Hunting Cheaters | ✓

24 | Hold

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"Oh but now I'm so cold when they kiss me, they touch me, they freeze. They say why'd you never trust? Why'd you never love? Why'd you never let 'em in?... They'd have to break me down. Show me real love. Oh but lately these boys, all they do is they fuck my head up"

~ Colder (The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change)

OLIVIA

"Hey gorgeous," I quipped, sliding into Hunter's car with an extra piece of cake wrapped up in aluminum.

A smile spread his full lips as I put on my seat belt. "Hey, how was the baby shower?"

I put the cake on the console before turning to him. "It was great," I chuckled, "you know how these things are: full of diapers and car seats. Nina loved it though! That's all that matters. Plus the food was amazing. And...I stole you an extra piece of the chocolate cake."

"I won't ask for the details," he laughed, "but thank you for the cake."

I shrugged, searching my purse for my chapstick. "How was therapy?"

"Better, Pete is talking more," he sighed, "I guess we all are. There is just so much I've missed."

I threw my chapstick back in my purse after putting it on and placed my hand on his shoulder. "All that matters is you're being open with each other. Understanding will come eventually."

He eyed me carefully, a look of rare vulnerability flashing through his eyes. "You really think we can get to a good place?"

I offered him a reassuring smile. "Without a doubt. You're trying, that's all that really matters."

He nodded slowly, the doubt still clear on his face. That doubt had been a mountain at the beginning of their group therapy. Slowly but surely, it had dwindled into just a hill over the last couple of weeks. One day, it will be nothing but a flat ground for him to cross.

He leaned in to kiss me. My mind blanked as soon as I felt his plush lips push up against mine, knocking the air out of my lungs.

He pulled away too soon, leaning back to his seat. A chuckle left him at the whiny noise I made in the back of my throat.

I almost rolled my eyes at him, but I was interrupted by my ringtone. My eyes flew to my phone and my heart sunk at the caller ID. Suddenly, all I could feel were the foundational cracks in my heart. The ones I thought I'd resolved long ago. The ones that were much deeper than I thought. The ones that seemed to hurt worse than anything I could've imagined.

"You should answer her, Liv," Hunter said, his voice calling out to me as I tried not to drown in my own thoughts.

I shook my head, unable to pull my eyes away from her name. "I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't."

He sighed. "You and I both know that's not true."

"You can't tell me you know how I feel better than I do. That's absurd," I tried to scoff him off.

I could see him shaking his head in my peripheral view. "What I meant was that you should call her because she is not a person you can afford to lose. You're shutting yourself off right now because the pain is raw, but it won't always hurt as it does now."