Hunting the Fairy Tale

Chapter 34 - What is a First Kiss Anyway?

Willow

I've never tasted cheesecake like this before. It literally just melts away in my mouth, leaving behind a refreshing, slightly lemony taste.

There's a hint of something else as well, something sweet and breezy, like candyfloss. I'm quite certain that Tanner didn't put candyfloss in the cheesecake.

Cherries, maybe, and do I taste roses?

He told me that he used some of the biscuits from the big red tin for the base. I now also know that those biscuits were created by him and Aunt Beth. I am not entirely sure what kind of biscuits they're supposed to be. They're a melt-in-the-mouth mixture of shortbread, coconut, oats, and heaven.

I feel positively depressed when I've finished my slice, and there is not even a crumb left on my plate to lick off it. Yes, I would've licked my plate clean if there'd been any traces left. I have no self-respect left.

"You liked it?" Tanner is watching me with one of those languid, long-lashed gazes of his. I swear he could turn sour milk into fresh, fluffy cream with that look.

It's been rather startling to hear even my mother giggle like a love-struck teenager each time he smiles at her.

Disturbing!

"Yes," I gasp, and then I clear my throat. "It was positively the best cheesecake I've ever had, thank you."

"Glad to hear that," he seems to be genuinely pleased that I like his baking. I've noticed that Tanner enjoys feeding people almost as much as he loves cooking. I don't think he'd be able to enjoy the latter as much if there weren't happy eaters around.

Hunter is slouching on a bean bag, holding a pack of frozen vegetables to his cheek again. He looks miserable.

I'm really worried that if he re-injures himself constantly, the damage might become so much worse. I glance at Paisley and smile an amused smile.

She is docilely sitting at his feet, feeding him small bites of her own slice of cheesecake. Huge sacrifice. She clearly feels rotten about slamming her arm into his injured cheek.

It had undoubtedly been an accident, but still, she didn't like hurting him... at least not by accident and not a lot. I think Hunter might be milking it a bit, though. She probably got hurt more than he did during the incident.

Is he looking wretched because he's in pain or because he'd somehow ended up asking me to go with him to his matric farewell and regrets it?

I really don't think he meant to ask me. He didn't say a word about it afterwards. He just ate his food, looking like he'd fallen down a mine shaft. When the meal ended, he silently helped to clear up the kitchen and washed the floor.

In fact, he'd been rather quiet this entire time, just sitting there in the bean bag, drinking his coffee and eating his cheesecake. He wasn't even wrestling with Paisley when he got hurt.

She tripped when she was running away from Tanner and fell on him. Fortunately, he'd already finished his coffee and cake by then - in true Hunter fashion - or he would've been even more morose right now if it had been wasted.

I'm starting to feel really uncomfortable. He isn't even trying to reach out to me or talk to me or look at me anymore, the way he'd been doing this morning.

He is withdrawing completely, and it is making me extremely anxious. I know September is still a few months away, but if things don't improve before then, it is going to be a disaster. In fact, if things don't improve soon, my brain is going to implode... and my heart.