Okay, am I hearing things? Or did this guy just call himself my boyfriend?
Great, I get saved from one creep by another. Story of my life, I guess.
"Excuse me?" I say, and as he turns to face me, I take a closer look at my so-called savior, and for the briefest of moments, I lose my breath.
He's kind of beautiful.
He's tall, definitely over six feet. He's got a strong, defined jawline, pitch black hair that's perfectly messy, shorter in the back, but just long enough in the front, and his eyes... Those eyes. They're the most beautiful blue I have ever seen. Not baby blue or silvery blue like most people's. They're almost indigo, like the color of the ocean on a sunny day.
Suddenly words fail me, and I can think of nothing to say. He gives me a look, silently urging me not to speak, before turning back to the guy who was previously hitting on me.
"I said she's my girlfriend, so back off, she's taken. And don't touch her." His jaw is strong and set, and I see his fists clench. "Or we'll have a problem," he finishes.
The guy in front of us looks me up and down, and apparently deciding that I'm not worth the trouble, he scoffs. "Whatever man. She's too skinny for me anyway." He turns away and returns to his friends.
My "boyfriend" puts his arm around my shoulders and starts to guide me away, and I immediately start to squirm. He leans down close to my ear. "Just play along until we're out of sight, okay?" he says quietly. "If you want, you can be on your own after that."
The second we turn the corner, I all but push him off me. "Okay, not that I'm not grateful, but who are you?" I demand.
He raises an eyebrow at me, clearly surprised by my hostile reaction. "I'm the guy who just went out of his way to help you out."
"I was actually looking for a name."
"I'm Hunter. And you must be - "
"Mia."
"Really? I was going to say insane," he says. "What the hell are you doing walking around aimlessly alone at night anyway?"
I narrow my eyes at him. "I wasn't walking aimlessly, I was walking home. And I walk here all the time, it's usually pretty safe."
"Well, you should be more careful. If I hadn't shown up, you could've gotten into a lot of trouble," he replies, and I can tell he's annoyed with me. Well, he can suck it up, because the feeling is mutual.
I scoff, and cross my arms over my chest. "Well, I'm sorry. Obviously, if I knew that was going to happen, I would have just called the chauffeur," I say sarcastically.
He leans against the wall, shutting his eyes and letting out a sigh. Once he opens them, he takes a step forward and gestures to me. "Come on," he says. "Which way is your house? I'll walk you."
I take a step back, unsure.
Why am I even still talking to this guy? He's a stranger. A hot stranger, but still a stranger. This isn't safe. Not that walking alone would be safe either, not after that. But I don't know anything about this guy. Is it too much to ask to just get home without having to make any more life or death decisions?
"Why should I trust you? For all I know, you could be an axe murderer," I say, and honestly, I'm only half joking. You never know these days.
He smirks and raises his arms up like I'm going to do a full weapons search. "Do you see an axe?" he asks, clearly amused. When he does so, I can't help but notice how broad his shoulders are, but I look away before he can notice me looking. "Besides," he continues, "if I wanted to hurt you, don't you think I would've just left you with those guys?"
He's got a point.
"Okay, fine," I reply. "It's this way. But just, try not to attack me or anything, on the way there, alright?"
The corners of his mouth tilt down like he's holding back a laugh. "Wouldn't dream of it," he replies, and I resist the urge to smile.
We start to walk towards my house, but I make sure to keep him at arms-length, just in case.
We're both silent for a while, and as awkward as I am, this silence is killing me.
"So, Hunter, right?" I say. "I saw you at track practice earlier, didn't I?"
"Ah, so that was you that saw me," he says. "I'm usually a lot stealthier than that. Clearly, I'm losing my touch."
"Yeah," I say, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. "You didn't, um..," I'm too embarrassed to ask if I look at him, so I stare at the sidewalk beneath my feet. " You didn't follow me here, did you?" I ask.
He lets out a short laugh. "No," he replies. "No, stalking isn't actually one of my hobbies. I live near here. I was headed home when I saw the whole thing."
"Yeah, about that," I say, before pausing to take a breath. The words are harder to force out than I thought they would be, but I chalk it up to social anxiety rather than just my wounded pride. "Thank you," I say. I feel my face heating up as I speak, but I force myself to continue. "I'm sorry I went off on you like that earlier. It's just that kind of stuff never really happens to me, and it was slightly terrifying, so thanks."
Hunter glances down at me and smiles. It's a disarming smile, kind and genuine. "Don't worry about it," he replies. "You were out of that guy's league anyway. I'm not surprised you wouldn't give him your number."
"Thanks," I say and let out a nervous laugh as the tension between us fades. "So, what were you doing at practice today? I've never seen you at school."
"Checking out the track team," he says, shoving a hand in his pocket. "I'll be starting at Northwest Academy tomorrow. I'm going to transfer into the junior class."
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "Oh really? Wow, we hardly ever get new students," I say. "Have you gone to private school before? I hear it can be kind of a shock for people, but I've been going there since I was in like the first grade, so I wouldn't know. Everyone who does show up gets the hang of things pretty quickly though, so I'm sure you'll do just fine."
Oh my God, that was the longest sentence ever. He's making me so nervous, I can't even think straight, and now I'm rambling. Awesome.
"Anyway, I'm a junior too," I finish before clamping my mouth shut.
"Really? Well, maybe tomorrow you could show me around then," he says, glancing at me with those eyes of his. Seriously, how does he have eyes that color?
