by KC Kean
My fingers itch to ruffle his blond hair as he sits beside me in denim shorts, a white T-shirt, and a red checkered shirt, unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up. So hot. But I’m in too much pain to care enough about looking just as pretty right now.
“Go away, Hunter,” I grumble, cringing as I try to roll over, my stomach feeling like it’s being stabbed with a thousand knives.
“I’m not going to go away when you’re rolling around in pain like this,” he throws back instantly, and I roll my eyes.
“I’m on my fucking period, Hunter. I’ll be fine. I’m just cranky as fuck for the first two days when the cramps are unbearable. So, can you fuck off now, please?” I grouse, expecting him to go running with his tail between his legs, but instead, he leans forward, stroking his fingers down my arm.
“Oh, okay. Give me ten minutes,” he murmurs, rising from the bed. He freezes above me, an awkwardness growing between us before he suddenly remembers himself and leaves. At least he closed the door again, but that felt like he was almost going to lean down and kiss me. The thought of it alone has my heartbeat spiking.
But he won’t be coming back, the thought of period and blood likely frightening him away.
Grabbing the remote, I press play, letting my movie continue. Batman always makes me feel better, and since I watched the Dark Knight the other week with Charlie, it’s only fitting to watch the third movie in the trilogy—The Dark Knight Rises.
I’m not sure how much time passes when my bedroom door suddenly swings open again, and I growl. I need to lock the fucking door. Throwing the blanket off me, I turn my glare to the door, only to find Hunter kicking it shut behind him, turning the lock as he does.
My glare morphs into surprise as he holds a bag in one hand and two pizza boxes in the other.
Wordlessly, he drops the things onto the bed and closes the curtain lining the balcony doors as I continue to gape at him.
Coming to stand beside the bed, he looks down at me expectantly.
“What are you doing back here?” I finally ask, picking my jaw up off the bed, and he shrugs his shoulders at me before kicking his shoes off and taking the seat beside me again.
“Scooch over. The period peaceworker is here.”
“You have jokes?” I murmur, doing as he says like an idiot, and he sits back against my headboard before pulling the covers over himself and moving the bag and pizza boxes closer.
“So, I’ve got chocolate, candy, Dr. Pepper, extra painkillers, some heat pads,” he rambles, pulling items out of the bag as he says them. “Oh, and this St. John’s Worts stuff, someone recommended it. Apparently, it’s good for boosting your mood and anxiety or something.”
He shakes the bottle as I try to read the label, but my brain is completely fried with confusion.
“Hunter, what is all this?” I ask slowly, turning to meet his gaze, and he blushes a little as I wait for him to answer.
“Uh, you met my sister, Bethany. She didn’t do too well with her period cramps, and this stuff used to make her feel better,” he answers, raw honesty on his face. He must have been young when she was dealing with periods in his vicinity, maybe twelve, I’m not sure, but it stuns me how he remembered.
“And why are you doing this…for me?” I ask, wetting my dry lips as he relaxes more into the pillows like he belongs here or something.
“Because I will never forget the time she said, ‘You will never understand the true differences between boys and girls, Hunter. With your little wiener, you don’t have to worry about mother nature. I feel like someone is squeezing my motherfucking organs, and I just want chocolate!’” His high-pitched whine should be an insult, but I can’t help but grin as I gingerly sit beside him, leaning back against the headboard.
“But I thought we were back to not speaking to each other again,” I state, giving him a pointed look, but he doesn’t respond. Instead, he opens the pizza boxes, putting a freshly baked pepperoni pizza in front of me.
“Are you always this grumpy when someone wants to take care of you, or is this the hormones speaking?” he asks, shaking the mood boosters at me, and I snatch them out of his hand, grabbing the Dr. Pepper as well.
Swallowing a pill quickly, I give Hunter a wide fake smile, flashing him my ‘boosted spirits,’ but he just smiles softly at me.
I press play on the remote, and the movie continues, and I watch as he takes a bite of his pizza, grinning along at the joke on the screen. None of this feels real. I haven’t spoken two words to this guy since I saw him tugging on his cock as Tobias laid me out on the patio table earlier in the week.
But he doesn’t know that I know that he did that. Yet this isn’t awkward at all.
Eating in silence, Hunter clears the empty pizza boxes away and unwraps a heat patch for me, but I take it off him before he tries to put it on me himself.
“Feeling any better?” he murmurs, clearing the bed and lying down, his arm reaching out in offer to…cuddle?
I’m feeling so sorry for myself that I don’t turn him down, sinking into him and resting my head on his shoulder as his arm wraps around me.
“A little,” I admit, my palm resting on his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath my palm. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he whispers back, stroking his fingers through my hair.
“I guess I should say good game earlier too. I heard it was 42-3, and you played amazing.”
“Eden, I always play amazing.”
Curled up together in our little bubble with a party going on around us, I feel so close to him, yet I know little to nothing about him.
“How are the three of you so close?” I ask, not needing to specify who I’m talking about as I keep my eyes trained on the television.
“Because Xavier deemed us to be worth saving,” he murmurs in response, his words making me glance at him. There is obviously more to that story—more than I think he’ll offer me right now.
