Hunt Me Down - Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Nathaniel's POV
"You seem to be in a good mood," my mother chirped as I held the door opened for her and she walked into my room with a handful on clean clothes. "Happy to start school again?" She tried to guess as she put the load on the corner of my bed and patted it to get rid of the wrinkles.
A jolt of excitement ran through me. I'd never been the one to enjoy danger, yet the thrill of how close she was to him only made me wish to send her off so we could continue with our secret rendezvous.
I shouldn't be experiencing such a feeling; the logical thing to do would be to get scared. But sneaking around had brought a certain addictive thrill and I'd began to understand my sister's exhilaration at her questionable habits.
"The vacation lasts for another week, mom; there's time before I return," I answered, doing my best not to stare at the area around her ankles.
"But you love school so much," she turned her back to the bed as she strode towards me. "Surely you must've missed it." My mother's hand rose up to stroke my hair.
I had not missed it one bit. With everything that had happened, school had been the last thing on my mind. Hunter had, of course, been the foremost thought - sometimes unpleasant, to put it mildly, sometimes intoxicating - and that was the reason I had fallen behind on my studies. I was doing my best to catch up now that I knew where we stood. It wasn't an easy task though; picturing him half naked and smirking was a distraction I had to deal with and that was when he himself wasn't around me.
Nevertheless, I nodded in reply to her, smiling politely as I kept my hand over the handle.
"Well, then, I'll go get started on lunch." She stepped towards the opening that lead to the hallway. "I'm making roast beef."
"Can't wait," my smile widened and I closed the door behind my mom. By the time I'd turned around, Hunter had already half emerged from underneath the bed.
"Can't believe I have to hide like some stupid teenager," he complained as he straightened up, patting his jeans to remove the dust.
"You are still a teenager," I reminded, walking towards him and pecking him on the lips. The left corner of his mouth curled up in a smirk and he moved his hands off of his clothing and onto the sides of my hips.
"But I'm not stupid, am I?" He murmured, leaning down.
"One can argue about that," I teased and he paused, just an inch away from his target: my lips.
"Is that so?" He whispered, his eyes narrowing. "Don't scream."
Before I could ask him why I would be screaming, his palm covered my mouth. My feet lost contact with the floor as Hunter twisted us around and both of our bodies landed sideways on my bed. He quickly got on top of me, kicking away the clothes my mother had carefully folded; they fell down in disarray.
"You should be careful who you jest with, Natty." I closed my eyes as I felt his breath next to my ear. "I might have to punish you."
"What are you going to do? Spank me?"
I half regretted the words as they left my mouth; what if he took them as an invitation?
That was something way out of my comfort zone. I wasn't ready to try it out and not just at this moment; I didn't know if I would ever be into such games.
"Maybe." I shivered as he lightly bit the soft lobe. "Depends on how naughty you get." He moved his torso so he could kiss my lips but his hands staid where they were: at the sides of my head. It was a reassuring position; I knew he wouldn't go for that spicy activity now.
"Hunter, about school..."
The smirk was gone in an instant and he rolled off me with a sigh.
"I know, I know; we are not together when we are at school. No kissing, no flirting, no hints of flirting," he recited.
"Just for a while," I attempted to justify myself.
"How much is a while?"
That was a good question and one I had no reply to.
I wanted to take things step-by-step: first tell my parents and attempt to deal with them and then reveal my relationship with Hunter to those at school. Maybe I would do it vice versa, but I couldn't handle them all at once.
I knew that people like Matthew would be judgmental, but the religious circle wasn't on top of my worries.
Irene.
She was whom I worried about the most.
I'd told her I wanted to break up with her because the timing wasn't right for a relationship and now I was in a relationship with someone else. Also, that someone was a guy. Would that make it easier for her?
Would Irene think 'Hey, I guess we weren't right for each other'?
Or would she get more upset, even insulted?
"After the holidays, that's for sure," I spoke aloud. "I don't won't to ruin that for them."
"You still think they are going to freak out." Hunter didn't even ask; he spoke with reassurance and a nod.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we moved away," I admitted. "That is why after New Year has passed, I'll start to slowly introduce the subject to them."
