I'll Reach For You, page 9
"You talk about me?" She asks so softly my heart felt like it was about to cry. I take her hand in mine.
"Of course, I do. There’s nothing else I want to talk about." She squeezes my hand.
"Aww, this is too cute." Hunter squeezes my hand again. She looks uncomfortable now.
"Umm, Ty?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut the fuck up." She shakes her head. Hunter’s trying to hide her laugh.
"Please don't tell anyone, Ty? If my dad finds out, he’ll kill me." Hunter looks at me worried.
"Why?" Ty asks.
"Well, I don’t think he’ll be happy knowing his daughter fell in love with his job. That didn’t come out right." They both laugh.
"I promise I’ll keep quiet, Skylar," Taylor says.
"Thank you. I don’t think I can go a day without her." I look at Hunter who now looks embarrassed. I stop the car outside Ty's house.
"See you two later. I'm happy for you both."
"Thank you, Ty." We say goodbye and I start driving again.
"So, I’m just your dad's work?" She teases.
"No, Hunter. You're mine." She looks down. I love her shyness; she looks so adorable when she’s embarrassed. I lift our hands and kiss hers. She pulls the hoodie up to her face and hides. I let her hand go and push down her hoodie.
"Don't hide from me." She looks so embarrassed and does it again.
"Dammit, Hunter." I can't see her mouth, but I know she’s smiling. Her eyes tell me so.
"I think I should change my name to Goddammit Hunter or Dammit Hunter." She says. I laugh so hard my stomach starts to hurt.
"You really annoy me sometimes, but I think it just makes me love you even more." She shrinks again.
"Don't you dare," I say and grip her sweater. She laughs, making me smile so bright my cheeks will hurt soon if I don’t stop. Then she takes my hand in hers.
"You really know how to make me smile, Hunter."
"And you really know how to make me nervous."
"I do?" I didn’t expect that. I don't want her to feel bad around me.
"Yeah, because you walk through my borders like an open door. No one does that, except you. Everyone else respects them and keeps their distance. But you, Skylar, you tear them down like a piece of paper and that scares me. It scares me how vulnerable I am with you, but it feels good talking to you. Just looking at you makes me feel better because I know you’ll make everything okay." Her words send shivers through my body. I’m so glad I make her feel happy, just the way she makes me feel. I kiss her hand again.
"I'm happy you’re happy, Hunter."
I park the car behind dad's and shut it off. We both step out; I walk around to Hunter, who looks tired. She can barely keep her eyes open. I reach out for her hands and take them in mine. Then I look into her blue eyes. She looks at me the way I love.
"You really know how to make me love you," I say, she looks down at the ground embarrassed. Something she always does when I say something nice or give her a compliment. I don't think she’s used to it and doesn’t know how to take it.
"I-I don't know what or how to..." I cup her face.
"It's okay, Hunter. You don't have to say anything."
"I want to. I just... don't know what to say." I kiss her forehead.
"You have all the time in the world, Hunter." She takes a deep breath and looks at me only the way she can.
"Can we go sleep?" She asks and yawns again. I nod and take her hand. She follows me in and up the stairs.
"I just have to go to the bathroom, be right back," I tell Hunter. She nods and goes into my room.
By the time I come back, Hunter’s sprawled across the bed on her stomach. Her eyes closed as her back moves up and down. She still has her hoodie and jeans on.
"Hunter?" I move to the bed and push her to find somewhere to lay.
"Hunti?" I brush the hair from her face and stroke her cheek. She’s completely gone; I think she can just sleep in her clothes. I don't want to wake her, she looked so tired. I kiss her cheek and wrap us in the duvet then take her arm and wrap it around me. She moves and places her face against my back causing me to shiver.
"Are you cold?"
"Jesus, Hunter!" I take a deep breath.
"You scared the shit out of me."
"I'm sorry." She says with a yawn.
"But no Hunter, I’m not cold. Just sometimes when you touch me, it sends chills through my body." She chuckles.
