Secret Love (Hunter Hayes Fanfiction)

Wanted

That night, the guys all piled up in the living area of the bus. They pulled every bit of food they had out of the cabinets in the kitchen and started wolfing it down like there was no tomorrow. The excitement was tangible, and they laughed and teased each other mercilessly.

"Devo, what was that chord you hit during 'Somebody's Heartbreak'?" Matt said, throwing a cheeto at Devo's head. "It sounded more like a 'Guitar Break' to me!" 

Devo popped the cheeto in his mouth as the guys laughed at his expense. "Oh, ha ha, Matt. Tell me, was that girl on the front row as interested in you as you were in her? I'm surprised you didn't break a vein, trying to impress her! I haven't heard you play so loud on that bass in years!"

Hunter laughed, gulping down water and raking his hand through his drying hair. The boys continued their banter, and he joined in every few minutes, laughed at every comment, and seemed to be fully participating in the conversation. However, he couldn't keep his mind off Amanda. 

She really had looked wonderful. Not a hair out of place, not a single drop of sweat or even an eyelash out of line. He thought back on their entire friendship, and he realized that she'd always been that way. Perfection. She was the kind of girl who would leave the dinner table on a date to go powder her nose, or would make someone take her picture a hundred times before she thought it was acceptable. If she had even one hair out of place, she pulled her gel or mousse or whatever it was called from her bag and fixed it right there in front of everyone. Her makeup, while simple enough, was always immaculate, and Hunter wondered if there was ever a time when she let go of the perfect facade and just allowed herself to be comfortable. 

It wasn't any of that which had drawn him to her, though. It had been her laughter, her happiness, her undeniable confidence. She had walked through life knowing that she looked good, knowing the effect she had on people. She had owned it, and that had really stood out. Yet, underneath all of that, she had a very peculiar insecurity, one he'd only seen a few times in all the time he'd known her. Somewhere underneath all her confidence was a girl who wasn't always sure whether or not she was really, truly wanted. 

That's why he'd written the song. He had wanted to tell her that he had feelings for her, and he always seemed to communicate things better in song. He wanted her to have a constant reminder that she was wanted, and not just because she was pretty.

Hunter sighed. When she had rejected him, he'd been hurt, no doubt. For a while, singing or hearing "Wanted" was a painful reminder that she didn't care for him. It didn't take too long to admit to himself that she wasn't going to come around, so, yes, he had gotten over her some time ago, or at least he'd told himself that. Was it true, though? 

Before he could arrive at an answer, the door swung open and Bethany climbed up the stairs, greeting them with a smile. She dropped her shoes, which had been hanging from her hands when she'd arrived, on the floor by the couch and leaned over Matt to grab a handful of pretzels from the bag. 

See, here's a girl who's probably the complete opposite of Amanda, Hunter thought. Bethany hardly wore makeup. She never complained when it was so hot backstage that everyone was sweating like pigs, and she'd simply flip a strand of loose hair back when it got in her way. She walked around barefoot and had no qualms about helping the guys and her crew clean up even the most disgusting areas of some of their arenas. Amanda would never have done something like that. 

But Amanda was more his type, wasn't she? She was the type of girl he'd always fancied.

I don't know. Maybe things will get clearer when I have lunch with Amanda, he thought, shrugging off the problem and vowing to think about it no more for the night.