And somehow, that made Asa love her even more.
The world broke everyone at one point, but so very few had the strength to pick up the pieces and fit it together, knowing the cracks weren’t a symbol of weakness but a testament of I survived, I survived, I survived.
Asa didn’t need to save Carmen. She’d learnt how to pick herself up and she had survived a long time ago. And for someone who always felt the need to be someone’s saviour, loving Carmen—loving a survivor—was a form of liberation.
Carmen set him free, and Asa gave her a sense of direction. It was as extraordinary and as simple as that.
•••
After gently moving out from under her and placing her head on a pillow, Asa grabbed the blanket folded at the foot of the bed and draped it over Carmen’s sleeping body, letting it fall just underneath her chin. He leant down for a quick peck on the forehead, trailing his thumb over her eyebrow affectionately one more time, before switching off the lights and heading down the stairs.
It was dark down here, too and as Asa was walking past the living room, having to cross it in order to get to the front door, his ears caught the faint sound of the television that was on, and he faltered in his steps.
For one panicky moment, he thought it was Carmen’s dad, but when the light from the screen fell on the person in front of it, allowing Asa a glimpse of the familiar mop of brown hair laying against the sofa’s headrest, he relaxed.
The relief lasted only a while though, before Asa started feeling slightly anxious again. Running into Hunter here hadn’t been part of the plan. At the school cafeteria, or in the hallways, or even during parties, crossing paths with him wasn’t all that huge of a deal, but here, in times like these, when it was just the two of them, Asa truly didn’t know how to handle the situation, and it made him uneasy to the very core.
“I don’t know if you’re enjoying the view from behind.” Hunter’s slow drawl floated over the couch and towards Asa. “But it’s beginning to make me uncomfortable.”
And just like that, the uneasiness dissipated and was replaced by the usual wave of annoyance that washed over Asa every time Hunter opened his mouth.
Rolling his eyes to himself, Asa walked forwards and past the sofa, coming to a stop only when he was at a considerable distance from the idiot.
“You don’t seem surprised to see me here,” Asa remarked, sticking both hands in his pockets.
Hunter’s eyes were glued to the television, the ongoing action on the screen casting various shadows and lights across his face, obscuring the colour of his eyes in the dark room. It made him appear more intimidating than usual.
“Your truck’s out the front, genius,” he muttered, raising the beer bottle to his lips and taking a swig. “Doesn’t take rocket science to put two and two together.”
It was becoming quite apparent that Hunter didn’t know any other language than sarcasm. But, for one wild second, Asa wondered if the feeling of discomfort was mutual, and this was just Hunter’s way of covering up his awkwardness compared to Asa’s natural response which was to freeze and falter.
A beat of silence passed, heavy with a palpable kind of tension.
“Congrats on the win,” Asa said suddenly, rushing to fill in the silence because his feet were still not moving. “I’m guessing that you managed to put the quarterback in his place? You know, the one that you almost took a swing at.”
“You mean the one that you just had to get in the way of?” Hunter’s lips twitched, traces of a smirk appearing on his face.
Asa ignored the remark, eyeing the bottle in Hunter’s hands. “Shouldn’t you be out celebrating with the team?”
“I was.” Hunter shrugged, eyes still following every moment on the screen. “But eventually got bored and came home. Besides, this is my idea of celebrating: Daredevil on repeat, popcorn, and a drink.”
“Home?” Asa blurted, unable to stop himself in time and completely taken aback at Hunter addressing this place as home.
For the first time that night, Hunter’s eyes flashed to Asa’s. They almost looked like glass paint in the dark, illuminated by nothing but the light from the television.
“Does that bother you?” he asked in an even voice, his tone giving nothing away.
Asa was even more bewildered than before. “What?” He frowned, pulling his brows together and staring with utter perplexity at the boy seated in front of him.
Hunter sighed and placed the drink next to the small bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, before grabbing the remote and hitting pause.
Asa didn’t want Hunter to pause the episode, as pausing implied the beginning of a conversation. And Asa didn’t want a conversation; he just wanted to congratulate the other boy on the win and keep going on his merry way.
“Carmen wanting to reconnect with me,” Hunter explained. “Me choosing to be back in her life.” His eyes narrowed the slightest fraction as he leaned further back into the couch and regarded Asa. “Does that bother you?”
Asa opened his mouth to answer when he realised that he actually didn’t have a very good response to that. Clamping his mouth shut, he allowed himself to think his words through before saying anything. Speaking to Hunter was walking on a fine line between civility and war; it was tiptoeing around a minefield, the smallest misstep and everything would explode
