Tangled Up Like Night and Day

Chapter 12: My Mama Don't Like You...

The next morning, I felt happier than I had in weeks. I felt rejuvenated from a quiet day in, and I wasn't even dreading talking to Hunter about us. It seemed like we were finally on a similar page, and I was ready to take on whatever was coming. At least, so I thought.

I started coming out of my room, yawning to fend off the last shred of sleepiness I had. I could sort of hear Hunter's voice in the kitchen, pausing to think through who he could be speaking to. "No, things are better. I think we're okay right now. I don't know what's coming next, but..."

There was a pause. Was he talking about us? I felt bad eavesdropping, but I more so wanted to know who he was talking to rather than what he was saying. "No, Mama, I know," he cut in, sighing. "But you know Genevieve. She's never taken advantage of anyone, much less me. She's always been the more...assertive one, but that's not a bad thing."

I froze. Hunter's mom had always loved me, but she never was quite keen on all of the aspects of my relationship with her son. When we were little, I was always the one to come up with games we could play, some of which led to us getting into trouble or making a mess. As much as she cared about me, she thought I was a bad influence on her only child, her perfect little boy.

I walked quietly back to my room, memories of all my childhood schemes coming back to me. A lemonade stand. Making "potions" out of anything we could find in the kitchen. Practicing kissing as teenagers. Having sex to get it out of our systems. All of it was my idea. I was always the one to suggest things and he just went along with it. If I had had this power since we were children, maybe I did take advantage of him, or at least influence him in some way. I felt sick. How could I do that to the person I cared about most?

I could hear Hunter approaching my room, so I quickly climbed back into bed and pretended I was sleeping. He paused in the doorway, looking at me carefully before shrugging and walking back into the main part of the house. Our history now weighed on me again, and I couldn't shake the immense guilt I felt. I stayed in bed until I heard Hunter leave, making sure I heard the front door lock behind him before springing into action.

I needed to get out of here, for real this time. At the very least, I needed time away. If I was really a bad influence, he probably needed time away too. Right? I was trying to convince myself it was true. I hurriedly packed up the rest of my things, not caring about organizing, before loading every box and my cat up in my car once again. Once the room was empty, I quickly scrawled a note for Hunter, leaving it on the kitchen counter. "I'm going to my mom's. I'm okay, just need time. Please don't call," was all I wrote, leaving my house key by the note before exiting.

Having nowhere else to go, I began the 2 hour drive to my mother's place in San Diego, but made sure to call her and let her know I was on my way. I blasted music on the way, skipping any song that remotely reminded me of Hunter to fill the time. When I finally arrived, I only unloaded the basic necessities and my cat, collapsing on the couch in fatigue after the drive. As my mother made some hot chocolate, I glanced at my phone, already seeing several missed calls from Hunter. Before I could unlock it, another one came through. With a sigh, I turned it on silent, setting it with the screen face down on the couch, instead focusing on catching my mom up on the gist of the situation.

At some point during my story, it had started to rain, my mom's gaze fixed on watching drops of rain roll down the window as she listened. I wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time I finished explaining. She sighed. "Mrs. Hayes has always been a little...dramatic. I never thought you two ever even did anything that extreme, just normal kid things. Kids are supposed to get in a bit of trouble sometimes, it's how you learn," she paused, taking a sip of cocoa. "I mean, it's always been clear that boy would move heaven and earth for you, but...I don't think you ever pushed him into that."

I shook my head. "But you're my mom. You're biased toward me. She's biased toward him obviously, but...someone had to have been on the outside and could see it objectively. But I don't know who." I paused, finally braving a look at my phone. There were so many missed calls from Hunter, but he had finally given up some time before.I felt guilty, but breathed a sigh of relief.

Not wanting to dwell on the subject much longer, I tried to suggest watching a movie together, anything that could provide a distraction. We had settled on some baking competition, and I was just getting invested in the various contestants when the doorbell rang. My mother and I shared a confused look before she went to answer the door. I heard a gasp, then some whispering before wet shoes squeaked across the wood floors, coming to a stop just before me. "Genevieve what the hell?" Hunter questioned.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my mother scamper up the stairs, leaving me all alone. Hunter was completely soaked from the rain, denim jacket looking extra heavy on his shoulders. I couldn't believe he had driven all this way. "I'm sorry, I just...I needed some time. A break."

"Why? Yesterday everything was great and then suddenly you're all moved out and 2 hours away? What could have possibly changed overnight?" He questioned, folding his arms angrily.

I sighed, standing cautiously. "Look, I can explain, I just...let's get you into something warmer, okay? I don't want you to catch a cold."

He scoffed. "Stop making excuses. You came down on me so hard for not talking to you, but you're doing the exact same thing. Hell, you ran about as far away as you could. And then telling me not to call? What was I supposed to do with that?"

My heart sank. He was right; I was being a hypocrite and he deserved better. "I heard you talking to your mom. And I know you said I wasn't a bad influence but then I realized I've always been the initiator and I feel like I...manipulated you. I never meant to but the thought of doing that to you was too much. I needed time to disconnect and reevaluate. I'm sorry."

He rolled his eyes, looking exasperated. "Why does everyone keep acting like I have no free will? I might not be someone who comes up with things to do but I still make the final choice. When you suggested what started this whole mess, I wanted to do it. I tried to rationalize why we shouldn't, but I still wanted to. I mean, why do you think it's never taken much convincing, for any idea you've had? I have never done anything with you that I didn't want. You've just always been the strong one."

"Hunter, you're the strong one. And you not needing much convincing could also be indicative of manipulation. You might not realize you're being coerced," I commented, sighing sadly. "Look, I don't want to fight with you, okay? I just think maybe a small break could be good. We can both reflect on...everything, really."

"I'm not here to fight, Genevieve. I just want us to be okay. We were supposed to talk about things today and get it figured out...is that why you ran off?" He looked at me intently, but I avoided his gaze. "What do I have to do to make you see that I only do what I want?"

I shook my head, eyes focused on the floor. "I don't know. I don't think there's a way to know."

He stepped toward me, tilting my chin up to look into my eyes. He pressed his lips to mine softly, almost sweetly. It was comforting, but as much as I wanted it, I couldn't bring myself to kiss him back. When he pulled away, he seemed crushed. "Did...that do anything?"

I wrapped my arms around him tightly, the rain soaking through his clothes now chilling my skin. "I'm not scared of talking to you. That's not why I came here, I just...I can't stand the thought of having hurt you, even unintentionally. I just need a couple days. I promise I'll come back, okay? Please take this time to think, too."

"Okay," He hugged me back, sighing reluctantly. "I'm holding you to that."

I smiled, just a little. "I expect no less."

By the time we broke apart, the rain had finally stopped, but my heart still felt heavy. We said some somber goodbyes, and I watched him leave from the window. I blinked back tears, quickly burrowing into the living room couch, letting the sound from the TV drown out my sorrows.