CHAPTER 30
TRENT
“Do you need some medicine, baby?” I rub Hunter’s back soothingly while he dry heaves into the toilet. The marble tile I’m kneeling on is uncomfortable, but I’m not worried about that. It makes me upset to see him so sick.
He sits back on his knees and rests his head in the crook of my neck. With his clammy skin pressed against mine, I can feel the light sheen of sweat on his forehead. I have flashbacks to the last time I had to take care of someone, but I push that thought away.
“Probably,” he says. “I always forget how bad altitude sickness hits me.”
I press my lips against his head, the smooth strands of his hair tickling my face. He stopped shaving it and decided to grow it out. It suits him, and I love running my fingers through it. “Let me help you to bed. I’ll go downstairs and see what they have.”
He groans as I help him to his feet. We hobble to the bed, where I lay him flat, tucking him under the covers. I run back to the bathroom and wet a washcloth, bringing it to him to rest on his forehead while I’m gone.
“Don’t move, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you. I love you,” he mumbles, exhausted.
I press a kiss to his forehead, a silent vow, and leave the room.
His words reverberate in my head.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
It’s not the first time he has said it, but it’s still a punch in the gut every time those three words leave his mouth. I feel so strongly for him, I do. It’s just taking me time to get there. And Hunter, the saint that he is, has been so understanding. He’s never once judged me, pushed me away, or treated me any differently after what I’ve told him about my past.
Mitch adores him. I think it’s mostly because Hunter is an artist, so he made a custom puzzle for Mitch that was a picture of me and him. I had to take a moment to myself so I didn’t cry. It was so thoughtful, but that’s Hunter. He pays so much attention to the people around him.
I dodge families dragging kids around and make it to the store inside the lobby without running over anyone’s child, so I consider that a win in my book.
They have a whole wall filled with different medications, and I grab a few different ones. I double check to make sure at least one of them helps alleviate nausea. There’s a shelf of books right beside it, so I pick out a romance book with a pretty cover to read to Hunter while he rests. It’s one of the ways he loves to spend time together, and it’s encouraged me to read a lot more. It’s a hobby of mine now, to find books we like and read them together.
When I put all of the stuff on the checkout counter, my eyes catch on a bouquet of flowers resting beside it.
“These as well, please,” I say, adding them.
“Lucky woman,” the young girl working says as she scans the items and places them in a plastic bag for me.
“Man, actually,” I correct her.
“Lucky man for sure,” she mumbles, then tells me my total.
I fish the money out of my wallet and set it on the counter. “Keep the change, have a great day.”
With the handle of the bag wrapped around my hand, I walk back to the elevator. Shit, should I have gotten Hunter something to drink or eat? He’ll need electrolytes later, but I think water should be fine for now. He probably can’t hold down food either, and I don’t want to make him sicker. I’ll wait until later and order room service for us.
When the elevator at the end of the hall opens, I lift my eyes. My body freezes for a second, but then I force myself to move my feet and duck around the corner like a madman.
No, it’s okay.
He’s not here.
He can’t be here.
I hold my breath, pressing my body against the wall and making myself as tiny as possible while the guy walks by.
It’s him. It is him.
The world falls out from under my feet while I try to gain purchase. What the ever loving fuck did I do to deserve this?
Kian hasn’t seen me, his eyes downcast as he walks by and into the store I just vacated. I should run, I need to run. I need to get back to Hunter and pretend like I never saw Kian, because nothing good will ever come out of this.
I breathe in deeply, making up for the breath I was holding, and I have to swallow down the nausea burning my throat. I’m going to vomit, right here on this expensive tile. Causing a scene is the last thing I need to do.
My body cooperates, and I push myself off the wall and dart to the elevators. What is only a few moments feels like hours as I wait impatiently for the doors to close and take me up to my floor.
I have to tell Hunter. Because when we first started dating he asked for complete transparency. He said he would rather deal with a harsh truth than live with a pretty lie, and I understood completely. My life hasn’t been pretty, but every day is a new day of growth, especially with Hunter by my side, and I’m not going to start being dishonest now.
But I’ll at least wait until he’s feeling better.
???
Hunter finally starts feeling a little better around dinner time, but the soup and crackers that I ordered for lunch wasn’t enough substance to hold him over all day.
“I’m so hungry,” he pouts, propped on the bed with his feet crossed. He’s wearing only a pair of tight boxers, so it’s hard to draw my eyes away from his lean body.
“What do you want? We can order something for room service,” I suggest. For two reasons. One, I don’t want to force him out when he’s not at one hundred percent. And two, selfishly, I don’t want to risk running into Kian. It’s a shitty reason, but I just started telling myself I was moving on. I’ve been taking all the steps Karuna told me to take. Before we risk running into Kian again, I need to tell Hunter that he’s here.
“Ugh, can we get one of everything? I’m starving.”
I chuckle, picking up the phone to call downstairs to request food to be delivered. “Yeah, we can, baby.” I lean across the bed and press my lips to his, feeling his plump bottom lip soften underneath me.
He presses his mouth against mine harder, but before I have the chance to escalate it, he’s pulling back. “I was just throwing up earlier. I would rather not have your tongue in my mouth.”
I silently agree with him while I tell the person on the other end of the line my order.
Tomorrow, I’ll tell Hunter that Kian’s here. Tomorrow.