Not the time Mia, focus.
As we arrive at my house, I slow to a stop, and Hunter follows suit.
I smile at him and nod. "Sure, I'd be happy to show you around."
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Mia...?"
"Valiente," I finish for him.
"Hunter Scott," he replies, and he gives me a smile back.
We just sort of hold each others gaze for a moment. It's probably only a few seconds, but it feels longer. Then he waves, turns around, and starts to walk away.
I walk up my driveway to the front door and turn around, watching as Hunter grows smaller in the distance.
I suddenly notice how fast my heart is beating, and for a moment, I let myself feel happy. Happy that such a nice guy is going to be joining our class, happy that I managed to get through an entire conversation with him without looking like too much of an idiot, happy that he asked me to show him around.
But then I remember the last time I had this feeling, and instantly, worry and fear fills me up so there's no room for anything else. How am I still this stupid? I mean, I see one cute guy, and I completely lose my head.
I shouldn't have agreed to show him around. I shouldn't have even let him walk me home. Guys like him are only a chance to get hurt. Didn't I learn my lesson last time?
*Flashback*
I see Sean talking to Zack and Jay across the track field, and I can't help but notice that at least one of the three of them glances at me every few seconds.
You've got to be kidding me, I told those idiots not to do this. Crap, now Sean's coming over here..
I do my best to look busy as he approaches, but I just end up taking twice as long as necessary to tie my shoe.
"Hey Mia," Sean says, shoving a hand in his pocket as he grins down at me.
I look up like I just noticed him. "Oh hey, Sean." I finally tie my shoelaces into a bow and stand from the bench where I'd been sitting after practice. I wipe my hands off on my shorts and settle with my hands on my hips. "What's up?"
He looks away and runs a hand over the back of his neck, looking almost as awkward as I feel. Oh my God, what did those idiots say to him that's making him this uncomfortable?
When he lifts his arm, I can't help but notice the definition of his muscles through his shirt. Man, he's fit. How have I never noticed that before? I look away as I wait for whatever he's about to say.
"Look, I know this might seem kind of random, but," he tilts his head to the side and looks up at me tentatively, "I was just wondering if I could walk you home?"
I blink once. Then again. Out of all the things I thought he was about to say, that was not one of them. He wants to walk me home? Me? What did Zack and Jay do, offer to pay him? I will seriously kick their asses if I find out this is some kind of joke.
"Um," I say, craning my neck to catch a glimpse of Zack over Sean's shoulder. Zack catches my eye. He says nothing, but gives me a thumbs up and a smile before turning to follow Jay off the field. Clearly, I won't be getting any answers from them today. "Sure, why not? Could be fun," I finally reply with a smile.
A grin breaks out on his face. "Great," he says, and he seems to let out a breath. Was he.. was he actually nervous to ask me? "Just let me grab my stuff, and I'll meet you back here in a minute."
"Okay, sounds good," I reply, and I can't help the warmth that spreads through me as he rushes off.
***
When Sean asked me, I was nervous that the walk home would be uncomfortable or awkward, but it isn't. Conversation flows between us easily. He's charming and funny, and before I even know it, we're back at my house.
"Thanks for walking me back, Sean," I say. "This was surprisingly nice."
"Yeah, I thought so too," he replies. "You're a cool girl, Mia. I remember why we were friends in middle school."
"Me too," I say. I know I'm blushing, I can feel it. I just hope he can't tell.
"We should hang out some time," he suggests. "It's nice having someone around I can just talk to."
I smile. "Yeah, that sounds like fun."
He digs around in his pocket and retrieves his cell phone. "Could I get your number?" he asks, holding it out to me. "I could text you, and we could plan something."
"Oh, yeah, of course," I reply. I take the phone from him, being careful not to touch his fingertips, and type my number in.
When I hand it back to him, he makes sure his hand brushes mine. "Great," he says. He turns to leave, but then he turns back to face me, a grin on his face like he knows something I don't. "I'll see you around Mia."
"Yeah, see you," I reply.
Once he's gone, a smile makes it's way onto my face and refuses to leave.
Oh, come on, get ahold of yourself, Mia. Two hours ago, I barely even thought of the guy as a friend, and now look at me.
It's just that, he doesn't seem like that quiet kid I used to know in middle school anymore. Maybe that's a good thing. I mean, he was funny, and cool, and nice. Really nice.
Maybe I still don't think of him as a friend. Maybe I'm starting to think of him as something else...
*Flashback Ends*
My heart is still beating fast, only now I'm not sure if it's from my interaction with Hunter or from the memories. I take deep breaths to steady myself.
The last time my heart beat this way, the last time I let someone in, it hurt like hell to cut him out.
And what? This new guy, he says a few nice things to me, gives me a few looks, and I forget who I am?
That's what happened last time, you know. I let myself believe that someone could like me, that someone could want me, and it blew up in my face.
And I don't want that. It'd be better to feel nothing at all than risk feeling like that again, but there's a part of me that still wants to hope.
I want to hope that a guy like Hunter could take an interest in me, and I want it to be okay if I take an interest in him. I want to feel like there's something, anything about me that someone might be interested in.
It's hard to believe that hopeful part of me is still there at all, but it is. I can feel it.
I need to figure out how to get rid of it though, even if that means avoiding Hunter like the plague.
Because hoping for any of that is a risk I'm not willing to take.