Personal note: I want to apologize if my work lately seems lacking. In less than a month there were two funerals in my real life, another two elderly relatives were hospitalized and a couple of days ago I found out that the growth I’ve had on my eye for months isn’t going to “disappear on its own” as my GP had previously assured me, but will have to be surgically removed. I try to concentrate on the good things such as the coming holidays and my new baby cousin being healthy but I’ve been rather apathetic lately and I’m afraid that sinks into my writing. Being on wattpad helps though because of all of you who vote and mainly because of those of you who comment; you manage to distract me and even make me laugh. I swear I got all giddy when a few days back Hunt Me Down rated #55 – the best this story has gotten so far and the highest any of my books have rated lately. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, READING AND SUPPORTING MY WORK AND CHEERING ME UP!

*****

Hunter’s POV

“N-nothing,” he stuttered and I immediately knew he was lying.

I observed him as he lowered his reddened face, his eyes landing on his sparkly clean white sneakers. What kind of a teenager had clean sneakers?

The way these things attracted dirt and mud even during a dry season was almost magical; just moments after you put them on, they already needed to be washed. But not with Nathaniel.

Everything about him was always in mint condition. His room was tidy like a photo from a magazine and the same diligence was applied to his locker at school; his clothes were never stained or wrinkled, his hair was never a mess… Or maybe it was a mess when he’d just woken up. I’d love an opportunity to find out!

I leaned back in the garden chair, taking him all in. Even when disquieted and with his head down, he still kept a straight posture. The blush was slowly fading out of his cheeks and I couldn’t help but notice how soft his features were; soft eyes, soft gaze, soft-looking lips… One day I’d taste them, but for now I’d simply watch them and the rest of his handsome face. Such soft features indeed, except for the well-defined jaw line – a manly trait to what would have otherwise been a feminine face.

The lips parted slightly as if he had something to say; a nervous lick followed the movement before he rose from his seat, took the now empty soda can and threw it in a garbage bin.

“I better get inside,” he said as he came back to the garden table. “I have to study.”

“On a Friday night?” I questioned then shook my head; typical Nathaniel, I shouldn’t be surprised. “Will you help me with my homework this weekend?”

My question seemed to take him aback and it probably should; I wasn’t an exemplary student. As a matter of fact, the only reason I was retaking senior year was in hopes that having a diploma would help me find a job and take me off Aunt Betty’s shoulders. She’s been nice enough to accept me when my own parents despised me – a feeling I returned – and I didn’t want to be a burden to her. A high school graduate didn’t sound as good as a college one, especially when you’ve done time, but at least it was something.

“You are a year ahead so I’m not sure I’d be able to help,” his voice rose at the last few words, making what he said sound like a question.

“It’s with an essay for English class. Something tells me you are good with that,” I replied with a wink.

“Okay,” he turned his head towards their front door. “We’ll arrange something for tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay,” I agreed and stayed in my seat until he walked inside their house. Once Nat was out of sight, I got up; no point in hanging here when he was gone.

As I took the steps to our porch I contemplated on how easy it had been to get him to come over. All I’d had to do was ask him for homework help; how had I not thought of that simple excuse sooner? He would want to help; of course he’d agree to do it. So easy! It had been so easy to get him into my bedroom…

Let’s see how hard it would be to get him into my bed!

*****

Nathaniel’s POV

I leaned on the front door as I closed it and heaved a deep sigh.

I’d just arranged a date with Hunter Harris. A study date, of course, but still a date. We had not agreed on the details but I imagined we’d be in his house, maybe in his room. His bedroom. The room in which was his bed. The bed in which surely he’d done other things than sleep…

I shook my head.

What was I worried about?

We would just study. I might even get the opportunity to do some investigating and find out more about his past. I was pretty confident that unlike me he did not keep a diary, but I could still come upon something; maybe old photos or letters or… Who was I kidding?

No one wrote letters anymore!

Well, I wrote letters but it was considered odd amongst my peers. Besides, even if he had some, he wouldn’t let them lying around, right?

And I most definitely was not going through his personal effects… right?

Of course I wasn’t!

I wasn’t that type of person; I was raised to respect people’s privacy. By whom, I did not know, since mom was a gossiper and dad was always busy, but someone must’ve at some point taught me how wrong it was to pry.

But where else could I get information about Hunter’s past?

