Chapter Twelve
Bailey
Something was wrong with Hunter.
He’d been strangely calm since his appointment with Stevie, and he’d even been asking about whether Aiden would bring him a cookie next time he came up. The question had caught me so off balance I’d almost asked Hunter what he’d taken. Or if he’d been abducted by aliens and replaced with a clone.
Either sounded plausible considering Hunter had never wanted to order cookies in the entire six years I’d known him.
Especially not after being weighed and measured.
I watched him constantly throughout the afternoon, keeping him in my field of view even when I was doing drills with the rest of the backs on the other side of the training pitch. I dropped the ball more times than I should have, earning me endless amounts of ribbing, but I didn’t give a shit.
Something was wrong with Hunter and I had to figure out what it was before all hell broke loose.
“What do you wanna do this evening?” Hunter asked as we climbed into the car a couple of hours later.
Technically it was Hunter’s car, but we were both on the insurance and we split the costs between us, so it was practically ours.
I’d thought about getting my own, but it was so much easier to share.
It wasn’t like either of us went somewhere without the other very often.
“Wasn’t planning on doing much,” I said. It was my turn to drive, which was annoying because I couldn’t keep my eyes on Hunter. “We haven’t watched the highlights of the Bath-Coventry match yet. Want to watch that?”
“Sure. Thought I might try a bit more crochet too. I want to see if I can make a few more squares. Then I want to try a scarf.” He hummed thoughtfully and I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.
Hunter had taken up crochet as a non-screen-based hobby—something gentle to keep his mind and body active without stress—and now we had a basket filled with wonky, brightly coloured squares on the floor by the sofa and another overflowing with yarn.
We had more yarn than he’d ever be able to use, but I’d decided not to point that out.
“What are you going to do with all the squares?” I asked.
“Not sure. Maybe make a blanket?”
“Do you have enough? How do you even attach them together?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know. I guess you sew them?
I’ll Google it. And if I want it to be bigger, I can always make more squares.
” He pulled out his phone, scrolling idly and typing now and then.
From my quick glances in his direction, it almost looked like he was messaging someone.
But I knew if I asked, it would make me look like some overbearing, controlling boyfriend.
As soon as we got home I threw myself into cooking dinner, hoping it would be enough of a distraction.
The tight knot of anxiety that’d been sitting in my chest all day was really starting to irritate me because I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on.
It felt like I was missing something, but I didn’t know where to start looking.
I wanted to keep asking Hunter questions, push him until he finally gave in and told me the truth. But that wouldn’t happen. Pushing him would only make him clam up more. Or he’d lie to me and tell me what he thought I wanted to hear.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him. I did. Or I wanted to. But I also knew when things were bad, Hunter struggled to control his thoughts. And it was those thoughts that would make him lie.
I just wanted him to be okay. I needed it more than anything. And if I couldn’t help him, then what good was I?
“Bailey.” Hunter’s voice was soft, his hand coming to rest gently on my hip. I hadn’t even realised he was behind me. “Bailey, please. I know something is wrong.”
“Nope, nothing’s wrong.”
“Really? Because you’ve been staring at me all afternoon and you’ve chopped those mushrooms so small they’re practically dust.”
I glanced down at the pile of chestnut mushrooms in front of me. Hunter’s description wasn’t far wrong. “Sorry, just… thinking.”
“What about?”
“Not much. The Cardiff match we’ve got coming up. They’ve got a new coach.”
“Liar.” There was a shaper edge to his tone and his fingers tightened.
“They have. They fired Osborne at the end of last season,” I said, deliberately ignoring Hunter’s point as I threw the tiny cubes of mushroom into the pan.
“Don’t be a twat. You know that’s not what I meant.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“The fucking truth.”
“I’m fine, seriously.”
“And I know you’re lying. Jesus, Bailey, please. Just be fucking honest with me. I know you’re worried about me.”
“Of course I am,” I snapped, slamming my hand onto the counter. The sharpness of the gesture seemed to shock both of us and there was a long moment of silence punctuated only by our breathing. “Sorry. That was… Ignore me.”
“No,” he said. He reached out and turned the burner on the hob off. “I’m sorry I make you worry. I know it’s hard on you.”
“You don’t need to apologise.”
Hunter put his other hand on my hip, holding me tightly on both sides as he rested his forehead against the back of my head.
Tension radiated out of him. Or maybe it was frustration.
It could have been a hundred things; I wasn’t sure I could tell.
“What if I want to? I don’t want you to feel responsible for me.
” He sighed. “I know I need help sometimes, and I know I rely on you a lot. Maybe too much but—”
“No! It’s not too much.”
“It feels like it.”
“It’s not. I promise.” I turned in his arms, gazing up at him as my back pressed into the edge of the counter. It was at times like this that I was reminded how tall Hunter really was. “You… you’re my best friend, Hunter. Caring for you is never going to be too much.”
He didn’t look convinced, his hands practically burning through my clothes as he put them back on my hips. “If you insist on looking after everyone else, who’s going to look after you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t need looking after.”
“Maybe not, but you deserve to be looked after.”
“Where’s all this coming from?” I asked, frowning deeply. “Are you sure you’re okay? Did something happen?”
Hunter glanced away for a second, a twinge of guilt twisting his mouth. Fuck! I knew it! “I promise you, I’m fine. Cross my heart. But, er, I… I might have messaged Aiden and told him you were stressed and I didn’t know what to do and—”
“Did you tell him why?”
There was a pause, and then Hunter nodded. “Yeah. Not full details or anything, but enough.”
“Okay, what did he say?” I asked cautiously. Hunter very rarely told anyone about his history. Most of the team had no idea. We’d always kept it very need-to-know, and the fact Hunter had told Aiden…
I hoped Aiden appreciated how big a deal it was that Hunter had confided in him.
“Just thanks and he’s always around if I want to talk about it.
Said he appreciated my openness.” His expression softened slightly.
It was the same look he’d often started wearing when he thought about Aiden, and it was somehow strange and beautiful and terrifying all at the same time.
He was falling so fast. I only hoped we’d both be able to catch him.
“This isn’t about me, though,” Hunter continued. “This is about you.”
“Why?”
“Because I fucking hate seeing you like this.” He reached up with trembling fingers, putting them against my neck as he brought his forehead down to rest against mine.
His breath was warm against my skin, his mouth so close I could kiss him without even moving.
“Please, Bailey. I need you to believe me when I say I’m fine.
I know… fuck, I know I’ve hidden stuff in the past. And I can’t promise I’ll always be better in future.
But today, I need you to believe me. And let me take care of you for once.
If you won’t listen to me, then would you listen to Aiden? ”
“What do you mean?”
He straightened and pulled his phone out of his pocket, opening the screen and showing me the message thread between him and Aiden.
It was too long to read at a glance, and I wasn’t sure if I was hurt or not by them talking about me behind my back.
But then my eyes landed on the voice note at the bottom of the screen. Just as Hunter pressed play.
“Hey, Bailey,” Aiden said, his voice so warm it sent calming heat rushing through my body.
“I don’t know everything that’s gone on today, or all the history behind it, but Hunter is worried about you.
Mostly, I think, because he’s afraid you’re stressing over him and don’t believe him when he says he’s okay.
Look, I don’t know if he’s lying or not, but if he is, I’ll be really fucking mad—Hunter, you better fucking be listening to this too.
Don’t lie to Bailey. Or me. Or I’ll never fuck you again! ”
I snorted and Hunter’s cheeks flushed slightly at the threat. One day I hoped he’d be open to me fucking him too, because I wanted to watch him fall apart on my cock. It would probably destroy me but it would be worth it.