Still Falling (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 3 in the HunTia Trilogy)

Chapter Seventy-Four

*A WEEK LATER: EARLY JUNE, 2033*

TIA'S POV:

I hear a knock at my apartment door, and say, "Gimme a minute!" As soon as I put a lid on the pasta that I've been cooking, I go to answer the door.
Hunter stands there, smiling and looking somewhat shy, and he's holding a bunch of red roses. I bite my lip and smile. "Wow, Hunter. Even you aren't so cliché that you gave me a dozen roses."
"Oh, there's fourteen actually," he says. "The store owner was feeling nice."
I laugh, taking the flowers. "Thanks. Come in."
He takes a deep breath. "Ooh, I smell your famous pasta bubbling away."
"Only you, Hunter," I say, chuckling.
Over the past week, we've been getting closer. He's attempted to kiss me over and over, but either we get interrupted or I stop him. I'm just not sure. But I feel like things have changed, though for better or for worse, I'm not sure I'll ever find out.
"So," he says, clapping his hands. "I had an idea today!"
"We should take a picture and show Lynette. She'd be proud."
"Oh hush, you," he says, and I crack up. "So, we eat dinner and watch a movie, right? Then, I have a song I'd like to play you. May I play it to you, m'lady, and confess my undying love for thee?"
"Is it yours?"
"No, an old classic. I'm sure you'll love it."
I smile. "Oh, alright."
"Brilliant," he says. "So, when'll the pasta be ready?"
"When it's cooked," I say. "Are you that hungry?"
"I miss your cooking," he says, and I giggle. "Actually, do you want me to play you that song now?"
I shrug. "Sure, I guess."
He practically skips into my tiny TV room, and I have to stifle my laughter as he connects his phone to the speaker. A very familiar (and very old) song begins to play on the speakers. This song... man, I probably wasn't even born when this came out, but it's one of my favourites.
"L is for the way you look at me,
O is for the only one I see,
V is very, very extraordinary,
E is even more than anyone that you and adore, then love..."
Hunter takes my hand, despite my protests, and he starts dancing with me. He's singing along, and I'm laughing in delight. This is what love is. This is how it should always be.
"Love is all that I can give to you,
Love is more than just a game for two,
Two in love can make it,
Take my heart and please don't break it,
Love was made for me and you," Hunter sings along, and I blush. He lifts me up and spins me around, before setting me down and kissing my hand. "My lady."
"Goodness, you're romantic today," I giggle, as he straightens up and smiles triumphantly.
"Did you like that?"
"I loved it!" I hesitate for a moment, before blurting out, "I have a song for you too."
"Really?" he asks, and I nod.
"Here, let me go get it." I go to my bedroom and come back with my phone, before plugging it in, and letting him recognise the soft song playing over my speakers.
"I've been awake for a while now,
You got me feelin' like a child now,
'Cause every time I see your bubbly face,
I get the tingles in a silly place..."
I take Hunter's hand and we sway gently to the music, Colbie speaking the words that I couldn't get out for the life of me. I rest my head on Hunter's chest and hear his heart beginning to race. I close my eyes and just concentrate on his warmth, the way he gives me butterflies, and how perfectly safe I feel in his arms.
The song finishes, and Hunter hugs me, nuzzling his nose against mine. "That was nice," he says quietly, and I nod, sighing.
"The pasta will be done by now."
"Awesome," he says, and I pull out of the hug, quickly getting some pasta into two bowls and serving one to him. "Mmm!" he says, eating some. "Tee, this is amazing!"
"Thanks, Hunt," I say, smiling. "Have some more, I don't want you going home hungry."
"I ain't gonna say no to that," he says, and eats some more. When he's done, he takes a long drink of water and smiles at me. "I think that's the first proper thing I've eaten in ages. Addy's good, but I could never get anything down, I always felt sick."
"Me too, actually," I say. "So, what movie?"
"Let's go back to the old days," he says. "James Bond?"
"I'm listening."
He pulls out a James Bond movie, one of the new ones, and I grin. "You know me way too well."
Shrugging, he says, "It's a given."
We sit down on the couch together, and Hunter begins playing the movie. Halfway through, I notice that he's watching me, not the TV, and I pause the movie. "Hunt, what're you doing?"
"Admiring your beauty."
I blush. "Stop it, Hunter. I mean, it's sweet and all, but I feel-"
"Embarrassed? Why?"
I shrug. "I just... I dunno. I haven't had anyone tell me that I'm beautiful for six months now."
He looks ashamed of himself and moves closer to me, his leg just brushing against mine. "You know I regret that, Tee, and you know I wish I could take those six months back and do them over to prove that I really do love you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah."
He moves even closer, wrapping an arm around my waist. "I love you, Tia. I love you, and I want you back."
"I know."
"So why won't you take me back?"
"Because I'm scared, Hunt, okay?! I'm not strong enough to handle all this again! I'm scared that we'll get back together and we'll just be making another mistake with it all! I'm scared because it took us so long to realise that there was something wrong, and only took us a short while to get back to being all couple-y, and I just- I just-"
"Tia, calm down," Hunter whispers, and I realise that I can't breathe. "You're having a panic attack again."
I concentrate on my breathing, and he rubs my hand, continuously trying to calm me down and it was slowly working, and I feel my fear slowly dwindle down into embarrassment again.
"Are you okay?"
"No. I'm so damn weak, Hunt. I hate it."
He frames my face with his hands, calloused from playing the guitar for so many years. "You're the strongest woman I know. You don't ever need to be afraid of falling. You know why?"
I shake my head, and he whispers, "I will always be there to catch you." Slowly, he leans in, closing his eyes.
And I don't pull away.
His lips, soft and firm, touch mine just barely brushing across them, before kissing me fully, the sweet taste enveloping me in pleasure. Finally, this is where I belong. This is where I'm safe.
This is home.
He deepens the kiss, and I feel my back pressed against the pillows on the couch. My hands are shaking with adrenaline, my heart pumping and I can feel that I'm totally flushed. He pulls away, gasping for air. "I love you, Tiana Joy. And I would do anything for you."
"I-I love you, too, Hunter Easton."
He leans back in for another kiss, and slowly, I let myself go.

