Nothing like starting over (Hunter hayes fan fiction)

Chapter 17/Begining to remember

HUNTER'S POV

I woke up exhausted. All night I had strange dreams and I was restless. I sat up in bed and my head blurred for just a moment and I got a strange sense of déjà vu. I walked to the kitchen trying to shake off the feeling that something was wrong. I developed a feeling inside of me that wouldn't go away. It made me feel hollow and sad. I was suddenly frozen holding a empty coffee cup. I felt sad and alone and I had no idea why. I felt bad about myself. I remembered I was supposed to meet Payton today at the studio. I sat the cup down and walked back to my room to get ready. I didn't want to go to work today. I didn't want to write or record. I wanted this feeling of shadowing darkness to disappear. I threw on the same clothes I had on the day before which I don't normally do but I really didn't care. I didn't want to bother anybody for a ride so I called a cab to take me to the studio. I'm sure Payton would like that. She always offers to pick me up or drop me off so this time she'd be happy that she doesn't have to in convince herself and take me home or pick me up. "I'm such a bother" I said aloud to my self. I made a strange face at myself in the mirror and tilted my head. I looked different. But I wasn't sure exactly how I looked different. Or why I had just said that. "Your losing it man" I said shaking my head laughing to myself.
When I got to the studio no one was there which was strange, until I realized I was a little early, but I took it as a way to just relax for a minute. I laid down on the couch and let one leg hang off. I stared at the ceiling and thought about how many times I had been in here. I know I basically lived here but I could only remember very little about actually being in the studio. It was like that with everything. Everyone else had memories of my life that I didn't. I wanted to remember so bad.

As I was laying on the couch I heard the sound of a guitar playing. It sounded like someone was in the booth playing and singing. I sat up and curiously walked over to see who it was. I sat in an office chair and looked in through the glass and surprisingly enough I saw Payton. I turned on the mic so I could hear her. I felt like a creeper because she had no idea I was there. She sounded amazing. I didn't know she could really sing. I watched her for a while. She was playing and then she'd pause and write something down. Whatever she was writing it was about something sad. I wondered if that's why she hadn't texted me back last night. Maybe something bad happened. Either way I was about to get her attention because my stupid ass leaned on the mic button making a loud screeching sound echo through the studio. Payton abruptly stopped playing.

"What the hell !?" she shot up out of her seat

She looked up at me. I was sitting there dumbfounded and not knowing what to do. I looked like a dumbass with my mouth hanging open. I probably looked like a deer in the headlights.

"Hunter ?! what are you doing here ? How long have you been here ?" she asked while walking through the door and out into the room where I was still seated

"I...I..i um uh well I'm supposed to be here. I was meeting you today ? remember ? I'm sorry. I thought I was alone. I didn't mean to- uh well then I heard someone and I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spy on you" I said stammering

"Why'd you just sit there ?" She raised a brow at me.

"I'm sorry. I just heard you singing and I was just listening. I'm sorry." I said

"It's ok I guess. Just next time let a girl know your in the room. That way you don't scare the shit out of her" she laughed

"I will. I'm sorry again. But you sounded really good." I smiled

"Thanks. Hey, why are you here early ?" she asked me

"I had a strange dream and I couldn't sleep all night. I already knew I had to come I today so might as well go early. I didn't know I was that early. Usually the guys are here before me." I said

"What was your dream about ?" she pulled a chair up next to me

"Nothing really it was just weird" I answered leaning me head back looking at the ceiling.

"Oh. Weird how ?" she asked nosily

"I don't know." I chuckled at her curiosity "hey Payton can I ask you something ?" I said still staring at the ceiling

"Yeah hunter ask away" she said. I couldn't see her but I could tell she had a friendly smile on her face.

"Do you know if I've ever smoked before ? or drank before ? I mean I know I'm old enough but you know not from what I can remember so I was just wondering if you knew if I smoked or drank or ever did." I asked pulling my head down looking at her

"Uh.....well. I know you have drank. But not like a lot. You usually only had a glass of wine every now and then. But um I've never seen you smoke before" she said. I believed her but her tone was odd. She wouldn't look at me and I felt like she wasn't telling me something.

"Oh. Well that's ok I guess." I twirled in my chair.

"Why do you ask something like that ?" she asked suspiciously

"Well...in my dream. I was in my apartment with some guy. I don't think I knew him but you know how in dreams you can't see faces ? I saw his so I had to know him but he didn't seem familiar and I couldn't find a picture of him anywhere. But we were smoking and drinking and I went to bar. It all seemed so real like a..like a memory. Not a dream. I don't know. I think I'm over worked so my dreams are all funky" I laughed shooting a smile at Payton. But she wasn't laughing with me. Or even smiling.

"Are you ok ?" I asked her

"Huh ? yeah hunter I'm fine. I'm gonna use the bathroom and I'll be back." She got up and left.

"That's weird" I said softly to myself.

PAYTON'S POV

"Shit shit shit shit !" I mumbled to myself walking swiftly away from hunter and into the lobby room. Hunter couldn't possibly have had a memory like that right ? maybe it was just a dream but he did smoke and drink and go to bars. So how would he have a dream about it ? dreams are partially constructed from subconscious memory so maybe he had a little pop of memories in his dream. But what if that meant he was going to start having little memory pops when he's awake. He'll start to remember. For me I hoped that was the case. That way we could drop this charade and tell him the truth.

"Payton ?" a voice spoke up

"Oh ! sam it's just you. I thought you might be hunter" I jumped a little

"Why would you be scared to see hunter ?" he asked.

"Sam something's wrong. He told me about a dream he had. And it wasn't a dream i think it was a memory." I said looking concerned

"What ? how ? what did he say ?" he asked lowering his voice.

"He's in the other room. You can ask him yourself. But basically he asked me if I knew if he drank or smoked before because in his dream he was with some guy in his apartment and they were smoking and drinking and then he went to a bar. That seems like a weird dream to have." I said trying to keep my voice low so hunter didn't hear us

"I'll tell the guys and then we will talk to hunter. If he's starting to remember then we have to brace ourselves for if he remembers everything. We have to help him not to be more depressed than he was." Sam said putting his hand on my shoulder

"Hey sam !" hunter said cheerfully

"Oh hey dude. Can we talk ?" sam said walking towards him.

"Yeah about what. ?" Hunter asked confused

"Just something, Payton when the guys come in will you send them back ?" sam asked me.

"Yeah sure" I forced a smile.
I couldn't believe the horrible effect that it could have on hunter if he woke up tomorrow and knew everything. If he suddenly found out that his friends and family have been lying to him. I couldn't imagine how mad he'd be. Sam said we would have to brace ourselves and we couldn't let hunter get more depressed. I sorta felt that, that was inevitable, hunter needs help. Like actual help help, from a therapist or someone. I was still upset that Betsy made us lie to him. But there's nothing I can do about it.