22. Kaitlyn
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Kaitlyn
PAST
I knew better.
Kissing Bailey was a mistake, and I feel like a fool for ever believing he might actually return my feelings.
I’ve been replaying everything through my head on a loop for the last week, trying to figure out how I could have been so wrong. I mean, did something happen that I don’t know about?
I wish I could talk to Henry about this, but he looked so uncomfortable when I told him about kissing Bailey.
I didn’t want to put him in the position of keeping secrets from Mirabelle.
Honestly, I’m not sure he’d even know what to say if I did tell him.
It seems like he has his hands full with Mirabelle anyway, based on the pictures that circulated of them the other day.
My acceptance letter to Duke came the other day, and I wish I was as excited as my dad was, but I can’t help feeling like I’d be more excited if I knew what direction I wanted to take with my life.
I tread water in the pool in our backyard while Dad flips hamburger patties on the grill. We only have another week or two before it’ll get shut down for the winter. After that, the only way I’ll get to swim is by wearing a wetsuit and braving the frigid ocean water.
I’m taking advantage of getting out of practice early, and while surfing would be my first choice, I’m not really in the mood to go over to the beach house. I need a few more days to lick my wounds before I’ll feel up to pretending nothing happened like Bailey. He seems perfectly fine, though.
I dive under the water, and the silence that envelops me is peaceful. When I pop up, Hunter’s standing with my dad. “Kait, why didn’t you tell me Hunter was coming over for dinner?” Dad asks, and I wipe the water from my eyes.
“I guess I forgot?”
I had no idea he was coming over for dinner.
Hunter places his hand over his chest, feigning hurt on his face. “Ouch, you forgot about me?”
“Shut up,” I say, shaking my head as I swim toward the edge of the pool, propping my elbows on the edge.
I’ve kept what happened with Bailey to myself, but Hunter was quick to notice I haven’t been myself this week.
He kicks off his socks and shoes, taking a seat next to me to sit with his legs in the water.
I pretend to gag, taking a few steps back. “Gross, your feet smell.”
He laughs and rolls his eyes. “Whatever. I showered before coming over,” he retorts, and some of the aching in my chest lightens at the sight of his easy smile.
“Did I really forget we had plans?” I ask after my dad steps inside for a minute.
“No, we didn’t. I just wanted to check on you.”
I trail my hands through the warm water, content with the weightless feeling. “Why? I’m fine.” I’m playing dumb, but it doesn’t take a genius to guess something’s going on.
“Really? You want to try that again?” Hunter asks, raising an eyebrow .
“Okay, so I’m a little sad, but I’ll be fine.
We have an away game this weekend, and we’re going to have a blast. I already downloaded the new Scarlett Ashford album on my phone.
” Her voice is beautiful and raw, and I don’t think it’s right for an upbeat single that’s been playing on repeat on the radio, but I can’t deny it’s catchy.
She’s new on the music scene, but I’ve been really excited to see if she has songs that fit her better.
“Maybe I should listen to it too,” he says, kicking water at me with his leg. It hits my face, and without thinking, I splash him back. “Hey! I’m not wearing a swimsuit.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have splashed me first,” I argue, splashing him again as he laughs.
“Okay, I won’t do it again,” Hunter says, trying to block the water with his hands. “A couple of the guys on the team were talking about these haunted houses, and I wanted to know if you wanted to go? It might cheer you up,” he hedges, and I swim back up to the side.
Now it’s my turn to be surprised because that sounds like hell for Hunter. He doesn’t like situations where he’s not in control, which is exactly what a haunted house is.
“Have you ever been to a haunted house?” I ask, looking up at him.
“No, but there’s no one else I’d rather try something new with, especially if it’ll make you happy,” he says, his green eyes crinkling at the corners.
“That’s really nice of you to offer, but you’ll hate it, Hunt. If it’s the ones I went to sophomore year, people jump out from behind corners, and you’re fumbling around in the dark,” I explain, and I know I’m right when he winces.
“Okay, but they don’t get to touch you, right?”
I smile, shaking my head. “No, they don’t.”
“Then I’ll be fine. I’ll even let you hold my hand if you get scared,” he teases, and I laugh because I have a feeling it’ll be Hunter grabbing for mine instead .
“We’ll see. If you really want to go, I’ll go with you,” I agree, and Hunter smiles.
“Cool, it’s a date then,” he says, but before I can ask what he means by that, the back door opens again and my parents walk out.
“Are you staying in the water all night, or planning on joining us?” Dad calls out, taking the patties off the grill.
He’s not totally on board with Henry and Mira’s relationship yet, but I’m glad Dad isn’t treating him like a criminal any more.
