and wrapped himself around me. It was perfect. He was up before I was, so I got dressed and ready before I even went downstairs. As soon as I hit the bottom step though, Willow was knocking on the door for me to drive to work with her. We just haven’t had a chance to really talk, or even be alone.
Staying at Hunter’s the past few days hasn’t been nearly as weird as I thought it would be. His house is big, without being oversized. It’s more comfortable than anything. All of his furniture is huge. Which makes sense, since Hunter may be the largest person I’ve ever seen. There’s not really much life in his house. No decorations, no personal items. Of course after getting a glimpse into his past, I’m not really surprised.
Our server comes by to take our orders and bring us some wine. Once we have our orders in and an order of calamari in front of us as an appetizer, Willow kicks off our typical girl talk.
“So how has it been staying at Hunter’s?” Willow asks with a smirk, and I know she’s only asking in order to bring Nicole in on the conversation.
“We talked about it yesterday on our way to work.” I give her a pointed,I know what you’re doing, look.
“Yes, but that was before he was home.” I can’t help but roll my eyes at her obviousness.
“Okay,” Nicole injects. “What am I missing here?”
At the same time I say “nothing,” Willow says, “they’re totally boning.”
“Willow!”
“You and Hunter? No way!” Nicole sounds shocked, but also way too excited. “Since when?”
I blow out a breath. It’s not that I intended on hiding it from Nicole, but I’m still trying to figure everything out myself. I don’t even know whatweare right now.
“It happened a few weeks ago. I’m not even sure what happened.”
“So it was only the one time?” I shake my head softly.
“It happened again while we were gone.” Both of their excitement jumps and as much as I want to feel the same way, I’m still not sure if I can.
“So, are you two like together now?” Nicole asks.
“I have no clue. It’s… complicated.”
“Why is it so complicated?” Nicole really is one of the sweetest and most genuine people I know. She really does not understand why it can’t be that simple for Hunter and I.
“Well, my brother would kill him, for one.” Willow waves her hand like she’s swatting away my concern.
“Alec will be fine. He acts like a badass, but he’s just a softy.” Nicole and I both look at her like she’s lost her mind and after a moment she relents. “Okay fine, maybe he is a badass. But he really is a softy too. He loves you, An. And if being with Hunter makes you happy, then he’d give you his blessing. Eventually.”
“It’s not just that.” As if she can sense how uneasy I really am right now, Nicole places her hand gently over mine.
“What else is it?”
I expel a long breath before taking a large gulp of my wine. “I don’t know if I can handle this life full-time.” Willow’s brows dip in confusion, but I can tell that Nicole understands exactly what I mean.
“Doesn’t it ever get exhausting?” I ask neither of them in particular. “The lying and hiding.”
Realization dawns on Willow and her gaze softens.
“Honestly, An. It’s really not as bad as you think. Alec doesn’t usually clue me in on everything. I mean, he doesn't really hide it from me. But it’s just like my work. It’s not like I tell him all of the ins and outs. He knows the basics.”
“But what about the ones we’re all involved in?” Nicole’s lips fold in and a look of guilt flashes across her face. “I just mean, it’s hard to lie. Like with Noah earlier. It was so hard not to tell him the truth.”
