22- Getting friendly.
They had a wonderful dinner on the patio. There was also a private swimming pool under it, where soft lights illuminated.
“Now this is not fair. The portion you have given me is nothing as compared to this one Lam falling in love with it.”
“You like it?” He was leaned back now, sipping water,
“It’s beautiful, Hunter.” She stood there holding the railing enjoying the sight
Standing there, Abigail tried to suppress the burp but could not succeed as a result there was an unladylike sound
He started laughing and then burped loudly himself,
Abigail’s shoulders started shaking with mirth, “I am scared,”
“Scared of what?” he asked in-between his laughing fit.
“After this burping contest, soon we might start a farting contest.” Listening to her gibe, he roared with laughter.
He was clutching his chest and she was holding her tummy. After some time they were just sitting there quietly, enjoying each other’s quiet company. When hotel staff came to clear their table, she was staring in space.
“Coffee?”
She heard Hunter and shook her head, “No, beer please.”
He frowned with a side smirk. “Really! Beer! Show your ID first.”
“Excuse me!” She frowned.
“I thought you don’t drink!” he quipped with a shrug.
“Then you know nothing about me, Mister Hunter Levisay.” she winked.
When the staff left, she settled herself on a patio recliner chair by the poolside. Hunter emerged with a bucket carrying beer bottles in it. Handing over her a bottle, he sat on the other recliner beside her.
CO
They both were staring at the pool, busy in their thoughts. She was feeling so comfortable in his company as if she knew him for centuries. Like they were old buddies who did not need words to communicate with each other. She looked at him. He was wearing a knee-length shorts with a white shirt unbuttoned at the moment showing his beautiful, lean muscular chest.
No Abi. Stop! Don’t go there.
“I am sorry,” she said quietly.
He looked at her taking a big chug not understanding at all. “For what?”
“When you were at my place and I acted like a spoiled bral That was very rude of me and I just can’t get that out of my mind.” She apologized.
He chuckled, “Don’t apologize sugar. I was the one who didn’t tell you about me I should have
He offered her another bottle which she declined
“Not now.” She said closing her eyes and enjoying the quiciness of the night. “I don’t know why! was so angry at you. Later I tried to misbehave with you, attacked you I am extremely sony, Hunter.”
“Do you keep saying sorry to everyone? Every time? Por everything?” he was smiling gently at her but there was a lump in her throat that appeared out of nowhere,
“Didn’t you already apologized for all of it?”
“Pass me that second bottle of beer. Will you?” she sighed, “And no I don’t say sorry so frequently But only when I am afraid that someone might get hurt from my words or my actiona” she said while taking the other bottle from him. “With time I have grown sensitive to things, which I never valued before.” Her face showed clearly some inner battle which she was trying to light Taking a sip from her bottle she was lost in her thoughts. Hunter was waiting patiently beside her
And then ….. Abigail gave in. Giving him a side smirk she returned him the bottle. As il sensing her surrender, he quietly took it from her hands,
“Around six months back, I was supposed to marry the person, whom I thought I was in love with We both had our savings with us. Plus the property which I got from my father’s side. It was enough for me to go for a honeymoon to my dream place, St. Lucia,” She chuckled humorlessly,” Plus we both were passionate about wood furniture making. So we decided to go on with it. A small apartment with a backyard, Where just one room was allotted as our woodwork showroom.
I was excited about everything. My childhood friend was going to become my husband, Our wedding date was set During our engagement period, Kyle kept asking me to give away my virginity to him. Every time h e would ask me, I used to make excuses. I don’t know what got into me. Maybe I acted like a stubborn brat!”
Again taking the bottle from Hunter’s hand she took a big chug, “My best friend, Molly!” she chuckled humorlessly. “She tried to warn me. But I guess I acted too old-fashioned or I trusted him too much. I always believed to do the deed after our wedding vows,
When I caught them red-handed he kicked me out of my apartment leaving me all alone to deal with all the cancellations of the venue, to sending messages to my guests for not bothering to come. I did all this with Molly.”
She smiled gently through her tears. “She had been my rock support during this time and of course my mom.” She looked at him realizing that tears were running on her cheeks.
He got up from his chair quietly and went inside to fetch the box of Kleenex When he returned, instead of sitting on his chair he sat with Abigail, whose back was not laid but wooden straight because she was trying her best to control her emotions and to block away from all the past bad
Scooping her in his arms he made her lie on him. His one arm holding her while with the other he very gently started rubbing her back. Her chin was resting on his chest.
“D… Do you know whom he chose t… to marry over me, Hun…Hunter?” She asked him while weeping like a baby. “My ba … baby sister. Chloe!”
She could see the pain in his eyes without knowing that he already knew about it. She nodded at him while smiling.
“Th … they both did this to me, Hunter.” A few moments back her shoulders were shaking with laughter but now it was due to her weeping and crying. “There were nights when I used to get nightmares. I was not able to blink an eye. Those nightmares are not frequent anymore, but I still get them.” She rested her forehead on his chest and kept on crying. She wanted to stop herself. She was not liking it to show her weak side to someone.
Hunter sensed it. Because his strong arms took her in a tight embrace and his firm but the gentle voice told her, “Don’t hold it back, Abigail. Cry as much as you want! It’s okay sweetheart. You are safe here.” He was murmuring endearments in her ear.
She didn’t hold back. She kept on crying.
After what felt like an eternity she lifted her head to look at him. There was concern in his eyes. Concern for her, she realized. “I have soaked you in my tears.” She said with a shy smile. Instead o f replying to her he gently wiped her tears with his thumb.
She placed her chin on his chest and looked at him. “Kyle took away everything from me. My sister, my house, my office… even my hard-earned money.”
“This job in your company was a breakthrough for me.” She shrugged and looked at him. The concern in his eyes had transformed into admiration. It seemed Hunter came out of some spell.“ Abigail, by achieving all this, you have kind of taken revenge from him. You certainly did well for yourself.”
“Oh! Revenge! That I took the same night, which was supposed to be my wedding night.” she told him proudly, nodding her head.
He smiled, “Really! And how did you do that?”
And Abigail Mason spilled the secret which she had not told even Molly “I went to a bar and got myself drunk, and then lost my virginity to some x.y.z!” she fluttered an eyelid.
He looked horrified. “You did what” and then roared with laughter. Shaking his head he looked at
her.
“So you gave your virginity and took revenge and …” he stopped when Abigail started shaking her head.
“Not once but twice.” She raised her two fingers before his face. “Two nights in a row, I had sex with strangers in bed.”
In answer to that, he clutched her tightly to his chest making her shake with him with laughter.
She was also smiling. Strangely she felt relieved. She hadn’t felt this light in the last six months. O r maybe even before that. She kept her fingers crossed, hoping to God and praying hard that she won’t regret any of it in the morning.
She felt safe in his arms, plus she was wickedly happy when she imagined Molly’s face. She would faint once she would hear that Abi laid on his bare chest.
She didn’t know when sleep engulfed her but she remembered that she was happy. Even in her sleep, there was a small smile playing on her lips.
