Chapter 16
Hunter kneeled beside him, eyes filled with concern. "Is your chest still hurting?"
Aiden hesitated for a fraction of a second before sighing dramatically. "Not that much…it's getting better now."
Hunter narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Really?"
Aiden flashed him a sheepish grin and quickly released his hand. "Uh-huh."
"Alright, lay down then," He ordered and Aiden followed.
Hunter sighed as he carefully pulled the blanket up to Aiden's chin, tucking it around him like he always did. Aiden blinked up at him with his wide eyes and his pink lips pressed in a small pout. He looked impossibly soft like this, like a fragile kitten waiting to be pampered.
"Stay warm and sleep," Hunter looked at him for a second before giving Aiden's forehead a quick flick, earning a little yelp from him.
"Hunter!" Aiden whined, rubbing the spot with an exaggerated frown.
Hunter smirked before moving over to his own bed, sitting down with a quiet sigh. His body was exhausted, but his mind was buzzing with thoughts, mostly about the idiot currently bundled up in the blanket next to him.
The tent was faint and the only light coming from the small lantern near the entrance. Outside, the sounds of owls and rustling leaves could be heard but inside, all Hunter could hear was Aiden moving around restlessly.
Hunter peeked over at him. Still awake?
Aiden lay on his back, staring at the tent ceiling with a conflicted expression. He clutched the blanket close to him but his fingers occasionally twitched like he wanted to grab something else or someone else.
Here we go again.
"Why are you not sleeping?"
"I can't."
Hunter rolled onto his side to face him. "Why?"
Aiden hesitated for a second but then turned his head toward Hunter and shamelessly asked. "Can I…come in your blanket?"
Hunter's eyes snapped open fully, his whole body froze. What the hell did this little shit just say?
His brain short-circuited for a second before he turned to Aiden, narrowing his eyes. "What?"
Aiden shuffled under his blanket, his expression innocent but also dangerously sweet, the kind that made Hunter's chest tighten. "It's cold…I just—" He bit his lip, looking unsure. "I sleep better with you."
Hunter stared at him, his mind at war. God, why does this idiot keep trying my patience?
Memories of that night flashed through his head when he kissed Aiden. The night Hunter regrets till today.
"Aiden, you're injured. You should stay still and–"
"I'll be careful, don't worry! I won't move too much!" Aiden being the little menace he was, quickly came up with his witty solutions.
Hunter inhaled sharply to keep his patience to deny but then Aiden's big, pleading eyes looked at him like that, and Hunter felt his resistance crumble into dust.
With a low sigh of defeat, Hunter lifted his blanket. "Come on then."
"Yay!" Aiden grinned, his whole face lighting up as he excitedly scooted over. As soon as he nestled under Hunter's blanket, their faces were dangerously close. Hunter could feel Aiden's soft breaths against his chin, the warmth of his body pressing lightly against his own.
"Thank you," Aiden looked at Hunter with a small, content smile. Hunter clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the way his heart pounded.
He forced himself to close his eyes. "Go to sleep now."
"This is so nice," Aiden smiled softly, curling into Hunter even more. Though his voice became low as he prepared himself before he let out nervously. "Can't we go back to how we were before–Ouch!"
The words barely left his mouth before Hunter moved. Faster than Aiden could react, Hunter grabbed his jaw, firm fingers tilting his face up. His grip wasn't painful, but it was unshakable. It was so fast Aiden could barely understand what's happening. When he got some of his senses, he was shocked to see Hunter's dark and intense gaze.
"You're so selfish, Aiden." Aiden hardly had time to process the words before Hunter leaned his face forward, their faces only inches apart. His breath was warm and too nerve wrenching against Aiden's face.
"If you asked me to never meet you again, I might be able to do that." His voice was calm, a dangerous type of calm, each of his words was laced with something that sent a shiver down Aiden's spine. "If you asked me to stop being your friend, maybe…I could do that too."
Aiden didn't move or try to get away because he was simply frozen. Hunter's fingers tightened slightly, his thumb brushing over Aiden's cheek in a way that felt both intimate and threatening.
"But if you ask me to stop loving you…" His breath ghosted over Aiden's lips as his voice dropped to a whisper, "I might start to hate you instead."
Aiden's stomach turned into knots at the threat because he believed what was happening, he couldn't even recognise this person for a while.
Because wasn't his Hunter.
Hunter had never spoken like this to him before, never touched him so roughly like this, never looked at him with eyes that burned. Aiden's heart pounded in his chest. His body instinctively tried to shrink away, but Hunter didn't let him, which scared him more.
He wasn't used to this side of Hunter. This wasn't the sweet, gentle boy who always gave in to him. This wasn't the Hunter who laughed at his dumb jokes, who always looked at him like he was the most important person in the world.
This Hunter…he seemed dangerous.
"H-Hunter," Aiden stuttered, barely recognizing his own voice. "You're hurting…me."
Heating it, Hunter got back his sense instantly as he looked in Aiden's fear filled eyes. And he was the cause of that fear.
Just what the fuck I'm doing? Showing him the side I always hide from him.
Hunter's grip loosened but he didn't move away just yet. Aiden's skin tingled where Hunter's fingers had been. His jaw felt weirdly cold without the warmth of Hunter's touch now.
