That afternoon, Hunter didn't come to school.

I texted him when I got to class. He replied an hour later with a brief: Stuff at home. I'll see you later today.

The hole in the pit of my stomach refused to fill up no matter how many snacks I gobbled up. After what happened to the shelter, and then Sam, all I wanted was to curl up next to Hunter, or to hit the crap out of a punching bag.

When school ended, I found myself with Lia, Jason, Scott and Stefan next to Lia's car. Students moved around us. Their chit chat and laughter were so normal, it made the turmoil brewing inside my mind even more disturbing.

"And then there were five," Lia said, looking around our group.

"We were always five," Stefan said.

"No, at one point we were seven," Scott said, "with Hunter and Liza."

Lia jabbed her elbow into Scott's side. He made a face. "What?"

She made a none too discreet nod towards Jason, who rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to break into tears just because you mention her name, for God's sake," Jason said. "We broke up. No big deal. I don't want anything to do with her anymore. Good riddance-"

"Uh Jason," Stefan said, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. I followed his gaze behind us, right as Liza walked past, her head lowered. Jason froze, then crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the ground. Great. Just great.

Judging by Liza's reaction, she must've heard him.

"This day just couldn't get any worse," I said, rubbing my forehead. "Let's just go home. Can't wait for this day to end."

"Come on, I'll drop you off," Lia said, giving me her car keys.

Jason went to his car. My brothers went to theirs. Lia got in the passenger seat. I glanced around the parking lot one last time, but my boyfriend was nowhere in sight. I sighed and got into the driver seat.

I'd texted him when I finished my last class. He still hadn't answered. I'd just call him when I got to the gym.

As the car drew near the gym, my spirits lifted. Hunter's car was there.

"That's Hunter's car, right?" Lia asked.

"Yep." I unclasped my seat belt and grabbed my backpack from the backseat.

"Oh, I see how it is. You abandon your best friend at the first sight of your boyfriend." She put her hand over her chest and sniffed. "This world is cruel to single people."

I snickered and opened the door. "Hunter's face is much more pleasant to look at, so..."

She gasped and reached for me. But I was already out of the door and jogging to the gym. Lia stepped out of the car. I glanced back to see her shaking her tiny fist. "Sapphire Milton! You'll pay for that later!"

"Looking forward to it!"

I heard her tinkling laughter, then the engine groaning as she sped away. The gym was busy for a Monday evening. Emma was furiously typing away behind her desk, her eyes focused on the computer screen. I stopped by.

"Hey," I said, glancing around the gym. Where was that boyfriend of mine? Oh, there he was. He was speaking with Steve and someone else... I squinted. The man had his back to me, but he looked vaguely familiar.

"Hey, Sapph. Finally gracing us with your presence?" Emma said without looking up from her screen.

"Yeah," I said. "How are you? And how is Brandon?"

She glared at me. I held up my hands. "Whoa there, dragon."

I looked back at Hunter. The third man with him and Steve turned his head, and I recognized him. Antonio. The trainer who'd tried to scout Hunter.

"What are they talking about?" Emma asked. "It looks serious."

It did. Hunter nodded at something Steve said. Then he and Antonio shook hands, a grave expression on Hunter's face.

Anxiety bit at my stomach. I reached for the pocket of my backpack and pulled out a crunchy chocolate bar.

Hunter looked up. His dark eyes found me immediately. He turned to Steve and told him something. Steve's expression pinched and he gestured with his hands wildly, then he gave a resigned nod.

Hunter walked my way.

"See you, Em," I said and met him halfway. The noise of the gym melted to the background. "Is everything alright?"

Hunter smiled. "Yeah. How about a run in the back?"

"Okay, I'll go change."

He nodded, grazing my cheek with the back of his fingers before stepping back. "I'll wait outside."

Ten minutes later, Hunter and I were jogging in the running tracks in the back. I glanced at him. Something was definitely off. He didn't act any different, but I felt it in my gut. I had the absurd feeling that if I asked him, something awful would happen.

But I hated leaving things hanging over my head. So I slowed to a walk, and he slowed his pace as well.

"Okay, spill. Something is off," I said. "Did something happen at home?"

Hunter sighed. He stopped and put his hands on his hips, looking at the sky. The strong column of his throat bobbed as he swallowed.