"It's like that for me too." I smile and turn to look at her. She has her eyes closed.
"You’re really cute when you’re tired," I tell her, and she smiles.
"Hunt, can I ask you something?" She nods carefully. I put my fingers on her cheek and put the hair behind her ear. She smiles and takes a deep, soft breath.
"Can I kiss you?" She opens her eyes and swallows hard. I made her uncomfortable and crossed one of her lines. I shouldn’t have done that, but I really, really want to kiss her. She looks a little lost and is breathing hard. Now I regret it.
"Hunter no, I'm sorry, I shouldn't-"
"No," She says and cups my face with her warm hand. She moves her soft fingers over my skin.
"I understand. That’s why you shouldn’t be with me, I can't give you everything right away. I don't want to disappoint you." She’s too hard on herself.
"No, Hunter. You’re my everything. I said I’d wait and will. I’ll wait until you’re ready, okay?" She nods.
"One step at a time."
"Okay." She says and wraps her arm around me to lay closer burying her face in my chest.
"I'm sorry." She apologizes.
"No, don't say that, there’s nothing to be sorry for," I say and kiss her on top of her head.
"I love you, Hunter." She grabs the shirt on my back and holds it tight.
Chapter 28
What I Wanted
"Skylar."
"Hmm?" I am too tired to talk. Why does she have to wake me up so early sometimes? I reach out to her in the bed but can't find her.
"You need to wake up; it's already two in the afternoon." I shake my head. I’m so tired, and it was a long day yesterday. Last time I looked at my watch, it was almost three.
"Come on, Sky. I’ve been waiting for you since nine." That early? She’s only slept for like six hours. Taking my hand, she tries to drag me out of bed, but I pull her down to me.
"Sky!" I wrap my arms around her, so she won't leave. Her hair’s wet. I breathe her in, she smells so good. I lean down and put my lips on the side of her neck and kiss her there.
"You smell good," I mumble against her skin.
"Sky-," She stops talking as I kiss her once more on the neck.
"And taste good." She chuckles. I open my eyes to see the most beautiful girl in the whole world. She looks at me with smiling eyes and there’s nothing more I want than to kiss her. I cup her face and move her closer to me, her lips inches from mine. I can feel her heart beating on my skin and it’s so fast. I’m not going to force her; I’ll wait until she’s ready to take that step. She takes me by the wrists and pins my hands down on the pillow. Our eyes stuck on each other, her blues gorgeous as always.
"Can you please get out of bed now and come with me?" She begs with that soft voice that always makes my heart melt.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"Your dad wants to talk to us."
"Why?" I ask. Usually, when he wants to talk, it’s something serious. She hesitates to answer.
"Umm... he wants to talk about last night." Oh no. What if he saw us outside the house and heard. He may know about us. What if he’s angry and wants to throw her out? I can't lose her now, there are so many things we haven't even done yet. I want to do all those just like everyone else.
It may take time, but I’ll wait for Hunter. I want to hold her hand everywhere we walk; I want to kiss her everywhere I can. I want to tell her I love her every day, and before we fall asleep. I want to hear her say it when she’s ready. It’s difficult for her to take this big step. I see she’s unsure what to do and she’s way too hard on herself. I wish she wasn't, I like her just the way she is. She looks at me with those amazing eyes and a small crooked smile on her face making it harder to stop kissing her. She’s so damn irresistible. I want to hold her face and kiss her cheek, but she’s pinned my hands down.
"You know I love you, right?" I ask. Her eyes shift from mine down to the pillow beside me. She clenches her teeth and her eyes went from happy to sad, meaning she’s uncomfortable. "Hunter?" She looks at me with the same sad expression and lets my hands go.
"I-I..." Hunt stops. She looks so lost between words I’m not sure she can speak. I lean up to hold her face.
"Hunter," I kiss her forehead.
"You don't need to say anything," I mumble against her skin.
"I just want you to know you’re perfect just the way you are. I know you love me; I see it in your eyes when you look at me. And I know being open is difficult for you. I see you’re trying so hard, Hunter. That’s one of the million reasons I love you."
