Grounding Hunter

BJR--April 16th

      "What the hell am I doing Rock?"   I had just spent the entire day with one Ellington sibling or another.  While yes, I was used to spending all of my time with Aspen Ellington, spending time with Hunter was an entirely different ballpark.

      I'd hoped the feelings that always seemed to arise when we were on the phone, wouldn't be there in person.  That hope had been heavily doused with lighter fluid and set ablaze.

      Normally, drop off days were just Aspen and me.  We'd put our finishing touches on whatever in the morning, then spend the rest of the morning and late afternoon dropping off.  Then the nights usually consisted of drinking and binge watching whatever we could find with Jolene.

      Today however, started with Aspen and Jo arriving way before the sun even thought of rising.  I should have 100% expected it after Hunter told me about the accidental Beau incident, but I didn't.  That should have been my first clue that this wasn't going to be a normal drop off day.

      It wasn't.

      Then tonight?  Crashed, by none other than Hunter.  I couldn't decide if I was okay with it or not.  I mean...of course I was OKAY with it.  What woman in their right mind would flip shit about spending time with an Ellington man?

      None.

      No woman with a sane mind would.  That's who.

     What I was trying to figure out, and failing to do so miserably, was why I was so eager to spend more time with him?  Did he love spending the afternoon and evening with me, just as much as I did him?  Granted his sister, Jo and parents were also around.

      Was he still looking at me like a little sister?  Because I 100% was not looking at him like a big brother, nor my best friend's older unattainable brother, at that.  I should.  I really, really should.  It would save a whole lot of trouble.  But no matter what I do, what I tell my brain, I can't.

      Half of me is A-Okay with that too.

      Of course, like every other time one of the guys come home, we had family dinner at the Ellington's.  I could bet right now, Aspen was still there at her parents' stuffing Easter eggs, but she was oh so happy to have a hunt tomorrow.  No matter we're all in our 20s.  Her and Momma T will stuff and Senior will hide them.

      They'll expect every available 'child' to be there for lunch and then we'll get a basket of sorts and be set loose.  Don't even ask where Momma T would get all the baskets and things in less than 24 hours.  That lady could get anything, no matter a time crunch, and it would still turn out looking like a grade a magazine shoot.  She scared me.

      My parents, Jo's grandparents, Beau's mom...they'll all be around taking pictures.  And all of us kids will be there because nobody is about to disappoint Teresa Ellington.  Nobody is ever willing to find out what would happen with Senior if we disappoint his wife.

      I couldn't hold anything against my best friend.  Today was one of the happiest I'd seen her in a long minute.  Hunter took notice too.  But, I'd caught him.  As many times as he watched his sister and the happiness that was beaming out of her, I'd caught him looking at me just as many.  And I swear, every time I'd catch him, he'd grin and my stupid fucking heart would stop.

      So that brings me to now.  Outside with my Rottweiler who is at least 20 fries short of a Happy Meal, wondering what the fuck I was doing.  I looked over and briefly wondered what the fuck Rocky was doing also.

      What I was letting my heart do was an easier solve.

      Believe me, I know nobody really has control of what their heart does.  Physical heart or metaphorical.  But still.  This...this was a major danger zone and I wasn't stopping anything from tripping over that line.