Loved

Iris P. O. V.

—————

I marched with a huff of annoyance towards Hunter’s white car that was parked on the west side of the restaurant.

The date wasn’t even a complete ten minutes!

Well, five since it took quite a while to locate the vehicle.

Hunter was leaning against the driver’s door and answering a phone call but I’m very sure I saw his eyeballs expand by four inches when he saw me approaching.

I hurriedly walked to the passenger seat and slammed the door shut.

” Baby, I’ll call you back ” He said to whoever was on the phone and I believe it’s Michelle.

Mr Luigi is definitely the second most frustrating man I have ever met.

No one beats Hunter in first place.

” This is the shortest date I have ever come across ” Hunter said as he sat behind the wheel.

” Whatever. Just drive ” I need to get a life long shower, scrubbing my body with stones.

” Just drive?” Hunter raised a brow ” You’re not gonna tell me what you guys concluded on?”

Do I look like someone who came to a conclusion few minutes ago?

” As you can see I’m not in the mood, so drive ”

” If I waited for you to be in the mood anytime we speak, then we’ll never have a conversation ”

As true as that is, my current behavior is due to his unending stupidity.

” Hunter if we don’t leave here now, you will be having a very long conversation with the police ”

It’s true. And despite the fact Mr Luigi is a well known personality, he deserves everything he got.

Hunter didn’t question me anymore and I’m glad he was familiar with my capability to invite the cops.

He reversed out of the driveway and took a steady speed to our destination.

A few minutes of silence stretched out between us in the car as we were on the highway.

The road was almost as quiet as the environment within. Only a few vehicles whooshing by with a greater speed than the limit, with their headlamp providing temporary extra light source.

Street lights illuminated the road creating a division from it’s source and the dark starless sky.

Hunter just gripped the steering wheel in a very tight brace and was focused on the road, even though he looks like he wants nothing more than to speak up.

Which he did.

” Iris. Spill.” Two simple words that may evoke worse responses than he thinks.

” We didn’t come to a conclusion ” I turned to admire my sultry reflection on the side view mirror.

This scene brought back a feeling of nostalgia.

The exact stage happened some years ago with Dylan.

Except this is different… Too different.

I miss him.

” I kinda figured when we chose to run away from the police ” I don’t need to see him to picture him grinding his teeth together.

I can actually hear it.

” Then what else do you want to know?” I moved my eyes to him.

He is still in his black suit from earlier and his hair had come dispersed in different directions from frequent running of hands through it and the wearing out of his gel.

His stubble was becoming very obvious but it did nothing to dampen his looks.

In fact it made him look better.

Each time I look at him I remember the days people left me to suffer under his fate, and that certain pang always hit me when I consider his good looks to be a reason I was abandoned.

I had always admitted it before that he was good looking and I have no idea why it actually hurts me more now.

I pretend to be okay every day and help the guy who made me bleed times without number in the past.

But let me be honest with you.

It has never hurt me this much until this point.

Maybe my evening triggered it?

A dry chuckle that clearly seemed to make me feel two times more stupid than normal escaped him.

“What else do I want to know?, I don’t know maybe a reason why the cops would show up in the first place? ” He was angry and his tone was amplifying it.

I didn’t try to answer as my words were caught up in my throat.

I had this stinging feeling in my eye and I am familiar with what is about to happen.

I’m gonna cry.

I can’t remember when last I cried but I know I can’t cry in front of him.

What is wrong with me?

” Iris answer me!” He barked again and the stingy feeling accompanied an itch in my throat and a load in my chest.

I squeezed myself to the door and shut my eyes tight to push the feeling away.

” IRIS!!”

I snapped.

” He touched me!”

And the tears came down.

Maybe that’s why everything hurt so much.

The last person to ever touch me in that manner was Hunter.

And I went through the horror again trying to help him.

I couldn’t help it as the salty liquid ran down a straight line on my face, the pain in my chest causing a tighter constriction and if I’m not careful I may begin to hyperventilate.

But then again, that only happens if I panic.

And I can’t panic because the car has suddenly gone below the sound of supersonic hearing.

Hunter was oddly quiet.