"SKYLAR MASON, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE BED, NOW!" Hunter moves and falls to the floor. I burst out in laughter. Dad yells from downstairs and he sounds impatient.
"You okay?" Hunter nods and stands up.
"Come on, your dad is very angry." She says and takes my hand. I get out of bed, standing next to Hunter in my pajamas, T-shirt and shorts. Hunter starts to walk with my hand in hers.
"Oh no." I drag her by the hand and she falls into my arms.
"Skylar." I kiss her temple, then her cheek. I hear her chuckle as she puts her hands on my waist and pushes me back.
"We need to go before Luke comes up." I nod.
"Okay, fine." I kiss her fast on the cheek and run.
"Dammit, Skylar." I hear behind me. I run down the stairs, finding dad with his arms crossed. The smile on my face quickly fades. Hunter comes to me and we both walk over to sit on the couch.
"Where the hell did you two go last night?" He looks and sounds extremely angry. I turn to Hunter; her leg’s shaking. I put my hand on her knee to stop the whole couch from vibrating.
"We went out for a drive." His eyes are glued on me and it makes me shrink.
"A drive?" I nod.
"That late in the evening? You could’ve at least told us. I heard you two leave and waited for you to come back, but it got late, and I fell asleep. You two caused me to worry."
"I'm sorry," I say. Hunter sits next to me in total silence looking at the floor. I don't blame her for being silent, it was all my fault. I made her come with me even though she didn't want to. I begged her, and she gave in. Maybe I shouldn't have done it but look at where we are now. I finally got to tell her what I feel and can tell her every day that I love her. Dad sighs and I look back at him. He’s looking calmer.
"You two are grounded for a week, starting today. Now give me the car key." I nod and stand up to go to my room. Before, I’d have argued with him about it, yelled even. But something tells me there’s no need. I come back with the key and hand it to dad, who looks skeptical.
"Do you have another key?" I shake my head.
"No, why?" He looks as confused as I feel.
"Because by now you’d have stomped up the stairs screaming and slamming the bedroom door." I snort. Yes, I’d have done that and remember all the times I have done it. I shrug.
"I don't have anything to fight for," I look at Hunter sitting on the couch, staring at me the same way she always does, it never gets old. Her perfect blue eyes and that cute, small smile. I look back at dad, who is still confused by my calm behavior. I smile at him.
"I’ve already got what I want."
Chapter 29
Are you Sure?
"Wow, Skylar, don't you sleep at night?" Taylor comes and sits in front of me at the café.
"HA-HA. Very funny. Hunter’s been waking up so early for two weeks now and she pokes me in the side every goddamn morning." Taylor laughs, and I yawn. I’m so tired. I swear if she doesn't stop waking me, she’ll have to sleep in her own damn bed.
"Well, it's good to get your ass out of bed, you sleep the day away," She mocks, and I give her the death glare.
"Can I ask you something?" Ty asks. I nod slowly a little scared at what she wants to ask.
"How long?"
"How long what?" I ask confused.
"How long have you been with Hunter?" I didn't expect that.
"Um, to be honest, I told her I was in love with her while we were at the party."
"Are you kidding me?" She burst out, causing the older couple at the other table to look at us. I roll my eyes.
"Is that why you two were standing so far away from the car?" I nod.
"Yeah," I answer and tell her what happened with Brook and Hunter.
"Wow, that’s quite a love story." I roll my eyes with a smile.
"How long have you been in love with her?" God, she asks so many questions.
"A while, I think. It took some time before I realized it." Ty chuckles. She leans over the table closer to me.
"Have you done it?" She asks.
"Done it? NO!" I yell, making the old couple look at us again.
"Jesus, Taylor."
"Sorry." She looks embarrassed.
"I-I haven't even kissed her yet," I confess.
"What?" She asks, surprised. That scares me a little. I sigh.
"You know, Hunter. She’s a little shy when it comes to intimacy. The thing that frightens me the most is she thinks she doesn't deserve me." Ty looks like she understands.
