Two Steps Back (Hunter Hayes fanfic Bk.3)

Goodnight

Hunter listened carefully as his date explained her relationship with her parents to him. It was apparently a touchy subject, if her shakiness of voice was any indication. It was nothing he hadn't heard before: her mother put too much pressure on her to be perfect, and her dad was constantly working. She had three sisters and a much older step-brother, whose name Hunter had forgotten.

Stephanie was beautiful, though. This was the third time they had been out this month, and Hunter really liked her. Well, as much as he could under the circumstances. Amanda was convinced he was moving away from Bethany too quickly, that he was somehow "traumatized" by the events that had transpired. He didn't believe it, though. The only thing he felt in Bethany's company now was sympathy. And maybe a little weariness.

Okay, honestly, he wished she hadn't come back to work for him, and he had told Ned that a few times already. It was just so complicated between them now. It was hard not to hate her, and it was hard not to fall back in love with her. It was hard to stay away, hard to be around her: it just wasn't a very good situation, and he knew she felt it too.

But he had Stephanie now, and she was lovely. The complete opposite of Beth, which was helpful. She had brilliant, natural red hair cut in an asymmetrical bob, freckled white skin to match, and the most brilliant green eyes he had ever seen. They were much prettier than Beth's brown eyes. In fact, her eyes were his favorite kind.

And she was funny, too. Every time he was with her, she had him rolling, clutching his stomach with the best kind of pain. He really liked her. He did.

Except whenever he said that, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"So that's my story," she ended carefully, pulling a piece of bread from the roll in front of her and chewing it thoughtfully. "What's yours?"

Hunter smiled easily. He told her about his family, just his parents and grandparents. He had a good relationship with them all, so his story didn't last nearly as long as hers.

When the meal ended, Hunter paid the ticket and Stephanie thanked him profusely. He liked that about her: she was always grateful for everything he did for her. It was really nice to be appreciated again.

He grabbed Stephanie's hand on their way out of the building, and he pointed down the street and asked if she wanted to walk a while. It was a cool night, but he didn't mind. She nodded, blushing a bit. He smiled. It had been a while since he'd made a girl blush.

"Do you remember how we met?" he asked her, shocking her a bit. She slapped his arm with her free hand and he rubbed the spot and laughed.

"What was that for?" he chuckled.

She laughed. "That's my line! Don't you know that's what the girls are supposed to say?"

He wrinkled his nose and replied, "Wait, are you not okay with fluid gender roles in this relationship? Because if not, tell me now. I'll do Google research tonight about how to be manly."

Hunter puffed out his chest and beat it with his free hand, like he was Tarzan. Stephanie laughed, and his chest stayed puffed, but this time with pride.

"To answer your question, yes. I do remember how we met."

Hunter reminisced silently, as her eyes glittered with recognition.

They'd met when he was still dating Bethany, actually. Just a few weeks after the first time he had told her he loved her. She had been standing in front of him in the Starbucks coffee line, and had suddenly turned to him to ask if she could "borrow his shoulder". Surprised and not really sure how to react, he had nodded quickly, and her hand had come out to lean against him. Stephanie had lifted one foot off the ground and pulled a twenty dollar bill from her sock, and then let go of his shoulder.