Chapter 12

Aiden glared at the back of Hunter's head who had changed seats, silently wishing he could set it on fire with his eyes alone.

That traitor.

That backstabbing jerk.

Aiden's mood instantly rotted when he walked into the classroom and didn't find Hunter at his usual spot which was next to Aiden. At first Aiden thought Hunter was absent. 

But then as he scanned the room, his eyes finally landed on him. Hunter was sitting in a completely different seat alone, in the farthest corner of the classroom. Aiden's jaw dropped, almost hitting the floor. His dramatic gasp was so loud that a few students turned to look at him. 

He marched over to him and told him to get back to his seat but as expected Hunter ignored him. Hunter didn't even look at him. So, with a disappointed sigh Aiden had to come back. 

But he was still determined to glare at Hunter. Behind Aiden, Nick and Ethan, who had been watching the entire thing, snickered.

"Ohhh, look at this," Ethan winked at Nick "Aiden's little puppy is acting up again."

Nick smirked. "Tsk, tsk, how dare he?"

"Right? After all, our little Aiden fed him, pampered him, spoiled him…And this is the thanks he gets? What a shame."

"Man, you must be so pissed. After all that babying, now he's ignoring you like he doesn't even know you."

"Guess he grew some balls," Ethan added.

Aiden clenched his fists, his annoyance skyrocketing. But before he could snap at them, Sophia suddenly turned around and scolded them.

"Enough, you two. Stop bothering Aiden. Don't you have better things to do."

Nick and Ethan looked at her, then at Aiden, before laughing again. "Alright, alright," Ethan raised his hands in surrender. "We'll stop teasing our poor, abandoned prince."

Sophia sighed and turned to Aiden with a worried expression. Everyone in the class knew Aiden and Hunter had always sat together so it was shocking for them too. 

"Maybe Hunter just wants to self-study and concentrate. Exams are coming up, you know," Sophia tried to comfort him. 

Aiden scrunched his nose. "So what? We can study together."

Study and you? She doesn't know how to answer that. "Maybe…he just needs some space?"

Aiden frowned because it made no sense to him. They had always been together. Why the hell would Hunter suddenly need space now? This was dumb. Everything was dumb. Hunter was being dumb.

Before he could press further, the teacher entered. "Alright, class, settle down. I have an announcement." 

Their teacher, Mr. Davis, set his papers on the desk and looked at the class with a smile. "A school trip has been approved. We'll be going camping in the woods. Three days and two nights."

The energy in the room skyrocketed as everyone started chattering excitedly.

Aiden, who was still fuming over Hunter, snapped out of it when he heard the words 'trip' and 'woods.'

After class ended, Hunter got up and immediately left without looking back. Aiden watched him go and scowled. 

Nick and Ethan because they were annoying as hell chuckled again.

"Awww," Ethan fake-pouted. "Your dog's running away."

Nick sighed dramatically. "Won't you go chase after him, Aiden? Who knows, he might bite someone. Then everyone will blame you as his owner who couldn't control his pet. "

Aiden was done with them. He slowly turned his head toward them, his eyes dark and his smile fake as hell.

"At least I have someone to run away from me," he said smoothly. "Unlike you, who chases after girls only to get ignored in return."

Nick and Ethan's smirks dropped instantly.

Aiden picked up his bag, stretched, and casually walked out the door.

Behind him, Sophia smirked and crossed her arms. "Serves you right." 

💀😍🙂

Hunter stepped into the cafeteria. He was planning to sit alone and clear his head, but then his sharp eyes landed on a familiar scene near the back. Casen was surrounded by a group of guys. 

Hunter exhaled sharply through his nose and rolled his eyes. These idiots again?

Without hesitation, he strode over and without warning, slammed his bag onto the table with a loud thud. Casen flinched in his seat, nearly dropping his fork. The guys turned to glare at the interruption, only to freeze when they saw who it was. Not him again.

Hunter didn't say a word. He just stood there with his honey-brown eyes dark radiating pure menace. His silence alone was enough to send a chill down their spines.

