December 2014

When Molly said to Justin that she always looks forward to seeing Hunter, that he always makes her laugh and has always been interesting, she never told her brother that she has had a tiny crush on him for the last few years.

Just a small one, nothing that ever kept her from dating anyone else. But Hunter’s funny, blunt, quick witted, and seems to get cuter each year. She had seen him when she was a teen in passing, but never spoke to him until she lived with Justin one summer before her second year of college and Hunter had been a DP for his friend’s indie film. She had gotten to know him then, thought about making a move. They had flirted, sent each other curious glances. But she had been young, 19. He was four years older. He had also only been there for about six weeks, while she had been there for about four months. So, while she had dated and hooked up with a few guys during that stay with her brother, Hunter had never been one of them. Nor had he been when they saw each other the time after that, or after that, and so on. Funny enough, she had dated one of the actors on that indie movie and Hunter never said a word.

So now? Now that she’s practically ripping off Hunter’s shirt? Now he’s lifting her up and she’s swinging her legs around his waist so that they can collapse into his bed at 6 o’clock in the morning, before any of their family members are up?

She can honestly say she never expected anything to happen between the two of them.

But, even if it could be for the sole fact she ends up having one of the greatest orgasms of her life, she doesn’t find herself regretting it.

------------------------------------------------------------

Hunter gently pulls out of her after round three, carefully pulling off the condom to tie it off and throw into the wastebasket next to the hotel bed, before rolling over to look down at her. His expression is hungry for more but, even more so, tender and sweet. Hunter presses a soft kiss against her lips, one she returns without even an ounce of hesitance. The kiss grows in urgency, before Hunter breaks it off and kisses her face, her neck, makes her gasp as he moves down to her breasts to pay attention to them. Molly runs her fingers through his hair as he nips at them one last time before trailing down her ribs and abdomen, making it down to her pelvis, before tracing her folds with his tongue and sucking on her clit.

“Oh my god,” Molly moans out, thrusting up towards his mouth as she grips his hair with her fingers, “You’re going to kill me. You were...fuck!...supposed to make me feel better, and now you are going to kill me. Do you even have a recovery time? I thought the woman was the one who could keep going the longest!”

Hunter stops sucking and licking at her clit, breaking into laughter at the words.

“Who told you that you could stop?” Molly moans out, gently pushing his head back down.

“I thought I was going to kill you,” Hunter smirks, kissing her thighs before getting back on task.

“Yeah,” Molly moans out, “But there are worse ways to go.”

The conversation stops after that. Molly swivels her hips as Hunter continues to go down on her, gasping out and rubbing her breasts as he starts to finger her as well.

When she comes, crying out as she links one of her hands with Hunter’s, she doesn’t even compute that a cellphone is ringing until Hunter is lifting himself over her and picking it up.

“Yeah...No, I’m up...Just give me a little bit, I need to shower...Dude, you’re being needy as fuck again. Ben’s a saint for putting up with you...I’m kidding...Alright, see you soon...No, you can’t come to my room and wait...So what if I do have a girl in here? That’s for me to know and you to not...Okay, later.”

“Your conversations with Michael are so strange,” Molly mumbles, before smiling as he kisses her again.

“Want to take a shower with me?” Hunter asks against her lips.

They take longer than they probably should. They don’t fuck, but they can’t keep their hands off each other, as if they were magnets, one north and one south, not able to keep themselves from gravitating towards each other. But, despite the detours and distractions, they do end up cleaning each other off, even if their movements as they wash each other’s hair and bodies are sensual and tempting. They dry each other off and get dressed. It’s only then that Molly realizes that she only has her mom’s pajamas to wear and, if her mom and Tucker have been up for a while, then that might bring up some questions.

“You still have your swimsuit here?” Hunter asks, “I saw you swimming in the pool the other day.”

“Yeah,” Molly answers, “I left it in an overnight bag up in my mom’s room after it dried. Of course I didn’t bring clothes because I thought I would be sleeping at Justin’s every night...but whatever.”

“Here,” Hunter tells her, putting a robe around her, as if he’s reading her mind “You decided to take an early morning swim, took a shower down in the locker room, and wore a robe back up to your mom’s room. I have a plastic bag you can put these clothes in. Just have them assume your suit is in there too. Don’t take the robe off till you get in the bathroom. Awkward conversation avoided.”

Molly smiles a little at Hunter’s plan and lets him put the robe on her, watching him slowly tie the ties around her waist to keep it secure. He gives her one more glance, then laces his fingers with her to lead her out of the bathroom.

