All the Aches in the World

Chapter 7 : La Armonía

Why wasn't he surprised to find out that Hunter already knew where he lived?

While the Charles family was famous enough because of Marsha, they still managed to keep some privacy. Including their residence. But when he saw Hunter's car pull up out front, Elliot expected to see paparazzi sneaking in through the gate behind him, or start popping stereotypically out of the bushes.

The untouchable Hunter Morgan couldn't go anywhere without a camera following him.

And yet, he just keeps on surprising today.

Elliot was ready by 6:30 exactly. Hunter said to be ready at then, so of course Elliot would be. And he wasn't late.

He opened the front door, shucking on his jacket as Hunter stepped out of the car. Elliot narrowed his eyes at him, at the realization that he was driving. There was no driver to chauffeur them for the evening. No third party to break any rising tension that would come no doubt. It would just be Hunter and Elliot.

Hunter pushed open an umbrella, coming around the car and meeting the brunet at the front steps. Rain pattered around them, drowning out the silence as he stared dumbfoundedly up at the blond. His eyes matched the murky sky above them, dark and gray and wild. Elliot blinked, and they became as passive as they usually are. Just a trick of the light, to be sure.

He gave the shorter a once over, eyes dragging across his chest, sticking for a moment at his neck before rising to meet blue eyes. Elliot could feet heat start to settle across his skin at the attention, but he cleared his throat, and Hunter bowed his head. He stuck close as he showed them to the car, umbrella deflecting the rain over their heads.

Once Elliot was settled in his seat, Hunter rounded the car to the driver's side, shaking out the umbrella and sliding in, throwing it into the backseat. Elliot folded his hands in his lap, not knowing how to act, what to do. He could count on one hand the amount of times him and Hunter had been alone together, and one of them was just that afternoon...when Elliot proposed...when he became engaged to marry the last man he ever believed he would marry.

Elliot squeezed his eyes shut until they hurt.

It was silent, nail-bitingly quiet that Elliot rubbed his hands against his thighs, turning to Hunter. "Would you turn the radio on or something? Or say something? Just get rid of this silence," he asked, voice biting and pleading more than he wanted to admit.

Hunter eyed him for a moment and reached to turn on the radio, turning the volume up a few notches and banishing the silence.

Elliot sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Hunter stayed quiet for a moment before shifting the car into drive and pulling out of the estate, down the long winding path to the main road. "Sorry, I usually like the silence when I drive in the rain," Hunter said, voice quiet.

Elliot looked over. "Why?"

The blond drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, out of pace with the song. "I like the sound of rain. It...calms me."

"Oh," Elliot muttered. "Well, you can turn the radio off it you–"

"No, it's fine."

He swallowed back his retort at the sharp tone, instead turning to look out the window as they road to the restaurant. Even with the sound of the radio, the tension in the car was deafening, and hurt just as much as the silence.

It wasn't long before the city lights bled across the windows around us, each sliding different colors down with each streak of water against the glass. He watched the buildings pass by as Hunter slowed to a stop in front of a restaurant Elliot knew only by name.