Hunter rode in the passenger seat, mostly looking out the window. He thought about the past hour. Things moved really quick and he still wasn't sure how he felt about it. He wanted to. That was a fact. And he wanted his first time to be with someone he truly loved. Someone who was Arabella. He glanced over at her once and sighed. He took a deep breath and leaned his head up against the window again.
When they pulled into her parking garage, Hunter needed to be alone for a little while. He was sure that Arabella would be busy catching up with work. He broke her phone and that was a few hours ago. He figured she would be frantically trying to find a way to discover what she missed. As they exited the car he walked next to her and grabbed her hand. They walked to the front of her building and Hunter stopped her. "Uhh...hey, Ellie." How was he going to tell her that he needed to be alone and where he wanted to do that was going to be his house which she didn't know about? "I uh..I think I dropped my wallet back at the wedding. I'm going to go back and see if I can find it." He said quietly, studying his feet.
"Do you want help? I can drive back." She said, pulling her keys out of her purse again. Hunter shook his head and managed to look up at her again.
"No, no, no. I'll just walk or take a cab or something." He said, forcing a smile. "Go ahead up. I'll be back in a little while. You probably have some work to do or something." He said with a chuckle. She gave him a worried look before walking toward him and kissing his cheek.
"Good luck finding it." She said, flashing him a smile that made his insides jump. Hunter said goodbye and watched her walk into the building before sighing and closing his eyes. He leaned his head up against the side of the payphone and took a deep breath.
"Having some trouble, Hunter?" Hunter shook his head and turned around to see Tom in plain clothes walking up to him. Hunter sighed and leaned up against the payphone.
"Nope. I'm good." Hunter said with a fake smile. "You doing okay, Tom?" He asked, trying to get the attention off himself. Tom shrugged.
"I'm doing great. I had my day off today, but I couldn't resist." He said with a chuckle. He looked at Hunter and must have seen something. "Are you sure you're okay? I'm no therapist, but you look bothered." He said leaning up against the payphone next to Hunter. "Pistachio?" He said holding up a bag to Hunter. Hunter closed his eyes and chuckled briefly.
"Do you always carry around a bag of pistachios?" Hunter asked with a smile. Tom cleared his throat.
"Studies have shown that eating pistachios can help curve eating habits. De-shelling and eating pistachios can make you feel full faster." He said, de-shelling one and popping it into his mouth. He offered it to Hunter again. Hunter shook his head. "Well, then you owe me an explanation." He said with a chuckle.
"I'll just take pistachios, then." He said, reaching for the bag again. Tom pulled it away and shook his head, as if to say, 'my offer is rescinded. Talk.' Hunter sighed. "Have you ever had the feeling that something is working against you? I mean...I love her, Tom. I can't tell her that I do, but I do. But every time one of us tries to take that next step or even have a nice time with one another, something stops us. Like, today. I won't get into detail, but things got a little hot and heavy. We were going to take that next step, the birds and bees if you will, and I can't go through with it." Hunter said with a sigh. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I froze up. I wanted to, but it was like something was stopping me from taking that last step. You probably think I'm gay, don't you?" He said with a chuckle. He glanced over at Tom who was in the process of shelling another pistachio.
"I don't think you're gay." He said with a chuckle before popping the pistachio into his mouth. "The majority of guys would kill masses of people to be in the position--pun unintended--you are in. I would probably punch a baby unicorn to death for a chance, but I don't. That's not the point I'm trying to make though. Not going through with it doesn't make you gay, it makes you a respectable human being. A guy meets a complete stranger and if she's attractive, he's going to try and get into her pants. You're presented with an incredibly attractive girl, who is actively trying to get into YOUR pants and all you want to do is cuddle. That makes you a redeeming light for women everywhere. You're a credit to respectable human beings everywhere."
"Thanks, I suppose." Hunter said with a chuckle. "I just feel like I'm going to lose her if I don't take that step. I mean, there is absolutely nothing tying us together other than the fact that we're currently living together. She can bring home...Sleezy McJoe and I have no reason to complain. She can bang anyone she wants."
"That's the difference though. She doesn't want to bang anyone. She wants to bang you." He said with a chuckle. "She obviously cares about you more than a fling. Take your time. These things seem to bang themselves out anyway." He said before eating another pistachio. "Haha. Bang themselves out. Pun definitely intended." Hunter rolled his eyes. He was right. There was no way that she didn't care about him in a way similar to the way he felt about her. He still needed some time and space to think, though.
"Thanks, Tom. Honestly, though? They don't pay you enough." Hunter said with a chuckle before patting him on the shoulder. He pushed himself off the payphone and looked at him. "I got to go think about this, but I'm sure I'll see you around, Tom." He shook his hand and said goodbye. Hunter walked past him and to the corner of the sidewalk where he called a taxi. He got in and told the driver the address of his house. A moment later, they were on the road toward his house.