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The bus shudders to a stop and I scra my useless portfolio I want to head ho pushes er, still coiled tightly in my veins--all my rejection pushed into a sharp point of bitterness

He had no right to do this toby the ti the red paint on the barn gloarht There are a couple of horses in the paddock, and hay baled outside the stables, but everything is freshly-painted, quiet and still This is Hunter’s life right here: picture-perfect and serene I feel a tight clench in rew up, just a fewin the yard; the years living out of a trailer park; late-pays like confetti in the hall He has no idea what I’ve been through, but still, Hunter thinks he can ht

"Brit!"

I heartowards e bayto loop the reins over a fence post before striding towards ht "Where the hell have you been?" He gripser "I called your cell like a million ti not to feel a ripple of guilt at his panic You don’t owe hi, I remind myself This is his fault

"Are you OK?" Hunter de down into et home?"

"I’m fine" I wrench away from him "I took the bus You shouldn’t have worried"

Hunter’s mouth drops open "Of course I worried!" he yells, his voice rising "I even went back to the office to try and find you, but Alicia said you left ages ago I was driving around the city for hours, just looking for you!"

"Well, the search is over" I snap, sarcastic "I’ with you, to just go running off like this Is this about the interview?" Hunter deer

I turn to ice "What do you know about that?"

"Nothing," Hunter says, "Alicia just told h "That’s the understateo AWOL?" Hunter’s voice rises He’s breathing heavy, his whole body taut with tension "Did you even think about ? You could have been in an accident, you could have been dead!"

I finally snap I take a step back, glaring "This has nothing to do with you!" I yell "Why can’t you see that? This is my life! I wouldn’t even have been there if it wasn’t for you!"

"What are you talking about?" Hunter looks confused

"The interview!" I yell "The whole fking aht to interfere like that, but you had to try and play the hero!"

"I was trying to help!" Hunter protests

"Well, I don’t need it," I shoot back "I don’t need anything fro for you?" His voice rises "Why do you have to keep everyone at ar so hard?"

There’s a sound behind us Hunter looks overin the doorway of the barn, watching us fight

Hunter turns back "Let’s take this inside," he tells " I tell hiet inside the damn house, Brit!"

Hunter propels me up the steps and into the main house, his hand firm onthrough my shirt, but I pull away the minute we’re inside I can’t let , not with all this violent eht

Hunter doesn’t see over to the kitchen area, and running water from the faucet He rinses his hands then bends to duck his whole head under the tap He stays under for a moment, so I catch th s, a living area with cracked leather couches, a staircase leading up to the loft bedroom Rustic and homey, clean lines and wide open spaces It’s all so da here? This is what being ier and disappear, but now I’ so da my hands into fists at ry adrenalin

Hunter finally lifts his head from the sink and turns back to me "No"

"Dammit, Hunter--"

"Not until you calm down" He cuts et his temper under control Water trickles down the planes of his face; his shirt now dark and wet in patches, clinging to his chest

He’s so fking beautiful And he just doesn’t understand

Hunter takes a ragged breath "The last tiat me The least you can do is tell me why What happened?" He exhales "What did they say at the interview?"

I feel a flush of shame I didn’t want hi failure, but now I’ht in front of hilife!" I sla as loose-leaf pages slip out the side A freeze-fraraph of all my stupid a "He didn’t even look atIt’s all a joke!"

Hunter’s face changes "Brit, that’s not true!" He rab s I labored over so carefully, sketching and shading long into the night I open the book and start ripping, tearing the heavy pages fro for me, but I pull back

"You didn’t see the way they all looked atthe torn piece to the floor "He’s right, I was stupid, stupid to even think--"

"Brit!"

Hunter grabs o of ht, solid and strong, and I’o!" I feel a sob rising in irl who cries all over the daether, the way I always do