“...Are you okay?” Hunter asks as they get closer to the door, “We talked about what happened with your dad, we came up here-”

“Then we simultaneously decided fucking three times was better than a heart to heart about parental issues,” Molly finishes, shrugging at the man’s eye roll.

“That was not what I was about to say,” Hunter informs her quietly, “I am just hoping that I didn’t...fuck, I don’t know…take advantage.”

“You didn’t,” Molly assures him, “Believe me, I needed that. I don’t...I don’t talk things out. It’s actually still a shock that I told you as much as I did. Not that you aren’t easy to talk to. You’re...you’re actually really easy to talk to. But this? This was better. So thanks.”

Hunter squints at her, before nodding, “You’re welcome?”

She starts to give him a pat on the shoulder, a friendly gesture, but he catches her hand and pulls her in close. Biting her lip and breathing heavily, she looks up at him, finding him staring right back at her. Not even being able to stop herself, she cups his neck to crash her lips into his. The kiss grows more urgent, dirtier, and she knows that if she keeps this going, they’ll be falling right back into that bed. As nice as that sounds, she knows they are running out of time.

“Your dads are right across the hall,” Molly breathes out, “And want to spend time with you. My mom will start looking for me soon, I’m sure.”

Hunter lets out an impatient breath through his nose, before he finally nods in agreement.

“See you later then,” Hunter sighs, slowly pulling away.

Molly smiles a little and nods, before looking away to open the door.

Only to find herself colliding with Michael Novotny.

“Shit, sorry,” Molly mutters, taking a couple steps back into Hunter, who puts a hand on her hip to steady her.

“Molly?” Michael greets, obviously a bit shocked as he puts his fist down, “Uh, sorry. I was just about to knock. Hunter was taking a while...Now I can see why.”

“Uh...yeah,” Molly laughs nervously, tossing her wet hair back from her face, “Sorry for his delay. I’m just...I’m going to go upstairs now. Hope you guys have fun.”

Molly quickly walks away, but still catches a snippet of the conversation.

“Justin’s sister?” Michael hisses out.

“She’s smart and funny and drop dead gorgeous! I couldn’t help myself, alright?” Hunter answers in his projecting voice.

Molly has to keep herself from laughing until she gets to the elevator.

----------------------------------------------------

She and Hunter text over the next couple days. Usually late, after Justin’s asleep or when he stays at Nathan’s, since it would be kind of awkward for Justin to invite Nathan to his loft to have sex, all while Molly waits around on the couch, waiting for them to finish.

On those nights, when Justin’s in Brooklyn, she’s sort of tempted to invite Hunter over. It’s inappropriate and there’s always the chance Justin could come in late and see them in his bed. That’s the reason why she doesn’t do it. But it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to.

One of those evenings he calls. Justin and Nathan left late that afternoon and told her they would be back tonight, that they would all go out together. As she’s talking to Hunter, she thinks about breaking the rule she had set on her brother’s behalf, knowing she probably had a few more hours. The words are even on the tip of her tongue, but then he says,

“Want to go see a movie and get dinner? My treat.”

Molly looks down at herself, judging if her jeans and sweater are appropriate, decides that they’re not, even though it shouldn’t matter. Last time she saw Hunter, she had been in her mother’s pajamas and they had fucked for hours.

“Let me get ready,” she tells him, “I need to change, put makeup on, curl my hair-”

“No, you don’t,” Hunter scoffs, “You could come dressed in a paper bag with your hair looking like a bird’s nest and you’d still be beautiful.”

Apparently Molly is a thirteen year old girl tonight because she feels herself blush at that. But she makes sure to clear her throat and say, “It’s way too cold for that.”

“Listen, you can get as dolled up as you want or slum it down. I really don’t mind. I am just happy you are saying yes,” Hunter tells her, “I’ll come to you. 7 sound good?”

“...Yeah,” Molly decides, getting up to dig through her suitcase, “Sounds perfect. Text me before you leave, okay? If you don’t, then you’ll be waiting forever.”

Molly decides on something somewhat dressy, but still casual. Black tights, her black boots that go up past her calves, a gold sweater dress that peeked through the black lace sewn over it, a bronze belt, a cream colored scarf, vintage cameo earrings, and her olive green jacket.

This works. She thinks. Maybe she should dress up a little more. Come off like she wants to dress to impress.

