"I see."

Hunter's voice had dropped to a record low. I gave Fernando a scathing look. He didn't look remotely sorry.

The devil spawn stopped by a group of guys he often trained with. I didn't know what they told him, but he glanced our way, and after a few seconds, beelined towards us.

"Great. Just great," I mumbled, downing the rest of my water.

Someone called Fernando over. He flicked my forehead and made his escape. What a trouble maker.

Hunter's gaze followed Aaron with the intensity of a wolf tracking its prey. It was eerie how his gaze suddenly changed. It happened the day before, as well, when he spotted Tom in the hallway.

"He likes to yap," I warned him. "Don't go punching him. Steve doesn't tolerate misbehavior in the gym."

"So why is this prick still here?"

I sighed and whispered. "He's the co-owner's nephew, much to the chagrin of half the gym's members."

Aaron loomed over us. "Hey, Sapph. How's the eye?"

He didn't have the decency to even pretend to be sorry about it. I smiled tightly. "Perfect. Just perfect, Aaron."

"Yeah, it looks good on you," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "You can pull off a black eye."

The prick. I laughed. "Thanks. It's good to hear that from someone used to it."

Aaron's jaw ticked. Hunter looked down, smiling. Aaron's eyes flickered to him. "You got yourself a boyfriend, I heard."

"Yep."

Aaron looked Hunter up and down. "You've got a bit of a reputation, though, Jamison," Aaron said.

Hunter looked up at him, his face blank. Aaron's smug smile was back when he looked at me. "But then again, you'd have to have a father. Fathers are usually good at vetting their daughters' boyfriends, so you're all on your own for this one."

My smile slipped right off. His words reached into my chest and wrapped a spiked grip around my heart.

Hunter suddenly stood up. The empty bottle crunched under his hand. Aaron took a small step back before catching himself and standing his ground. I rose as well. Hunter stood inches taller than Aaron, and much, much wider. Aaron must've misjudged Hunter's size with the way he'd been sitting down hunched next to me.

I stood next to Hunter, pressing my arm to his.

"So you know Hunter?" I asked.

Aaron's eyes flickered to mine. "Who doesn't?" He fixed Hunter with a poor attempt at intimidating. "What're you doing here anyway? Steve doesn't allow people who fight outside in the gym."

"I no longer fight outside," Hunter said.

"Since when?"

"Since now," Hunter said, taking a step forward. Aaron's throat worked. Hunter took another step, putting him shoe to shoe with Aaron. The difference was glaring. "Do you have a problem with that, Co-owner's nephew?"

I bit back a smile. Aaron chuckled nervously. "No problem at all. why would I?"

"Maybe because I owe you a black eye," Hunter said.

Uh-oh. Now why did that make me feel all fuzzy inside? Aaron froze.

"Aaron," Steve called, coming closer. Aaron looked at him and stepped back from Hunter. I dragged Hunter back next to me. The last thing I wanted was for Steve to blacklist him for starting trouble. Though all he did was talk. So far.

Steve stopped and looked between the two guys. "You met Sapph's boyfriend?"

"I did," Aaron said.

Steve smiled, putting on his pads. "You two should get to the ring some time. It'll be a good workout."

I coughed and turned my head away to hide my laughter. Aaron grinned, biting his bottom lip. "Sure, Steve. We'll do that sometime," he looked over our shoulders. "I'll see you guys later."

We watched him go. Steve shook his head. "Little prick," he mumbled under his breath.

When I laughed, he bumped my head with his padded hand. He gave Hunter a warning look. "No starting trouble, inside or outside the gym, got it?"

"Why? He deserves it," Hunter said.

"A lot of people deserve an ass beating, in my opinion. Doesn't mean I go around dishing it out," Steve said. "But you and Aaron should get to it in the ring sometime. Just for my own entertainment."

"Such a responsible coach," I deadpanned.

"Go get Keith, you brat," Steve said. "Come on, Boy. Let's finish what we started."

The sun was sinking below the horizon when we finally got out of the gym. Hunter got in the passenger seat, I was about to duck inside when Steve called me from the gym's door. I jogged up to him. "Yeah?"

His eyes were on the car. "Is that boy coming around again?"

"Yeah. At least, that's what he said."

