When I'm With You (Little Hollow Series, #2)(61)

“Spit it out,” I say, and he raises a brow. “Come on, I won’t bite.”

He leans forward, elbows resting on the table in front of him. “I have to go away for a while.”

That’s all he says and I feel a pang in my chest at the thought of him going away again, these past two months have been torture. “How long’s a while?”

He shrugs. “A while.”

Indecision is written all over his face, he’s clearly not telling me something. “H, you know you can talk to me.”

He squares his shoulders. “No I can’t, you’ve been in this life nearly as long as I have. You know the rules.”

I sit back in the booth and tuck a leg under me. “Yeah, but I’m here anyway. You know I won’t say anything.”

His face screws up. “Don’t do that, if I could tell you, I would. I just thought I’d let you know I won’t be around for a while. I’m under a lot of pressure at the club being the Pres’ son. It’s not easy, I feel like I haven’t earned the right to be treated any differently but my pop is pulling out the big guns and sending me on big runs already so I can prove myself.”

He runs his fingers through his shaggy brown hair and for the first time today, I notice how tired he looks. That fucking club! I want nothing to do with it. As soon as I turn eighteen and I have to pick, I’m leaving it behind so fast I’m going to leave a trail of smoke behind me.

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and he looks up at me. “Just say it, Steely.”

I sigh. “You’re not like the others, Hunter. You’re kind, you don’t treat women like objects, and you have this air about you that screams that you’re important. Regardless of what you do or what people think about you, they know it. You have twice as many balls as all of them put together! You’re your dad’s son that’s for sure, you don’t have to prove yourself to anyone.”

He smiles at me, a genuine smile. “If only everything was as simple as that.”

The waitress brings us our food breaking the heavy mood around the table, and the conversation turns lighter, but the hint of tiredness never leaves his eyes. He’s only nineteen, he shouldn’t have this sort of pressure put on him already as a new member of the club, but he’s right, being the Pres’ son comes with certain responsibilities.

After our food, he gets up to use the bathroom and is back before I know it.

“Should I get the bill?” I ask.

“What, no dessert?” He sticks out his bottom lip and I laugh as he calls over the waitress and orders us a sharing plate, consisting of a variety of different mini desserts.

I flush a deep shade of red as she brings it out with candles stuck in each mini cake, and everyone in the diner joins in singing ‘happy birthday’ to me. I cover my face from embarrassment and Hunter belly laughs, knowing that I’d hate every second of this.

She places it in front of me. “Make a wish, sweetie.”

I roll my eyes but blow out the candles anyway, and everyone cheers. I consider taking a bow but refrain from doing so.

“I’m gonna get you back for that,” I warn him.

He’s still crying with laughter at my flushed face, so I pick up a scoop of ice cream and toss it at him. It’s my turn to laugh at the shock on his face as it slides down off his chin and lands in his lap.

“You did not just do that,” he says, wiping at his face with a napkin.

I bite into a brownie, the chocolatey goodness invading my tastebuds, and smirk at him. “Nope, you’re right. I didn’t.”

He picks up his spoon and piles it with cheesecake and ice cream and covers it in chocolate sauce. I watch him raise it to his mouth but with quick precision, turns it and flicks his wrist, hitting me bang in the middle of my face with the concoction.

I startle and stare at him, mouth wide open. He actually went there.

I pick up the bottle of syrup and squirt it all over his Guns ‘n’ Roses t-shirt, getting a little on his cut. He pretends to be angry before picking up the chocolate sauce and soon we’re having our own food fight in the booth.

“Hey!” The waitress shouts and runs over. “Stop that! I have to clean that up!”

We both turn looking guilty, fists raised with cake in them. Hunter is the first to speak, turning on the charm. “I’m sorry, I got a little carried away. I’ll be sure to leave your gorgeous self a big tip.”

He finishes with a wink and you can see her melt at his attention. I stifle back a laugh as she flutters her eyelashes at him.

“Well, alright. Just don’t throw anymore.”

“Just don’t throw anymore,” I mimic her in a whiney voice as she walks away.

He licks his fingers and reaches in his pocket, covering a pile of bills with sticky, chocolate sauce before placing them on the table.

“Let’s get out of here.”

He grabs my hand and we laugh while practically running out of the diner.





Hunter was three years older than me, but it never got in the way of our friendship. Whenever I needed him, he was there when he could be, no matter what he was doing. That’s why it killed me inside when he believed the horrible rumor and shoved me to the side as easily as he did. Our friendship was an easy one, and it blossomed into more than that as the years went on.