We’re not back to normal, but we’re better off than we were a few weeks ago.
“I’ll get out,” I reply, and Hunter offers me a hand after he stands. I take his help, but instead of allowing him to pull me out, I push off the wall, dragging him into the water with me.
Mom bursts into laughter as Hunter surfaces, sputtering. “You’re so lucky I left my phone and keys inside.”
“I think you’re the lucky one.”
“Kait, you’re going down,” he warns, moving to grab me as I dart away, laughing. For the first time all week, I’m not thinking about how Bailey broke my heart because I’m too busy having fun with Hunter.
Hunter lasted all of two minutes in the haunted house before grabbing my hand when a clown laughing maniacally jumped out at us.
I kept waiting for him to let go, but I didn’t totally hate it when he held on as we kept moving further into the house. “Are you okay?” I ask, choking back a laugh as I squint, trying to focus on Hunter’s face in the darkness.
“Yep, I’m great,” he says a moment later. “Are you having fun?”
“I am,” I say, squeezing his hand. My heart feels like it’s going to pound out of my chest from the adrenaline rush, and we enter the next room of the tour as thunder crashes over the surround sound.
There’s a woman on the bed, but I can’t tell if she’s a prop or an actor until she sits up quickly, screaming as the lights flash.
Hunter jumps at the same time I do, his grip on my hand tightening. “Fuck,” he swears, laughing as I pull him through the room. The hallway we enter narrows, and I swear it wouldn’t be so freaky if we could see where we’re going or the sound effects.
“You’ll never escape us” is playing on repeat over the speakers, and finally the path starts to widen again, leading to a long hall lined with doors.
I think we’ve finally reached the end based on the exit sign over the door at the end.
The eerie, flickering lights make me hesitant to move forward, and I glance over my shoulder at Hunter just as he yanks me back against him when a person darts out a door, screaming as they run right in front of me into another door.
“Holy shit, thanks,” I breathe out, glad Hunter was paying attention.
“I’ve got you,” he says, and I believe him. Hunter’s always there for me, and I’m glad he asked me to come with him tonight. This was exactly what I needed, and it means even more knowing how far out of his comfort zone he is.
“I know,” I say, giving him a smile.
The last door before the exit has the final jump scare—literally—when an actor inside jumps at the frosted window, banging from the other side. “Let me out! Let me out!” he wails, and I don’t think twice before going out the exit.
Hunter’s cheeks are flushed, and I’m not sure my heart will slow down for a few hours. “That was incredible,” I say, and he laughs, shaking his head.
“I’m glad you had fun,” Hunter says, a warm breeze tousling his blond waves. The door we walked through opens again as the people who were behind us exit. The screams coming from inside the haunted house are audible as we start walking by all the people waiting in line for their turn.
“Do you regret asking me to come with you?”
Hunter squeezes my hand, reminding me that we’re still holding hands, and my stomach flip flops for an entirely different reason. “Nope, but I probably won’t ask to go next Halloween.”
“That’s fair. You grabbed my hand first, you know,” I tease, expecting him to pull away, but he doesn’t.
“Maybe I wanted to hold your hand,” he answers, his eyes finding mine.
What?
My shoe catches on a crack in the sidewalk making me stumble, but just like in the haunted house, Hunter catches me. “Sorry,” I say, feeling my cheeks flush. His eyes comb over my face only to land on my mouth, and I feel my breathing quicken.
Oh my god, was this a date and I didn’t even realize it? Holy shit. I’m just like my brother— fucking oblivious.
“Excuse us,” someone says, and Hunter steps to the side, pulling me with him. One hand lands on my hip, and the other finally releases mine to tuck my hair behind my ear.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.
“I can’t be your best friend anymore,” he says, and I feel like I’m dangling over the edge of a cliff as he cups the back of my neck.
“What? Why not?”
Is Hunter going to kiss me? Do I want him to kiss me?
“I think about you all the time, Kait. More than I should, and definitely in ways I shouldn’t. It’s complicated, and I don’t know what things are going to look like in a year, but I know my feelings for you aren’t going to change. ”
“Hunter . . .” I trail off, utterly speechless, because as awful as it was to be rejected by Bailey, it’s nice to be wanted. Could I have feelings for Hunter?
“Just give me a chance,” he says, lowering his head to close the gap between us. I could pull away if I wanted to, but I’m not sure I do. He stops just out of reach, his nose brushing against mine, and my lashes flutter shut.
I can’t promise I’ll feel the same way about Hunt as I do for Bailey, but I can give him a chance.
“Okay,” I agree, tipping my chin up.
And then, for the second time in a month, I’m kissing one of the Walker twins.