"Make sure he does," Steve said, a calculative glint in his eyes. "He's got potential. I haven't seen anyone like him since Brandon."

I raised my brows. "Yeah?"

He grunted and waved me away. "Go. And ice those knuckles when you get home."

"Yes, coach."

Steve went back inside, barking orders. The lights inside spilled onto the twilight-lit street. I got in the car, pulled out the energy bar in my pocket and took a bite.

Hunter's stomach growled so loudly,

I laughed, until I remembered my stomach growling that first day I saw him behind the school gym. He must've thought of the same thing, because he chuckled, shaking his head.

"How about dinner?" He asked, shifting in his seat.

"Dinner it is," I said, steering the car out of the lot. Dinner sounded nice. Dinner with Hunter sounded great. I didn't want to go home yet, which was odd, I usually couldn't wait to go home.

Thirty minutes later, Hunter and I were huddled in a corner booth of a burger place I usually went to, our meals spread in front of us.

"Do you want more pickles?" Hunter asked, eying my burger with extra-pickles and my pickle side dish.

"Don't judge when you're having enough food to feed a small country," I said, opening my burger and layering the pickles inside.

"I'm hungry," he said, taking a massive bite of his burger. It was halfway gone in one bite.

"I could never tell," I mumbled. Picking up my phone, I dialed Stefan's number. He picked up on the third ring.

"What do you want?" Stefan, my brother, the posture child of gentleness.

"Does Cheddar have enough food?" I asked. I had poured him enough when I left in the morning, and asked Stefan to give him when he got home, and texted him about it at the end of school. But I still worried.

"He does."

"What is he doing?" I asked, taking another bite of my burger.

"The orange asshole is sleeping on my laptop, that's what," he said. "Where are you anyway? Are you having dinner home?"

"Nope. I'm eating out. Do you guys want me to pick up something for you. It's your turn to cook, right?"

"No need. Scott is having dinner with his teammates in his coach's place," Stefan said. "I'll just make myself a sandwich."

He hung up without saying goodbye. My brother was a jerk. I shook my head and dropped my phone on the table.

"Cheddar?" Hunter asked, picking up a fry.

"My cat," I said. I hesitated. "He was my father's cat. Dad and I found him in a box when he was just a tiny baby. I think I was about five or six years old. Cheddar was supposed to die. Kittens that young can't survive without their mother, you know. We took him to the local shelter, where they assigned him to a foster mother."

"A foster mother?"

"Yeah, there are a couple in our town. They foster animals until someone adopts them. The foster mom had to keep an eye on Cheddar almost twenty four seven for the first couple of weeks."

"You ended up adopting him."

I smiled. "Yeah, dad and I visited him every other day until he was ready for adoption. Then we took him home. He's an old, grumpy cat now."

I took a sip of my milkshake. It cooled down my throat, soothing the burn of memories. Hunter demolished the first burger and started on the second. He didn't touch his fries.

"You like cats," he said.

"I like animals. Cats, dogs. Jason had a turtle when we were in preschool, and when I'd go visit, I'd put her in my backpack and take her home with me." I chuckled, remembering my father's face when he found the turtle in my room for the third time. Good times.

I snatched a fry from Hunter's plate and popped it in my mouth. He stared at me. "What?" I said around the fry in my mouth. "You're not eating it."

"I eat my fries last," he said.

I scoffed and stole another fry. "That's a crime. you don't know how to eat a burger properly."

His lips twitched up as he took another mammoth bite of his burger. He washed it down with coke before speaking. "And how do you eat a burger properly?"

"A bite of your burger, fries, drink, repeat. That's how it's done, Hunter Jamison." I took a sip of my milkshake.

"You didn't tell Stefan you're out with me."

I choked on my drink. It almost came out trough my nose. Very elegant.

Hunter gave me a napkin. I wiped my mouth. I had completely forgot we were going out, actually going out. So this was supposed to be a date then? I looked down at myself. I was wearing a hoodie and jeans. My hair, still slightly damp from my shower in the gym, was pulled in a messy knot over my head. I did not look like someone out on her first date.

"No. I didn't," I said. "Is this a date?"

He shrugged, slowly chewing on his food. "It is if you want it to be."

