Hunting Cheaters | ✓

9 | Fall

"Hey, Livvy," she quipped, probably smiling at me knowingly. 

I pushed my fingers into my hair. "Ambs, I'm freaking out."

"What? What happened?"

I huffed out a long breath. "You know that guy I met at a bar about a month ago?"

"Uhh, the carpenter?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you freaking out about him?"

"We've been talking more lately, a lot, to be honest. And he's about to come over in an hour with his sister because I'm stupid and I told him to bring her when he declined my dinner plans for tonight since he already had plans with her." I was pacing around my kitchen now, waiting for the scolding I knew was around the corner. 

"Olivia," she groaned, "oh, please tell me you didn't."

"Oh, but I did!"

"Liv, the guy used the whole 'not all men' mantra. That should've been a good enough red flag by itself." And there it was. 

Sighing, I took a seat at my dining table. "Is it really that much of a red flag though? I mean, he's not wrong."

She stayed quiet for a moment that was too long and I started chewing at my bottom lip as my nerves kicked in. "Olivia, seriously? All guys say that until they prove us right. It's a stupid excuse meant to shrug off blame. You know better than to fall for it."

I gulped. "I mean...what am I supposed to do? Cut him off completely?"

I could see her nodding frantically at me. "Yes! He will break your heart soon enough."

"No, he won't. He's a good guy, Amber."

She sighed. "That's what all women say. Do you think your mom knew your dad was gonna leave her dry? No. She thought he was a good man, too. Look where it led her."

"That's cold, Amber."

"But am I wrong?"

My shoulders fell. "No."

"Exactly."

"So what should I do?"

"I think you should make them dinner since you already invited them, but carrying this on longer is useless Liv."

A lump lodged in my throat. "So you're saying I shouldn't talk to him after tonight?"

"Yeah," she sounded definitive, "you deserve a man who tries to do better than the rest, not someone who thinks men are fine the way they currently are."

I let out a rough breath, frustration rolling through me. "Okay."

"Alright, call me after they leave?"

"Yeah, promise," I said, forcing my disappointment to hide, "kiss Bubbles for me, okay?"

"I will, which reminds me I need to clean out her litter box," she chuckled, "I'll see you later, girl."

"Alright, bye."

That phone call didn't make me feel better like I thought it would. Amber always knew what to say to comfort me, unlike Aria who always spoke the truth, regardless of how it made me feel. 

I forced myself to get up and start cooking, realizing that time was still ticking, careless of the fact that I was having a crisis. 

Amber was right. Hunter was eventually going to leave. He would find something better, someone prettier and funnier and he was going to walk away.