"You're the type of person that makes forever seem too short".

~A.L.

Alex

"So, when did your bond form?" my mother asked me, as she sat down across from Aaron and me. Aunt Claire took the seat next to her, her eyes never once leaving me.

"It was October 12th. The day before Matt got into a fight with Hunter," I answered, my shoulders slumping down. She frowned at me and clasped her hands on her lap.

"I understand why you didn't tell your father... but why didn't you tell me?" she finally asked.

"What proof did I have that you would accept it? How could I tell you I was bisexual when every time the topic of LGBTQ people and rights came up you took dad's side?" I snapped back, a pinch of guilt coursing through my body. Her expressions softened as if she finally heard what I was telling her.

"And you knew?" my mom asked Aunt Claire.

"I found out a little over a month ago, by accident," my aunt replied, shedding me a grin. I smiled back, more bitterly, and turned back to my mother.

"I didn't want to keep it a secret. I was... I was just scared," I told her with a sharp exhale.

"I'm so sorry that you had to be scared of us," she immediately said and covered her face with her palms. "God, I feel so ashamed for not realizing before. I failed as a parent..."

"Pamela –it's Pamela, right?" Aaron interfered. My mother looked up and nodded with a solemn gaze. "We didn't get formally introduced, my name's Aaron Anderson, I'm Hunter's father. I'm sorry for having met in such a way, but I can't stand homophobes, especially those who are after my own family". He extended his hand, which my mother gladly shook. "You haven't failed. You may have messed up a few times, but it can be fixed, as long as both of you are willing to fix it". I nodded, looking straight at my mother.

While I didn't have the best relationship with my family, my mother was the only one who had tried to reach out to me. She had been the only one so far to have tried to have a calm conversation with me. I never wanted to lose my family, not like this. Part of me knew that once my relationship with Hunter came out it would be hard to stay in touch with my father and Chris. But my mother was a completely different variable.

"I don't want to lose you..." she finally muttered and reached out to take my hands in hers. "Even if that means that I'm going to have to stand by you choosing this way of living".

My face fell and I pulled my hands away from hers. Was she being serious?

"I didn't choose this. Falling in love with Hunter wasn't a choice. Being bisexual isn't a choice. This 'way of living' is just as normal as yours. And while I don't want to lose you, you can't be in my life until you understand that".

Tears had begun to fill my eyes and exhaling deep I stood up. My gaze fell on my hands, which still had some of Hunter's blood on them, and without saying anything I stood up, turned around and went to the toilets to wash up.

As I was washing up someone opened the door and Don appeared with a somber expression. I eyed him dangerously and then spoke up.

"What do you want?" I asked, harsher than I intended.

"Hunter's father told me I'd find you here. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything that happened. And if it's any consolation, we are all done with Matt," he said, walking closer to me. I sniffled and dried my hands. "Also, I'm sorry about coming to the conclusion that you liked me, and for kissing you... what Beth and I did was horrible and I completely understand if you don't want to see us again," he went on.

"I was serious when I said that I didn't care anymore about Friday night. We all did stupid shit that night that we would like to reverse," I muttered, shaking my head.

"We all? What did you do?" he asked back. I bit my lip and huffed.

"I wasn't alone before the party. I forgot about it because Hunter and I had plans for the night. And I kinda called them off for the party," I explained, thinking back to that moment. Without pause, I snorted and then sobbed. "God, Don I can't lose him," I muttered and didn't pull back as he put his arms around me and held me tight.

"Let's get back out there... maybe the doctors are back with news," Don said a few moments later after I calmed down.

According to the doctors, Hunter had an epidural hematoma, which meant that blood had gathered in his brain from a raptured vessel. They had said it was small, but they still rushed him to surgery. After the surgery, they told us that he had slipped into a coma and they weren't certain of when he would wake up. Aaron sent me off soon after that, saying that I needed my rest and someone needed to look over Aurora.

Ever so reluctantly, I had given in and had just now reached Hunter's home. Elaine had put Aurora to sleep and after a tight hug she took off to go to the hospital, leaving me in the silence.

Seeing as I wasn't currently sleepy, I went to Hunter's 'atelier' and started going through his works. Most of them where paintings of forests or empty cities, all filled with colors and character. Then, of course, he had his portraits, the ones of Youngae being his most significant, and the ones he had drawn of me.

A smile ghosted over my lips as I went over his 'Soulmate Notebook', as he called it. It had been the one he always used when he drew me, the first drawing in it being the one he had drawn that day we were at the beach, right before my birthday. As I flipped through the pages, I stopped at the last one he had made. The one he drew Sunday at dawn.

It was a little before we fell asleep one night ago and I had been tangled in the sheets, completely naked. I hadn't managed to pose for that with a straight face, but he also hadn't been very professional.

The image of him lying beneath me, with blood running out of his nose and all bruised, made a tear run down my face. I closed the notebook and without letting go of it, I went to Hunter's room and set up my camera –Aunt Claire had gone and taken some of my stuff from my parents' place thankfully so I didn't have to go over there-.