"Maybe you can pretend like nothing happened," Hunter told him with pain in his voice now. "Maybe you can push me away, ignore my feelings, and expect me to just…be there whenever you want me to." He let out a small, bitter laugh. "But I can't anymore. Because maybe you don't realise it but I get hurt too."
Aiden swallowed hard, his mind was still trying to register what the hell just happened. But seeing the pain in Hunter's eyes he felt his own heart shattering. He never wanted to hurt Hunter. He just don't understand what's really happening between them or to him.
"Forget it." Hunter turned his back to him, pulling the blanket up. His voice was flat now, almost emotionless. "Just go to sleep."
Aiden stared at the back of his head, his chest tightening painfully.
He did this. Hunter had always been kind, always patient. But even Hunter had a breaking point.
And tonight, Aiden had finally seen what happened when he pushed too far.
😭💀😍Casen sat stiffly as his fingers nervously fumbled with the chocolate bar in his lap. Sam hadn't looked at him once since he entered, and the heavy silence between them was suffocating him.
Ever since that incident, Sam had treated him like some disease, avoiding him, glaring at him, refusing to acknowledge his existence. But Casen couldn't take it anymore. Even if Sam hated him, he didn't want to be ignored like this.
"Um…" Casen hesitated before slowly holding out the chocolate bar to Sam. His soft blue eyes peeked up at Sam through his lashes, hesitant yet hopeful. "Here. As a thank you…for letting me stay here."
Sam finally looked at him, but the vigor of his gaze made Casen shrink into himself. His heart pounded uncomfortably as he tried to hold his smile, but his fingers trembled slightly. Even after a few seconds passed Sam's expression remained blank.
"Take your pity somewhere else," Sam snapped. Then, with a loud groan, Sam ran a rough hand down his face. And before Casen could react, Sam grabbed the chocolate bar and shoved it against Casen's chest, hard enough to make him jolt.
"Hah!" Casen gasped softly, startled, his hands gripping onto the bar before it could fall. But before he could understand what was happening, Sam fisted his hoodie and yanked him forward.
Casen let out a small, panicked sound as his small frame was easily pulled off balance, his hands shooting up to grip Sam's wrist instinctively. His heart thumped in his throat as he found himself inches away from Sam's furious face.
"I'm not interested in your pity party," Sam let out venomously. "You wanna stay here? Fine. But shut the fuck up, because I hate your voice."
Casen's wide blue eyes trembled in horror. "I—I wasn't trying to—"
"Oh, Really? Sam's glare sharpened, making Casen flinch even more. "Then what the fuck are you trying to do? Jumping on me now that Hunter kicked you out? You think I'm a kid who would be coaxed by your stupid chocolates?"
Casen's breath caught in his throat. "No, I wasn't trying to do anything like that. I just…I didn't know where else to go," he admitted quietly, his voice almost too fragile to be heard. His hands were still clenched around Sam's wrist. "Nobody else would've let me in their tents. You know that..right? So, I was generally just saying thank you a-and not trying to do anything else–"
Casen stopped talking when Sam snorted at his genuine words as he didn't believe a single word coming out of his mouth but Casen continued to weakly defend himself.
"I know you hate me, but I didn't come here to bother you. I just—I didn't want to be out there alone." His hands gripped the sleeves of his hoodie tightly, as if trying to make himself smaller.
"Don't play dumb with me," Sam snapped, his grip tightening before suddenly shoving Casen back. "You think I don't know what you're doing? Clinging to Hunter like a fucking leech earlier, and now that he's done with you, you come crawling to me?"
Casen barely caught himself from falling completely, his hands shaking as he propped himself up. But he felt his heart dropping at Sam's next words.
"What, one scandal wasn't enough for you?" He scoffed, his lip curling in disgust. "Or are you already looking for your next one?"
Casen's vision blurred slightly. He bit his lip to stop it from trembling, his fingers curling into the fabric of his sleeves.
Sam clicked his tongue and turned away. "Stay in your fucking lane, Casen. God, you make me sick."
Then, just like that, he laid down, pulling his blanket over himself as if the conversation had never happened.
Casen sat frozen for a long while as if he couldn't move anymore. His chest ached as he stared down at his trembling hands. He could still feel the heat of Sam's fingers on his hoodie, the sting of his words sinking into his skin.
Casen quickly turned his head to the side, blinking rapidly to force back the tears threatening to spill. His breathing was uneven and his throat tight. He lifted a hand to cover his mouth, pressing down to muffle the small sniffle that escaped.
He didn't want to cry. He cried so much daily for different reasons that he had begun to feel ashamed of himself.
He knew Sam was just angry and probably didn't mean any of those words. But hearing them still hurts.
He knew it was all his fault because he should've listened to Sam back then. When Sam warned him about his ex. When Sam told him that guy was playing him. When Sam tried to protect him, but Casen didn't listen to him and pushed him away.
And now…now, Sam hates him.
Casen curled his fingers into his sleeves, stretching the fabric over his hands as he pressed on his wrists, rubbing it aggressively aiming to feel some pain.
But when he didn't feel any pain he felt an urge to do something to feel that numb pain again. He glanced between his bag and Sam. If only Sam wasn't there and he was alone.
Casen simply reached for the chocolate bar. His hands shook slightly as he placed it back into his bag.
He swallowed down the lump in his throat before whispering, "Good night, Sam."
Sam didn't answer. Feeling disappointed Casen laid down too, turning his back to Sam, his body curled slightly into itself as he cried himself to sleep.