Learning to Live

Chapter 32

"You left a few months later," I said.

"Yeah. I got my passport as soon as I turned eighteen and got the hell out of the country. Remember Antonio?"

Antonio? Oh. "The creepy guy from Steve's gym?"

Hunter chuckled. "Creepy?"

"Yeah. Never liked him. Wait, you went with him? I remember him telling you about going overseas."

"Yeah. We went to Cuba, for the first year. Then we went to Thailand, Russia. After I went pro, we visited all over the world to train and stuff. Anyway. I owe it to Antonio. He took a chance on me."

Huh. "No wonder he looked at you like that," I mumbled.

"Like what?"

"Like you were a money-making machine," I said. "I guess he was right, in the end."

"I guess. He's still on my team. I owe him a lot."

"Hmm." I didn't know how I felt about that guy. But it must be just my memory painting him in a bad light, for some reason. "Is your father with the mob or something?"

Hunter laughed. A full laugh that lined his cheeks and did pleasantly weird things to my stomach. "No. But he might as well have been. He- well, my grandfather- had enough money and influence to get almost anything they wanted done. There are always people willing to do some crazy shit for enough money."

Unfortunately, that was the world we lived in.

Hunter navigated the way through streets that turned less busy the more we headed to the outskirts of the city.

"Did you move here?" I asked.

"Yeah. Last year," he paused. "How did you know I didn't live here?"

Heat crawled up my face. I hoped he couldn't see it in the dim light.

I knew he didn't live here because, in my most shameful moments of weakness, I'd look him up on the internet. "Just asking."

If he knew I was full of it, he didn't call me on it, fortunately.

"Why didn't you get a place downtown?" I asked. He could certainly afford it.

"No. The dogs need space. And I couldn't have the house I'd always wanted in the city."

For a moment, my brain conjured up a memory, of us discussing our house. A pang of sadness came with it. We'd been so young, so hopeful.

Almost an hour and a half later, Hunter pointed to the left. This area had massive estates, separated by green spaces and tall trees. I wished I could see it during the day. It was difficult to believe that all this existed an hour's drive away from the crowded city with its skyscrapers and crammed buildings.

The gate we pulled over to was painted a dark color, and the gray walls surrounding the estate looked almost ten feet high.

"Trying to keep your fangirls out?" I asked, pointing at the absurdly high walls.

"No. Trying to keep the cat in. Someone once told me I needed to have high walls so the cat doesn't jump over."

I glanced at him. That had been me. He still remembered?

He smiled and gave me a small card. I rolled down the window and pressed it to the square scanner. The gate rolled open.

"Well, the cat could escape if you open the gate."

"I know. I'm trying to find a solution. In the meantime, I lock them all inside the house whenever I leave."

"Good strategy," I mumbled, absent-minded.