A Silence Full of Sound

Chapter 9

Looking up at the sign above the door, I realised it was a florist. What was Sammy doing in a florist?

He emerged holding one single yellow rose before looking around, hiding it under his jacket and walking down the street.

Of course, I followed him.

He walked for another five minutes before stopping outside a small cafe. Sammy walked in, before taking a seat at one of the tables in the window. He pulled the rose out of his jacket and was twiddling it between his fingers.

He was nervous. He had crease marks where his eyebrows were furrowed so hard, and he had to keep putting the rose down to wipe his hands from the sweat. I could see him talking to himself; another sign that he's nervous.

I hid behind a bush, watching to see who Sammy was waiting for. I got weird looks from people walking around me, but I didn't care.

Suddenly, I saw him sit up straighter in his chair and wave through the window. Looking around, I saw a girl wave back.

She was beautiful. Long blonde hair down to her waist, skinny. Perfect.

She smiled at Sammy before opening the door of the cafe and walking to meet him. He got up from his seat as she approached him, taking the lonely rose with him. They hugged and Sammy gave her the rose, which she smelt before sitting down opposite him.

Sammy's smile was spread from ear to ear, his eyes dancing as he looked at the girl opposite him. He said something to her and she laughed; the kind of laugh where you throw your head back and you belly laugh.

I felt a shadow loom over me until someone crouched down behind the bush next to me. I turned to see who it was.

"Who we spying on?" He said, his shaggy hair pulled back in a small ponytail and his green eyes alive with amusement.

Hunter.

I smiled and pointed through the leaves at Sammy, who was now ordering food for both him and the mystery girl. Hunter followed where I was pointing.

"Aaah. The brother." He said his eyes flickered some emotion when he looked at Sammy and the mystery girl, but I couldn't work out what it was. Again.

He turned back to look at me, edging closer as he whispered "Why are you spying on your brother?"

His face was really close to mine. I could feel his breath on my skin as he talked. The bush that we were both hiding behind was hardly big enough for me, let alone him as well. His hand hung on a branch just above mine and I couldn't stop my mind from wandering what it would feel like if he had chosen the branch below. The branch my hand was on.

He gave me a weird look, confusion evident on his face.

I was staring. At him. I was staring at him. For way longer than it should be comfortable.

I stood up from behind the bush, my hair getting caught in the leaves and instantly bringing me back down.

Frantically I struggled to get my hair out of the tangle that only seemed to be getting worse. Hunter laughed as he saw me struggle.

I hadn't seen him laugh before. His green eyes screwed up so small and his smile was a little crooked as he shook his head. It was infectious. And I wished in that moment that I could hear his laugh.

He grabbed the piece of my hair, helping me to untangle it. I watched as he untangled my hair effortlessly whilst I was cursing my clumsiness for making me look like an idiot.

He placed the final piece of my hair down on my shoulder as he looked me in the eye.

"There, all sorted." He said, never taking his eyes off mine. I smiled a small smile to thank him.

I was captivated by those eyes. They pulled me in and held me in place. I couldn't move.

"Wait. You've got a leaf in your hair." He said. His eyes brushed over my face, as if asking for permission to touch me. His eyes focused on my hair as he reached his hand to the side of my face to retrieve the leaf.

I didn't move. For some strange reason, I felt comfortable with him.

His cold hands raked through my hair as he gently pulled the leaf free. His hand brushed against my ear and the coldness sent a shock through me. I flinched and I watched to see Hunter's reaction. His dark eyebrows furrowed making his eyes seem a darker green as he realised wheat happened.

"Sorry. My hands are always cold." He said as he removed his hand, a slight smile on his face. We sat in silence for a minute. All thoughts of everything else disappeared as I sat looking into those green orbs.

It wasn't until a breeze blew over and I started to shiver that I remembered my mission; why I was even behind the bush in the first place. Instantly remembering Sammy, I looked over to the window to see that Sammy and the mysterious girl were no longer there. When did they leave? How long have we been sitting here?

I stood up from behind the bush, looking around trying to find Sammy. There was no point hiding anymore, and we just looked weird hiding behind a bush.

So much for the mission.

I turned to look at Hunter. He had stood up next to me. He had his signature black ripped jeans on and those converse high tops. His chain, half tucked inside his shirt, hung around his neck and glistened in the light. I hadn't noticed how tall he was until now. Standing next to me, he towered over me; his shadow blocking the sun.

"You're shivering. Here." He said taking off his leather jacket and holding it out for me to take. I gave him a small smile as if to say thank you, as I took it and draped it over my shoulders.

I instantly felt the heat come off of it and a wave of cologne washed over me. The vanilla smell filled my nose and made me smile. The sleeves were too long and hung off of my hands. It was baggy around my waist, but somehow that made it feel warmer. The buckles attached hung down in front of me. I looked like a child who had raided their dad's wardrobe. But I didn't care.

Hunter looked down at me. I smiled and tried not to laugh as I flapped the sleeves in front of me. Hunter's eyes twinkled with amusement and a smile fell on his face when he saw how big the jacket was on me.

"We might have to roll it up a little." He said grabbing my arm and helping me to roll the sleeves up. We both laughed as we struggled to roll the leather around my tiny wrists. I pulled the buckles in tighter around my waist and with the sleeve now rolled up, the jacket actually looked quite nice.

Our laughter died down and Hunter just looked at me. That intense state that felt like he was searching for answers in my soul. I suddenly felt the urge to look at my feet. We broke eye contact.

From my peripheral vision, I could see Hunter shake his head slightly, as if waking himself up from a daydream. His mouth started to move and I quickly looked up to see what he was saying.

"I have to go. I'll see you later." He said as he smiled one last time at me before turning around and walking off down the street. The ends of his hair bounced around his shoulders as he walked.

Then he was gone and I was left alone with the smell of vanilla and the memory of his laugh.