I wanted to throw the phone back down on the bed and pretend that I'm not bothered, but that would be impossible and I think lying to myself too at this point would be a little over kill.

Instead I held onto my phone, rereading his message over and over, turning the words over in my mind and trying to dissect the meaning behind them. Why would he say I'm the only one he cares about saying goodbye to? It's like he knows what to say to break me down when I'm trying to be strong.

Nice Ass: Come on Tayler. Why are you mad at me??

I wiped my eyes. As if that answer isn't obvious. But then again, maybe it isn't.

Tay: I'm not mad at you. I just don't want to come.

Nice Ass: I really don't understand what I did.

Nice Ass: I just want to see you before I have to go. Everyone is about to leave, it would just be the two of us. I want to talk to you. Please.

Tay: I'm sorry but I just can't do this with you. I can't handle it anymore. I think you can guess why, and that isn't your fault that I feel this way, but I can't be around you. I hope that you stay safe and I hope you have the great life that you deserve.

Before I'd even had time to exit the messages Hunter was already calling me. I hit ignore and turned off my phone, needing to take the temptation to answer him away. There isn't anything I can think of wanting more than to get dressed right now and go straight to his apartment to spend what little time with him I have left, but I can't. I can't continue to put myself in a position to fall harder for a guy who can't be serious about me.

Lying in bed and thinking about it, I felt horrible that I was pushing him away when he was such a good friend to me, and I know how much he needs a real friend. It really isn't his fault that any of this has happened. My pushing him away is probably coming completely from left field to him. We've both said from the beginning that we are just friends. He never said or acted like that had changed, so I don't know why I had been so curt with him all because I had gone and fallen for him. He didn't ask me to do that.

My feelings started to feel conflicted again.

Maybe I should just go. Plus, I still had that card from his mother to think about. Hunter has never been anything but good to me, but then again, he did just blow me off for days and only started begging for my attention right before he's about to leave.

I pushed out of the bed and went into my bathroom, digging out my sleeping pills that I save for sleeping emergencies and I popped them into my mouth before I went back to get into the bed. No decision made right now will be a good one. I can't go to him, knowing now how I feel about him. I need to just stay away.

The pills lulled me under, taking away all my worries and thoughts of Hunter.

I woke up to a banging on my bedroom door.

I rolled over and looked at the clock, my mind heavy from the pills. It was only seven in the morning, well before anyone should have been bothering me.

With led legs I stumbled over, unlocking the door.

"What?" I snapped when I found Sarah glaring at me.

"Where the hell have you been?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. "I've been calling you for hours."

I backed up, letting her come in and I collapsed back on my bed. "What's wrong?" I mumbled, still feeling a little under the fog.

She sat down beside me, pushing her hair behind her ears. "I talked to Hunter."

Just the name yanked me from the sleepiness, forcing me right into real life. "What do you mean?" I snapped, thinking she must have confronted him for leading me and Jess on or something. I sat up and stared into her eyes, but she looked so beside herself. She bit her bottom lip and glanced up at the ceiling.

"Last night at his house..." She sighed, looking back down at me. "He looked lost the entire night. He didn't laugh, didn't smile...nothing." She told me. "It was weird, Jess brought up to a group of people that Hunter had won Ed Sheeran tickets that time, and like after that he got even more weird." She shook her head. "He nursed the same drink all night. Then towards the end, really late he started ignoring like everyone and he was on his phone." She looked at me, pursing her lips. "He was trying to get you, right?"

"Yes," I nodded, but then quickly added, "I didn't entertain it though. I told him I wouldn't come see him and he kept asking so I turned off my phone."

"I know you did." She whispered. "Do you really love him, Tayler, and I'm being serious."

I furrowed my brows. "What do you mean?" I whispered, my heart racing. "What do you want me to say?"

She stood up fluidly, brushing her hair back. "I don't know what to do here, Tay, I really don't." She shrugged. "I need you to tell me the truth, not just what you want me to hear... Do you want to see him again?"

I couldn't look her in the eyes. I didn't know if this was some weird test to see if I was really going to stay true to staying away from him to save Jess's feelings, or if she was asking honestly. The look on my face though, and the tears in my eyes must have given me away because she came back to sit with me on the bed. She pulled my hand out of my lap and held it gently. "Go." She whispered.

"What?" I gasped, widening my eyes at her.

She nodded her head. "If you love him, you need to go." She said. "He was a lost puppy all night, Tayler." She explained. "He pulled me aside and asked me if I knew if you were going to come or not. I told him no and he looked so broken. I wanted to be pissed. I told him that I knew everything and I told him to stay away from you, but he begged me to tell you that he wants to see you." Her words were making my head swim and my stomach twist. "I said no, but...He also told me when his flight leaves, and that he really just wanted to tell you goodbye and that he needs to tell you some other stuff too."

"What other stuff?" I shook my head, confused and having a hard time picturing Hunter at his own party being a downer.

"Stuff he needs to be the one to tell you, Tay."

