"Wait, you what?" I choked out, my mouth going dry as my head spun from the lack of oxygen and the overabundance of Hunter's lips with mine.

"I've never said that to anyone, and I wanted you to know the truth." He professed and he kissed me again, taking what little breath I had left away with how tender he was. When he pulled back, his smile was blinding and I melted at the sight. "I got scared." He laughed shyly.

"You?" I asked. "Scared of what?"

My heart was pounding and my whole body felt electric as he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and sighed a second, still holding me firmly to him. "Yeah, Kit." He muttered, glancing slightly at his watch on his wrist. "I don't know how this all..." He was searching for words. "I don't let people in." He finally said.

"I know." I nodded. As much of a people person as Hunter is, and as much as everyone loves him, no one really actually truly knows the Hunter that he hides.

He pressed his lips to my forehead. "I know you do." He whispered. "I don't know when you did it, but you wiggled yourself under my skin. You know me like no one else does." He smiled. "I've spent years building walls and keeping everyone at a safe enough distance that I would never..."

"You didn't want to care about anyone so that no one could hurt you like your brother dying and your parents did." I nodded for him, knowing what he meant. I think I've done a lot of the same thing with keeping my heart under close watch so that no one else could break it like Seth had. "You got under my skin too." I whispered, too shy now to look him in the eyes.

"I tried so hard to be your friend." He laughed, the sound warming me from the inside out. "I thought you were going to be a great friend, sure, but I thought we were going to be just friends, not...I don't even know because I don't do this. I didn't even notice how attached to you I'd gotten until I found myself drinking to try to keep you out of my head. That didn't work, and I called you, and you showed up for me." He smiled and I remembered how easily I had agreed to come see him that night, knowing I shouldn't, but I just wanted to be near him.

My confidence built a little as I roamed my hand up his body and clung tightly to his shirt at his chest. "I-I wanted to see you. Even if I knew it was wrong, I just had to do it." I admitted.

"God, Tayler." He pressed his body against mine and pinned me closer to the wall, his weight on me driving me crazy in the best sort of way. "That night in the kitchen, I wanted to...oh, man, I wanted to so bad. Then those dudes walked in and then later you were in my room on my fucking bed and you were so drunk." He laughed at the memory while I groaned. "That's when I knew." He told me, leaning down to look me in the eyes. "You are so hot, and beautiful, and perfect and you were in my bed, your eyes practically begging me to kiss you, and I couldn't do it." He sighed. "I tried to tell myself that the reason I didn't was because you were too drunk or that I didn't want to make our friendship weird, but that wasn't why..."

"Then why?" I whispered, the breathiness of my voice making him groan as he held me.

"Because while you were there in my bed, I wasn't thinking about how hot you'd be naked, or if the sex would be any good." My face flamed at his honesty. "I was thinking how I loved the way your hair was falling over one shoulder, and I was wondering what kind of breakfast you'd like in the morning, or what your lips were going to taste like. It was all this shit I'd never even had cross my mind before in that kind of situation and as I looked at you I realized I didn't just want to have sex with you and then you go home or whatever. I wanted to..." He paused, pinching the bridge of his nose for a spilt second. "I wanted to love you, Tayler. I wanted to have you, and then I wanted to hold you all night and talk to you and hear you laugh at my lame attempts to be smooth. I wanted to ask you questions and know you more and I wanted to have you hold me and know me and be with me." He sighed as I brought my hands to either side of his face. "It terrified me, Kit. I didn't know what to do with feelings like that so I freaked out."

"And what about now?" I ventured. "Do you know what to do now?"

He smiled wickedly, his blue eyes dancing. "Yeah," He laughed. "I should kiss you again."

"That's a good idea." I told him as I pulled his face back to mine.

And kiss me he did. Like no one ever had before. For one, gloriously perfect, but torturously short minute, everything in the whole world was right. But then the final call rang out over the speakers.

Hunter pulled his lips from mine and dropped down to grab his bag and then straightened up as he laced his fingers in mine and we jogged off to his gate where the line was already forming of passengers waiting to board.

"I can't believe you've got to go...now." I pouted, something I wasn't accustomed to doing.

Hunter pulled me back a little to let a few more passengers skip ahead of him in line so we'd have more time. "Trust me, I know." He sighed, squeezing my hand. "I wish I hadn't wasted so much time."

I didn't want to ask, but I had to. "How long will you be away for?"

He pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my head. "A little over a year." He sighed and I felt my heart break a little. We'd just figured things out, and now he's about to be gone.

"I'll be a whole year older by the time you come back." I mumbled stupidly, as if that was what was such a big deal about it.