“So who is Hunter Asheville? Beyond bringing me my very own blood bag of goodies and causing trouble at school, of course.”
Glancing down at me, a soft sigh leaves his lips as he considers my question. “I am a music loving brother, uncle, and friend, willing to blindly follow my heart, hoping it will lead to freedom.”
He said a big handful of words, but what I really heard was Hunter Asheville is deep as hell.
Turning on his side, he brushes the loose wisps of hair off my face as he searches my eyes. “And who might Eden Grady be?”
It feels like forever as I try to find the right answer when I eventually go with the truth. “I have no idea who she is. I don’t think I ever really have, but especially not since my dad died.”
“You’ll find her again, whomever you’re meant to be, you’re some badass goddess. You won’t go down without a fight.”
His green eyes hold me captive as his words hit deeper than anything else I’ve heard lately.
Lifting my hand to cup his cheek, I drag my thumb across his bottom lip, inching closer as I do. My eyes drift closed as our lips join, soft and delicate. He kisses me with such tenderness, I almost melt into a puddle.
Slowly pulling apart, I bite my bottom lip as he smiles back at me, his fingers tangled in my hair.
“Now, I love this movie, not as much as the second one, but enough to hold you against me for some strange reason while we watch it. If you want to bump and grind, you’re going to need to join the party for that, otherwise, eyes on the TV,” he says, a smirk lighting his face.
“I will ask no more questions, but only because the second one is my favorite too.”
Focusing back on the television, butterflies consume my stomach. I have no idea what the hell is happening here. Why do I seem to let the Allstars in so easily, giving them more fuel to burn me later? But for tonight—tonight, I won’t question it.
31
Eden
Watching the waves crash at the water’s edge from my balcony, a towel wrapped around my body as the sea breeze
plays havoc with my hair, I take a deep breath, inhaling the salty sea air. Last night—last night was a whole different dimension for me.
I have never lain in bed snuggled up with a guy while watching a movie. Ever. Never mind while I was on my period, and never in my wildest dreams would it finally happen with an Allstar.
The last thing I remember was being curled up on my side, my head on Hunter’s chest, with the rise and fall of his breathing lulling me to sleep. But when I woke this morning, he was gone. My stomach cramps were feeling much better, and my mood last night had been surprisingly relaxed compared to usual, so I swallowed down another of those mood booster pills Hunter brought over, along with his painkillers.
The Allstars should be called ‘the mind fuckers’ because that’s literally what they do. They’re up and down like a yo-yo, and I don’t know where I stand with them, which is why I’ve decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.
No more letting them in. No more letting them refuse to answer my questions. But most of all, no more letting them use my body. No more sex.
It’s my coping mechanism, but with them, it’s just making me more confused. My emotions are screaming just under the surface as I hold them at bay, and I need to shut them down, this entire situation is just too much. Allowing them to get under my skin like this is only making things harder for me.
If I ever want the answers I need, I'm going to have to make a plan. I have limited resources, but there is one person in this house whom I need to push a little harder instead of avoiding.
Stepping back inside, I twist my hair into a messy pile on top of my head and slip into a pair of black cycle shorts, a vivid pink sports bra, and a loose white tank top.
I promised to go hiking later with Charlie and Archie so I could finally see Mount James, which was named after Charlie’s family. She keeps telling me it really shouldn’t be a mount since it’s barely a molehill, but I’m more excited about a change of scenery than the correct term of the town’s landmarks. Plus, they promised me food at Pete’s afterward.
Tying my running shoes, I slip my phone into the waistline pocket of my shorts and head for the stairs in search of answers.
I really haven’t snooped around this place, nowhere near enough as I should have been doing, but it kind of felt disrespectful. As much as I don’t want to be here, I could have been forced to live under worse conditions.
But today, I’m going to knock on every door to find Richard. But I’m going to start at the bottom floor because I really feel like I would know if he slept across the hall from me or farther down like Archie does.
Hitting the bottom of the stairs, I falter when I see him on the large sofa, staring up at the big screen as the sports news plays with the sound down low.
That was easier than I planned for.
Taking small, measured steps in his direction, my nerves kick in. I force my hands to my side, and my nails bite into my palms.
He doesn’t notice me until I take a seat to his right on the sofa, my eyes also falling to the television as the commentator rips apart some of the latest sporting scandal.
“Hey, sorry. I thought you guys would all be sleeping in since you partied last night,” Richard murmurs, and I cut my gaze to his.
“I didn’t join them last night.” His eyes widen a little in surprise like I would be crazy not to, but I don’t need to explain myself to this guy. I need him to explain something to me. Taking a deep breath I continue, “I actually came down to look for you, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions.”
The half-smile on his tired face instantly drops, and I feel him slowly starting to sink into his cave. “I’m sorry, Eden, I’m not sure what—”
“Did you know my parents?” I blurt out, refusing to take no for an answer, and I watch as he swallows hard before dragging his hand down his face in discomfort. “You did, didn’t you?” I murmur, I can see it written all over his face.
