The Past Between Us

~14~

Thank you @Mexican_strawberry for all your support and lovely comments throughout. xx

Edited

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  "We could all use a little hope sometimes, you know? That feeling that everything is gonna be okay, and that someone is there to help make sure of that." -One Tree Hill 

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|Present|

"I'm going to win you back."

Hunter's words still rang through my mind.

I lay awake in my bed. I couldn't sleep. My thoughts were a mess.

Every time I closed my eyes I saw his face.

Why does he affect me so much?

Why can't I stop thinking about him?

I groaned.

I jolted up when I suddenly heard something tap against the glass door in my room, the door opened into a small balcony. The curtains were drawn over it so I couldn't see outside.

Tap

I nearly yelped when I heard the noise again.

My heartbeat spiked up in panic.

I almost screamed when my eye caught a shadow moving outside from a small slit between the curtains. I quietly pulled the drawer of my night-stand open and took out my pepper spray.

Very quietly, I tiptoed towards the window.

By now I could make out the silhouette of the person standing outside.

My heart-rate sped up even more when I recognized who it was, my breath hitched.

"Hunter?" I breathed out in disbelief as I threw the glass door open.

His stormy grey eyes met mine before they leisurely traveled down and locked onto the pepper spray still tightly clutched in my hands. Very slowly, his lips lifted into an amused smirk.

"So, if someone did actually try to break in you'd try to attack them with pepper spray instead of waking up your dad or calling the police? That's not very smart." He raised a dark eyebrow in question.

I gave him a scowl.

"What are you doing here?" My voice was cold.

His expression suddenly became serious, all traces of humor gone. For a while we just stood there staring at each other. No one spoke.

"You used to love it." He turned away from me when he said it. "You used to wait for me to sneak onto your balcony at night after your curfew. Sometimes we'd talk for hours, and sometimes, we'd just sit there and stare at the sky." Hunter murmured as his eyes traveled upwards towards the full moon illuminating the sky above.

"That was a long time ago. I'm a different person now." I hated how my voice trembled when I said it.

I stepped forward so my back was to him.

The breeze picked up and I wrapped my arms around myself. My thin silk pajamas did little to protect me from the cold.

Hunter stepped closer to me, my back was to his front. He wasn't touching me but I knew he was close, I knew if I leaned back an inch we'd touch. His smell enveloped me. I didn't know if he did it because he noticed that I was cold, but the heat radiating of his body comforted me.

"Your hair's shorter." He murmured.

One of his hands came up and tucked a loose strand behind my ear. "I like it, it suits you." His voice was rough with a tinge of huskiness.

I took in a deep breath, trying not to let his words affect me.

"Why are you here Hunter?" My voice was soft.

He sighed and I shivered when I felt his breath on my neck.

"I shouldn't be here. I should stay away from you."

Something tugged at my heart when he said that but I chose to ignore it.

"You should." I whispered.

I could feel him stepping away from me. I was surprised at the pang of sadness I felt when he did that.

I turned around so I was looking at him.

He closed his eyes and inhaled. When he finally opened them I saw the tortured look in his eyes.

"But that's the thing Scarlett. I can't stay away." He breathed out.

I gulped. I couldn't trust myself to speak.

My eyes trained on the tattoos on his arms. I couldn't make them out properly in the moonlight. But looking at the bold angry black ink curling over his skin made my stomach flutter in a weird way.

My eyes widened when I saw him reach into his pocket and take out a pack of cigarettes. He took one out and held it leisurely between his fingers.

I frowned.

"You used to hate smoking." I murmured before I had a chance to think.

He shrugged, "Guess I've changed too."

"Don't do it in front of me because I still hate it." I told him firmly.

His eyes danced with amusement but thankfully he didn't light it.

"I should go." He said finally.

He wasn't looking at me anymore.

I didn't say anything.

The strange thing was, a part of me wanted him to stay.

What's wrong with you Scarlett?

Have you forgotten what he did to you three years ago?

It was like I was having an internal battle with myself.

He turned to climb down my balcony. I wasn't worried because I knew he'd done it a thousand times before.

My eye caught the cigarette still clutched in his hand.

Those things can kill you, you know?" I told him warily.

"I know." His lips twisted into a smirk again.

"Maybe that's the reason I like them now."

Those were the last words he said before he disappeared from sight.

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