Hunting Cheaters | ✓

5 | Death

I want to seriously apologize for not updating for more than two months. School has just been so crazy and I couldn't keep up with both. This chapter is extra long so I hope that somewhat makes up for my absence. If you're still reading, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I'll be posting a lot more from now on.

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"Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'"

~ Breathin' (Sweetner)

OLIVIA

I was still buzzing over that man's story hours after Hunter and I had parted. When he got called into work with a work-related emergency, he dropped me off at home and went his own way.

I spent the rest of the day thinking about him, analyzing our conversation, remembering his smile and wanting to hear him laugh again. I didn't know how to feel about him. My emotions utterly confused me. He made me overthink and I wasn't sure if I liked that.

Today, however, was a different day. Today, I was going to relax and have lunch with one of my best girlfriends, Aria.

We've been sitting in the restaurant for a bit, waiting for our orders to be done. The whole time, though, she kept eyeing me weirdly, her eyes inquisitive. She was quiet, so unlike her chatty self. Finally, I gave in. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm some sort of a mystery you're trying to figure out."

She shrugged. "There's something different about you and I can't put my finger on it."

I squinted my eyes at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one, you're not babbling about the guy whose life you just ruined," she said, "and two, you look like you're deep in thought quite often and it's only been like half an hour. This isn't like you, Liv."

I blinked at her words, not knowing how to respond. Was she right?

Damn, of course, she was. All I can think about since Hunter dropped me off is whether he'd use my phone number he'd requested last minute. Would he call me? If so, when? It was already past noon and I haven't heard a peep from him.

"You're dazing off again, Olivia," she sounded more concerned as she observed me. "What is going on?"

I opened my mouth to explain but closed it quickly when I couldn't muster up the correct words.

She let out a frustrated breath at that and eyed me sternly. "Either you speak and explain yourself in half a minute or I'm digging through your phone to see where and what you were doing the past few days."

"That's not creepy at all," I mumbled.

But she heard me clearly. "Do I look like I care?"

"I met a guy," I blurted out, unable to keep it hidden any longer.

The worry immediately vanished from her and she gave me an amused look. "Don't you always? You had me this worried over a guy?"

I almost groaned in frustration; she wasn't listening to me. "No, Aria, I met a guy."

She sat quietly for a moment, letting my words sink in. Then her eyes flew to mine and they widened. "Oh my God! You met a guy!" She squealed, a giant smile taking over her round face.

I couldn't help but smile too. "Yeah."

"What's his name? What does he do? How did you meet?" She rambled, leaning closer over the table.