Nathaniel’s POV

“The Hell if I know” – yes, that had been very helpful indeed!

Hunter was her nephew, she was supposed to know him, and even she couldn’t manage him. How was I to do it then?

Our front door screeched as I opened it. Dad should oil the hinges but if I left it to him, we’d probably have to endure the sharp noise until it was time to move again; I’d better find a hardware store and take care of the problem myself. Tomorrow was Saturday, I should look for one then.

“Mom? Are you okay?” I asked whilst walking into the kitchen to find her gulping a pill. She twisted around, startled, but forced a smile, her lips forming a crooked line.

“Oh, didn’t realize you were home yet,” she replied in a high-pitched tone. “I’m fine, sweetie; I just got a bit of a headache.”

“Do you also have a fever?” Walking towards her, I put my messenger bag on a stool then, once I was standing in front of her, I placed my hand over her forehead. She was perfectly cool.

“No, no, I don’t think so, sweetie,” she giggled nervously. “Just a migraine; I’m fine.”

“Why don’t you go lie down?”

She moved away from me and opened the fridge, her eyes scanning the items inside.

“I have to make dinner.”

“I’ll do that; you go rest, mom,” I insisted.

“You are the sweetest boy, do you know that?” She smiled again, this time for real.

“So you keep telling me.”

*****

“Hunter, we need to talk,” I squeaked.

No.

I cleared my throat and tried again, this time aiming to sound stern instead of like an anxious little girl.

“Hunter, we need to talk.”

No, that wouldn’t do either; I still sounded too mellow and insecure. I stopped my pacing and gave it another go:

“Hunter Harris, we need to talk!”

A loud laughter interrupted my rehearsal. My neck cracked as I turned my head towards the open window.

“You sound like someone’s mother right now,” the blond commented, leaning on the frame. This time, he kept all his limbs inside the confines of his bedroom.

“My Aunt said you came to our house to see me today.” He tilted his head to the side and lifted the left corner of his lips up. “Did you miss me?”

“No.” I tried to sound firm. “We really need to talk, okay?”

“Do I need to sit down?” He jested.

“Very funny, Hunter. Just come over, please.”

One swift motion and he was perched on the tree between our rooms, grinning that he’d managed to startle me. I couldn’t help but envy the ease with which he moved as he slid into my room through the window, his feet greeting the carpeted floor with a quiet thud.

“You could’ve just used the door you know,” I muttered, taking a few steps back to put some distance between us. “You don’t have to sit for this conversation but you can do it if you want to,” I offered, remembering the host should provide some comfort for their guest and pointed to the chair in front of my desk. Hunter walked past it and towards the bed, stretching before lying on his back with his arm under his head. He looked quite unabashed with taking over an item as personal as the one I used to sleep on.

I decided to ignore his blatant behavior and taking a deep breath, I summed up what had been on my mind for about a week:

“Hunter, you are making me feel uncomfortable.”

“You invited me over,” he noted calmly.

“Not now,” I started for the chair but before I sat down, I changed my mind; I’d look more authoritative standing up.

“When you flirt with me,” I clarified. “Or when you randomly touch me like that first day in school. You are invading my personal space. It makes me feel uncomfortable so please don’t do it.”

“Or?”

I startled once more.

“What do you mean ‘or’? I asked you politely.”

“And you think that is going to make me stop messing with you?”

“You were just messing with me? You didn’t really think I was cute?” I shot out before I’d had the chance to consider what I was saying.

“Are you disappointed?” The smirk was back on and his had had tilted to the left again.

“No,” I cleared my throat as the answer sounded thoroughly unconvincing. “Okay, maybe I was a tiny bit flattered but I am mostly uncomfortable. Besides, what about Cameron?” I inquired, hoping I got the name right.

“What about him?” He asked in the same smooth voice as before.

“Aren’t you two together?” I mused, remembering the scene I’d witnessed last week.

“No.”

“But you were making out,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, we sleep together sometimes. We are not in a relationship though,” he sat in the bed, casually spreading his legs and placing his hands in his lap. “And how can we be? He still hasn’t come out yet.”

“But if he does, are you going to start dating?” I kept on questioning.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve tried relationships; they are not worth the trouble.”

