BROKEN VOWS

Chapter Eleven. Hide and seek or something?

Rainbow's POV.

Weave, nod, and smile...smile, nod, and weave, etc. One week, two days, five hours, thirty minutes, and forty-five seconds. Wait...make that forty-six seconds now.

Unlike the usual weaves, I pretend I didn't see him; this has been our routine for the duration of the times I've mentioned. I didn't know what to do with myself at first or how to deal with my neighbor's knowledge of my supposed panic attacks.

I'd found myself spacing out during meals more often than before, trying to imagine his opinions of me, and I think it was starting to get on Ben's nerves, but instead of chastising me as usual, he just stood up and left.

Frankly, it doesn't bother me as much as it used to anymore, because that's not my biggest concern right now. I'm more worried about why I care about how Hunter sees me( his opinions of me)

I've always had issues with people's perception of me, though those issues were based on my physical appearance. Nobody except my husband has ever seen me look scared, broken, and beaten up, which is understandable because he's the cause of my vulnerability most times.

For days, all I've thought about is how I'm going to face Hunter the next time I visit. This also brings me to my next question: should I visit him? That takes me to my next! next! question: will it be okay with my husband that I'm talking to another person? Of course, he won't be okay with it! My conscience tells me, but I don't care about that anymore. Does Hunter consider me his friend? Are there protocols for things like this? Aish! I'm losing my mind!

Call it anxious apprehension or whatever, but I'm terrible at this people's stuff! I've never really had to converse with other people any longer than what's necessary, but my neighbor has awakened my hunger for it.

I'm going over there! I have questions that need answers. This game of hide and seek we've got going on here has got to stop! And if there's something else, I still need to know before I lose my mind.

Before I could even finish thinking that, my legs had carried me out of my house, and I was now standing at his front door wearing an oversized hooded sweater and ripped jeans with the hood of my sweater over my hair. Great! Just great! I've been obsessing about his perception of me, and this is how I appear here. Before I can do what only I know how to do best, which is to talk myself out of doing what's necessary for my sanity, his front door is thrown open with him smiling and saying.

''Are you coming in?" I'm stunned, to say the least.

"How did you know I was here?" I just had to ask.

"I've been watching you as you have been watching me through your window blinds, and I saw when you left your house to come here." He answers without hesitation, weird indeed. So it is something, but not hide and seek. I'm thinking about what the something is but my thoughts will have to wait right now because he's still holding the door open and smiling at me expectantly.

"Yeah, of course, I'm coming in...thanks for asking." I smile and step into the house. The memory of what had transpired here only last week is very fresh in my mind, but I try to push it down, telling myself he's a good person and he won't hurt me.

"Welcome to my home, my name is Hunter Riggs. I am your new neighbor, nice to meet you." He manages to say all that in one breath. Realizing what he was trying to do, I stretched my right arm towards him with a smile of my own and said.

"My name is Rainbow Williams; welcome to the neighborhood, Hunter'' He takes my hand with a soft chuckle, then replies.

"Thank you very much! You're too kind" I laugh before asking him. "Am I the first person to arrive for the housewarming party?" his laughter matches mine as he says...

"Their invites must have gotten lost in the mail or something"

"Or something," I muttered.

One look at each other caused us to laugh louder, and just like that, the tension was gone. Hunter gave me a tour of his newly painted and decorated house, his yard is coming back to life. the garage is now surprisingly accommodating than it was last week, with lights fixed and all items organized. The odd-colored-looking car is now replaced with a black W140 Mercedes Benz. How do I know that? He told me of course.

That's his job, buying beat-up cars and bringing them to life, then selling them for higher prices.

After a minutes-long tour of his home, I'm impressed with what he's done with the place, though he refused to go into that one room that looked like an attic, which was strange, but I decided not to push it. Because there was a distant look on his face when we passed by the door, we're now back in his sitting room, speaking of looks...

"Hunter?" Of course, it sounds like a question since I don't know how to ask the real question.

"Yeah? What's up?" He asks.

"Um...what did you mean when you said I had a look?"

"Oh, that? I was wondering when you were gonna bring it up." He replies, and I raise my brow at him.

"The first few times I watched you, you had that stray cat kinda vibe around you." Still not satisfied with his answer, I quark my brows at him, and he chuckles the nerve!

"That stray cat vibes that anything can spook them, except yours was more like being watchful and keeping your distance kinda look." He explained like you would to a child, and I scowl.

"And that made you stay away?'' I asked and he nods before saying.

"It seemed you were afraid of something bad happening if you didn't, and I didn't want to be the reason your fears became real," he explains further and stands before asking.

"Tea?" Not even waiting for a reply, he walks towards the direction of his kitchen, and I follow suit, asking.

"So...why did you change your mind?" Handing me a cup of hot liquid he says

"We both needed the distraction." Then, before sipping his tea, he mutters a silent "Plus, I can't let it happen again."

When I looked at him, his eyes were closed, I don't think I was supposed to hear that last part, so I didn't push for further answers. He will tell me when he's ready. Not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere, I sipped my cup of hot liquid, hmmm...chamomile tea, my favorite.

Author's Note
Another complete chapter guys!!! Hunter was supposed to be some kind of temporal distraction to Rainbow's and Benjamin's catastrophic marriage but I've decided to make him a vital part of the story because he also has his own story to tell. What do you think he meant by "I can't let it happen again"? Keep reading to find out; I might include his POV later, depending on how my spirit leads me.🙏🙏🙏🙏