One of the guys scoffed. "Tch. Let's just go."

Without waiting, they grabbed their things and practically scrambled away, throwing glances over their shoulders as if expecting Hunter to lunge at them.

Casen let out a breath of relief. "T-Thanks…"

Hunter pulled out a chair and sat across from him, casually pulling out his phone. He didn't even look up. "Eat."

Casen was confused. "Huh?"

Hunter scrolled through his screen, completely disinterested. "I'll wait and make sure those guys won't return. Finish your food."

Casen's face heated up. His fingers curled around his fork as he suddenly felt nervous. Hunter looked so effortlessly cool sitting there with his dark clothes, sharp features, the way his fingers moved lazily across his phone screen like he had all the time in the world. He wasn't trying, yet he looked so hot with his 'I don't give a fuck' energy. 

Casen swallowed hard and quickly looked away, trying to focus on his food. But after a few bites, his curiosity got the better of him. He glanced around the café as if he was looking for someone. 

Hunter's sharp gaze flickered up. "What the hell are you doing?"

Casen stiffened. "N-Nothing," Shyly, he tugged at his sleeves and asked in a small voice, "Your…uh, scary friend isn't with you today?"

"Scary friend?"

Casen nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, from that day."

Hunter stared at him. "You mean Aiden?"

"Yes! That one."

"You think Aiden is scary?" Hunter frowned. 

Casen shuddered at the memory of Aiden screaming at him. "Very scary." 

Hunter couldn't help it, he chuckled. Aiden? Scary? That idiot was more like an overgrown, angry kitten. Sure, Aiden could be loud, aggressive, and dramatic, but scary? Not in the slightest.

But as soon as Casen mentioned Aiden, something dark curled in Hunter's chest. The memory of yesterday resurfaced when he saw Aiden hugging Sophia. 

The way Aiden saw Hunter watching but still did it. Hunter's fingers tightened around his phone.

Casen, oblivious to Hunter's inner madness, hesitated before asking in a soft voice, "S-So…are you single?"

Hunter's thoughts screeched to a halt and his eyes snapped at Casen. Single? Of course, he's single? He never even thinks about looking at someone that's not Aiden. 

Does one-sided love count? Because it seems Aiden already found someone else. 

Yesterday, when he was looking at them. He had a very malicious urge to walk up to them and rip her away from Aiden's arms and ask her. 

What does she even know about Aiden?

Does she know that Aiden never sets his alarm properly and sleeps like a log, so Hunter always has to call him in the morning to wake him up? Does she know that Aiden can't sleep unless he hugs something, and that's why Hunter always threw a pillow at him whenever they had sleepovers, pretending not to notice when Aiden clung to it like a lifeline?

Does she know that Aiden doesn't like ketchup on his fries but loves dipping them in honey mustard? That he hates the crust on sandwiches, so Hunter always pulled it off for him when they shared lunch? That Aiden always forgets his wallet at home when they go out, not because he's irresponsible, but because he shoves it in random places and then forgets where?

Does she know that Aiden gets sleepy after eating a heavy meal and always ends up resting his head on Hunter's shoulder without realizing it? That whenever Aiden watches a horror movie, he acts brave but grips Hunter's wrist so tightly his fingers leave marks? That when Aiden gets nervous, he rubs his thumb against the seam of his jeans? That he talks big but gets scared easily of bees, of dark hallways, of the idea of being alone for too long?

She doesn't know.

But Hunter does.

He always noticed and always paid attention to those things. He took care of these little things quietly, without Aiden ever asking, without expecting anything in return. Because it made Aiden smile at him brightly. 

And Hunter always felt proud and happy to be the one to take care of him. The one Aiden unknowingly relied on. He never needed a thank you, never needed Aiden to notice. Just seeing Aiden grin, just watching him live without worry, was enough for him.

But now, Aiden has her. He wonders if she'd be able to do all things for Aiden? 

