Hunter Hayes Imgaines

A Little Help

I wipe my nose with the sleeve of my rugged jacket. It’s light and doesn’t keep me warm at all during this harsh Nashville winter. It doesn’t do anything for my body temperature. The cold brisk wind still cuts against my dry and cracked skin. I can’t feel my fingers, toes, ears, or nose. The rips in the knees of my jeans welcome the wind to leave cold kisses against the skin on my legs.

I slip inside the door to a convenience store. No one notices me come in. The cashier stays busy playing on his phone. The other customers keep browsing. I swiftly duck behind an aisle before anyone notices me. I let my eyes graze over the food options before me. There are energy bars, granola bars, trail mixes, and beef jerky. Before I reach out to grab one, I hear the sound of running water coming from a nearby toilet flushing. I suddenly realize how thirsty I am, then start to slowly move towards the beverages. A bottle of water catches my eye and I immediately snatch it.

As I’m in the motion of stuffing it into my makeshift purse/bag, a warm hand envelopes my arm. I freeze and look up. My fear-filled eyes meet bright blue, yet unreadable, eyes that belong to a man my height with crisp blond hair that’s gelled back a bit. He’s sporting a warm winter coat and dark jeans. It must feel nice to have a coat that actually does its job.

The man slowly takes the water bottle out of my grip. I let him, paralyzed with shock and fear. His eyes stay locked with mine the entire time. Then, wordlessly, the man walks over to the counter where the cashier is. I start to grow nervous.

He’s turning me in.

To my surprise, the man checks out the water bottle before walking back over to me where I have stayed rooted in my spot. He extends his hand with the bottle. With a trembling hand, I take it, my eyes stuck to the floor.

The man watches me for a few moments before saying, “I’m Hunter. What’s your name?”

I shrug. “It doesn’t matter.”

Hunter nods, but he doesn’t seem to agree. “You from around here?”

Even though he’s a stranger, I feel safer around him than I should. Kindness and honesty just radiates from him. “Sort-of.”

“Would you mind explaining a little?” He asks kindly.

“I know you don’t really care,” I say softly. “Thank you for the water. Seriously. You didn’t have to.”

Hunter’s lips turn up in a small smile. “You’re welcome.” He pauses. “Don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but do you have a place to stay tonight?”

My cheeks flush. “Um… not really…”

He nods. “If you want to, my house has a spare bedroom that you can use? Don’t worry, some of my friends and their wives/girlfriends are also staying over tonight.”

I bite my lip, thinking. “I don’t want to intrude-”

“It’s totally fine,” Hunter interrupts.

I hesitate before sighing. “Thank you.”

-

Hunter drives me to his place, which is pretty big. There are a few other cars in the driveway when he parks. He opens the door to the house and leads me in, saying that his friends are all watching a movie. As soon as he says this, a voice calls, “Hayes? You get the popcorn?”

Hunter mutters, “Shoot, I forgot.” He then calls back, “Sorry!”

We hear groans from the other room.

Hunter gives me an encouraging smile before asking, “So do you want to go to bed now or do you want to watch the movie or eat-”

“I’ll just go to bed now if that’s okay with you,” I say, not wanting to intrude.

Hunter smiles. “Sure. Right this way.” He leads me down a hallway and then to a bedroom. There are vinyls displayed on the walls. When Hunter sees me eyeing them, he explains, “I’m going through a vinyl phase and I had no where to put them. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” I say.

Hunter turns to walk out of the room. “Well, have a good night.”

“Thanks. Good night, Hunter.”