Looking at the clock, she realizes it is almost 6:30 and that she still needs to do her hair and makeup. Yeah, this outfit would have to do.

She goes to Justin’s mirror, gets her large curler, and creates loose, swept back curls, then pins up the top half of her hair with a barrette. She pulls out all of her matte products after to do her makeup and, just as she applies one last stroke of mascara, the doorbell buzzes.

Turning around, she takes a deep breath, before turning back to the mirror.

“Why are you so nervous?” she asks herself, “Why? Stop being stupid...seriously.”

Buzz.

Molly jogs over to grab her purse and her green jacket, sends a quick text to Justin to tell him she’s meeting up with a friend, then runs down the steps to meet Hunter at the front door.

“Hey,” she answers, a little breathless.

“Hey,” Hunter returns, smiling at her before looking down, “Dude, you need to put your jacket on. You’ll freeze to death if you don’t.”

“Okay, dude,” Molly rolls her eyes, sticking her arms through the sleeves, “Where to?”

“Well,” Hunter starts, pulling out his phone, “Wild is playing at IFC, which has Reese Witherspoon hiking one thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. There’s also this tiny hidden theater in Williamsburg called Spectacle playing a movie called The Excluded, a bloody 1982 film about Austrian rebels.”

“Wow, they’re just so similar,” Molly replies, before shrugging, “Let’s go with the bloody Austrian one. I’ve heard of Wild, it’s playing back home and I plan on seeing it before the Oscars, but I haven’t heard of...what was it called?”

“The Excluded,” Hunter tells her slowly, “I can’t believe you haven’t seen it. It’s exciting, it’s breathtaking, it’s-”

“You haven’t seen it either,” Molly guesses, laughing.

“No, I haven’t,” Hunter admits, smiling a little.

“Okay. So let’s go,” Molly nods, “Lead the way.”

Hunter goes two steps down, then holds out his hand for her. She waits for a moment, then takes his outstretched hand into her own.

She holds onto it all the way to the train.

------------------------------------------

“This place looks like a crack den,” Molly observes, as she looks at the black doors, covered in peeling posters.

“It’s part of its charm,” Hunter insists, dragging her in.

The lobby is tiny and in the basement. There’s no popcorn or drinks and it’s only five bucks each for them to get in, which is the cheapest price for a movie ticket you will ever find in New York City. They go down some more dimly lit steps, and sit in the smallest theater she’s ever been in, thirty seats max. They’re the only ones there and sit three rows from the front. The dim lights go black as the movie begins and they sit there alone in the dark room. As the movie progresses, Molly realizes the describing words ‘violent’ and ‘bloody’ aren’t really cutting it. She has to hide her face in Hunter’s arm at the bathtub scene, an action that embarrasses her but, when she sneaks a glance up, Hunter’s looking down at her, biting back a grin.

Fucker.

She holds onto his hand for the rest of the movie anyway.

“That was disgusting,” Molly concurs, once the movie ends, “But I liked it.”

“I’m surprised you caught enough to understand, considering how many times you hid your face into my arm every time there was blood,” Hunter teases.

“Yeah, well, the parts I did catch, I enjoyed,” Molly shrugs, “And besides, it wasn’t the blood that bothered me. It was the violent actions that caused the blood.”

“Fair enough,” Hunter answers, before glancing at the time on his phone, “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Molly asks him, laughing as he pulls her out of the theater, “You better be feeding me. Something warm and weather appropriate and delicious.”

“What kind of date would I be if I didn’t give you a feast?” Hunter gasps, almost offended, “Besides, I’m hungry myself. That movie worked up my appetite. But don’t worry, I have the perfect place to take you. We’re taking an uber though. We’re on a schedule.”

“What kind of schedule-” Molly starts to ask, but is interrupted by an uber pulling up right in front of them.

“Fantastic service already,” Hunter compliments the driver as he holds the back door open for Molly.

They end up in Hell’s Kitchen and are let out in front of a restaurant called Puff Cha Ramen. It isn’t the best area of Hell’s Kitchen. Hunter tightens his arm around her waist when a few men start catcalling her, something she has honestly learned to ignore ever since she grew boobs. There are also a couple of homeless women near the restaurant who ask for change, and Hunter gives it to them without question.

“You have a good Christmas?” the older woman asks him, “That’s a pretty girl you got there, I bet you had a good one.”

“It was pretty good,” Hunter agrees, “Have a nice night, okay? Stay warm.”

