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“In your past, it was a fresh open wound.” She shrugged. “These days, I’d like to think it’s easier because you’ve done the inner work.”
Raising my eyebrows, I dipped my chin. “Don’t downplay your ability to make me feel like I can finally come up for air.”
“Whatever you say.” Andi rolled her eyes, shying away from my compliment. “But seriously, thank you for opening up to me tonight. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”
“There’s a lot more to it all, but for tonight, I think it’s a good start. Thank you for listening to me.”
A small grin found my lips, one that she effortlessly returned.
Extending my arm out, I wiggled my fingers, inviting her to fill the empty space. Accepting my invitation, she inched toward me until my arm curved around her back, and her head rested perfectly on my chest.
For moments, we sat in silence before I remembered that it was her turn to fill me in on a part of her life story.
“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow? Want to try again? Or we can go home. The ball is in your court.”
“You mean we didn’t drive out to the middle of nowhere to cuddle, eat shitty pizza, and dig up old wounds?”
I’d never get tired of her sarcasm.
“We can pretend that’s why we came all this way if that makes you feel better. Because I’d sure as shit go anywhere with you if it meant I was holding you in my arms, getting to kiss you for the first time, and learning a little bit more about what made you who you are today.”
Lifting her cheek off my chest, she glanced up at me with narrow eyes.
“I should have figured you’d be a softy.” She pinched my side, forcing a raspy laugh out of me, and I knew exactly what she was doing.
Digging my fingers into her side, I teased her right back. “All right, now stop deflecting.”
“Ugh. Fun sucker.”
“Oh, trust me, I know how to have fun. But first, you need to return the favor.”
Scooting closer to me, she nuzzled her chin into the crook of my neck before letting out an irritated sigh.
“Okay, fine.” Her finger toyed with the drawstring on my sweatpants. “We came all this way, so I should probably just bite the bullet, visit him, and get it over with.”
“If that’s what you want, we’ll make it happen.”
Waiting patiently for her to give me a piece of her past, I ran my fingers through her auburn locks, feeling the weight of her sink into me.
The way Hunter so easily divulged the hardest thing that someone could possibly go through, made my problems sound silly and small. He lost his wife and he still, to this day, didn’t know why. And me? I just have a shitty, disappointing past full of broken dreams.
Why did I have a feeling that when I voiced what I’d been holding on to all this time out loud, Hunter would suddenly have this entirely different image of me? That I was some immature little girl holding on to a grudge.
There was only one way to find out.
“Imagine it’s nighttime, and there isn’t a sound to be heard. No cars are on the road, you hear owls in the distance, crickets chirping, and you can finally think clearly for the first time because there are no other distractions. That’s the kind of place I grew up in. Except sometimes, that quiet became too loud, and it would only last until my parents came home drunk off their asses. Growing up, me and my brother were thick as thieves.” A disappointed smile appeared ever so briefly on my lips as I recalled the simpler times between us.
“He had so many moments when he shined. Logan was my soundboard on a bad day. He was the person I had by my side when our parents fought so loud and I was afraid the walls would break.”
Zoning out, I reflected on each memory as naturally as I could. It was almost as if Hunter had a sneak peek into my journal with how messy my thoughts were spilling out. I wasn’t sure if that scared me or if it made me feel safe that he was learning a different side of me—one far less sarcastic.
I allowed his deep breaths and the steady way his chest moved up and down to encourage me to continue.
“Logan was my best friend, but sometimes, it’s the people closest to you that hurt you the most.”
“How did he hurt you?” Hunter’s deep voice vibrated against the top of my head.
“As we got older, around fifteen or sixteen, Logan got wrapped up with a different crowd. He started partying heavily, drinking a lot, and doing things that I never wanted a part of, so it only caused a drift between us. He was following in our parent’s footsteps, and that was never the plan with us.”