"The same stuff," he said, looking at me with a small smile. "My dad just won't give up, I guess. I got a call from my grandfather earlier. He was here. I just don't feel good after facing them off both."

Shaking his head, he held my hand and we walked forward. "You had a rough day, you don't need to hear about this."

"Yes, I do," I said.

"I know. But you shouldn't. Just relax," he said. "How about for this evening, we just forget all our problems. Just this evening. We can stew about them come tomorrow."

I opened my mouth, but the desperate expression on his face made me nod. "Okay."

His shoulders relaxed and he smiled wider. "Okay. Let's get inside. I'm sure we can find something to punch."

I chuckled. "Or someone."

"Or someone," he agreed.

We stepped back inside the gym. For once, Steve didn't scold us for flirting even though he must've seen our half-hearted cardio session.

Hunter held the mitts for me this time. We chose a quiet corner, and I punched the crap out of the mitts until Hunter and I were dripping with sweat.

"Whoever said girls can't punch obviously never met you," Hunter said, wiping his forearm across his glistening forehead.

I grinned. "That's a compliment, coming from someone who could break bones with his punch."

His smile widened to a grin. "I was thinking. That restaurant we keep talking about?"

"Oh, yeah. The one where we're supposed to have our next date instead of hiking," I said.

"That one. How about we have dinner there tonight?" he said. "It'll be a nice change of scenery after this long day."

I shrugged. "Sure. That sounds nice."

"Great." He removed the mitts and threw an arm around my shoulders. We were both stinking sweaty, but neither of us stepped away from the other. I hugged his waist and we strolled to the backrooms, keeping to the walls on the edge of the gym.

I wanted to ask about Antonio, about his father and grandfather, but he'd said we should forget everything this evening. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'd ask him. For this evening, I'd just forget everything wrong with our lives.

*** **** ***

I texted Sam, letting him know I'd be later tonight.

The restaurant was an hour and a half drive away. It was surrounded by a beautiful garden that I wished I could see by day, though it was still impressive with the string lights around the trees and the garden lights lining the stone pathways. In the center of the lush garden stood a two story structure. Two of its facades were completely made of glass, showcasing the inside of the restaurant.

Wooden tables and warm colors made it look cozy, but Hunter and I chose to sit on the patio. There were several fire pits along the patio, each surrounded by a seating arrangement.

Hunter and I sat in a corner, the plush white loveseat warm and comfortable, a vintage wooden table in front of us. I inched closer to Hunter and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I felt all warm and fuzzy. The fire crackled in the pit, reminding me of the tragedy of the previous night.

The flames looked so harmless and tame in the pit, but only hours earlier they'd been ravaging the shelter with greedy, orange tongues. It was funny how some things had the potential to destroy us even if they seem harmless.

The waiter came with the menus. Hunter and I mulled over them, giving it a serious discussion. I pulled out the restaurant's Instagram account and scrolled through the pictures of the food.

We ended up ordering three dishes. After the waiter deposited our drinks and left with our orders, I looked at Hunter. He was already gazing down at me, his face set into soft lines. There was a sad look in his eyes, but then he smiled widely at me.

"Are you sure we can finish all that?" he asked.

"Hey, you're the one who said we should order all three," I said, toeing off my shoes, I curled my legs under me and snuggled up to him. "But don't worry. I have a big appetite, and you're the size of a mammoth, so you need to eat enough to stay alive."

He chuckled, squeezing his arm around my neck. Pressing his lips against my temple, he took a deep breath. "So, how long do you think until Sam calls you?"

"I texted him earlier," I said. "He shouldn't call me."

"I think he would," Hunter said. "It's a prerogative of being an older brother to be overprotective. You're his baby sister."

"Baby sister," I grumbled to myself, knowing Hunter was most likely right. Sam would check on me at least twice before I got back home.

I glanced around the place. It was beautiful. "I think we should add a fire pit," I told Hunter. He understood immediately what I meant.

His arm squeezed me tighter. "To our house? Yeah, it would be nice."

"Hmm. It should probably be covered, though," I said. "Kids and animals don't do well with fire."

"True," he mumbled. We talked about everything and anything, except for the elephant that was his family and Antonio. It could wait until tomorrow.

