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

Chapter Twenty-Four

❝true (pronounced truː or troo), adjective
in accordance with fact or reality.
e.g. true love.❞

He opened his eyes under the water.

They stung, and the water made everything blurry. But it wasn't just his vision that was blurry under here. He couldn't hear anything properly, either. Everything was very muffled, very quiet. But he liked that. He liked the calmness under the water. He almost wished he was a merman, so that he could have this quietness forever, and he wouldn't need to come up for air.

The fact of the matter was, though, that he was not a merman. He came up again for air, and Mama smiled. "Good job! Now, do you need my help to swim to the other side?"

"No, I can do it," he said. He kicked his legs as hard as he could, and swam the five foot length to the other side of the pool. She cheered, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

"Is that enough for today?"

"I'm a bit tired, Mama," he said.

"That's okay, darling. Let's go home. Do you want to get a happy meal on the way home?"

"Yes, please!"

She helped him out of the pool, wringing out her hair. It was up to her hips again, and she considered cutting it short. Not totally bald, just so that she wouldn't have to brush it every morning as thoroughly. Once they had both washed the chlorine out of their hair, Ryan stopped off at a McDonald's to grab him his happy meal, before getting back home. He had fallen asleep, leaving a nugget and a few fries behind, which Ryan ate. She smiled to herself slightly. Though his walking was unsteady, and he needed a tiny walking frame, it was closer to what he was at before. He would be okay. Everything would be.

She changed into her exercise clothes, a sports bra and leggings and tied her hair into a plait, before beginning to work out. It relaxed her, kept her in touch with her own body. Not to mention, of course, that nowadays she was so perfectly toned that she looked killer in anything she wore.

Phoenix and Robin were at Ari's birthday party, and Elle was at Drew's, studying. Lucky would drop the kids back home after the party, and Elle would make her way back okay. Since the accident, she had changed greatly, to what she had once been. She hadn't broken up with Chad yet, but it was coming, and it put Ryan's mind at ease.

She was in the middle of doing a set of situps when she heard the front door open. She looked up in time for Hunter to walk in, then stop dead. "Oh. I, uh, didn't realise you were..."

"I was just working out," she said, standing and stretching. "Hey."

"Hi," he said, very obviously trying not to check her out. "I just got back, uh... back from... the studio."

"I know that," she said, with a slight smile. "Something bothering you?"

"Why would anything be bothering me?" he tried to say lightly, but only sounding strained. She couldn't help herself, and began to laugh.

"Oh, Hunt. You'd think after all the times you've seen me before-"

"You look nice," he blurted out, making her laugh harder. "Stop laughing!" he said petulantly, trying to stop the blush creeping up on his cheeks. "You look good, okay?!"

She stifled her laughter, hugging him. "How was the studio?"

"Good," he said, kissing the top of her head. "We're recording some new stuff, just in time for the tour."

The tour was to begin in September, a few days after his and Spencer's birthday so that they could spend it together, before leaving to find Elle's family. He had stayed true to his word, and had stayed sober, and was slowly winning Ryan back. It was August now- summer was fading away, leaving a crisp fall in its wake. "Where's Spence?" he asked, pulling her out of her train of thought.