"'Slowly introduce'," he muttered, shaking his head. "And how do you plan that?"
"Well, first, I'm going to start by gathering journals on the topic..."
He laughed and my hand darted to cover his mouth and keep him quiet. I craned my neck towards the door and exhaled in relief as I heard nothing from the hallway. Hunter's tongue snaked out and licked my palm. I retrieved my limb and went on:
"Yes, journals. Dad is a man of science, science requires proof. If I show him that homosexuality has existed for centuries and that notable historical figures were homo- or bisexual, it will help him accept it."
"And your mother?" He inquired after the more difficult parent.
I groaned and turned on my stomach, burying my face in the pillow. I felt him shift and sensed his finger as it started drawing circular patterns on my back.
"She is the one that I'm worried about." My voice was muffled by the pillow. "She's been planning my wedding since I was a kid and even has a list with names for the grandchildren she expects me to produce for her."
"Would printing out articles with laws about gay people adopting help?"
I raised my head to look at him.
"There's no amount of articles that could ever change my mother's views."
"Then I guess it is time you start looking for a place to rent. You can always come to my room, just know that money won't be what I charge you," he leaned forward to kiss me, but I pushed him away.
"This is serious, Hunter!"
"So am I," he stated. "The part about moving away, anyway. If your mother doesn't accept you, you have no reason to stay under the same roof as her."
"I don't want to argue with my mother..." I began, but he cut me off:
"This is not something you can compromise on, Nathaniel. One day you will have to tell her and you will get into a fight. Wouldn't it be better to muse over your options and prepare for the worst? Although given what your mother is like," he snorted, "living away from her can't be the worst."
"I love my mother, Hunter. I don't want to upset her."
"So you'll lie to her for the rest of the life of whoever dies first?"
"No." I sat up in the bed and wrapped my arms around my knees. "I will tell her, but I want to minimize the damage it would have on her; that's why I'm thinking of a slow and gradual way to..."
"Damn it, Nathaniel," he sat up as well, his hand grasping my chin and turning my face towards him. "What you are isn't wrong, it's not not normal; there shouldn't be any damage to minimize. Either they would accept you or they won't."
"But the chances of accepting me grow if I don't spill it out all of a sudden." I was getting exasperated with my attempts to explain it to him. Just because he didn't get on with his parents and he didn't care about their opinion, it didn't mean I'd be the same. I was different, my parents were different, my case was different. "That's why I want to take my time; I want them to accept me."
"If they don't accept you, then you shouldn't care about what they think of you." I opened my mouth to make a last effort to illustrate my point of view, but he went on: "But if this is so important to you... Then..." He sighed. "Fuck. Tell them gradually."
I smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him; he stopped me by putting a finger on my lips.
"But I want something in return, Nathaniel. Something to show me that you aren't going to chicken out."
"So... You want a demonstration of my bravery?" I asked slowly, wondering what he could have in mind.
"A small one, yeah," he murmured and his lips curled up.
"Do you have anything in mind or am I supposed to improvise?"
"Both."
I sincerely hoped he wasn't thinking of something that involved us completely naked. Not if he expected it in the next few days. I was getting more comfortable in that department, but I wasn't ready for sex yet.
"I want you to sneak out on December 31 and give me a New Year's kiss at midnight."
I gaped at him.
"You want me to... At midnight?" He nodded. "We'll be raising toasts and drinking champagne at midnight."
"That's the part you'll have to improvise: how to get away."
"But..."
"Do you want to kiss me?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"Then do it," he summed up as if it was the easiest thing in the world. "You can always ask Val for help; I have nothing against that."
"It will still be very difficult," I noted after a pause, furrowing my eyebrows.
"So you will do it?" Hunter tried to hide his smile and even though he managed to get a hold of his mouth before its corners lifted up, his eyes twinkled with emotion that could be no other than happiness.
"Yeah. I'll do my best," I promised and this time when I moved towards him, he didn't prevent me from covering his mouth with mine.