He had no facebook and I doubt he even knew how to use twitter or any other social media for that matter and I didn’t know any of his old friends so how…

I gaped as I realized that there was a simple solution to my problem and it was literally staring me at my face with her blue eyes surrounded with black eyeliner.

“Nat, why are you grinning like a psychopath?” Val mumbled, her mouth half-full of biscuits.

“I’m not grinning like a psychopath,” I contradicted in an overly excited tone. “How about we sit down and have a chat?”

She gulped the content which was in her mouth and replied in a normal voice:

“You’re looking at me strangely, bro; it’s kind of creepy. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were high or something.”

“Let’s just go somewhere and talk,” I insisted again and she narrowed her eyes.

“Is this about the cheese accident in school?” My twin asked.

“What cheese accident?”

“Nothing,” she replied quickly and stuffed her mouth with more of the biscuits as an excuse not to speak. I usually would’ve prompted her for more details to make sure she hadn’t done anything to get suspended, but today I had more important things than her pranks. How much trouble could she cause with cheese?

Then again this was Vallery and she was a creative girl; she probably could cause a national disaster with just cheese. Still, something else came first in my agenda today.

“I just want to ask you a few things about Hunter,” I admitted.

“Getting bored with Irene already?” She asked sweetly.

“No, I was just wondering…” I was not going with ‘if you knew he’d been in a gang’; if he’d shared that with her in confidence, then she wouldn’t tell me. “If he had any tattoos,” I opted for the more subtle approach.

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“Because… Because he’s probably going to reply with ‘you are welcome to search me’ or something.”

That was true. I could already picture him smirking and invitingly lifting the hem of his shirt as he purred those words.

“Oh, and what a sight you’d get if you do that,” she remarked wistfully.

“You’ve seen him naked? When?”

She giggled.

“Sorry, bro, but I can’t give you any details other than what you’ve already seen that morning we all went for a jog. Which is why it surprises me that you haven’t noticed the huge tattoo that’s on his back; you can see its edges even when he’s with a singlet. Well, depends on the model but…”

“So he has one?” I interrupted. How had I missed that? Maybe it was because I’d still been angry at him back then and avoided looking at him.

“Why are you so interested in his tattoo?” She bit into one of the last biscuits. “I know why I am interested in tattooed guys – ink done well is hot – but you? Why?”

“I… He just looks like a person who’d have one or more so I got curious,” I gave a somewhat rational explanation which – judging by the way Vallery rolled her eyes – she did not buy.

“So what’s it like?” I inquired and when she placed the last of her treats into her mouth and lazily chewed on it, I pressed again: “Val, what’s Hunter’s tattoo like?”

“I could tell you…” She swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her right hand while scrunching the biscuit wrapper in her left fist. “But since you are keeping things from me and don’t want to explain why you need to know, I’ll leave you to ask Hunter about it,” she concluded and went into the kitchen to throw away the wrapper.

I followed her in there with the intent to beg a reply out of her but mom came down the stairs. I leaned on the kitchen doorframe and waited for my parent to go into the living room and turn on the TV or read a magazine so I could finish the conversation with my sister; instead, my parent took her coat from the stand in the hallway and started putting on her shoes.

“Are you going out?” I asked.

“I’ll just hop to the drug store real quick,” she replied nervously whist tying the laces of her right shoe.

“At this hour? It’s already dark outside,” I pointed out.

“Mommy’s got a migraine again, sweetie,” she stated through clench teeth then straitened up. “Tell your dad dinner’s in the stove.” With that she exited into the yard.

“Someone’s in a hurry,” Val noted as she looked through the kitchen window and I moved next to her to see our mom standing next to the car and impatiently rummaging through her handbag for the keys to unlock it. Once she got them, she hastily opened the door to the vehicle and a moment later, she was speeding down the street.

“She’s been acting strange lately,” Val commented, then added: “Well, strange even for mom.”

“Really? I haven’t noticed.”

“Of course not; your mind is too occupied with whether Hunter has tattoos,” she said as she turned to face me and I saw her grin.

“About that…” I began but she raised a hand up.

“Either tell me why you want to know so badly or take it up with Hunter,” she said adamantly. “And speaking of him, I’m going over to his place to play video games. Wanna join?”

“No… No, I have homework,” I muttered and this was one of the rare occasions on which I wish I wasn’t such a diligent student.

*****

A/N:Are you looking forward to Nat and Hunt’s one-on-one study session?

Whose POV would you like to see in the next chapter?