My gold-flecked eyes met his cobalt blue ones, reading into them.
"Night, what is it?" He really wanted to know if he pulled the last-name card.
"It's nothing to concern yourself with, Hunter." I stood up, walking to the center of the room. I ran my fingers through my hair, turning to look at him. "It's really nothing-" my mouth curled upwards as it did when I was nervous- "to worry about, Hunter." He walked forward and wrapped his hands around my upper arms. His gaze was intense, his eyes narrowing slightly as they locked onto mine.
"Rai, what's the matter? You've been so jumpy since the restaurant." His deep voice reverberated in my bones as I pulled out of his grasp.
"Does it really matter? I mean, geez, can I not have a few moments where I can be alone?" My voice broke and I crumpled into a ball in the middle of the floor, quietly sobbing. "A few moments where I don't have to be interrogated?" I heard footsteps, followed by the door opening then shutting. I stood up, curling in the middle of my bed.
∞--X--∞
Half an hour later, I heard the door open and someone knock on the doorjamb. "Rai?" Hunter asked, and I looked up at him. He stepped inside and closed the door. I wiped at my eyes, sitting upright. He sat on the edge of my bed, placing something between us. A bar of dark chocolate. My favorite. I picked up the bar, placing it on my nightstand.
"Hey, Hunter?" He looked at me in response. "Listen, I'm sorry for breaking down earlier," I said, looking at the bedspread. He tilted my face up to look at him. His eyes were soft, and he had a faint smile on his lips.
"It's okay." I looked back at the bedspread, avoiding his gaze. "Rai." I looked up at him. He folded his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. He kissed my forehead, and I smiled. He smirked, and I pulled away, looking at him. "I love you," he said, locking eyes with me. I watched him, my smile still on my face.
"I love you, too, Hunter." His smirk turned into a smile upon those words. Five words. Seventeen letters. And they made his day, from the looks of it. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a necklace box. He opened it, holding it between us. A gold chain with a gunmetal wolf head on it rested in the box. My eyes widened as Hunter took the chain out of the box and clasped it around my neck. I reached back to take off the pistol necklace, placing it on my nightstand.
"It's beautiful, Hunter. Thank you so much," I said, tears welling up in my eyes. He chuckled.
"You weren't supposed to cry. It was to make you happy," he said. I smiled, feeling a couple tears sliding down my cheeks. He wiped them away, kissing my forehead again. I blushed, looking at my wrinkled bedspread. I fingered the wolf head, feigning interest in the sheet. I looked back up at him, kissing his cheek.
"It's amazing, Hunt." He smiled.
"I would hope so. That's why I got it. An amazing necklace for an amazing girl." I slapped his arm playfully.
"Cheesy much?"
"Only for you." I snuggled into his chest, and he rested his chin on top of my head.
"Y'know, you're amazing, too, Hunter." I heard him chuckle, and I looked at him again, and he kissed me. He pulled back, and I smiled at him.
"Thanks for that, Rai," he said, and I nodded, speechless. Two kisses in one day, one from a guy I hated-whom obviously liked me-and one from the guy I loved. Not one for show, like on our missions, a genuine one. No pretense of going undercover as a dating couple. Over my earpiece, I heard Sheppard's voice, requesting the two of us for a new mission. I felt Hunter stand up, saw him hold his hand down to help me up. I took his hand, getting up. We walked to the elevator, just two agents heading to the superior's office.
Hunter held the door open for me, like he always does, and I walked in, sitting down. Sheppard passed us the mission folders, like she'd done thousands of times before and dismissed us. I got back to my room, reading over the mission folder, changing into the dress provided. It was long enough to wear my boots under, so I put them on and went to do my makeup.
I was reading my book when Hunter knocked on the door. I got up and opened it, looking at him. I stepped back, letting him in.
"Wow, Rai. You look beautiful," he said, closing the door behind him. I looked down at the dress I hadn't really even bothered to look at when I put it on. It was a mermaid-style gown, in a coral color. I looked back up at him.
"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," I said. He smirked, shaking his head. I stepped forward to tie a Windsor knot in his tie.
"I like that color on you. Better than blue," he said. I blushed, smoothing the tie against his chest.
"Thanks," I said. I moved to step back, and his arms wrapped around my waist. His lips were twisted into a smirk, and I heard music start playing from his coat pocket. 747 by Lady Antebellum, my favorite song. I smiled as he sang along, sounding pretty much like the male lead. I sang with the female lead as we awkwardly danced in a small circle. The song ended, and his smirk had widened into a smile. He kissed my forehead, releasing me so we could walk to the garage, where the limo was waiting. I climbed in first, and he slid in next to me. I looked out the window as his fingers entwined with mine, smiling.
∞--X--∞
Eighteen minutes later, we arrived at a huge auditorium, and Hunter stepped out, helping me out. I stepped out, walking inside, my hands wrapped around Hunter's bicep. As we arrived inside, I smiled up at him, and he smiled at me. I looked out at the crowd, almost immediately falling into déjà vu. I swallowed, feeling the memory come back.