Tragic

Chapter Fifteen: Be Careful What You Wish For

Elliot

Hunter's conversation with Ollie yesterday really pissed me off. Either he was putting on a show for my brother's benefit, or he's not the guy I thought he was. Judah is another story. The dance is only a couple of days away, and I kind of feel like we're at a crossroads. We can't continue to go on like this without making a decision. Do I take him back completely or end things once and for all? After sitting on my patio for several hours, I'm no closer to a resolution.

The light in the guest house is off, and I haven't seen Hunter since I got home from practice. I'm not sure why it bothers me that I don't know where he is, but it does. Having him here is comforting and frustrating at the same time. I like him always being available to me, but ever since we started this war, things haven't been the same. I miss my friend. I miss the person I could talk to about anything and never have to worry about being judged by him.

The truth is, I don't really feel close to anyone. Cameron is technically my best friend, but her motives aren't always clear. Sometimes I swear she hopes for me to fail so she can be better than me at something. Ollie has always been my go-to person for basically anything. The only problem is, I can't talk to him about Hunter and it kills me. Sure, he would most likely get over it after freaking out for a minute, but then he would say 'I told you so' because it turned out exactly the way he said it would.

A disaster.

I'm about to give up and go inside when I hear footsteps behind me. I turn my head to see Hunter walking over from the guest house. He must have been home after all. I turn back to the pool, dangling my feet in the water.

He sighs and then sits down beside me. He doesn't say anything for a minute, and my heart starts to beat faster until he does. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him roll his pant legs up and slip his feet in the water next to mine.

"Are you okay?"

His voice is soft, and when I look over at him, his eyes are filled with sincerity. I can't remember the last time I looked in them and saw something other than anger or disappointment.

I shake my head. "No, I'm not." He bites his lip, but doesn't respond, so I keep going. "Are you?"

After a moment, he looks at me again and shakes his head.

I take a shaky breath. "I miss you."

When a tear starts to fall from my eye, he catches it with his thumb. He leans in and kisses me on the cheek, cradling my face with his hand. "I miss you, too."

"Then why are we fighting?" I whisper.

He shakes his head again. "I don't even know anymore, but I hate it." He brings his hand down and rests it on my leg. My stomach clenches at his touch. It never used to be that way. We used to hug and touch each other all the time and it was playful—it didn't mean anything. Now it feels like it does.

Even though I'm afraid to, I reach my hand over and lace my fingers through his. When I look up at him, he's staring down at our hands, and I'm terrified he's going to pull away. But he doesn't. He gently runs his thumb across the back of my hand instead.

"Hunter, I'm not sure what's going on between us, but I can't live with us being nothing." He looks up at me at my words, but I don't stop. "And maybe I understand your reasoning for not wanting to be together." I pause and take a deep breath. "That's why I might give Judah another chance."

The muscle is his jaw ticks, but he doesn't say anything. Slowly, he pulls his hand back and runs it through his hair. "Judah, huh? You think things will be different this time?"