One more time (7)

PREVIOUSLY: As you've probably guessed, the man was Hunter, and he DID quench his thirst that night.

FRIDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER: After that night, I went back to the hotel, pretended that I was extremely sick, made sure that Carolyn had to get her own room, and just stayed in the room, weeping all day long. Hunter stopped by very often, and as weird as it may sound, I felt comforted by his presence. We had a connection, that was undeniable. He would just sit patiently and allow me to weep, he wouldn't even try to stop me, he would let me get everything off my chest. It felt good.

Anyway, after that disastrous holiday, I tried to forget as much about Ian as possible, I had decided that I would give up his friendship, I would make him hate me or something. Weirdly enough, the harder I tried to forget about him, the more often he crept into my life. The more often I would run into him at school, the more often I would get the feeling that he might possibly like me too...

So that was basically what my life had become, I avoided Carolyn, who officially started seeing Ian. I tried to avoid Ian, but failed, miserably. I was basically on autopilot for the most part of my life, all until I turned 18 and left this stupid island. And now, here I am, back again, and my life is falling apart again...

'Era, are you thinking about the past again? Are you thinking about Ian? Are you thinking about how similar you are feeling to the previous you, the old you?'

Hunter's questions disturbed my reverie. I looked up and saw him watching me, he was watching the way the tears slipped from my eyes and entered my mouth, making a salty taste in my mouth. And the look in his eyes, it was pure tenderness. I loved Hunter, definitely, but not in the way I was supposed to. He's my comrade, my confidant and my partner-in-crime.

'Hunter, have I ever told you how annoying this connection between us is?'

'I recall you mentioning it...perhaps 20 times a week.'

He gives me one of his full, beautiful smiles, and I cant help but to smile back at him, I see a small pinprick of light amidst the darkness. At the very least, I still had Hunter. No matter what my father told me about my mother, no matter whether it was true or not, no matter that Ian had said he loved me, all of that didn't matter, I actually managed to smile, even through my depression, and that's all that mattered to me at that moment.

As I contemplate this baffling thought, Hunter and I both tense at the same time. I look at Hunter, and he at me. And I know he heard it too, he heard someone approaching us.

'A man'

'Young'

'Dangerous?'

'Not for us, Era'

Another brilliant smile, and he stands up in a movement so fluid that it took him less than a second to do it. In the next instant I was next to him, my body tensed, not knowing what to expect, and that adding to my tension.

'Era...?'

I know that voice...

TO BE CONTINUED
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