The First Steps (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 1 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Thirty-Four

❝introduce (pronounced ɪntrəˈdjuːs or in-truh-dyoos), verb

to present (a person, product, etc.) to a particular group of individuals or to the general public for or as if for the first time by a formal act, announcement, series of recommendations or events, etc.

eg. He introduced the love of his life for the first time.❞

It had been a month, and Lilly twisted her hands anxiously. It was the Grammy's, and they were planning on announcing their secret relationship tonight. She was making pancakes for Hunter so that he would have a good breakfast before leaving for the venue.

Hunter appeared, wearing a pair of plaid pyjama pants and a plain grey shirt, his hair messy atop his head, and he gave her a kiss on the nose. "Mornin', baby."

That was what a a lot of fans who wanted to marry celebrities didn't think about. The point that having sex wasn't the whole relationship. There were the little moments like these, which weren't rare, but never unwelcome. He wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled down at her. "Good morning, Hunt," she said, turning back to the stove and flipping Hunter's last pancake off the skillet. "There you go," she said, handing him a plate of no less than ten pancakes stacked on top of each other, with butter and syrup.

He smiled again and asked, "Aren't you having any?"

"No, I'm just gonna have some toast."

"Come on, have some," said Hunter, cutting her a piece with a knife and fork and holding it out to her. She smiled a little and took it. She ate it with her fingers, realising just how hungry she was. Hunter smiled slightly and gave her another. They ate together, and when they were done, Hunter sighed, leaning back on his chair. "That was delicious, hon. Thank you."

Lilly noticed how quiet he was. "Hunt, what's wrong, love?"

He smiled at her again, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just nervous about tonight, you know?"

She sat on his lap, straddling her legs on either side of his and framing his face with her hands, forcing him to look her in the eye. "You're going to do fine. I promise."

"But Lil, what if I don't?" he asked softly, dropping the confident act. "You know how I feel about this."

"It's what you do with fear," she said, staring into his blue eyes and leaning her forehead against his. "You know that."

He closed his eyes. "I don't know, Ana."

She kissed him softly. "You're going to do perfectly."

He didn't look like he believed her, and she said firmly, "Hunt, you have done so much to encourage me. You brought me out of an eating disorder, for goodness sake. Now it's my turn." She hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I love you, hon," he mumbled into her neck, and she kissed him again, before letting him go and going to her room. He followed her and smiled a little as she brought out a grey dress.

"Hey, how does this look?"

"It looks beautiful," said Hunter. "You could wear a paper bag, and I wouldn't care."

"Oh, stop it, you," she said, laughing slightly. "Come on, you should get ready."

"We should both get ready," he said. "Do you need the bathroom?"

"No, I'll put on my dress and do my makeup."

"You don't need makeup."

"Yes, but darling, this is the Grammy's. Thank you, though."