"You'll still be just as adorable." He grinned, that sideways smile pulling a little laugh from me. "Come on, Kit, don't be sad." He rubbed my shoulders. "I know it sounds like a long time right now, but so much happens in a year and you'll be in school and stuff." My eyes were already filling with tears that I didn't want to let out. "So, at risk of being the cheesiest person you know, I kind of got you something." He said, leaning back to dig in his bag.

"Got me something?" I repeated. "You didn't even know if I was going to be here."

He turned back to face me, an envelope in his hands. "I hoped you would." He smiled, handing it to me. "The first of many." He laughed nervously.

I couldn't help myself from throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him hard.

"I love you too, Hunter." I grinned from ear to ear when I pulled away and he hugged me so tightly that my air was crushed out of me.

"Never thought hearing those words could be so sweet." He laughed before he spun me around once, nearly knocking us into the last person in front of us as she handed off her boarding pass. "I'm going to miss you, but as much as I had started to not look forward to this deployment, I think knowing I'm going to get to come back to you is going to make it pretty easy."

I couldn't be sad when I looked into those dark indigo eyes. "Be safe, Hunter." I said seriously. "I love you."

Hunter adjusted his bag one last time, then leaned down to kiss me sweetly. "I love you too, Kit." He whispered against my lips. "See you in a few."

I snorted a laugh. "Yeah, a few months." I scoffed.

"Hey, don't ruin it." He grinned, then kissed me again. "Bye." It was amazing how in such a small word, I could actually manage to hear so many emotions in it. Love, sadness, and a hint of fear all laced into one.

He turned to walk away, outstretching his arm with his boarding pass to the steward when I remembered the card his mother had given me.

"Hunter, wait!" I called, and he whipped back around, ready to kiss me again when I pulled the card out of my pocket. "I almost forgot..." I whispered.

His face went pale the second he saw her name on the card. "What the hell is that?" He muttered, not looking away from it, but not taking it from my hand either.

"Hunter, she and I ran into each other the other day and I was going to tell her to go to hell, but you should have seen the look in her eyes." I explained. "She looked so lost, Hunter, and I know she hurt you bu-."

"You don't know anything!" He snapped, his eyes meeting mine with a fiery flame. "That person is nothing to me." He shook his head, his jaw set in a hard line.

My heart was up in my throat, yet sinking to my stomach all at once. "Hunter, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." I told him. "She just told me to tell you she's sorry and that she loves you. I couldn't let you go off to war without knowing." I held the card out farther, hoping he'd take it.

"Sir?" The perky stewardess asked. "Your pass?" She prompted him.

He gave it to her in one jerky motion and she rolled her eyes as she processed it.

Hunter glared down at me, snatching the card from me and ripping it apart before he let the pieces fall to the floor. He watched as they fluttered to a stop, then he looked back up at me, his eye brows pulling together. "Wait..." He muttered angrily. "Is that why you came?" He demanded. "So that you could give me her little message?"

"What?" I gasped, holding my hand to my chest. "Hunter, no, I-."

He shook his head angrily. "I can't believe that after everything I told you about her that you would talk to her, much less feel sorry for her and then try to tell me that I should talk to her."

My mouth opened and shut a few times without words. "I never said you should talk to her or forgive her, I only gave you the card and told you what I promised her I would."

"I can't believe this." He snapped. "You and her, talking about me behind my back."

"It wasn't like that!" I tried to explain, the tears burning in my eyes now.

"Sir, if you're boarding, you need to do it now." The steward interrupted again.

He started to back up, his hurt eyes on mine.

"Hunter, please, don't go like this, I'm sorry." I begged. "I didn't mean to upset you, I just thought you should know. I wanted you to have the information should you ever want to use it. I wouldn't pressure you one way or the other and I didn't come here just to give you that. I came because I-."

"I've got to go." He shook his head, suddenly looking like a lost little boy with big round saucer eyes full of hurt and regret.

He turned away from me as tears sprang from my eyes and he disappeared up the hallway that lead out to his plane. Despite myself, I tried to follow, but the woman stopped me, grabbing my arm.

"Hunter, please!" I yelled, but he didn't come back.

"Miss, if you don't have a ticket for this flight, then you're going to need to go back out please." She said curtly.

I shook my head. "Fine, I want to buy a ticket." I said suddenly. "Sell me a ticket."

She shook her head again, managing to look a little sorry for me. "Miss, this flight is full, if you don't already have ticket, you won't be boarding this plane. Please go." She said gently.

I backed up, my limbs heavy and my heart broken.

I walked in a blur out to my car, ignoring any strange looks I was getting as I went.

When I sat down in the driver's seat, I watched out in the distance as planes took off, absently wondering which one was his as I held his unopened letter tightly against my chest.