Now he decides to say nothing? Where was this attitude when I told him to drive?

” You can’t speak anymore!?” I shouted.

I don’t deserve to get hurt like this. I deserve more.. Much more than a pained heart and a broken soul.

Suddenly he chose to remain silent after hearing what happened?

I hate you Hunter!

Hate! Hate!! Hate!!!.

I huffed and squeezed myself together again, leaning my head against the open window.

I wiped my face with my left palm and sniffed the outside air, but the tears came running again. So I brustled through my clutch and brought out my pocket tissue to wipe my face along with it.

Not only was I crying but I’m granting him the satisfaction of crying in front of him.

” I warned you ”

It took me a while to register that sentence.

He warned me?

” Huh?” I turned to be sure it’s me he was referring to but I couldn’t decide, when I looked to him he was still focused on the road.

My face possibly looks horrible with my mascara running down my cheeks and puffy red eyes but I couldn’t care less.

It’s not important to him.

” I warned you about the dress and earlier on I told you Mr Luigi had a thing for women but you wouldn’t listen ”

” What about if you hadn’t set this up?” My pain is slowly turning to anger as he is trying to put the blame on me.

But he was silent again. No snarky comeback, no jests, no apologies.

Just silence.

I just stared at him in wonder.

How can someone be so heartless?

Just… How?

I probably did for a whole thirty seconds with glaring eyes because he finally turns to look at me since our car ride began.

The look lasted for merely two seconds before he speaks again.

” What happened?”

Oh, now he wants to know?

I scoffed and restored my cradling position.

” Iris?”

” Jules”

He sighed and loosened his grip on the wheel as we took a left turn.

This ride is taking longer than usual.

” Tell me what happened ”

” What do you care?”

” Just tell me.”

It was a command but shockingly it wasn’t a usual Hunter’s command. It just sounds like he’s asking a question for a conversation.

” Fine” I started and spared him a glance to which he nodded and I continued.

” When I got in Luigi was already seated. We exchanged little greetings before I had my seat. And the table he got us was a side by side seater. Not your usual opposite position ” I paused to see if he was even listening and I guess he is.

If that smirk on his lips isn’t a sign of how proud he is with Luigi, I don’t know what is.

Turning back to the road, I continued with my tale.

” The waitress took our orders but before she could return with them.. It… His… He was everywhere. With his hands. So I left before we could discuss anything ”

” What did you do?” His voice sounds like he’s swallowing down laughter.

I don’t find this funny.

” You heard me, I left” I glared at him. He was still paying full attention to the road but his smile was growing.

” Iris before then. What did you do before you left?”

He’s on the verge of laughter as he bit his lower lip.

What did I do?

Well……..

” I may have poured the entire bottle of wine on him” I huffed and folded my arms across my chest.

He deserves worse.

But Hunter surprised me. He actually laughed at my story.

My tears were long forgotten and a new profound anger was developing.

” What’s funny!?”

” Why did you skip that part when you know fully well that its what I actually wanted to hear?” He was still smiling and believe me it was contagious.

But I’m still angry at him setting this up.

” It’s my story not yours”

That made him chuckle but afterwards he remained silent.

The silence didn’t last long before my phone started to ring.

I pulled out the phone and glanced at the caller but immediately put it back down.

When I had gotten home from work to prepare for the dinner, Mason sent me a text just to make sure I could save his too.

And I did.

So guess who’s calling.

I deliberately chose not to answer the call because I had no energy nor tolerance for an earful from Hunter tonight.

And the phone rang again.

And again.

” Won’t you answer it?” Hunter asked while stopping at a red light.

” I don’t want to ” My fury had reduced to an ordinary temper and I only chose to admire the street lights nearby.

After the third ring a text message came in.

The least I can do is at least read it.

I read it and it was from Mason.

Hey, I’ve been calling.

Hope you’re okay?

I wanted to ask if you were free this Saturday? You know.. For a date.

Call me when you get this.

A little smile made it’s way to my face after I read it and I had completely forgotten about Hunter’s presence till he spoke.

” I know it was Mason ” His voice firm as he began to drive at the go of the traffic light.