However, the place itself is adorable, small, and quaint, with only one other couple there. They sit down near the window, which Molly can’t help but be hypnotized by when snow starts to fall. She sees Hunter out of the corner of her eye, smiling at her again. When she turns her head to face him head on, he quickly looks at his menu and clears his throat.

“Decide on what you want yet?” he asks her.

“I want too much, that’s my issue,” Molly answers, “I forgot to eat lunch.”

“All of the food is pretty cheap,” Hunter shrugs, “Order whatever you want. I’ll do the same. We’ll lay it all out and share it.”

“That’s gluttonous,” Molly points out.

“If some of it is barely touched, then we’ll give it to those women outside,” Hunter tells her.

“They’re not going to want our leftovers.”

Hunter shakes his head at her statement, “Take it from someone who has actually been homeless. A used meal from a container is better than from the trash.”

Molly feels a spike of guilt at that, “...You’re right. Sorry.”

Hunter’s gaze softens, “I wasn’t trying to make you feel guilty, I was just stating the facts.”

Molly nods at that, “Well, the fact is that it’s really cold outside. They could use a break.”

Before Hunter can answer, Molly gets up and walks out of the restaurant, pointedly ignores the men who had been catcalling her when they start to inch their way a little closer, then goes over towards the women sitting on the sidewalk.

“Oh hey, Ms. Thang!” One of them calls out to her, “This part’s a little rough for a sweet girl like you. Don’t be leaving your man behind. He’s a cutie, but I can see it in his eyes that he’s seen some things.”

“I’m not leaving him behind,” Molly tells her, sticking her hands in her jacket pockets, “I came out to see if you wanted to come in and eat with us.”

“Excuse me, what did you say?” the other woman asks, looking at Molly as if she’s dangerous.

“It’s cold, it’s the holidays. We don’t bite, I promise,” Molly answers.

The two women look at each other before getting up off of their newspaper.

“Well, hell! I won’t turn down a free meal and some warmth!” one of them says.

“Me neither,” the other confirms. Now that Molly has a better view of her, she can tell this one is young, maybe 18, if that.

The two women trail Molly into the restaurant and back to the window seats, where Hunter is watching her walk in with an incredulous expression.

“Boy, you have the best date ever,” the older woman directs to Hunter, winking, “You take her to one of the best hidden gems of the city and she adds two more sexy women the mix? She’s a keeper, I’ll tell you that.”

“Stop,” the younger woman tells her friend as she grabs a chair from another table before turning to Hunter, “Your girl’s a freak who invites strangers off the street for a bite to eat. She’s lucky this time, but it could get her in real trouble one day. Better keep an eye on her.”

“Mmmhmmm, I’ll agree on that last part. How many guys catcall you tonight, despite your boyfriend being right next to you the whole time? There are some real, violent creeps in this city, can’t stand them. Speaking of your boy toy, scoot closer to him! It’ll give us some room and you can get all nestled in. Now, what’s your all’s names?”

Sandra and Nevaeh actually end up being pretty interesting conversationalists, but she does have to wonder what Hunter thinks of her just inviting two strangers along on a date. Like, he could see it as a bit rude, like she’s not into their night at all, which isn’t the case. But if he does think that way, he isn’t giving off that vibe. All he's doing is engaging with them, sending Molly inquisitive glances, and putting his hand on her chair as they talk and eat.

And the food? Oh my god. She hadn't been expecting it at first but it's incredible. Hunter orders way too much, enough for the four of them to pick and choose what appeals to them. But when Molly gets a glance at the check, it only comes out to 50 dollars, which would have been a lot if it was just the two of them, but with four people and a bunch of leftovers, it's not bad at all.

“Here, let’s split it,” Molly insists, pulling out her wallet.

“Stop,” Hunter tells her, gently pushing her hand away.

Molly glares, “You really don't have to pay for everything.”

“Sure, I do. I asked you out, told you it was my treat. I’m a man of my word, you know.”

“Girl, don't be turning down a free meal,” Sandra whispers loudly, “We didn't.”

Molly rolls her eyes and lets the issue go.

Hunter lets Sandra and Nevaeh have the rest of the food after it is wrapped up and paid for, before they both wave them off as they walk towards Times Square.

It is when they are about a block away from Port Authority that Hunter turns her around, cradles her face in her hands, and presses a soft, sweet kiss against her lips.

“What was that for?” She asks him, biting back a smile, making no effort to step away after the kiss is finished.