Hunter got up and walked towards the window, looking outside at the tree between our yards. His face was no longer playful or curious; his mouth was shut tight and his eyes slightly narrowed.

“Why are you so curious anyway,” he asked after a minute of silence and turned to me, his features back to normal. “Checking out the competition?”

I felt the heat flood my face like a wave. It was exactly due to that type of remarks that we were having this conversation.

“No, I’m just trying to be friendly.”

“You really are a terrible liar, Natty,” he laughed, shaking his head.

“I’m not lying,” I protested. “I’m just being curious.”

“Being curious isn’t the same as being friendly. Besides, you might regret getting to know me if you were to truly know me.”

Was he referring to his time in jail?

I felt my heartbeat quicken as I thought of all the possible things he could’ve done to end up there and had to try my best not to step away from him. His next words caught me off guard:

“I’m sorry if I scared you the other day.”

An apology?

That was definitely something I would not expect from him.

“It’s not that bad. The reason I was inside,” he clarified.

“So the scary, kick-arse persona is just for show?” I laughed nervously and hoped for an affirmative answer.

“No, I can be scary and I can and will kick your arse if you cross me.”

“Then I want you to stay away from Vallery,” I insisted firmly. I didn’t even have to force myself; this time my voice came out with all the authority I could ever muster.

“I thought you invited me over to talk about how uncomfortable I made you feel, not to tell me to stay away from your sister,” he noted, tilting his head to the side in that habitual manner of his. “Or does her safety take precedent over your own comfort?”

“Vallery always comes first.”

“Such loyalty.” His lips twitched. “You tell me to stay away from her and she threatens me that if I bother you too much she’d…”

“Don’t you dare touch my sister!”

I was not a violent man but my fists were clenched so tight, that my nails dug into the flesh of my palm. I ignored the anger and concentrated on his face instead. Val had advised me to look into people’s eyes whenever I attempted to figure out their next move so I stared into those steely orbs even though they gave nothing away.

“Actually, I like this about you two,” he said in a chit-chat fashion. “And I like Val. I don’t plan on seriously fighting with her.”

“Seriously fighting?”

“We night wrestle a bit sometime; we both need a sparring partner,” he shrugged.

My fists loosened but I still felt on edge. Even a friendly workout could end up with a serious injury if those involved were not careful. My twin knew that and Hunter probably did too, but would he care about it?

Would he care about her?

“Don’t worry; she’s going to be fine,” he commented as if he’d read my mind. “Is this the only thing that makes you react this way? Your sister being in danger?” He then asked.

“Do you have any siblings?” He shook his head. “Then you wouldn’t understand,” I concluded.

“Believe it or not, there are people I care for in this world, Nathaniel, even if I’m not related to them. Actually, the people I do care about are outside my family.”

“But your Aunt Betty?”

“She’s an exception.”

 “She doesn’t look like the brownie-bringing type,” I noted, remembering she’d brought us some treats this Monday.

He laughed.

“That’s because she isn’t. She just really likes brownies, but they didn’t have the ones she usually buys at the store so she took another brand. She didn’t like those and she doesn’t want to throw away food so she gave one box to your mom to get rid of them.”

I also smiled and sat on the chair that was behind me.

“Yeah, that makes sense now. But why wouldn’t she throw away food if she doesn’t like it?”

“I don’t know; maybe it’s a Christian thing.”

“Aren’t you also a Christian?” I asked, nodding towards the chain and cross he always had on his neck.

“I’m supposed to be.”

“But you don’t really believe in God?”

“I used to. But now not so much.” His hand darted towards the religious symbol and his voice turned bitter. “I bet the big guy’s got more important things to worry about than sinners like me anyway.”

*****

A/N: First, I’d like to apologize that the update and replying to comments and messages has taken me so long. I’ve been without a laptop since Sunday and I only just got my hands on a computer, allowing me to write and respond to you. Sadly, since I have a lot to catch up on – on wattpad and off it – The Help Book will most likely not be updated this week.

As for this chapter: what do YOU think?

Did you expect Hunter to apologize to Nat?

And do you think he’ll back off now that the male twin has told him how uncomfortable he felt with being flirted with?

Don’t forget to vote if you enjoyed the chapter and have a great time wattpading, everyone!