𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐀𝐂 ♬✼:* hunter sylvester

the truth

the truth ｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Chapter 17

Unfortunately, with no help from my better judgement, I was currently playing a drunken game of truth or dare with my brother and Hunter Sylvester after he convinced me to stay. Did I really want to walk fifteen minutes in the cold dark back to my house? No. So, it didn't take much convincing on his end.

I took another swig from the beer bottle we were passing around since the rest of the six-pack of them had already been gulped down by the three of us. The sip symbolized it was my turn.

"Okay... June... truth or... dareee?" Kevin brought a flashlight under his face like we were grade schoolers at a sleepover telling scary stories. I stared at the bottle in my hands, contemplating my decision.

"Uh..." I slurred, "truth!"

"Fuckin' wimp." Hunter-- who was slumped against the TV stand-- rolled his eyes. Hunter had only done dares, which just consisted of attempts at a handstand or a prank call.

I ignored him, took another sip and simply looked back to Kevin.

"Is... it true..." He stared back at me through the bright gleam of the light, "that you and Hunter are... together?"

Immediately, I began coughing up the alcohol that had entered my throat. Through my hacking, I could hear Hunter burst out in a fit laughter.

"That's a... no, then?" Kevin glanced between us.

Once I had regained breath, I too couldn't help but giggle. "Over my dead body." I intently avoided Hunter's eyes.

"I dunno, man... it's like you both look like you wanna wrangle each other's necks at one moment," Kevin ran his hand through his hair, "and then the next, it's like you have literal googley eyes... literal heart eyes for each other! And if you guys are, then it kind of sort of hurts that you didn't even tell me."

Hiding behind the rim of the beer bottle, I dared a glance at Hunter. He was looking at me, he already had been. Was Kevin right? The buzz filling my head was making it hard to consider anything.

"No... you don't know what you're talking about Kev," I shot back, shaking my head, "It's not like that." Desperate to change the subject, I drunkenly crawled over to Hunter to hand him the bottle before Kevin could say anything. "Truth or dare, Hunter?"

"June, the point of picking the truth is to tell the goddamn truth." Kevin continued, a look of betrayal spreading across his features. He was my brother, and unfortunately could tell when I was lying. And at that point, I knew I had been lying. 

Kevin just looked at me, hoping I'd tell at least a fragment of the truth. My mouth was clamped shut. I wasn't going to say anything with any amount of alcohol in my system, especially considering the possibility that whatever I do say will probably sound stupid. And it's not like we were even together. So, I remained silent. I wasn't going to confess my burdening feelings for Hunter to my brother.

He just sighed and stood up. "Okay. Fine. But I don't want to play with people who don't even know how the game works anymore. I'm going on a walk."

"Kevin..." I rubbed my temples, suddenly plagued with the possibilities of him going outside in that state. "Please don't. You're buzzed out of your mind..."

"Then I'm going to just take a little nappy on the couch... Mom..." He waved me off and stumbled out of the room. Fair enough.

The room had gone silent. The lights were out, with the flashlight Kevin had left and a lamp on Hunter's nightstand being the only light sources in the room. 

"That was awkward as hell." Hunter finally said, taking another swig. I wordlessly nodded, resting my head on my hand. He stuck the bottle towards me, "Want?"

"Mm, no thanks." I replied, recognizing that my tolerance was reaching it's limit. A few more moments passed before he spoke again.

"Do you really look at me with heart eyes?" Hunter grinned at the thought, referencing Kevin's previous statements. 

I scoffed. "Hey, he said both of us, dumbass."

"Well, answer the question." He stared at me with a raised brow.

I snorted at the dumb question at hand. How does one even answer that? I chewed on my bottom lip in thought. "I wouldn't say... heart eyes... but if that's what we wanna call it then sure."

"Oh, should we say googley eyes then?" He chuckled, gaze piercing into mine. 

I rolled my eyes. "I think it's only fair you answer the question now."

Hunter looked away, and I couldn't tell if he was going to refuse or was simply thinking. "Do you... remember when I said I didn't care about you? After the party?" Suddenly, he was staring at me with an emotion other than a drunken haze.

"Sure, of course. How could I forget when you told me I was essentially going to ruin you and Kevin's chance at Battle of the Bands?" I shot back. I wasn't sure why he was bringing this up now, when he knew it had severely hurt me. 

"June... I..." He sucked in a breath and let his hand fall over my bare thigh but I didn't flinch nor decline the gesture. His thumb traced along my skin. "I need you to know I never meant it."

"Then why say it?" 

A pained look weighed on his features, knowing there was no true excuse. "I... I was terrified you were gonna get hurt... and I didn't want you to know that... I did care. That I didn't give a shit about the battle."

I could see the genuine regret in his eyes-- a rare sight. The truth was I knew he cared, ever since he offered to buy me a ridiculously expensive guitar. I just wanted to prolong the time I had before I'd also have to admit it. I sucked in a breath of my own. "Do you know how long I've liked you, Hunter Sylvester?"

His brows had shot up, his eyes widened like he couldn't believe the words that had come out of my mouth, but his fingers never left my skin. He leaned towards me, so that our eyes were leveled and I could look no where but his never ending pools of deep brown. "How long, June Groves Lenford-Schlieb?"

My full name was an inconvenient mouthful. But it rolled off his tongue with such ease I was utterly breathless. So instead of answering his question, my fingertips grazed his jaw as I crushed my lips against his.