My Cousin in the Summer

Chapter 9

Part II

"Hunter?" I repeated, stepping closer.

A small sigh seemed to escape from the darkness, and the swing squeaked again.

"Why?"

I focused my eyes on his faint outline as Hunter continued speaking.

"Why does everything have to be complicated? Does the world hate me for-"

He stopped abruptly then said sharply, "you should get back inside. I mean, you're dead after all."

I was taken aback. What was wrong with him? I stepped closer to the swing and heard Hunter scoot away. Shaking my head, I sat down on the swing, inches from him... and a beer bottle.

"Are you drunk?"

He sighed and muttered, "like you care. You hate me."

"I wouldn't want anyone of my family to destroy themselves," I said, looking at his outline next to me.

"Destroy themselves?" He laughed bitterly and I heard him take a drink of his beer. "Darling, the only thing that keeps me from, supposedly, destroying myself is you!"

I froze, speechless. Did he seriously just say that? What? Hunter took my silence as a gateway to continue his confession.

"I know it sounds cliché, but it's true! I acted like I hated you so I could try and forget my feelings but it never worked! Never! It's unusual, I get that, to love your cousin in a more than family way. But I've been denying it for so long and now it just seems so surreal!"

He slowly, yet barely, touched my hand and whispered, "I love you Leaha."

I could smell the beer on his breath. It was unsettling and I quickly got up, stumbling onto the grass. He was drunk, he couldn't think clearly. This was just a joke, all of it was.

"Of course it's wrong," I managed to cry out, "we're cousins!"

Cousins through marriage.

"Leaha-"

"No," I said, "I don't want to hear it. You- we- cannot be more than just cousins. It's... It's messed up!"

I backed away from him, almost falling into the fountain in the process. Close to hyperventilating, I ran from him, and entered the house, gasping for breath.

Grammy rushed up to me as soon as I came in. Her face showed how worried she was.

"Did you find him," she asked, staring me straight in my eyes.

I nodded, too winded to speak.

"Thank God." Grammy said in relief. "Is he going to come in?"

I shrugged and managed to speak. "Let him stay out there for a bit. He's..." I paused, "he needs some time alone."

Grammy nodded, "alright. I'll get him in a few minutes. Thank you, Leaha, for finding him."

I gave her another nod. Not wanting to speak, I went to the couch and sat down as what Hunter had told me replayed in my mind.

He's drunk, I told myself, or at least tipsy. He didn't mean any of that at all. It was just the beer talking... Right?

But there was one thing that he said that stuck out. I knew that he had actually meant it, that it wasn't the beer talking.

He told me he loved me.