Learning to Live

Chapter 21

His knuckles were red. He slid the mug my way and quickly retrieved his hands. But I saw them. "Why what?"

I stared at the mug and wrapped my hands around it. He made me tea. It was hot and it smelled good, and it made my throat tighten up. Ugh. I hated the mopey mood of my period.

"Tea?"

He nodded. "Tia Sofia, our house keeper, says it's good for period pain."

I raised my brow. Well, there was actually a boy who could talk about female periods without wincing or making a disgusted face. I think I just fell a little bit harder for Hunter Jamison.

"And how did you know I have my period?"

"Lia," he replied, tucking his hands into his jean pockets. "I asked her about you since you weren't answering your phone-"

I frowned and checked my phone. Oh. "I forgot it on airplane mode."

His shoulders deflated, and I knew him enough to see the relief crossing his features. "Oh."

I turned off the airplane mode. My phone dinged. Then pinged again several times in a row. Hunter. Several missed calls and a few messages.

Hunter turned and washed the saucepan. I took a tentative sip of my tea. Ginger and cinnamon and the sweetness of honey. It settled down like a soothing balm in my belly, relaxing my muscles. That felt nice.

My heart squeezed, and some of my lingering anger melted off. "Thanks. It helps."

I sipped on my tea in silence. Hunter washed the saucepan and put it on the dish rack. Then he turned and watched me.

"You didn't say," I said.

"What?"

"Why were you angry? Saturday."

He sighed and leaned against the counter. "It's a long story."

"Mhm."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "My family is complicated."

I sipped on my tea and kept quiet. He looked at the island with a small frown, as if he was trying to figure out the best way to begin.

"My father married my mother because she fell pregnant with me," he said. "I don't know the whole story, but I know that it was... ugly, I guess, is one word to describe it.

"My father didn't want to marry her, and my grandparents didn't want to, either. But they worried more about their reputation, they knew my mom would make a scene and..." he shook his head. "Anyway, they got married. Right now, they're only married by name. They don't care much about the family or me."

"Then why stay married?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Money. Mom wants my father's money. Dad wants my grandparents' inheritance. My grandparents are old school. They're dangling their money in front of my father in order to get him to behave and keep a proper family."

And he was the victim of his greedy parents. My heart hurt for Hunter. For the child he'd been, living under the same roof of two parents who used him as a pawn to satiate their greed.

"My grandparents visit every once in a while, and when they do, they expect us to be the picture-perfect family they want," he said. "They visited last Saturday. I knew they were coming. I just didn't want to sit through another stupid lunch where they pretend everything is fine. But my mom called and..."

"And you had to go," I mumbled.

He gave a nod. "I'm still not eighteen yet. They still have power over me. Their latest threat is to ship me off to some private school in England."