“I’m sorry—”
“Would you please stop apologizing, it’s embarrassing. What I need you to do is be honest with me for like five minutes. I don’t know where my mom is or if she’s even safe. With all due respect, I’m eighteen in a couple of weeks and living in a complete stranger’s home because someone seems to have control over everyone.”
My heart pounds in my chest as anger starts to boil under the surface. My fingers dig into my palms as I try to contain my rage.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Eden,” he whispers, pain in his eyes, pleading with me to stop.
“My dad is dead, Richard. Dead. I deserve answers.” His head drops into his hands as he battles with himself. I can feel him ready to tell me things, it’s on the tip of his tongue, I just need to push on. “Do you know why they were run out of town?”
“Enough, Eden!” he yells, jumping to his feet as he turns to face me, forcing me to lean back in surprise as he squeezes the back of his neck. His face is bright red, emotion swimming in his eyes.
“Now, I’m sorry, Eden. Truly, I am. But I suggest you keep your head down, stop asking questions, and get through school. From there, you just have to hope you get to leave this town, and when you do, I recommend leaving the country entirely, because you know they will chase you from state to state.” Without another word, he turns on his heels and storms from the room, heading downstairs while I’m left with nothing.
“What the hell is going on?” Archie shouts, rushing down the stairs. “Was my dad just yelling at you? I’ll—”
“No. No, it’s fine, Arch,” I murmur, rubbing my chest, wishing the pain away as he stands before me, practically shaking with his hair sticking up in all directions.
“You don’t look fine,” he grumbles, and I can’t deny that I’m shaking a little. Not from his outburst, that doesn’t faze me, but from the realization that I’m never going to know the truth. This toxic town is already wrapping its chains and barbed wire around me, holding me in place so I’ll fall in line, and I hate it.
Before I can say anything in response, Archie steps right up to me, his big arms wrapping around me as he pulls me into a bear hug. I freeze for a moment, surprised by his actions, but I slowly bring my arms around his waist, hugging him back.
He makes me feel safe, protected, and cared for. Three things I rarely feel from anyone other than my dad, who can’t offer me anything from the grave.
“I’ve got you, Eden.”
“I’ve got you too,” I whisper back, not knowing how he needs me but meaning every ounce of the words.
Charlie was right—Mount James is way grander in name than size. In this case, size really does matter. It’s pretty, but more of a river walk with a couple of inclines reaching no more than three hundred feet. Although the waterfalls we’ve passed were nothing short of mesmerizing.
It’s surprising to see so many people taking the trail, some with cute fluffy dogs, while others just enjoy the great outdoors. At least it’s paved throughout, and there seem to be different access points so you could come to just see the falls if you wanted.
I’m walking slightly behind the love birds, who are all kissy, giggly, and holding hands, their cuteness making me want to gag. Although I will be taking full credit for their new-found love blossoming. I don’t care if they might have had eyes for each other since they were babies, nothing happened until I arrived. Therefore, all credit goes to me.
I expected to feel like the third wheel out here, but it feels completely natural.
Neither of them has mentioned anything to do with Richard since we left, but I can feel the questions hanging in the air. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to say or do. It’s not in me to be submissive or follow someone else’s rules simply because they say so.
I want to know the ifs, the whats, and the whys. But how do I get them? What am I not asking? Because there is a hell of a lot that I don’t know.
Lost in my own mind, I walk straight into the back of Archie, not realizing they’ve stopped, and Charlie throws
her head back with laughter.
“Sorry,” I mumble as Archie turns to check on me. “I wasn’t paying enough attention.”
“Well, duh. That’s why we stopped. I thought you would appreciate this waterfall the most,” Charlie responds, nudging me with her shoulder before linking her arm through mine and encouraging Archie to step to the side.
As he does, the waterfall comes into view. It’s long, water running over rocks on the way down as it cascades powerfully into the plunge pool below.
“Apparently, there is a cave behind it, but I’ve never tried to find it,” Archie points out as we all take in the peaceful and serene setting.
With a heavy sigh, I keep my focus on the water as I finally voice what happened earlier. “I asked Richard if he knew my parents, and the look on his face told me he did. But when I asked if he knew why they were forced to run, he clammed up, and that’s when the yelling started.”
“I’m sorry, Eden. My dad’s a dick, especially since my mom died. But heartbreak doesn’t mean he gets to treat you like that. I’ll speak to him,” Archie says, squeezing my shoulder in comfort, but I shake my head.
“Don’t. Whatever’s going on causes him pain too, Arch, I could see it in his eyes. I just don’t know which way to turn. Tobias admitted they know nothing about what Ilana wants with me here, and if that’s true, I don’t know who else I’m supposed to convince to help me.”
Swiping my hair back off my face, I lace my fingers together on top of my head, willing myself to think of another direction.
“Maybe I could talk to my grandmother again. She obviously knew something, but she shut down too, with fear, I think,” Charlie offers, and I smile in appreciation.
“I don’t want you to strain your relationship with your family because of me though, that’s not my intention. She said no once before, I don’t want you to push.”
“Or my birthday is in four weeks’ time and my parents always throw a family barbeque. You and Archie should come,” she states, blushing a little as she extends the invite to Archie too, but he grins down at her.