What You Don't Know (Sequel to "Secret Love")(Hunter Hayes/James Marsden)

Friends

Sam slapped his shoulder and guffawed. "Amanda? Really? Are you really that stupid, Hunt?"

Hunter shoved Sam in return. "And why is it stupid? Amanda has changed; she and Beth are really good friends, and I trust her."

Sam raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, whatever you say. All I'm saying is that you trusted her before, and look where it got you. Besides, if Beth is her friend, she may be poisoning Amanda against you. Girls tend to do that after a break up."

Hunter rolled his eyes at Sam's logic. They had not broken up, so that part was impossible. He did have a point about Amanda's past, however. While Hunter was convinced that Amanda had turned over a new leaf, Sam's warning reminded him to be cautious. Even if Amanda had nothing untoward planned, the paparazzi had not yet forgotten the scandal of their previous relationship. He had to be careful not to put himself in the line of sight for any more negative media exposure.

"Yeah, well, I appreciate the advice, but I can handle this on my own," Hunter retorted, smiling largely so it did not sound quite as harsh.

Sam lifted his hands in surrender once more and mouthed "oh-kay" sarcastically. Hunter rolled his eyes, but had no chance to reply, as Matt and Andy strolled into the room at that precise moment.

"Morning, all," Sam cheered, laughing manically at the glares they gave him.

The morning rolled by quickly after that. The band pulled out their instruments for an early acoustic jam session, and were settled in playing video games by the time Hunter had dressed for lunch with Amanda. He grabbed his wallet and waved goodbye to the boys on his way out the bus, squinting the in the sunshine as he stepped onto the pavement.

He situated his ball cap more firmly on his head, hoping to conceal his identity as much as was possible. As he walked the few blocks to their decided meeting place, he popped his earphones in and pumped some of his favorite music into his system.

When he arrived at the coffee shop, he looked around for Amanda. Just as he was about to give up and jump in line alone, a blonde head pushed its way past an elderly couple and smiled broadly at him. He waved, but his smile was slightly delayed. She looked so different!

"You cut your hair!" He exclaimed after embracing her briefly.

She beamed and nodded. "Yeah, I did. Do you like it?"

The cut was severe and short, nearly as short as his, though she wore hers flat against her forehead. It appeared she may have colored it as well: the pure platinum blonde that he had learned to associate with her had transformed into a much more natural-looking blonde. He was certainly surprised by the intense shift, but it was actually quite lovely.

"Yeah, it looks great!" He stared at her a little longer than was necessary, his mouth opening and closing like a guppy.

"What?" she asked after a painfully long silence. She ran her hand through her mane self-consciously, and Hunter laughed, forcing himself out of his stupor.

"No, nothing! It looks great, really! I'm just...surprised, is all."

She laughed, too, a look of relief crossing her features. "Oh, good. Well...um...do you want to grab some coffee?"

"Oh, sure!" he replied, so loudly that a few faces began to stare. "What would you like?"

They ordered their coffee, then headed to a table outside, which was hidden beneath an over-large umbrella. Amanda got settled at the table while Hunter scrolled the umbrella up. When he had finished and their seats were shaded sufficiently, he sat next to her and took a pull of his latte.

"So, how are you?" She asked just as he was swallowing, so he nodded emphatically.

"I'm doing well. Everything is peachy." He laughed, playing with his coffee collar and avoiding her eyes.

"Good, good," she replied awkwardly. "Me, too."

A long moment of silence ensued, in which they both tried to think of something else to say.

"What have you been up to?" Hunter finally questioned, hoping that her life was less bleak than his had seemed the past few weeks.

"Oh, I was going to tell you!" She perked up immediately, and Hunter smiled encouragingly at her."I'm employee of the month at the water park!"

"Amanda, that's great! I'm so happy for you!"

She beamed. "I know, right? And what's even better is that Melissa, the owner of the dog pound? She has me on track to be a trainer for new volunteers. She says she may eventually put me on the track for paid management!"

"Wow! That...wow. Amanda, I'm so proud of you. I'm so glad you've found what makes you happy."

She smiled timidly and nodded. "I really love these animals. I think...what if I went to school to be an animal trainer? I mean...do you think I could run my own shelter one day? Or a stable, maybe? I'd love to work with horses, too."

Hunter laughed at her reluctant exuberance. "I think that's an amazing idea. You should do it! I think you'd be great at that, Amanda."

She bit her lip. "Really?"

He nodded ardently. "Really! And when you get it started, I'll be sure to donate."

She looked up at him with a gleaming smile: the kind of smile that had once melted his heart. "Thank you, Hunter."

He returned her smile kindly and said, "Of course."

"So...I'm really excited for your show tonight."

He laughed. "Thank you. I hope I don't disappoin-"

"Amanda!" A booming, male voice dropped like an anvil onto the table, cutting Hunter off mid-sentence. Hunter and Amanda looked around for the source of the noise, finally spotting a large man rushing across the street.