Page 47 of Hunter
“Text or call if you need anything, I’ll be here all night,” she offers, and I know that she means every word. She doesn’t go home a lot. She sleeps in her office, and it reminds me of where I slept earlier today.
“I might go hang out at the tattoo shop for a little bit,” I tell her, and watch her face change. Her eyes go from being tired to sad, and I know it’s because of Alvi.Oh fuck, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.
“Let me know if you do, I know that you’ll be safe there.” I don’t say anything else, and neither does she. I lift my chin in thanks, and she nods to say goodbye before the door closes behind her.
I hold my computer to my chest and walk around the building, leading down the alleyway behind the shopping center. The long stretch is dimly lit like it was last night, and instead of welcoming the brightness of the shelter’s motion light, I stick to the darkened path and stay close to the dumpsters while stepping over broken pieces of pallet.
I’m not sure where I should go. I have three options: I could go to the Athletic Center and hide out, go back to the library and hole up there, or I could go to the shop like I just told Amy and keep my promise to tattoo guy.
All of them have wifi, and I could potentially stay at any of them until morning. I have food from earlier stashed in my bag. I’d be alright.
It’s quiet back here until it’s not. I hear a sound from long ago that’s loud enough to be way too close. The familiar click ofa Zippo lighter is followed by a visible flame and the clunk of it being shut. Whoever’s out here is only six or so feet away. I smell the smoke from their freshly lit cigarette and step further back into the trash that’s piled up. I should blend right in.
I’m in the same area I was when that asshole tried to attack me. It’s an eerie feeling, and goosebumps erupt all over my skin. My fingers curl around the handle of my knife in my worn-out jacket pocket.
I may be on high alert, but I also know that my nerves are shot. I don’t know how much more I can fucking take today.
It’s already been the longest day ever. I should’ve pulled a card or checked my horoscope. I have my moonology oracle deck and coulda prepared for the storm that the universe sent me.
I’ve spent so much time out in the world at night that my eyes are easily adjusted. I don’t see anyone out here anymore, so I guess whoever was smoking left. Only the lingering stench of burning nicotine and rotting garbage remains; the orange glow from the cigarette’s cherry is nowhere in sight.
I hike my bag higher up on my back and step out of the trash, taking a calculated chance that it’s safe to keep going. I’m careful of where I walk and avoid stepping on anything that could give me away. Even if I can’t see anyone, I don’t want to alert anybody that I’m back here.Too late.
“You coming in or are you gonna walk past the back door?” A voice breaks through the silence. I freeze just as a phone flashlight brightens the alleyway and reveals tattoo guy’s face. “Was out here for a smoke and spotted you from over there. Just need to know if I’m keeping it open for you or locking it back up,” he adds, and I swear I just lost a life. He fucking scared the crap outta me!
It takes me a minute to decide what to do. If I go in there, I know Hunter will show up, and I’ll have to tell him something about earlier. He saw her and he heard her; he knows she calledme a different name. He’s probably got a million questions, and I don’t have a lot of answers that I can give him.
“He’s worried about you, you know. I’d like to be able to tell him that you’re here. I don’t know what happened, but he’s losing his shit thinking you’re gonna skip town. You're the first girl he’s ever cared about, and he’s convinced that he’ll never see you again.”
“I don’t know about all that.”
“Which part?” he asks.
“That I’m the first girl he’s ever cared about.” This seems as unlikely as the FBI putting me into witness protection.
“You seem to be the lucky one.” The way he says it goes straight through me.
“Luck’s never been on my side, man.” It’s true. She’s a bitch.
“Looks like he wants to change that, if you’ll let him.”
“He has no idea what he wants. This is the same man who wouldn’t sit through an hour of math last year, and today he’s out here acting like… like—” I don’t know what to say, and my argument dies off.
“Didn’t he tell you this shit? I thought he told me that he told you how he felt?”
“He’ll end up changing his mind. It came outta nowhere and it’ll disappear just as fast.”
“According to him, he’s had feelings for you this whole time, and today he decided to do something about it.”Where I come from, men don’t have those, and they would rather chop off a finger than ever acknowledge that emotions or feelings exist.
“And he what? He told you all that over mimosas at brunch? Come on. You expect me to believe that this man was spilling his guts to you about how he felt?”Pff, as if.
“Check for yourself, smartass.” He thumbs over his screen and then hands over his phone. “Go ahead, take a look.”
I scroll through his texts with Hunter, and my cheeks burn from seeing my name. I hear his voice in my head when I read over his words and feel like a stupid-ass girl when the hot guy likes her back.Ugh. Who am I right now?!
“So what’s it gonna be? You coming in or what?” I hand him his phone back and nod my head, yes. He reaches for the door handle, holds it open, and ushers me inside the shop.
“Make yourself comfortable at the front desk. We’ve got some appointments coming in,” he says, like I’m already on the job or something as he walks past me. “You can drop your stuff off in the office, your shit will be good there. You want a Rossi Ink sweatshirt?”Ugh, do I?
