Keep On Walking (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 3 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Three

❝sadness (pronounced ˈsadnəs or sahd-ness), noun
to be affected by grief or unhappiness.❞

It was Christmas, and Elle was beginning to get a little stronger, her cancer apparently ignoring what Rose had said. She was starting to get a little better, and her hair was still falling out. Just not as frequently.

Hunter woke up to an alarm and groaned loudly. "No," he groaned, dragging out the 'o'. "I don't wanna get up."

"Rise and shine, Hunt! It's Christmas!" Ryan jumped onto the bed and attacked him, laughing. She hadn't been so happy in a long time. "C'mon!"

"Ryan!"

She just laughed, sitting on top of him and leaning down to kiss his nose. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "I got you something!"

He groaned again. "Ry, seriously, I can't deal with your overly happy mood."

"Nah, you'll change your mind," she said. "Hey, Winnie just messaged. She says she and my parents are gonna come visit so that we can all celebrate Christmas with Ellie!"

"Oh, so that's why you're so cheerful."

"Why aren't you?" she asked, sounding a little put out.

He sighed. He couldn't resist the puppy dog look in her eyes. Leaning up to kiss her gently, he said, "Merry Christmas, darling."

"Merry Christmas! Wanna see what I got you?"

"Sure," he said, and she stayed sitting on him, reaching over to the bedside table and pulling out a box.

"Here," she said. "Open it!"

"Can I at least sit up?"

"Oh, right," she said, moving down so that she was sitting on his legs instead, and he chuckled, grabbing his glasses. "Open it!"

He did as she said and laughed. "A guitar pick?"

"Look, it has a picture of us on it!" she said, showing him the picture that was currently Hunter's lockscreen- him kissing Ryan on the cheek while she laughed. On the other side there was a cross. "You can connect it to your Lokai!"

He took his Lokai, the gift Ryan had given him earlier that year, and she helped him clip it on. Now a pick with their picture hung in the middle of the clear beads between the black and white beads. "Do you like it?" she asked.

He smiled. "I love it. I have something for you, too."

"Oh! You shouldn't have!"

"Well, you did," he said, gently lifting her off him and going to the cupboard, pulling out a wrapped gift. "Here you go. Merry Christmas."

"Thank you!" She pulled the wrapping off and gasped. "Oh my gosh! It's so pretty!"

He smiled. It was a silver ring shaped like an eagle. "Here, you can wear it now," he said, slipping it onto her thin finger. "There. Perfect."

She kissed him happily, and he couldn't help but laugh. "What's gotten into you today?"

"Christmas has!" she said happily. She was acting like a kid, but somehow, Hunter liked that. It was sweet. He kissed her on the lips once, before saying, "Alright, let's spend the day with Ellie. She deserves some love."

Ryan jumped off the bed. "I made us a full English breakfast, just like Ma used to. Come on!"

Hunter chuckled, going into the bathroom and getting himself ready. He shaved and styled his hair after a shower, and came into the kitchen, where Ryan had poached eggs and made sausages. "Sit down."