The Road Ahead (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 4 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Ten

❝last (pronounced lɑːst or lahst), noun
occuring after all the others in a sequel, time or place.
e.g. their last day.❞

She woke up first, lying on Hunter's chest. He was breathing lightly, and his mouth was ever so slightly ajar. She smiled a little, reaching up and brushing his hair away from his forehead. He was so handsome and perfect. And he was hers. She loved that feeling, knowing that he loved her. His hand was resting on her bare leg, and she felt her smile fade. They were leaving today.

As Ryan thought this, she felt her breathing hitch slightly, felt her body tense up, and a quiet, choked sound came from her throat. She willed herself not to cry, stroking his cheek. God, she would miss him like crazy. He was everything to her, and these past few days had reminded her of that. It wasn't so hard when they could barely see each other, and only spoke over the phone. It was easier to forget that Hunter was such an integral part of her, a part of her that she needed more than any other. It was easy to forget that he was human, too. That he was real.

His eyes opened blearily, and he looked down with a small smile. "Good morning, my dove."

"Hey."

He frowned. "What's wrong?"

She cocked an eyebrow, and realisation dawned on his face. "Oh. Right."

They lay there for a long while, Hunter stroking her back gently. "You're gonna be okay, aren't you?"

"Have been thus far, haven't I?"

"Good point." He smiled at her. "Well, we've still got the afternoon."

"Yeah. I guess."

"Oh, darling," he said softly. "Please. Don't be like this."

"I'm fine. I swear."

He sighed. "Don't lie to me. I know you better than that."

"I just..." She shrugged, moving so that he wouldn't feel the tears from her eyes on his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you lot being around. I hadn't remembered how much you mean to me."

"You're crying."

"I'm not."

He simply moved her closer to him again, stroking her hair gently. "It's not long," he said quietly, as silent sobs began to shudder their way through her. "You'll be back in America before you know it."

"I'm so sorry..."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't changed one bit. I'm still the selfish brat I always was. I'm such an awful mother, and an awful wife-"

"Hey, hey, slow down. What brought this on?"

"Nick, he... he hates me."

"Why would he hate you?"

"Because I'm not coming with you. Because I never seemed to regret leaving. I'm selfish."

"All of what you're crying about right now is the opposite of selfish, my dove," he said, and she began to cry again. "You're not a terrible mother. You left because if you had stayed, you couldn't have been a good mother. I know that. I know it's hard. You've struggled through these few years, and I understand that. Please, stop crying."

"I'm sorry, Hunter. I'm not what you deserve-"

"Stop it, Ryan. Listen to me," he said sharply. "None of this is true, and you know that. I love you more than anything, and another three months is nothing. Phoenix will come around in time, you just need to understand that he's both missing Nita and struggling with making friends. I've spoken to his teacher, okay? Please. Stop crying, and stop all this hate. I love you. I know he loves you, too. He's just upset."