The Road Ahead (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 4 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Four

❝love (pronounced lʌv or luhv), noun
the only thing in the world more powerful than pain.❞

She couldn't stop crying.

Tear after tear fell from her eyes onto the ground. No matter how many she wiped away, more quickly took their place. She tried, and she tried, but she couldn't stop crying. The water made wet circles on the floor in front of her, and she could hear her heart beating uncomfortably loudly.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, and tried to remember the feeling of Hunter's arms around her. The shadows in the room seemed larger than life, and threatening. She tried to keep her sobbing quiet, feeling nothing but fear and sorrow. She hadn't felt like this in a long time, and she hated it. Spencer was asleep, and she didn't want to scare him by crying in front of him. She was his superhero- she didn't want to tarnish that image.

She felt that she had no choice. She opened her phone.

Hunter's phone buzzed, and he looked at what it was.

Ryan: Hunt?

Hunter: Yeah??

Ryan: Please, are you near a computer right now?

Hunter: My laptop is with me. what's wrong?

Ryan: Call?

He immediately opened his laptop and sent a video call request to Ryan. When she opened it, he saw that she had her arms wrapped around herself. "Honey?"

She sniffled. "H-Hey."

"You're crying!"

She broke down, and Hunter felt pain beyond anything. "Hey, hey, none of that," he said gently. "What's going on?"

"I... I miss you so much," she whispered, crying again. "I just want to see you again. Not just video, I mean face-to-face."

He sighed. "Did you have a nightmare?"

She nodded once, looking away from the camera. "I... I just want to see you," she said pathetically. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too." He frowned, checking his watch. "Hey, it's like, three am for you."

She nodded again. "I... I couldn't sleep, and all these thoughts just came over me, and I didn't want to wake Spence."

He looked sad. "I thought you had gotten past all this."

"I guess I hadn't." She sniffled again, wiping her eyes. "I haven't had a panic attack like that in a while."

"Did you take your meds?"

"I... no. I didn't."

"Maybe you should. Maybe you should make yourself some tea or something, too."

She rubbed her eyes, and Hunter said, "Honey, you're wearing yourself out. You're so stressed, I can see it. Maybe this wasn't the best idea."

"What do you mean?"

"I... I can't help you from here," he said, sounding petulant. "I can't do anything for you."

She took a deep, shaky breath, and wiped her eyes. "N-No, Hunt. I promise, you're helping me so much. I swear. It's just... just..."

"Just what?"

She shrugged. "I miss being in your company, that's all." Another tear slid down her cheek, and she wiped it away hastily. "It's nothing. I'm sorry to bother you."

"You could never bother me." He reached out to touch the screen, and she did the same. From a thousand miles away, they imagined the feeling of the other's hand. Hunter's, soft, yet calloused, sometimes cold, but more often than not, sending shivers down her spine. Ryan's, small and warm, with slender fingers and almond-shaped nails, the same hands that once caressed his cheek every night before he fell asleep.