Hunter shrugs and runs his fingers through her hair a couple times, “I just wanted to. You...you invited those women in to sit with us, gave them a hot meal-”

“Technically, you gave them a hot meal,” Molly interrupts.

“-And you treated them with respect. I don't think you realize how rare it is that they see that kind of decency.”

Molly feels herself flush at the words, words that are filled with unsuppressed wonder and honesty. It's a side she hasn't really seen from Hunter, a man who has matured since he faced a horrible childhood, but has always retained the guarded sarcasm and the ability to use humor in order to avoid more serious emotions.

But, for some reason, he hasn't been doing that with her. He's made her laugh plenty of times, but he's listening to her and has been open and genuine, he's looked at her the way he is now more times than she can count.

It's nice. She doesn't remember feeling this...appreciated? Liked? Respected? Any of those, really, by any of the guys she had an actual romantic relationship with. Hell, one boyfriend ended up stalking her for at least a year after she had broken up with him. He still managed to get a hold of her from time to time. Fucker.

And then there was the great first date she had with Will, only to be drugged by him on the second.

Nothing had happened, not really. He had felt her up underneath the table they had been sitting at back in a dark corner, put his hands up her dress and shoved his fingers underneath the lining of her underwear. She managed to push him away after a couple of minutes, once she sort of gathered what was happening, before locking herself in the bar restroom to call her roommate at the time. Her roommate came to pick her up and brought her back to their apartment. And then, maybe regrettably, Molly never told another soul about it. She had just dismissed it as a one off, tried to keep her resolve that the majority of people were good, convinced herself it could have been a lot worse. She had actually taken it in stride, strangely. But, despite that, she never felt quite as safe and at ease on a date after that.

But with Hunter? She feels safe and at ease with him.

And this is just one date, one single date that can't be repeated, because they live thousands of miles away from each other.

“Molly?”

Molly shakes herself out of her thoughts and gives him a playful grin, “You're supposed to wait until the end of the first date to kiss me.”

Hunter huffs out a laugh, “Well, considering how unchaste we were a few days ago, I figured a kiss mid-date wouldn't make me look like too much of a slut. But I apologize for my forwardness and indecency-”

She managed to shut him up by giving him a taste of his own medicine, throwing her arms around his neck, and kissing him right back.

----------------------

“Are you kidding me?” Hunter sighs as Molly ice skates around him.

“I was actually in a figure skating league from 6th grade all the way through high school,” Molly informs him, before doing an Axel Spin, “What were you expecting?”

“Not for you to literally skate circles around me and do tricks, Jesus Christ.”

Molly slows down and skates in front of Hunter, facing him with a smirk on her face, “I know what you were expecting. You were expecting for me to squeal and stumble around, all so you could be my savior by letting me hug your arm while you taught me your ways.”

Heat rises to Hunter’s face as he starts to sputter, “What? No! That was not my plan at all by bringing you here. Can't a guy just show a woman a damn tree?”

“Nope.”

Regardless of feeling a bit smug, Molly stops showing off and take a hold of Hunter’s hand anyway. Then? Then they just talk. About anything, really. She tells Hunter about working as a teacher, surprises herself when she tells him she doesn't really like it and answers him honestly when she reveals what her heart is really set on.

“Then why don't you do it? Go back to school, become a huge success and cure cancer or something.”

“Because it isn't that simple? I don't have the money for it and I feel like I will barely keep my head above water if I take on the loans to go to school full time but only work part time, if that. My dad...he probably could help me out, but he was one of the few who pushed the teaching career on me in the first place. And I don't want his money anyway.”

“What about Jus-” Hunter starts to ask, but Molly cuts him off.

“I don't want his money either. I'm not going to take that much from a friend or family member. So, tell me about you. Tell me about your job and your glamorous friends back in LA.”

And, even after the curious look he gives her, Hunter knows when to give up on a subject. He tells her about his friends, telling her at least half of them are gay, bi, or lesbian yet they are in shock when they find out about his whole adoptive family being gay. He tells her that he goes to some of the Hollywood parties and that they were fun and incredible at first, but now,

“They're still fun, but are starting to feel a little empty. It's the same thing, even the more extravagant ones. Plus, I don't smoke, I usually just drink here and there, and I don't do drugs, pretty much because all of those things can potentially fuck with my meds. So sometimes I find myself staying home with my cat when I'm not working.”

Molly coos, “You have a cat?”

Hunter chuckles at her, “Yeah, want to see her?

