"Your flaws are perfect for the heart that is meant to love you."
~Anonymous
Alex
As the first week of February rolled in, once again we were on the road. I was seriously starting to get annoyed with all this sneaking around. Just a few more months, I kept telling to myself. Right now we were headed toward a nearby city, where an awesome adult arcade was located. I had been there once with Don, who hadn't exactly been that impressed by it, but I knew Hunter would appreciate it.
A little while back, when Hunter and I had been watching a post-apocalyptic movie, Hunter had told me he had never been at an arcade. When I suggested coming here he had reacted as an overjoyed puppy.
The place was big and dark, with lots of flashing lights and game melodies. And no matter what I just couldn't get over Hunter's expression. I did get annoyed though after he beat me for the third time at air hockey. Wasn't this his first time playing?
"I love you and all, but could you stop letting me win?" he asked me with a pleading smile as I reached for the puck.
"I'm not!" I yelled at him. "Somehow, you're better". He just gave me a stare with one raised eyebrow.
"I'm well aware of how good I am at putting things through holes," he told me and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"You haven't proven that to me yet," I reminded him, hitting the puck.
"So, I'll be giving it to you?"
My mind seemed to freeze as I was left a flushed and shaking mess. How was he talking about this in public?
"Eh, do you want to talk about this now?" I asked him, clearing my throat and looking around.
No one was particularly close to us actually. There was another air hockey table next to ours, which wasn't occupied, and a few video games that in a similar condition. Most people were by the pool table, many feet away from us.
"Who's gonna listen?" he winked at me.
"Fine," I sighed, making the corners of his mouth turn up. "I thought it was obvious, though," I said as I managed to score a point.
"What was?" he asked starting again the game.
"That you'll be giving it to me..." I said, biting of most words. Now it was his turn to freeze.
"Why would that be obvious?"
"Because I've never done that before with a guy. I figured you'd be taking the lead," I said with a shrug.
"Yeah, but if you want the lead... you can have it," he replied meeting my gaze, all the playfulness gone from his voice. I just blinked.
"We'll see..." I told him and lowered my eyes to the game again.
"That we will," he answered, his voice hoarser than usual.
After I managed to beat him for once, we went to play some pool, seeing as it was now empty. And even though Hunter knew how to play pool, he was now the losing one. As bad of me as it was, I was, in fact, enjoying this. Payback was too sweet in this case.
We ended up playing two rounds, both laughing and enjoying ourselves. Next on were some actual arcade games, Tetris and Pac-Man mostly. And again I was surprised to see how good he was for someone who claimed to never have been at an arcade before.
"I swear, I've never played these before," he exclaimed after setting another high score. I rolled my eyes and pushed him away so I could seat down.
"So, you're a natural," I told him starting the game.
"At many things," he implied.
"What's up with you today?" I snapped back, focusing on the game before me but not preventing the shiver that ran down my spine.
"What do you mean?"
"You keep throwing hints at me as if I'm supposed to let you fuck me on the pool table," I muttered, shedding him a quick look over my shoulder.
"The air hockey table is also good," he muttered back and I turned fully to look at him.
"Hunter!"
He laughed at me and lowered to blow a kiss on my cheek.
"There's nothing 'up with me'. You just keep giving me openings and I can't help myself". I saw him bite his lip as he realized his own words. I just shook my head.
After playing we went to get something to eat and as the sun started to set, we were on our way back. Since we still had a few hours to kill we decided to hang at Hunter's. He warned me though, that it was his father's poker night and there would be some other people there too. Honestly, after coming out to all of his family and his friends, I didn't have that much of an issue with doing it anymore.
According to Hunter, there would be seven people there, excluding Aaron. As soon as the door opened, an ecstatic Philip greeted us, barking and tugging on our legs. I reached down, cooing at how big he had gotten. It seemed like it was yesterday went they had gotten him, but two months had almost passed.
"Hunter, you're back already?" Aaron called from the living room.
"Yeah, we got tired and decided to come over here," Hunter replied and we walked towards the voices.
"... almost four months ago. Yeah, he's very happy about it," Aaron was saying when we walked in. My eyes met brown ones and I could have sworn my heart stopped.
"Aunt Claire?!" I exclaimed, seeing my Aunt sitting next to Aaron, holding a few cards.
"Alex?" she asked back and immediately stood up.
"You... know each other?" Hunter slowly asked, as if it wasn't obvious. I walked back until my back hit the wall.
"Dad doesn't know," the words slipped past my lips before I could control myself and I started hyperventilating.
"Hey... hey, Alex. I won't tell him. I won't tell anyone. Calm down," my Aunt told me walking closer to me. Behind her, I saw Aaron stand up and take a few steps to us. Everyone else was just staring, while Hunter was standing right beside me, his hand on my shoulder. "I know how my brother is. I won't tell him," she assured me once again.
"How is your brother?" a man with long blonde hair asked. His biceps were the size of my head, and I found myself pretty scared of him.