I closed my eyes, my head hurting from so much stuff being thrown at me so early. "I don't underst-."

"Go, Tayler." Sarah sighed. "You need to go."

She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and past it over to me. "Sarah, he leaves in like just over an hour." I pointed out, reading the departure time. "I'd never make it in time, even if I did want to see him."

"So I guess you better freaking hurry then." She snipped, pulling me up from the bed and pushing me into my bathroom. "Get ready and go."

Almost an hour later I was in my car, circling to find a spot close to his terminal at the airport with little luck. The traffic had been minimal, but now I was losing a lot of precious time. Finally I just screwed it and parked in the back of the lot, running full speed towards the airport.

I ran even when everyone started turning to watch me like I was insane.

And maybe I was.

I had no real clue what I was doing here or what I was going to say when I saw Hunter...If I even get to him before he leaves. I'd tried calling and texting to tell him I was coming, but he'd already turned off his phone.

I dashed through the hordes of people, using my shoulders and elbows whenever necessary to squeeze through. With so many people I wasn't sure I was ever going to be able to even find the right area, much less pin point one guy who I have no idea whether or not I should even be talking to him.

The crowds thinned out the closer to the terminal we got, and beyond my disbelief when I rode down the escalator I caught a glimpse of the top of a brownish blonde haired head that looked familiar. When I got to the bottom I pushed over to the waiting area where I'd seen him.

The crowd felt like it parted just for me, a perfect path opening up where I could see straight through them all to Hunter, standing with his army green bag slung over his shoulder. I started to run over, but my feet were weighted down to the spot I was standing in when he leaned in to hug a woman and then a smaller boy who looked about twelve.

I was confused and started to back up, but then he glanced my way.

His indigo eyes brightened the second they found me, a smile cracking across his face. "Hey!" He called out, waving me over. I stalled again for a second, but something about his smile made my feet start moving beneath me.

"Hi." I practically whispered when I got close.

Hunter grabbed my wrist and pulled me into him, hugging his arms tightly around me, squeezing until I giggled. My face was red though when I noticed the woman watching me carefully. She brushed her dirty blonde hair back and smiled at me, extending her hand to me.

"This is my Aunt May." Hunter introduced her. "And her little brat, Brayden." He laughed, knocking the kid's hat off.

I shook May's hand and she glanced back at Hunter then me again. "You must be the girl I've heard so much about." She grinned.

My stomach sank the second I thought of Jessica. "Oh, no, I'm-."

"Tayler, right?" She asked and I nearly gasped. I'd been sure she meant Jess, not me.

"Oh, um, yeah." I nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." She told me, then took Brayden's hand and looked up at Hunter. "You take care of yourself over there." She said sternly, the slightest of a tear in her big blue eyes. "I'll let you two have some space." She smiled at us both. I was going to tell her she didn't have to go yet, but Hunter was already pulling me away and over into one of the hallways to the right.

I was still a little breathless from all of the running, and for some reason he seemed like he was too. "You came." He said breathily.

I nodded, my eyes locked on him, the space and air between us electrified like that night in the kitchen. I'd thought that feeling had been induced by the drinking, but I haven't had a drop and it's still here.

"I had to." I whispered. "Sarah practically shoved me out the door." I explained. "What did you say to her? Because she pretty much had forbidden me from ever speaking to you again and then this morning she's telling me I have to come here and talk to you."

"I'm glad you decided to listen to her." He smiled, taking a half step closer to me. Out of reflex I backed up a little, my back finding the wall.

"What did you want to say to me, Hunter?" I asked. "I thought we were fine and then you blew me off for days and then begged me to come see you."

My breath hitched when he dropped his bag off of his shoulder and stepped closer, our chests almost touching. He lifted his hand to my face and my body betrayed me by yearning for his touch and leaning into his hand as he brushed his thumb across my bottom lip as I sighed.

"I lied to you." He whispered, his breath blowing across my face.

"Hmm?" I could hardly think with him so close, my nerve endings dancing all through my body.

He smiled at the reaction he was getting from me, then his eyes dropped to my mouth and he bit his own lip before looking back into my eyes, leaning his head against mine.

"When you asked me what we are...I said we we're friends." He breathed. "I lied to you...We are not friends."

I didn't even have time to react to his words before his lips crushed into mine and my arms reached out for him, grabbing him and pulling him closer to me. The need to feel him was stronger than any other thought or emotion I was having. His hands pulled through my hair, they held my waist, they gripped my neck; they were everywhere. He kissed me hard, greedily, with the same intensity that was almost too much to handle.

I was crushed against the wall, my body melded as close to his as I could get it. His heat reaching out and swirling within my stomach, making strange sounds I'd never made before creep out of my mouth as he dipped to kiss and bite at my neck.

I wanted to scream when the announcer came over the intercom and called for his flight to board.

He looked down at me, breathing heavily like I was. He sighed, holding one side of my face again, and then sliding the other hand behind my neck.

"I love you, Tayler."