“Of course,” Molly answers, stopping for Hunter to show her a picture, “She's adorable! What's her name?”

“Katniss, duh,” Hunter answers, as if it's obvious, “She's badass. She was surviving on scraps a few blocks away from my building a few months ago, despite being a kitten. I saw her a few times then finally decided to catch her because she was way too thin. Scratched the shit out of my hand and growled at me from my closet for three days. But then she came out, let me pet her, and is as sweet as hell now.”

“She sounds lovely. And badass. I never had a pet, not with fur at least. I had a hermit crab and a couple of goldfish, but that’s it. Justin’s allergies were too bad when he was a kid.”

“I had one once. A dog. She was a stray too...It didn't work out,” Hunter answers, eyes a little sad. Before Molly can ask anything about the dog, Hunter shrugs and asks, “Wanna race?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

Molly scoffs, “I did. But the fact that you actually think there's a chance you could win just threw me off.”

She beats him. As expected. But that’s okay. Going by the way he collides with her at the end of the rink, wrapping his arms around her waist to spin her around? He doesn’t seem too torn up about it.

--------------------------

Hunter walks her to the front steps leading to her brother’s building, Justin and Nathan nowhere to be seen. Because of that, Molly doesn’t hesitate spending several minutes making out with the guy. She probably should have been hesitant to start, but that’s mainly because she wants more now and is fucking horny and just wants to bring him up.

“It is almost 1:30 in the morning,” Molly sighs, tilting her head as Hunter began to kiss her neck.

“Mhmm.”

“My brother is probably worrying. I haven’t even checked my phone since before dinner.”

“You probably should go upstairs then,” Hunter hums against her neck, making no move to step away.

Rolling her eyes, she takes Hunter’s face in her hands and brings him in for a searing kiss, before pressing her forehead against his.

“Goodnight,” she tells him, “I had a really great time. It was the best first date I’ve ever had.”

“There could be a second,” Hunter mentions, pressing another kiss against her lips.

Molly bites her lip and gives him a sad smile, “Could there be though? We’re over 2,000 miles away from each other. Not exactly practical, is it?”

Hunter moves away just enough to gaze into Molly’s eyes, before pursing his lips and looking away, “No, it probably isn’t.”

She kisses him one last time before heading back up to her brother’s loft. She finds him sitting on the couch, sees Nathan lying there, asleep, with his head resting in Justin’s lap, before taking off her coat and quietly putting down her bag.

“Where were you?”

Molly rolls her her eyes and groans, “Okay, before you start giving me a lecture, I was out having fun and am completely unharmed. I didn’t think I would be gone for so long.”

“Did you even check your phone? Just so you know, I was minutes away from calling Mom,” Justin sighs, “For all I know-”

“I could have been stripped of my clothes before I bled out and froze to death in an alley on Staten Island,” Molly finishes, bending down behind the couch and putting her arms around her brother’s neck.

“Don’t mock me,” Justin mutters, but puts a hand over hers and pats it, “So what were you doing for so long?

Molly bit back a smile and shrugged, before pressing a kiss against her brother’s cheek, “Just meeting up with a friend who interned with me.”

“For close to seven hours? Must be a pretty good friend. I didn’t know you were still super close to the interns from your old Internship here,” Justin comments, looking behind his shoulder to give her a glance.

Molly just smiles at him, “Yeah, I’m full of surprises. Now get your boyfriend to bed and give me back my couch.”

For the next couple of days, she’s a bit bummed that she has to force herself from fantasizing about future dates with Hunter, knowing that it was pointless and, in the long run, harmful to lead herself on. The knowledge that they can’t test this out, see if it can be become more, doesn’t stop them from texting. It doesn’t stop them from not being able to stop staring at each other when she’s with Justin, Nathan, her mother, and Tucker and they happen to run into Michael, Ben, JR, and Hunter at the same restaurant. Despite the fact there are probably 25,000 places to get a bite to eat in all of New York city, they happen to run into each other at the same one, where they sit just one table apart, in very clear view of each other.

And it doesn’t stop her from sneaking Hunter to the private bathroom at the gallery on New Year’s Eve and letting him fuck her against the wall.

What it should stop is the kiss they share at midnight, alone on the third floor, with the muffled sounds of celebration below them. Because the kiss? It’s filled with promises and dedication and something somewhat scarily akin to love. Feeling all of those emotions, sensing Hunter is feeling the same way - it should scare her.

But in that moment?

It doesn’t.