"Hunter? Hunter!" His eyes focused again and he found that he'd been lost in space, staring at the wall and strumming uselessly on the acoustic in his lap. "Where are you, man? We've been playing the same lick for half an hour! What's going on with you?" Ned snapped his fingers in front of Hunter's face, and he laughed nervously, trying to shake it off.
"Nothing, Ned, it's fine. What if we tried it with a G sharp?" He played the same four measures again, adding the note and shaking his head. "Nevermind."
He rubbed his eyes. Where was his focus today? He'd never had this much trouble keeping his mind on the task as he was having today.
"Ned, can we just take a break, please? I need to go outside, clear my head a bit."
Ned nodded. "Fine, Hunter, but when you get back, please, please, please, try to stay in the room, okay?" He agreed, putting the guitar on its stand and walking from the room with his hands tucked into his pockets.
His mind was so full of women today. It had been so long since he'd had someone to think about, and now, all of a sudden, there were two all at once! Amanda: perfect, gorgeous, and slightly high-maintenance. And Bethany: natural, beautiful, and just a little disinterested in him.
Which one did he prefer? Amanda was great; he'd known her longer than Beth, and she had once inspired him to write a hit song. Obviously she was interested in furthering their relationship, and he had loved kissing her this afternoon, even if it had taken him by surprise.
Beth, on the other hand, was such a genuine person. She was always laughing or smiling, and he loved teasing her. He smiled, thinking of their tickle-fest earlier in the trailer. He had been completely transfixed when she'd been trapped against his body on the floor, but had he felt anything besides that? He couldn't remember feeling the urge to kiss her, or even to touch her. So he couldn't really like her, could he?
Yet, there was something so mysterious about Bethany. It was there in the way she'd completely ignored him the first day they'd met, in the way she never talked about her past or wondered aloud about her future. It was in the way she hid the sadness in her eyes when someone spoke of love, and in the dullness of her smile when she teased him about Amanda. He had the feeling that she was hiding something, something that had changed her, somewhere deep inside in a place that was dusty and cold. Had someone ruined the idea of love for her?
He tried to shrug off these thoughts, but they plagued him for the rest of the afternoon, and well into the night, when he lay awake staring at the glowing face of his watch. He heard someone move out of their bunk, and he pulled back his curtain to see who it was.
Bethany, he thought, getting up and following her to the living area.
"Beth?" he whispered, hoping not to startle her in the dark.
"I'm in here." Her voice sounded from the couch, and Hunter walked over slowly to join her there.
"You don't sound surprised that I'm here," he remarked, finding the couch and scooting over until he sat right beside her.
Bethany shrugged, feeling his presence very close to her in the dark cabin. "I heard you sighing in your bunk, so I figured you were still up. Sorry if I disturbed you."
"No, it's fine. I couldn't sleep anyway. Too many thoughts."
She laughed in a whisper. "I know what you mean."
Hunter laughed with her, barely audible. "Anything you'd like to share?"
Beth bit her lip, taking a deep breath. "Actually, Hunter, there is one thing I'd like to ask you about, if that's okay."
She wants to ask me something? Is this it? Is she about to trust me with something?
"Yeah, that's absolutely fine. Go ahead."
She steadied herself again with a deep breath, and played with her thumbs in front of her face. She couldn't see them in the dark, but imagining them twirling around each other calmed her a bit.
"My dad always told me to be careful with love. He said that boys were dangerous, that they only ever wanted one thing and that most of them would stop at nothing to get it." She took another breath, then continued. "I've never really had a lot of trust in guys, Hunter, because I can't forget that. And honestly, my experience has only proved his point. So my question is: how do I get them to stop looking to me for...that and start looking at me as someone, I don't know, special?"
Hunter was astonished. "I'm not sure I understand you, Bethany. Everybody I know thinks you're very special. I mean, you're great at your job and you're fun to be around. What's not special about that?"
She snorted quietly. "That's not what I mean, and you know it. The fact of the matter is that guys look at me and see me either as a toy that they can play with, or they don't even see me at all. Why is that? How can I get a guy to look at me and think I'm worth something?"
How can you be insecure about that, Beth? You're wonderful. I may not have figured out whether or not I have feelings for you, but I have no doubt that someone does!
He laughed, hearing her slap her knee exasperatedly. "You can't change people's minds, Beth. Unfortunately, there are tons more guys out there like that than there are good guys, believe me. That doesn't mean you won't find somebody. There's a guy waiting for you somewhere that is looking for you, and only you. He doesn't want anybody else, and he will love and respect you for who you are. It's the light in his eyes that you need to look forward to."
She sighed. I don't want to be a toy anymore, Hunter. Can you promise me that I won't be? Can you tell me, honestly and with 100% surety that this guy is going to be true to me? Can you promise me that?
No, you can't. I'm better off how I am. You can't get hurt if you don't let anyone touch you.
She shrugged it off, hitting Hunter's shoulder playfully and saying, "Thanks, Hunt. That's exactly what I needed to hear." Thanks for trying, anyway. "I didn't mean to dump all that on you. It's just been on my mind, is all."
Hunter nodded, still overwhelmed. Had she really just opened up to him? He couldn't describe the way he was feeling except to say that he felt honored. He wondered when the last time was that she'd let anyone know she had insecurities. The confident, strong, independent woman he knew would not be easily led to admit that she, too, suffered from the weaknessess of the heart.
"It's totally fine. Just, promise me something, okay?"
She gulped. What now? "Okay..."
"Don't ever let a guy treat you like a toy. No one should be treated that way."
"I'll try."
"Okay. Promise me something else."
"What, Hunter?"
"If you ever need to talk to someone, talk to me, or find someone else. Don't let it get stuck inside you."
She sighed. "Okay."
Hunter fumbled around for her hand, and grasped it when he found it. "Promise me, Beth."
"Fine, I promise." She smiled into the dark, though she knew he couldn't see it, and squeezed his hand reassuringly. Too bad I'm lying.
Hunter squeezed her hand back, then stood and returned to his bunk, feeling as happy as he had in a long time. She trusts me. Wow. She trusts me.
Bethany rose and followed him, slowly uncrossing her twisted fingers. I can't keep that promise, Hunter. I can't trust you...I can't trust anyone.
You'll be the one to break my heart.
I'm super excited about this story, guys. :3 The ideas are just pouring out! What are you thinking? Like it? Hit vote. Don't like it? Hit vote anyway, because you got here! :D I love you guys! Keep rockin'! God bless and happy reading!
YOU ARE READING
Secret Love (Hunter Hayes Fanfiction)
Romans"I'm falling for someone who isn't falling for me." "I know exactly how you feel," he answered, leaning down and hugging her tightly. "Do you?" She hugged him back, willing him to know just how much she cared for him. He chuckled. "Yeah, I do." H...