"I'm not dressed up," I said, half-joking. "I'm supposed to be all glammed up and sparkly for my first date."

"If I wanted someone glamorous and sparkly, I wouldn't have asked you out."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" I stole more fries. "Are you saying I'm not feminine?"

"Dressing up in a skirt and putting on make up isn't what makes you female," he said, his eyes flickering over my features and lingering on my lips. "You're fine. More than fine."

Okay. Heat crawled up my face. I cleared my throat and took a big bite of my burger. "Very smooth, aren't you?"

He grunted. Hunter usually didn't say much, he certainly didn't give empty flattery, so when he said stuff like that, it was because he meant them. At least, I thought so.

I curled my toes. I liked it. He made me feel so feminine, even in a hoodie and jeans and without a hint of an effort.

After eating, I drove to the place where I usually bought my gym supplies. Hunter got a full boxing set, with black gloves, hand wrap, protective head gear and a mouth guard.

I didn't want to go home yet. I enjoyed his company. But there was no other excuse, and it was a school night, and I had to break the news to Lia. I had a feeling it would take her a long hour of screaming and squealing and exclaiming before finally settling down. At least it would take her mind off of Tom.

I drew up the car next to our home. "That's me," I said, unstrapping my seat belt. "Thanks for dinner. You didn't have to pay."

"I asked you out, I'm paying." He opened his door and ducked out.

I chuckled to myself. What a gruff gentleman. I picked up my backpack from the back seat and swung it over my shoulder. Hunter's black eyes seemed to suck in the street lamp's light. He moved around the car with the grace of a big cat, his back slightly hunched, his steps deliberate and his lazily-blinking eyes hiding a sharpness one could miss at first glance.

I stepped away from the driver's door and smiled at him. "I usually go to the gym once every other day and on weekends. But you could go whenever you want, now that you're a member."

He nodded, his hand on top of the car door. The smell of his cologne, a hint of cigarette smoke was mixed with the generic brand of shampoo the gym's showers provided. I took another step back, my shoes crunching against the ground. "See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," he said. Then he was leaning forward. He kissed my cheek, winked and got into his car.

I froze, my fingers hurting from my grip on my backpack strap. Hunter drove off into the night, the red lights of his sleek car disappearing around the corner.

I took a deep breath, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden. Had I stopped breathing? Was that why my heart was beating wildly?

"Okay," I mumbled to myself, touching my prickling cheek. I could still feel the warmth from his lips. I was grinning like an idiot. I slapped myself and turned around, biting my bottom lip.

Stefan was peeking through the living room window.

He disappeared, and when I walked in through the front door, he was there, his arms crossed over his chest, his features set in a frown. Cheddar strolled out of the kitchen.

"That was Jamison," my genius brother said.

"Yep," I said, hanging my house keys on the cat-shaped key holder. Cheddar rubbed himself against my legs, his tail quivering. What a nice welcome home.

"He... kissed you," Stefan said, looking like he was biting something sour.

I rolled my eyes, picked up Cheddar and walked past my brother to the kitchen. "He kissed my cheek."

Stefan's heavy footsteps followed me. I kissed Cheddar's head and checked his food and water bowls. Still full.

"Why?"

I put my cat down and snagged a slice of turkey ham from the fridge. Shredding it into small pieces, I dropped them into Cheddar's food bowl. He went for them. I was probably giving him too much food. But it would assuage my guilt for leaving him alone with Stefan this afternoon.

I grabbed a bag of Cheeze-Its from the cupboard, opened it and ate one.

Stefan was still standing there, waiting. Right. He asked a question. I pulled out my phone and started recording a video. Lia would want to see this.

Stefan frowned at the camera. "What are you doing-"

"We're dating," I told him.

Stefan's eyes bugged out of his face. "You're what?! What the hell do you mean? When?" He asked. "You literally told me yesterday there's nothing between you two. When? How-"

I grinned. Good enough. I ended the video and dropped my phone on the island. "Today," I said. "He asked me out on our way to the gym. I said yes."

Stefan frowned. I never saw him this confused. I took my bag of snacks and escaped to my room before he thought of any more questions.

