Hunting the Fairy Tale

Chapter 69 - Hugs Speak Louder than Words

Molly

Tanner has been very quiet since he received that call from Hunter earlier. It felt like a door slammed shut somewhere, and he withdrew behind it. He seems light years away now. His grey eyes are troubled pools filled with shadows. Even Danny remarked on it with something like: "Hey, Sunshine, why are you hiding behind all those clouds now?"

He just looked at her and smirked. Tanner is pretty good at smirking. When he smirks, I can hear a million words in my head - most of them aren't very pretty - the rest don't make any sense, but I somehow get the message.

He is not smirking now; he is helping me take the helmet off my head so that he can stash it under the seat of his motorcycle.

"Well, that was fun, thanks," I say, and I genuinely mean it. "The cooking, not the ride home, just to clarify." 

I did freak out a little less than I did going to the Falzones' place, but I still hated it, and Tanner was driving faster than he did earlier. Perhaps I didn't have enough time to freak out because we arrived too quickly at my home. He is clearly in a hurry to get to Hunter's place.

He grins at me, closing the seat compartment, and I'm about to step away and say goodbye when he suddenly wraps his arms around me, hugging me tightly.

Wow! This is not weird at all!

A marching band is playing Thunderstruck in my head... It's noisy, making all my nerve endings vibrate aggressively. This is simultaneously incredibly awesome and super strange, all mixed into one. 

Being held by Tanner feels amazing! His chest and arms are all hard muscles, and he must've showered before he came to pick me up because he smells like body wash and chilli sauce. A rather heady combination.

What do I do?!

Well... the only natural thing I can think of doing - to be honest, it's a reflex, not a decision - I stroke his back with one hand and hug him close with the other until he finally lets me go and turns away to get on his bike.

I wish I knew what's bothering him. He is making me feel nervous.

"Tanner..."

"Wave at me from your window, so I'll know you're home safe," he says, not looking at me anymore. Perhaps he regrets hugging me. He definitely didn't enjoy our accidental back-hug six years ago.

"You won't see me; my window faces the bushes and the beach, not the street."

"Fine, I'll go around the building. Go on."

His concern is touching, but I'm slightly irritated about being ordered around like this. I'm about to tell him to stop bossing me around, but something about him is really off right now, so I turn around instead and walk towards the entrance and the stairs.

"Moll," he says when I'm about to slip through the glass doors into the lobby containing the letterboxes. "Thanks for your help. I had fun too." He is smiling at me again, and I cannot stop my treacherous lips from smiling back.

I thunder up the stairs to the second floor and am breathless by the time I unlock the door to our apartment, pausing to scoop Alien into my arms when he snuffles over to sit on my feet.

"Hey, Baby," I say, rushing through the living area to the short hallway containing my mother's and my bedrooms and the bathroom. Tanner is sitting on his bike at the back of the building, patiently looking up at my window. I've turned on the light so he can see me wave at him. He gives me a nod, starts his motorcycle and takes off. I watch him until he disappears around the building.