Learning to Live

Chapter 8

"Are you serious or not?" I asked. "No joking."

A muscle twitched in his jaw. "I'm not joking."

Crap. Crap.

"You're... serious?"

"I think that's the opposite of joking, yes."

Smartass. I rubbed my hands down my thighs, my heart skittering in my chest. Now what? I really thought he'd been teasing me.

"Um..." I shook my head. "But... you don't even know me? We've barely known each other for a few days."

He smiled a little. "That's why it's called a crush. I didn't say I'm in love with you."

My heart was being weird today. I scowled at Hunter. "Fine."

He turned his head away. "Let's go see if your boxing gym is any good."

He waved his hand to the road ahead. He was serious. Ugh. I hated leaving things hanging over me like this. I steered the car on instinct, no longer enjoying its smooth handling.

"Smoke will be coming out of your ears if you think any harder," Hunter said. "Just forget I said anything."

I scoffed. Easy for him to say.

The red brick building of the gym loomed ahead. I drew the car up beside it and turned off the engine. Neither of us got out.

"You're serious."

He sighed. "Yes."

"So?" I asked.

"So?"

"Well, what are you going to do about it?"

His eyes burned my cheek. "If I ask you out, will you say yes?"

My head whipped towards him so fast it cracked. The car seemed too small suddenly. Why was it so hot?

"Don't look so horrified," he mumbled. "If you hate it that much, let it go."

I frowned to myself. Did I hate it? "I don't hate it," I thought out loud. "I just... you're asking me out? Like, dating?"

"Not like. It is dating," he shifted in his seat. "No?"

"I... don't know."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Do you want someone else to be your boyfriend?"

"No!"

"Then why not me?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works."

"How does it work?"

I waved my hand around. "I should... like you, or something."

His eyes crinkled at the corners. "You hate me?"

"No!" I said. "I like you, I guess?"

He shrugged. "We can give it a go for a couple of weeks. If it doesn't work, we can just pretend nothing happened."

I blinked. A couple of weeks. Mhm. "And if it does?"

"We'll see then." He was out of the door before I could form a proper response. I sat there while he picked up something from the trunk. Dating. How difficult could it be?

Besides, I might as well try it out. I'd never had a boyfriend before. I didn't feel the need to. Did I like Hunter that way?

I didn't know. Maybe? He certainly made me feel weird, sometimes. A good kind of weird. He wasn't like Jason or Brandon or any of the guys I considered friends.