HUNTER'S POV:

I wake up on the couch with Tia, the two of us covered by the throw blanket that had been on the other couch. I look around at the clothes strewn around the room, the TV still paused at the point we had left the movie. I gaze at Tia, lying so perfectly warm and soft in my arms, her leg draped over my stomach. Am I still asleep, or am I awake? Did I dream how perfect that whole thing was? The way we were entwined with one another?
She stirs. "Where am I?"
"Right here, baby."
She looks up, then looks around, realising that we're on the couch, and that we're very much naked. "Ah."
I kiss her slowly, revelling in the fact that I have the privilege to be able to do that again. She responds by slowly moving her lips against mine, making me want more. "Hey."
"Hi," she says. "Well, we just did that."
"Yep."
"What's the time?"
I squint through the darkness at a clock hanging on the opposite wall. "Three." I smile a little. "Happy twentieth anniversary, Tee."
She smiles. "You too, Hunt."
We sit in silence for a while longer, before I speak. "Tee?"
"Yeah?"
"You know that dream we both had? About fire?"
"Yeah?"
"I think it's representing this."
"What do you mean?"
"Fire. It destroys everything that we managed to achieve in twenty one years. The kids will be fine, but without each other, we're not getting out alive. We need each other."
She runs her hand up and down my arm. "You think so?"
"I know so. It makes sense, Tee. Think about it."
"I can see where you're coming from."
I nod, and there's more silence for a little while. "What do you think brought all this on?" asks Tia. "The almost-divorce and everything?"
"Miscommunication, what else? We were both so caught up in the kids lives, in our music, that we forgot that we need to care about each other too."
"Why were you willing to let Addy get married and not let her go to California?"
"That was the whole reason I didn't want her going, Tee. Dallas asked for my blessing, and asked me not to tell anyone. That's why I didn't tell you either."
She sighs. "This was all just one big mess, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," I say. "But I'm glad we're okay now."
"Me too."
Silence. "So what now?"
"Huh?" she asks. 
"Will- will you come back?"
She sighs. "Hunter, this has been the biggest mistake of my life. I'm not sure why I even thought it was a good idea."
I swallow, feeling my heart sink. "Oh."
"So yes, I'm coming back."
"Wait, what?" I say. "I thought our relationship was the biggest mistake of your life."
"No," she says, "but leaving was."
I feel a smile grow on my face, and I kiss her. "Thank you."
"No, thank you for not giving up on me. I can't have made it easy for you."
"That's another thing," I say. "Tia, I'm so, incredibly sorry. For everything I ever said during our arguments. I never meant a word of it. You know, sometimes when someone's angry, they say things that they don't mean, and I said a lot of things that I don't mean."
"Me too, Hunt. Don't worry about it, because I regret every word I ever said during those arguments."
I feel around her hip for the ragged scar left by the bullet that was meant for me, and she inhales sharply. "I forgot how much you were willing to sacrifice for me. I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry, too."
"You're beautiful," I murmur, letting myself get lost in the lavender of her eyes, and she blushes. "I'm in love with you, Tia."
"I know," she whispers. "I'm in love with you, too."
"If anything like this ever happens again, promise me one thing."
"Yeah?"
"Talk to each other. And we shouldn't argue. We should just talk. That was where we went wrong."
"I agree. I mean... I can't live without you, Hunt."
I nod, brushing her bangs away from her face. "I thought the time you were in a coma was the worst time of my life. But knowing that you were willingly staying away from me felt a thousand times worse. I hated not being near you."
"I... I wasn't staying because I felt that it was the right thing to do. I was so scared that you would hate me if I went back that I stayed here, like the coward that I am. I'm so sorry. I should've called, or texted or something."
"You didn't know how I really felt. I was exactly the same with you. Not a day went past where I didn't wish that I could call you without worrying whether or not you were still angry with me."
"Give me a second." Tia stands, grabbing my shirt off the ground and pulling it on, where it went just to the tops of her thighs, then walking into her room. I stand as well, putting my jeans on, but staying shirtless. She comes back with her necklace, the amethyst I gave her all those years ago, and hanging off it was her wedding ring. I fish around my pocket for my own ring, and hand it to her. She slips the ring on my finger, and I put hers onto her finger, then motion for her to turn around so that I could put her necklace back on. Then, I lean down and kiss her passionately.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
We cuddle up again on the couch, and fall asleep like that, my arms around her.
And that was how I won back the love of my life.

*A/N: I can feel how happy you guys are already :)
VOTE, COMMENT AND FOLLOW!!!!
Nethii <3*