"That's Anton Sinclair. He used to be an M.M.A fighter," Hunter said through our bond. "Next to him, the girl with the black hair is Azalea Morris, an Olympic figure skater and the girl next to her is -"
"Lorelei Williams, the swimmer," I cut him off recognizing the woman with the blonde hair and broad shoulders. Yeah, I had seen her on the television before.
"Then you have, Holden Bradley, who is a criminal lawyer, Jonas Hendricks, who is a federal judge, and Jaelyn Martins, your Aunt's partner".
I knew Jaelyn as Jae, having met her many times before. She had been my Aunt's partner for the better part of seven years. She had dark brown curly hair and darker skin which showed her mixed heritage. Aunt Clair looked like me, sharp cheekbones and brown eyes, but her hair was golden brown and less curly than mine.
"Arrogant and old fashioned," she answered to Anton making him nod understanding.
"And just the thought of him finding out is making you shake like that?" Jonas asked me and a raised eyebrow. I nodded, not trusting my voice yet.
"He's passionately homophobic," Aunt Claire said setting her hand on my shoulder. "What are you going to do?" she asked me.
"I'll just wait till I turn eighteen," I said with a shrug.
"You really think Andrew won't figure it out by then?" Aunt Claire asked me.
"There's nothing else I can do," I told her folding my arms before my chest.
"You could file for custody Claire," Jonas told her scratching the back of his head.
"Without physical evidence?" my Aunt replied. The man shrugged.
"All it takes are a couple of voice recordings. Maybe a video," Holden answered also folding his arms.
"Wait, Alex how is the relationship between your parents? Are they married? Living together? Do they work?" Jonas asked me turning his body to me. For a federal judge, he seemed younger than I would imagine.
"They're perfect angels, Jonas," my Aunt said with a huff. "Married with stable work, his mother is not currently employed but she volunteers three times a week. His brother is studying at Stanford. Even if I do file for custody I probably won't get it".
"And running away won't work either..." I muttered snapping everyone's attention back to me.
"What do you mean?" Hunter asked me with a frown.
"When Andrew and I were little our cat ran away and he hunted the little feline down to the other side of the city," Aunt Claire explained for me. "His pride will be his downfall," she added.
"You could file for a restraining order against them on Alex's behalf, Claire," Jae said after being skeptical for too long.
"It will be pulled through faster," Holden agreed.
"You'd still need the evidence," Jonas reminded everyone.
"That won't be too hard to get," I said snorting. "When they found out I spend time with Hunter they threatened to make me change schools if I didn't stop". At that, Aunt Claire let out a deep breath and brought her hand to her face.
"I swear they both get worse by the day," she muttered under her breath.
"You should be glad you didn't come to my birthday dinner," I told her shaking my head. Her eyes snapped to mine, questioning. "He accused me of being high in front of everyone". Her eye narrowed. "I wasn't".
"How did Susan take that?" she asked with a grin.
"I ran here before I could find out".
"The moment they find out, you call me. Whatever it is, I'll help you out of it," she said to me and pulled me in a hug. "I'm glad you found your soulmate. You know, I've been working alongside mine for the past seven years," she whispered, leaving me with my jaw hanging.
Jae was Aunt Claire's soulmate?!
She didn't leave me any space to comment as she let me go and returned to her poker game. As the adults got invested in their game once again, Hunter and I slipped in his room. We put on our music playlist and sat down on his bed.
I was sitting between his legs, my back to his chest laughing at the fact that Hunter had known my aunt for the last five years.
"I don't know why I never made the connection. You have the same goddamn eyes!" he exclaimed his body rumbling of laughter against mine.
"Tsk, what an awful boyfriend you are..." I noted not able to say the words without laughing.
"You do realize..." he started, getting more serious, "that it is becoming harder to keep this secret, right?"
"Yeah, I have realized that... it's been almost four months. Four fucking months with you and I can't remember how it was before," I said, not believing that it has been so long. "Well, I remember but I don't want to. I remember all the parties and the weed and the alcohol. I remember all the girls..."
"This better end up romantic or I'll slap you," he warned and I laughed at him.
"I remember it all but it feels like a completely different life. Without you everything was so empty and meaningless," I finished. He hugged me tighter and pressed his lips against the crown of my head.
"If you... if you explained the situation at home and then told like a couple of your friends that you are bisexual. Would it still be bad?" he asked me, a more somber undertone in his voice.
"It wouldn't matter to Matt".
"Fuck Matt. What about Don? And Vicky? They seem more reasonable... hell, even Bethany," he snapped back.
"I think Vicky wouldn't be a problem. Beth and Don would probably react the same way. They wouldn't be ecstatic about it, but if they knew the whole situation they wouldn't say it to anyone else," I answered after thinking it through.
"Yeah? So why not do it? You don't have to mention me. If you feel comfortable and want to come out to them... just say it". Smiling at myself I turned around and kissed him.
"Best," I started saying, pausing to kiss him, "Goddamn". Another pause for another kiss, "Boyfriend".
"You think so?" he asked a smile tugging on his lips.
"I haven't had any others, but I can't imagine anyone being better".