Our orders arrived shortly after, and Hunter and I dug in. The food tasted amazing. I understood the raving reviews the place got and why people drove all the way here.

We had dessert, much to my delight. A chocolate fondant for me and a decadent strawberry tiramisu cake for Hunter.

Hunter and I exchanged a spoon from each other's desserts at the beginning. But I was done with my chocolate fondant before he was halfway through his cake, surprisingly.

I licked the last of the chocolate off my spoon and looked at his cake. The strawberries made my mouth water.

Hunter took another bite of it and exchanged my empty plate with his half full one. I raised my brows. "What are you doing?"

"Too sweet for me," he said with a wink.

"It's not that sweet." I grinned and took a bite. Mhm. It was heavenly. Hunter leaned his chin against his fist and watched me eat with a small smile. The fire reflected in his dark eyes, and they looked like two chips of burning coal.

I rubbed the corners of my mouth and swallowed. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"You're beautiful," he mumbled, his dark eyes intense.

I coughed, feeling color rise to my cheeks. "Um thanks? You're not so bad yourself."

I winked, playing it cool and glad he couldn't feel my skittering pulse, and went back to my dessert.

How could he still make my heart flutter like a drunk butterfly even after months of dating? He really was smooth.

Dinner ended too soon for us. Our plates were empty when I curled up against Hunter again. He pulled out his phone. I raised my brows when he opened the front camera and caught us in a picture. He usually wasn't fond of taking photos of himself.

He took another one, where I stuck my tongue and crossed my eyes. Very mature, I know. Then another where I kissed his cheek.

We lingered in the restaurant until I received the second check up text from Sam, then we had to go.

We took two coffees to go for our drive back, because I felt exhausted. After the turbulent night- or was it early morning?- all I wanted to do was sleep. Hunter noticed, of course.

"I can drive," he said as we strapped in.

I heaved a deep sigh. The simple thought of him driving made my stomach tie up in knots and sleep evaporate. I shook my head. "I'm not that sleepy," I said, taking a big gulp of my coffee.

"Sure?"

I nodded. "Believe me, I'm the last one to be careless on the road. If I really thought I couldn't drive, I'd take a nap first, even it meant not being home until tomorrow."

And that was that. We made it home safe and sound. The coffee had done its job and kept me alert during the drive over. I parked in front of our house. I could hear Scott's shout from out here. Jason's car was parked along the street next to ours. They must be playing video games.

I yawned and unstrapped my seatbelt to stretch. "Well," I said with a groan. "Now that is what I call a date."

Hunter chuckled. "You're making me feel bad."

"No! I didn't mean to," I rushed out. "I just loved the food, that's all. Maybe we can skip hiking and the movies and go to another restaurant next time?"

Hunter smiled a little and opened his door. "Let's go, Sam must be waiting."

I blinked after him. It must be lack of sleep, but it almost felt like he was... sad. I shook my head and went out.

Hunter hugged me tightly, so tightly my ribs groaned in protest. I patted his back and whispered, "hey, is everything alright?"

"Hmm." We stayed like that for several minutes before the front door opened and light spilled outside. Hunter pulled back and held me at arms' length by my shoulders, looking over my features. He smiled and stepped back. "Go in before Sam shoots me."

I glanced at Sam. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and his face unamused. I grinned, kissed Hunter on the cheek and skipped towards him. At the door, I glanced back one last time. Hunter's hands were tucked into his pockets, his shoulders hunched in. He met my eyes and smiled.

Cheddar meowed. He was stepping out of the kitchen. He trotted towards me, and I snatched him before he could step out of the house. He usually never went outside, except for the backyard.

"Where were you going, you little ginger?" I cooed, hugging him to my chest. I waved to Hunter and made my way upstairs with my cat, closing the door to my room.

When I looked out the window, I expected to find the street empty. But Hunter and Sam were speaking next to his car. I wished I could hear what they were saying. After a while, Sam clapped Hunter's shoulder and went in. Hunter got into his car and drove off. Cheddar meowed, scratching my door. And I let him out, not thinking anything of Hunter and Sam's interaction.

I should've known better.

--- ---- ---

Thoughts?

I'll try to update early on Sunday. (hopefully) 

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M.B.