"I just came back from the hospital, where my soulmate is lying in a bed trying to stay alive. And that is because a person who I used to consider my friend attacked my soulmate. My soulmate... my soulmate is a guy," I said, trying to not break down as I recorded each and every word.

I went on to talk about how throughout my life I had to listen to homophobia from my friends and family. How I hadn't realized that I was bisexual until my soulmate bond was formed. How I had been hiding that bond, scared of what might happen if word got out. I said everything about what happened. How my parents had reacted. How some of my friends had accepted me, while others hadn't. I talked about how scared I was of losing my soulmate and how much I loved him.

I didn't edit the video at all. Normally, I spent at least a couple of hours editing, especially these life update videos. But I needed this one to be raw. To be true. I almost immediately uploaded it; not caring about promoting it; not caring about losing subscribers or getting hate comments. Not caring at all.

I was done. I was done with homophobia and bigots. I was done with caring about what others thought and about my image. I was done with living in a world where being as awful as Matt was normalized and excused. I was done.

I changed into a pair of Hunter's sweatpants and one of his paint splashed shirts, not because I didn't have clothes, but because I wanted to feel him next to me. I wanted to smell him and feel his warmth. I needed him.

I had Hunter's desk lamp lit, still not sleepy, even though it was close to midnight. That's when I heard the smallest of knocks on the door.

"Yeah?" I asked and the door opened to reveal an Aurora with Philip tailing close behind her. "Did something happen?" I asked her and sat up to look at her better. Her lower lip quivered and she lowered her gaze. 

"Is Hunty going to be okay?" she asked in a small voice. I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came. "I don't want to lose him too," she whined and immediately I reached out to her, something inside of my cracking.

"You're not going to lose him. We are not going to lose him," I assured her and myself, as I pulled her in my arms.

"But you're here, how can you know that?" she said back, sobs breaking out of her lips.

"I know that because I know your brother. Our Hunter is a fighter. He is strong and amazing and he would never leave us," I told her and pulled back a little so I could look into her deep blue eyes. "He will be back home in no time". A small smile pulled against her lips and she sniffled her nose.

"Can I sleep here with you?" she asked me. I nodded and pulled her into bed with me.

We both fell on our back and looked at the galaxy he had painted on the ceiling. I reached and turned off the lamp, letting the millions of pieces of glitter glimmer down at us, the glow of the moon causing that reaction.

"It's so pretty," Aurora said and I pulled her in my arms. "I noticed," she began, her voice sounding as if she was about to fall asleep, "I noticed that Hunter looks at you the same way he used to look at the stars". Shocked, I gave her a look and then proceeded to kiss the crown of her head. "Like mommy used to look at daddy..."

***

The next couple of days had been brutal. As I had expected my video had gotten quite the reaction, just not the kind that I expected. It had managed to get over four million views in the span of four days. Most of the comments and reactions to it were positive, from people who wanted to support me and help me through this difficult time. The love I had gotten from my fans had been tear-jerking.

Hunter was still unconscious, but the doctors were positive that one of these days he would wake up. They had thrown some medical babble to us, all I had understood was that his vitals were great but he wasn't waking up until his body healed itself.

I had been going to school, only because Matt had been suspended, but the rest of the days I spent in the hospital. Waiting for him to open his beautiful blue eyes and look at me.

I could feel my body complaining, from getting too little sleep and not enough food, but I didn't care. At least not for these few days until Hunter woke up. Aaron had been hounding me with food and pillows, yelling that I should rest and get my shit together because when Hunter woke up he would be pissed.

I hadn't directly spoken to my dad, only through Aunt Claire. She had told me that dad refused to see me as long as I chose to stay with Hunter. To that, I had replied that his bargain was stupid because I didn't even want to see him. My mother, according to Aunt Claire, had started talking with a therapist and was beginning to accept me. I wasn't in the right place to meet with her right now, but at least I could see a future with her in it. Chris... Chris hadn't spoken to me at all. He hadn't talked to anyone actually. Not even Anna -with whom I had spoken- had spoken to him. For all I cared, he could have been partying it up all through Cali, with a harem of girls, endless booze and coke.

Friday night I talked Aaron out of staying in the hospital, saying that I would be there. If Aaron thought I looked like a mess, then he hadn't looked himself in the mirror. He had grown out a stubble and he had lost weight, spending all day in the hospital waiting for a response from Hunter.

Plugging my earplugs on my phone, I put one in my ear and started playing mine and Hunter's playlist. The doctors had told me that talking to him through our bond could help wake him up. I had thought of a better idea. Taking ahold of his hand I started singing out every song that played on my phone directly to Hunter's mind.

It was around two hours later when a felt it, while I was listening to Sam Smith's 'Lay Me Down'. It was a soft squeeze followed by a mental caress.

"I'm reaching out to you. Can you hear my call?"