Before You

Chapter Five.

Amazingly Hunter kept me on his back through the entire concert. He was incredibly strong and didn't seem to mind a bit. I had started out hanging on tightly, trying my best not to put all of the pressure on him, but after a while, I was singing the songs at the top of my lungs and waving my arms over my head, totally into everything and not even thinking about how this should be awkward. It felt natural instead. Like Hunter and I, even Dave, had all been friends for years and this was just another one of our fun nights out.

When the concert ended, and I breathlessly hopped down off of Hunter's back, the buzz of excitement was still swirling in the air around us.

Dave, who had managed to woo the girl sitting on the other side of him, pulled Hunter aside. "I'm going to need you to catch a cab." Dave told him, winking in the direction of the brunette girl who looked to be telling her group of friends bye too.

Hunter leaned around Dave to check out the girl too, and he smiled in approval. "Aight man." Hunter smiled at Dave and the exchanged a first bump.

"Have fun." I called to him as he walked away and he winked, clapping his hand on my shoulder like I was one of the guys.

I turned back to Hunter and caught him staring down at me with a strange expression on his face, his brows furrowed and a little crease in his forehead. He shook his head and just like that the look was gone and his confident smile took its place. "We better hurry before all the cabs are gone." He told me, turning to weed our way into the crowd of people filing out of the auditorium.

"Actually," I called out over the loud chatter surrounding us. "I drove."

"Really?" He called over his shoulder, then he turned to pull me by my shoulders to position me in front of him in the line of people instead of behind. "Did you have to walk far?"

"No." I tried to reply but a big guy came pounding into the line from one of the side aisles and slammed his shoulder into me, nearly missing my face. I gave the guy a look and looked back over at Hunter. "I got a spot just around the corner." I explained.

"Nice." He replied but I could tell he wasn't listening to me anymore. He was too busy glaring at the guy who knocked into me.

We walked a little further in silence until we finally made it into the lobby and the air didn't feel so compacted and hot. I didn't realize how uncomfortable I'd been feeling until I was in the open space and relief rushed over me. I started to turn around to tell Hunter goodbye, but the same guy from earlier decided to turn around too, his thick shoulder connecting with the back of my head this time.

Hunter's face flashed red and he grabbed the guy, who easily had fifty or more pounds on him, by the shirt sleeve and yanked him back. "That's it, buddy." He snapped and the man's face was shocked, but also pissed.

"What the fuck do you want?" The man spat through his crooked teeth.

Hunter got into the guy's face, showing no fear that the other man was a few inches taller than him too. "You've run into my friend twice now without apologizing." Hunter snapped, pointing his other hand over at me.

"Hunter, really its fin-."

"No," He snapped at me too. "It's not fine, this asshole needs to apologize."

The man laughed, belly shaking and ugly, and looked from me back to Hunter. "Maybe you should listen to your girl before you mess up and I have to make a fool out of you in front of her."

I reached for Hunter's arm, trying to pull him away from the man but he wouldn't budge, the muscle in his arm rippling.

"Apologize, now." He sneered, inching closer to his face.