My Cousin in the Summer

Chapter 23

"We have only twenty-one hours, fifty-five minutes and thirty seconds left together. C'mon, adventure time, beautiful."

I scowled, forcing my head under my pillow. "Hunter, it's early. Shut the hell up."

"It's only four am!"

"Oh my God, shut up. It's not the end of the world. I need sleep, you know this. You can cuddle with me instead."

Hunter sighed, but laid next to me anyway, wrapping his arm around me protectively. I felt myself prickle against his touch, and inwardly tried not to shy away. Lately, ever since I told him about what happened when I was thirteen, he'd been overly protective. It had gotten so bad to the point where I felt being in his presence for a few milliseconds was unbearable.

Snores filled the room not even a minute later, and I realized Hunter was dead asleep. Guess the excitement doesn't last as long as he's cuddled next to you.

I unconsciously gagged at the thought, becoming uncomfortable by the second. Not wanting to take it anymore, I wiggled free from his grasp, careful not to wake him up. I pattered quietly across the floor, setting my glasses on my face and hurried outside.

The swing's home-y feel dragged me to it. Sitting down, I began pushing the ground beneath my feet in an awkward attempt to move myself back and forth. If I was being brutally honest, after I told Hunter my past, I felt raw, empty. It was as if by telling him, I had made a huge mistake. I knew that he could be slightly protective-- but what he was displaying right now-- was too much. It's suffocating.

Yawning, I felt my eyes begin to droop. Inwardly scowling, as well as being too lazy, I settled down on the swing, my body fitting perfectly in the space provided. Finally I was alone.

***

"What the fucking hell, Leaha?"

I cracked open one of my eyes, instantly aware of Hunter's body looming over the swing. I rolled my eyes, attempting to move onto my other side, when he let out a frustrated sigh.

"When I woke up to find you gone, I was terrified something had happened to you!"

Already, it wasn't even the afternoon yet, and my annoyance level was about to explode into the sky.

"Okay, I told you, I am better now," I snapped frostily, sitting up. "It's not like I'm just gonna go drink some bleach and put a bullet through my head because I reopened my past up to you. Don't you trust me!"

"Of course I do," he cried out. "But today is our last day, and you've been unusually quiet around me the past few weeks. Can you tell me if there is something wrong? I want to help you in every way possible."

That was it. I sprang up from the swing, it's clanging vibrating throughout the metal it harnessed. Anger blew up like a fuse inside me, and before I knew it, I was up in his face.

"I don't need your help. I don't want your help. Why can't you see that you are being so possessive and overprotective lately, that it's suffocating! I told you, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me! And maybe, I don't want to be around you twenty-four seven! Maybe, I would like to be alone once in a while. Do you know what that word is? A-l-o-n-e. Alone.

"You can be so fucking childish sometimes. It's shit. I hate it. I thought that with you, I wouldn't have to feel like I can't breathe every second of every day, but I guess I was wrong. I'm not some fragile China doll that breaks even when you try touching it! Why can't you see that?"

Hunter stared at me, his expression shadowed. "I never knew you felt this way. You could have told me this earlier, so it wouldn't have to be like this."