"When I tell her I love her, it's like she doesn't believe me. She doesn’t think anyone can love her and it hurts to look at her when I say it." I feel the lump in my throat and the tears trying to flow from my eyes. Ty reaches over to take my hand and I look down at them.
"What happened to Hunter before she came to you? It must have been hell since she can't even love herself." I look back up to Ty. I never thought about that.
"What happened is still haunting her, Skylar. If you find out what’s making her feel like that, maybe she’ll come around. Just ask her and see." Ty’s right, there’s something bothering her, and it started the first day on the beach at grandmas. That was the first time I’d seen her angry with herself. It was scary and painful to listen to her.
"You love her, right?" I nod
"Of course, I do."
"And she loves you?"
"Yes, but she hasn't said it," I tell her. Ty looks confused but shakes it off.
"Okay. That means she’s afraid of losing you. Skylar, you’re the only one who really knows her. If she loses you, she’ll lose the only thing that’s good for her. I believe she knows that and is terrified of losing you. That is why she is afraid to tell you about her past or disappoint you. Skylar, you’re the only one keeping her from falling apart."
"I’d never leave her." I feel a tear slide down my cheek. Hunt’s everything to me, the one that keeps me sane.
"Show her; really show her, even if it breaks a boundary." She snaps her finger.
"Kiss her." My eyes widen, and my heart wants to pound out of my chest.
"What?"
"Hunter won't do it, she’s afraid. She wants you to do it, even though she’s telling you not to. Force her. Sometimes we need to do things that scare us to go forward. That’s exactly what she needs to do. She wants to kiss you, Skylar. There’s no doubt, but the fear inside is tying her down." I can't help but smile at Taylor's words. When did she become such a smart-ass? But what if I do and she shuts me out again? I don't want that.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, my cousin dated this guy and he was kind of like Hunter. She talked to me about it and I tried to help her. She worked really hard, waited and sometimes she had to push." She tells me.
"What happened to them?"
"They just got married." We both laugh. Ty really knows how to make me feel better. I’m so glad I called her to meet me. I look out the window and the sun’s about to go down.
"Thank you, Ty." She smiles and pats my hand.
"Now go home and get her."
Chapter 30
I Really, really want To
Ipark the car behind dad's and can hear my own heart beating in my ears. My hands are sweaty and shaky. This is a risk, she’ll either freak out or kiss me back. I hope she’ll kiss me and not push me away. I put my head on the steering wheel, terrified to get out of the car. I breathe in and out, trying to calm my nerves.
"Skylar?" I hear dad call my name and come over to the car. He stands and looks down at me.
"You okay?" He asks, and I nod
"Yeah, why?"
"I saw you pull in and you’ve been sitting out here for a few minutes." He sounds worried.
"No, I’m fine, just tired," I say and give him a smile.
"Okay." He answers and pats the roof of my car. The look on his face tells me he didn’t believe me. How could he, I feel like a nervous wreck. Kind of how you feel before you go on stage to perform. I take one last deep breath and step out of the car. I walk in the front door, finding mom on the couch watching TV.
"Hey, mom." She turns to look at me.
"Hey, darling. Did you have a nice time with Taylor?" I nod.
"Yeah, it was great." She helped me so much. I owe Ty a lot for what she did. My legs are shaking underneath me, I can barely stand, so I lean against the back of the couch.
"Where's Hunter?" I ask, and hear my own voice shaking.
"She went up a while ago, probably in her room reading." She answers. Thank God, she didn’t notice my voice.
"Okay, thanks." I stumble up the stairs and knock on Hunter's door. No one answers so I open and find no one. Why am I so goddamn stupid? I walk back and open my door. Hunter sits on my bed with a book in her lap. She looks up with a beautiful smile, making my heart yearn for her. Goddamn, it's warm in here.
"You okay?" Hunter asks, placing the book on the bed and moves over to me. I swear every step she took made my heart beat faster. I’m so nervous I could jump out of my own skin.