One down. Three to go. Scott and Jason would be easy. Lia was the one I dreaded the most. She was also the one I looked forward the most. I left the door of my room cracked for Cheddar. The hallway light spilled inside through the crack. I dropped my backpack and plopped down on my bed without turning on the light.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Lia's number.

Here goes nothing.

She picked up on the second ring. "Hey."

"Hello my love," I said.

A beat of silence, then, "what did you do?"

"That's rude. Can't I just miss my best friend?"

"Oooh, you definitely did something," she said, sounding excited and wary at the same time. "What is it? Spill!"

Like a bandaid. Just rip it off. "I'm dating Hunter."

"YOU'RE WHAT?!"

Ow. I pulled the phone away from my ear. "Jeez. You're going to rip my ear drums."

"I'm going to rip more than your eardrums if you don't spill right now!" She said, sounding winded. "Wait. No, don't tell me. I'm driving over. Don't you dare move!"

I chuckled. She was making any sense. "Why shouldn't I move-"

"Just stay put!"

She hung up. Lia lived about a ten minute drive away by car. Knowing her, she would get here in seven. Unless she got pulled over, which happened more often than she liked to admit.

I changed into comfortable pajamas and pulled out my homework before the sound of a car skidding to a break whistled outside. I looked out the window. Yep. That was her, alright. Cheddar jumped on the bed next to me, turned once and curled around himself next to my pillow.

Stefan opened the front door and stepped out. "Are you insane?" He called out. "You're driving like a maniac."

Lia, dressed in fluffy pajamas pants and a tank top, ran up the driveway. "Not now Stefan. Not now!"

Stefan stared after her as she stormed through the front door. He shook his head and followed. Awe, look who was worried. I still didn't mention anything to Lia or Stefan. I didn't want to intervene, especially not after Lia's recent breakup.

They could figure things out on their own. I was sure Stefan wouldn't last long if he was serious about her.

My door banged on the wall. Lia, breathing heavily, stared at me with wide eyes. "When? How? I knew it, you bish! I knew there was something going on!" She walked in.

"Close the door."

She doubled back to close the door, still talking. "You little bish! You told me there was nothing going on!"

"There was nothing going on," I told her.

"Shut up!" She jumped on the bed. My homework and Cheddar bounced. A pen rolled to the floor. Cheddar raised his head, sniffed, then went back to sleep when he realized Lia had no treats on her. "When?"

I told her about how our conversation ended up with him asking me out.

She blinked. "And you said yes?"

I nodded, reaching for a cheese it. Lia chewed on my words quietly for all of two seconds before her face broke to a wide grin. "You like him, don't you?"

I huffed. "I don't know. How do you know you like someone that way?"

She pushed my notebooks aside and sat cross-legged in front of me. "Does he make your heart flutter?"

I frowned. "Sometimes. Not all the time. I can't imagine that being around someone who constantly makes my heart erratic is convenient or healthy."

She snorted. "That's so like you. What if you'd turned him down today and he started dating someone else? How would that make you feel?"

My stomach tightened. I frowned. "Emma asked me almost the same thing. Did she speak to you?"

Lia gasped. "You told Emma before me! You traitor!"

I held up my hands. "She was in the gym! I didn't do it on purpose, I swear!"

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Anyway, you didn't answer my question."

"I don't think I'll like it," I said. "No. I know I wouldn't like it."

Lia beamed. "Then there's at least something there."

"Mhm." I scratched Cheddar's neck. He stretched his head and purred loudly.

"I still can't believe you didn't call me as soon as it happened," Lia said.

I opened my phone and sent her Stefan's video. Her phone pinged. "That's a peace offering for not telling you first."

"What is it?" She unlocked her phone and frowned at the screen.

"Stefan's reaction when I told him about it."

Lia's eyes widened and brightened. She grinned and pressed play, watching the video and cracking up.

"Oh my God, his face looks just like Scott's there for a moment," she snickered. "I've never seen him so confused."

"He does look like Scott," I told her.

"No, I meant his expression," Lia said. I smiled to myself. Very few people could tell Scott and Stefan apart, other than me and Sam. Even Jason confused them sometimes. The fact that Lia could meant something. Right?

Lia watched the video a few times, cracking up every single time. Seeing her happy made me glad I accepted dating Hunter.

Only for two weeks.

For some reason, that thought made my stomach twist.