Zero

Chapter 25

Hey Guys!! Here's 25 - Hope you enjoy it! I've been trying to get it up for a couple days now and it's finally worked! YAY.

Chapter 25

"You're crazy if you think you can convince me to stay here," I tell Hunter.

Immediately following his conversation with the girl he dragged me upstairs for privacy away from everyone else's listening ears. If the girl's description of the town was accurate, Hunter will try to convince me to stay here while he goes alone.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He asks completely ignoring what I've said.

"Huh?"

"Going into that house, Zero! Alone. Without telling anyone."

One hand runs roughly through his hair looking like it might rip the strands out. He feet start to move back and forth, not pacing, just shifting over and over like he can't find a comfortable way to stand.

I'm not really sure what to say. I sort of forgot about that part... and I kind of hoped he had as well. I knew he'd be mad. I'd be livid if the roles were reversed.

"You just wake up and decide to be stupid today?"

"I'm not stupid."

It's the only lame response I can muster up.

"You could have died."

In two steps, I'm standing right in front of him. I reach out and palm his cheek gently. It feels awkward to be the one initiating a touch, but when Hunter seems to relax slightly at the feel of our skin touching, it also seems natural. Green eyes clouded in a storm of emotion meet mine. He's irritated with my perceived lack of self-preservation, scared that I could have been hurt and there's nothing he could have done to stop it. But more than anything, he's hurt.

"I'm alive," I tell him because he seems to need the reassurance.

Hunter doesn't say anything. He just stares like maybe he doesn't believe that I'm here. Like he hasn't quite processed the morning. With my right hand, still swollen and numb with pain, I bring his hand up to my face and hold it there.

"Nothing bad happened."

It's a little bit of a lie and we both know it. I expect him to press me further on the details of exactly what happened, but he doesn't. I'm not sure he really cares what happened, just that, to him, I committed some sort of act of betrayal by leaving on my own. Hunter walks over to the bed and sits on the edge, rubbing his forehead. I follow stopping just in front of him. He stays quiet for a long time. I don't know if he doesn't know what to say or if he just doesn't know how to get it out. Finally he seems to have calmed enough to get words out, though he doesn't bother to look at me when he speaks.

"Why didn't you wake me up? I would have gone up."

"I know you would have. I just..."

Hunter's head snaps up, cutting me off with narrowed eyes.

"Felt like you needed to do it alone," he finishes my thought with a roll of his eyes. "That's the problem Zero. When are you going to realize you are not alone in this world? My God, Sweetheart, I thought we were making progress or... that you... I thought you trusted me."

My lips curl down into a frown at his accusation. I step forward suddenly feeling like the space between us is too much. At my advance, Hunter sits up straighter, keeping space between us. The rejection takes me by surprise.

From the moment we met Hunter has been nothing but open. Too happy. Too smiley. Too... everything good in the world that I didn't think existed. He's never been closed off, not to me. But now, he is. Right this moment he looks as closed and clouded and jaded as everyone else in this world. And for a second, I forget everything else in the world and all that I want is to fix this.