Unsuspecting Dreamer

Chapter 29 Recovery Or Discovery

"Hunter?" I call, letting myself into his place. Since Libby's been gone I've braced myself and gone on; Hunter, though, has had a harder road to travel.

The last thing Libby told me as she hugged me goodbye was, "take care of him."

I promised, and it hasn't been hard to follow through. After all, he was there for me when Steve left me a hopeless mess.

I place the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter. From the back of the apartment I can hear muffled strains of music. I follow the sound and knock lightly on the door to his music studio. I open the door an inch.

"Hunter?"

He's sitting on a stool, playing the life out of an acoustic guitar. Hearing me, he abruptly stops playing. I didn't recognize the song. It must be something new.

"Hey," he says, sounding tired.

"How are you doing today?"

"Alright."

When nothing more is offered up I open the door the rest of the way and cross the room, sitting myself on the edge of his couch.

"Will you play me something?"

He gives me a little half-smile. "What do you want to hear?"

We've been doing this every day for the past couple weeks. "Play from your heart." I don't feel like requesting a song today. Besides, I can figure out what he is feeling by the songs he picks to play. I sit back and close my eyes.

"Okay, well, um..." He thinks for a minute, staring at the floor in front of his feet. Then he starts playing:

🎶
"Was the heart that I gave
The dreams that I made
With someone who don't care
The time that I wasted
Feelings I chased
That just led me nowhere
The sleepless nights, the drag-out fights
That silence always won
The tears that I cried
The breaking inside
The loneliness to come"
🎶

I can't believe that this song is about Libby, I wonder to myself who else has broken Hunter's heart. It's not my place to know but I find it hard to believe anyone would let him go. I'm still fighting with the idea that Libby did.

🎶
"It's alright, is this goodbye
Won't hurt me for too long,
I'll be fine on my own
It'll take some time
But I know that I
I can find where I belong,
And I'll find it in a song

There's songs about freedom, searching for new love,
How ignorance is bliss
Yeah, I know that I'm not the only fool who's been
Hurt just like this
Yeah, songs about making honest mistakes,
And heartaches I've gone through
Yeah, then I'll forgive,
I won't have to forget
All the good things about you"
🎶

I'm starting to tear up, I remind myself to push away the sadness. I'm over Steve, it's the millionth time today I've reminded myself today. Some day I think I will actually believe it. And maybe someday I will be able to look on our memories as fun times instead of ugly lies.

🎶
"It's alright, yeah, this goodbye
Won't hurt me for too long,
I'll be fine on my own
It'll take some time
But I know that I
I can find where I belong
And I'll find it in a soooong
Oooh oh

Well I'm sure if I had
The chance to go back
I'd change more than I should
But knowing I can't is helping my chances
Of moving on for good
Now I'm not saying
There won't be too many lonely nights
But the songs that I choose getting over you
Help me make it out alive

Yeah, it's alright, this goodbye
It won't hurt me for too long
I can make it on my own
It'll take some time
But I know that I
I can find where I belong
And I'll find it in a song
Yeah, I'll find it in a song