Standard disclaimer.
Yes, it's update mania for me. Well, with almost all of my stories, anyway. Thanks for the reviews, y'all are so sweet! And so the drama begins…
cmar- I know I skipped the beginning, I just didn't feel an exceptional need to write that part… but that's what flashbacks and memories are for, right??
FeistyLittleWoman- *blushes* Hooked already? Well, NS got me in one ep… it was all Hunter's fault! Not that I'm complaining…
Samantha- Well, I gotta go for the dramatic. There's just something about an upset Dustin and a comforting Hunter that just won't leave me alone.
Chapter 4: Telling Everyone
We meet for lunch at the same diner we were at last night. I was the first one there, and by default, picked out the booth. And I made sure it was the furthest from the huddled bunch near the door. He comes in and I immediately get to my feet since I can tell something's happened. Apart from his disheveled appearance, he's hugging his sweatshirt tight, like he's trying desperately to keep himself warm. He sees me and comes over. We're out of view enough that I can help him with his sweatshirt and then wrap my arms around him.
"What happened?" I ask as I rub his back slowly.
"I told Blake about us," he says, clinging to my shirt.
"And?"
"He's cool. We just got into it about the fact that I didn't tell him sooner."
"Well, that's good. That he's cool with us, I mean."
"He's happy, although he wonders how he didn't see it coming."
I let him go and we sit down. Our hands meet in the middle of the table, but quickly separate when we notice someone nearby. The waitress comes and hands us menus and we ask for water to drink. When she's gone, our hands meet again. I begin to wonder why his disagreement with Blake would upset him so much, but then realized why. For a long time, they only had each other and it isn't something quickly forgotten. But I know he'll be fine since Blake is happy for us.
"Blake's too busy trying to figure out his own relationship to see anyone else's coming," I say.
The sound of his laugh makes me feel warmer inside. It's almost like I finally found someone that gets me and doesn't care that I can be an airhead (I fully admit that I have my moments). The waitress comes back and we order our lunch. We don't get much and I can imagine his reason is the same as mine: nerves. We're coming out to a bunch of people and we aren't sure how they're going to react.
After lunch, we made our way to Ninja Ops and I found myself squeezing his hand as we approached the entrance. He stops me from entering immediately; instead he turns me so we're facing each other. He rubs my arms a few times, and then kisses my cheek.
"It's now or never," I tell him and I lead him inside.
As I figured, we are the last to arrive. Tori and Blake are sparring while Shane is hovering over Cam's shoulder. All turn to face us and Blake gives Hunter an apologetic look and then he steps to us.
"They know something's up. But I didn't say a word, I swear!"
"It's all right, bro," he tells him.
"So, what's going on?" Shane asks.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my jumping nerves.
"Hunter and I are together," I state, maybe a little too quickly.
Blake smiles at us, then turns to see the others. And they're all staring at us, blankly. Cam's the first to move.
"It's about friggin' time you told us."
"Huh?" Hunter asks.
"It's obvious that keen powers of observation aren't necessary to wear those morphers," he says. "Since I saw this coming from a couple miles away."
"How long have you known?" Blake asks.
"I've suspected it for a while."
"How is it that you figure it out before me?"
"I watch what goes on around me."
"You haven't known about this for long?" Tori asks Blake.
"I've known about him for a long time. I just found out about the relationship this morning."
"How long has this been going on?" Tori asks, turning to me and Hunter.
"About a month," I answer, then make a grab for Hunter's hand, who takes mine.
"Why'd you wait so long to tell us?"
I shrug. "We wanted to wait until we knew what we were. After that, we were just really nervous. I think me more than Hunter."
No one says anything more and I realize that Shane hasn't said a word. He hasn't even moved. He jumps to his feet and leaves without saying a word. I can only watch him leave, I doubt he wants to see me now. I face Hunter, who is also puzzled and concerned. I think I'm the cause for a lot of his concern, although I know he's worried about Shane too. I lean into him, my face nestled in his chest. I feel his arms wrap around my shoulders and he kisses my head. My hands just grab onto his shirt by his waist.
"I'll go outside and talk to him," Tori offers, then takes off after Shane.
I hope that Shane's reaction was just shock and not something worse. I can't lose his friendship over this. But I can't change who I am and who I love either. If this is what they meant as 'being stuck between a rock and a hard place,' then it's more painful than I could ever imagine. That is, unless my family takes it worse. Then I'm really stuck.