Take A Walk (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 5 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Forty-One

*define identity*

The puppy barked excitedly, running around their apartment, and Drew chuckled.

"Diglett, you get back here!" he called, and the puppy paid no attention to his name, running instead to Elle, and barking at her. She picked him up and gave him a little cuddle.

True to his word, the moment they got off the plane, Drew asked the cab driver to go straight to the pound, where they found a scrambling, black and white corgi, who had dark eyes and a brilliant grin. He was on death row, but Drew adopted him within moments of meeting him. This was exactly what they'd been after.

Their little apartment, after the hotel room, felt bigger than it really was. The hotel room was nice, sure, but it was still only the bedroom and bathroom. Elle missed cooking with Drew. She missed the domesticity of their lives together. But now everything was normal, and dare she say, perfect.

Diglett jumped onto the couch, and Drew said, "No, boy! Down! Down!"

"Aww, leave him be, he's just having a good time," said Elle, laughing.

"He's gonna have bad habits," he grumbled, but he was still grinning. "At least a blanket, so he doesn't get fur everywhere."

"I love him so much," said Elle, cuddling Diglett again as he panted. "I love you so much."

Drew grinned. "Let's go out somewhere tonight. The park. We'll have a nighttime picnic under a streetlight."

"Okay," said Elle with a soft smile. "Let's do that."

He sat beside her on the couch, Diglett laying across their laps, and looked out over their tiny living room. He kissed the side of her head. "Are you ready?"

"No," she replied. "But I've got you, and that's something."

"Ain't that right," said Drew softly, his accent becoming Southern for a moment. He looked down and smiled. "Now, I think we could both do with a little rest. It's been a long few months for us."

"Agreed."

Drew lay down on the couch, Elle lying beside him, half on top of him, and Diglett lay atop his stomach. Together, they fell asleep in a comfortable apartment that they could call home.

<><><><><><><><>

Robin stared down at the words, her head pounding, and Jordan sighed. "You're not getting them, are you?"

"Nope." She popped the 'p', leaning back and daring him to say something. He didn't. He just sighed.

"Oh, Robbie, what am I going to do with you?" he asked.

"Dunno."

He sighed again, taking the paper away from her and putting it amongst his own massive pile of papers. Robin watched him, noticing that his eyes had dark circles under them. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he mumbled. "Tired, I guess."

"Yeah?" she pried gently. "And how are things with D-"

"None of your business," he snarled.

She was silent for a moment, then just said, "Okay," before opening a book.

There was silence from them both, before he sighed softly. "I'm sorry."

"Thought so." She put the book down. "What's up?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing, really."

She cocked her head to the side. "Is that the issue? That it's literally nothing?"