Shades of You & I (An Interracial Romance)

Chapter 17

"Now just hear me out before you get angry," I tell Hunter.

We relocated to my room because frankly I knew where this conversation was headed and I didn't want my mother to hear us.

"So you're already predicting that I'm gonna be angry?" He raises his eyebrows. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Listen Hunter," I stop pacing back and forth to face him. "Just promise me you'll hear me out."

Hunter's face looked uneasy and I chewed on my nails, feeling anxious. "Okay."

"I'm just going to be honest with you about everything because I hate lying."

Hunter looks at me, waiting for me to continue.

"I was out with Matt." I blurt, looking at him with guilt-filled eyes. Even though I didn't do anything with Matt, I just felt like it was wrong being with him when Hunter wasn't aware. Something in Hunter's eyes flickered and I knew what it was.

Betrayal.

"Why were you out with him?" His face looked bemused while trying to find a reasonable explanation but not coming up with one.

"But not in the way you think." I quickly defend myself, shaking my head.

"So what happened?" His voice was low and he wasn't looking at me.

"Nothing, really. I was only with him because I was helping his little sister find a dress because he wasn't helping her at all."

"You were helping his little sister shop for a dress because he wouldn't help her?" He repeats, his eyebrows furrowing.

I nodded. "I swear that's the truth! If it weren't for his sister I wouldn't have gone."

"Asia, do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"

"I know it does but Hunter, just please believe me. I swear I wouldn't lie to you about this." I beg.

He was quiet and I stood there with my heart beating like crazy. What was he thinking about? Did he think I was still lying? I know my story sounded a bit foolish but I wasn't lying. I would never cheat on Hunter, he was too special for that. Plus, I would never hurt him the way Mandy did. I just wasn't that person and I didn't plan on being it.

"Hunter..." My voice was barely audible as I called out to him.

"What is going on between you and Matt?" He looked up at me, shifting so that he could stand up. I moved from between his legs and backed up. His eyes were guarded, trying to hide his emotions from me. "And I want the truth."

"Nothing!"

"Really? Because every time I come around you two start acting weird, he just appears at my practice because 'he saw you looking lonely' and brought you hot chocolate, and now you're spending the day with him to help his little sister find a dress? Do you see where the skepticism kicks in?"

"I thought we were supposed to trust each other?" I ask. "Because I've yet to lie to you about anything that has happened—"

"Oh, so you didn't lie to me about being with Cheyenne then?"

"Yeah, but I told you I was being honest with you now and I just told you the truth." I say. "Hunter, the one thing I asked of you before we started dating is to believe me and you're not even doing that! How do you think that makes me feel?"

"It's not always about you, Asia! Maybe I should go and hang out with Ashley. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

My mouth parted in shock. Did he really just say that to me? And did he really mean it? His eyes seemed cold as we stared at each other, silence and tension filling up the room. What do I do? What do I say? Because that hurt and I wasn't even going to act like it didn't.