Would she start noticing these little things too? Would she be the one to buy him extra honey mustard from now on? Would she be the one to remind him to take his wallet? Would she be the one he leaned on after a meal, the one whose shoulder he used to rest his head on?

Maybe she would. She would learn things about him, start noticing little details, start picking up his habits. And one day, she would be the one taking care of him instead. Aiden would forget about the extra scarf Hunter always brought for him, about the warm pockets Aiden always sneaked his hands in, and about the way Hunter always tied his shoelaces when he was too distracted.

Because Hunter could already feel it, this suffocating ache in his chest as if he was being erased from Aiden's side piece by piece.

Hunter's stomach churned painfully at these thoughts. However, still, what really matters is Aiden's happiness. If Aiden is happy with Sophia, Hunter would endure this pain. 

Because when did Hunter's happiness matter anyway? 

He never got anything he wanted in his entire life. So why, just this once, did he let himself think that he could have Aiden?

His head snapped up to Casen and asked in a rude tone. "Why are you asking?" 

Casen, suddenly realizing how bold he had been, instantly shrank back in his seat in shame. "U-Uh, I just meant—"

Hunter's expression darkened and ordered coldly. "Eat your lunch. I don't have time to waste." 

Casen tensed at his tone. "O-Oh. Okay."

He immediately started eating at a much quicker pace, practically stuffing his mouth just to avoid Hunter's piercing stare. Hunter went back to scrolling through his phone, though his fingers weren't really moving anymore. 

Casen swallowed his food and hesitantly glanced up. "Aren't you eating anything?"

Hunter didn't look up but his finger froze on his screen. "Not hungry." He simply let out. 

Not that he had money to waste on food right now anyway. If he spent money on lunch, he wouldn't have enough for dinner or breakfast tomorrow. He had to budget carefully.

Casen looked down at his tray, then back at Hunter. "Oh…"

👄🙂🙈

The next few days were nothing but a silent war between them, a game of hide and seek that neither had agreed to play but somehow got stuck in. 

Aiden, being stubborn, refused to approach Hunter first, and Hunter, in his pain, pretended Aiden didn't exist. Every time Aiden looked around, expecting to see Hunter nearby, he found nothing but an empty space where he used to be. Hunter wasn't waiting outside class for him, wasn't there to share his lunch, wasn't the shadow that trailed behind him anymore. And worst of all, he wasn't even glaring at him.

Hunter, on the other hand, every time he caught a glimpse of Aiden with Sophia, laughing, talking, looking comfortable, it felt like something sharp twisted in his chest. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to feel this way. So, he busied himself with looking for more part-time jobs for the upcoming winter break. More work meant less time to think. Less time to wonder if Aiden even noticed the distance growing between them.

And then, the day of the trip arrived.

Hunter, wanting to be left alone, took a seat at the very back of the bus where no one would bother him. He leaned his head against the window and stared outside, lost in his thoughts when someone asked. 

"Can I sit here?"

Hunter turned his head, expecting some random student, but instead, he found Casen standing there with a hopeful smile. Hunter hesitated this time. Usually, this was Aiden's spot. On every trip, no matter what, this spot is reserved for Aiden

But Aiden had Sophia now. So Hunter thought Aiden would probably sit with her.

So Hunter shrugged. "Go ahead."

Casen beamed and wasted no time, dropping into the seat beside him. "Thanks! I was worried I'd have to sit alone."

Hunter said nothing, going back to staring out the window. But just as he was about to zone out again someone yelled. 

"That's my seat!" 

Hunter felt Casen jump bedside him. He looked up to see Aiden storming down the aisle ready to throw hands. "Get up."

Casen was terrified to death encountering Hunter's scary friend again. Without thinking, he looped his arm around Hunter's. "S-Sorry, I didn't know this was your seat since no one was sitting here. But it would be really sweet of you if you let me sit here." 

Aiden saw red right then and there. His menacing eyes were glued to their linked arms. He opened his mouth, ready to tell Casen to get his damn hands off Hunter. 

But Hunter beat him to it. "Let him sit here." 

And for the first time, Aiden heard something breaking inside of him.