5

- I like it- He shrugged- I like different things- The last thing was directed at me and I will send it myself.

Did he like it? Was I different? Was this man sane?

G ignored him and sat on the couch, stretching out full length and yawning the way a bear would. It was a great distraction. Seeing him like that made me laugh. The tender vein came out at that moment. He looked tired and vulnerable. He was not as scary as before and he looked younger as if he had removed a giant mask. It was nice to see him as an ordinary human being, not as a mob killing machine (if he killed because I had only taken one bullet from him). Hunter was lost somewhere and I had work to do, so I sat down by an outlet on the floor and turned on my laptop. The story wasn't going to end on its own and I didn't feel like hearing my editor yelling at me like crazy for being late with the delivery. I was almost always late. My followers were more than used to my books coming out a week or two later than advertised. I think that made them like it more. They were amused. But that was not understood by Gracie, the editor from hell who happened to be my best friend. 

Finally, Acer loaded. I smiled when I saw my wallpaper. My friend and I were covered in flour as we glared at the camera. Gracie made it to Jay and me while we made a cake for the fourth member of my strange group of friends: Layla. It was a real disaster. Jay had convinced me that we could bake him a good cake and that he would be excited. Gracie offered to record the process, sure that Layl would like it very much, and as a result, a lot of flour and a half-decent cake came out. At least that's what he told us after watching the video of our flour fight. I think he liked the making of the cake more than his own.

With a gesture of disgust, I began to write. The story was starting to irritate me. Happy endings weren't the same. They gave me headaches. Everything would be more realistic if they broke up due to irreconcilable differences, but that, in the long run, did not sell. People were eager to read happy endings, and I was eager to write depressing endings full of death and destruction. As a reader, I have always leaned more towards happy endings, because as I told my mother "there is already enough suffering in the world to read sad stories". So in order not to contradict me, I was writing something with the kind of ending that makes you want to vomit rainbows and eat chocolate for being alone. 

That's how G found me an hour later, leaning against the wall and with the computer on the floor while I was in a cheesy-induced coma. He shook his shoulders as I met his eyes rolling. I suppose he was scared that I didn't answer him because he kept increasing in strength until the areas where he was holding me started to hurt. I blinked out of my world of loneliness and looked at him confused. What was he doing? It was going to cut off my inspiration. He inhaled relaxed. 

I thought I had finally rid of you, cutie.- Although I was insulted n do could between - read had been worried about me. He was even nice when he wanted to. 

-It was good. Is that after writing some things I need to disconnect from the world?

I rejoice in my lonely sadness, you know...

- Have you finished it?- He looked at my computer screen cheekily. I closed it by squinting.

-Almost. It's secret until I publish it- I raised an eyebrow expecting a reply, but he just shrugged and threw me a blanket.

-When you go back into the world of the dead, cover yourself with the blanket that is a bit cold, and if you die it is better to keep it warm, and if you live I don't want you to catch a cold. I don't like taking care of people, you know? - He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. I guess I didn't use to explain too much to people. Well. To me, yes. 

Hunter's voice filled the floor. "Country Girl, shake it for me, girl, shake it for me, girl, shake it for me." G and I looked at each other trying to keep from laughing. He was singing in the shower. G covered my mouth and pulled my arm up. I looked at him curiously but he shook his head with a few wrinkles around his lips. He was having a great time. I was covered by a blanket, I was holding his hand and my mouth was covered. We were a show. We went to the bathroom, but since it didn't have a door, I didn't allow G to get any closer. From there you could hear him perfectly. He was putting on a country concert. I wondered if he had forgotten we were there and something more worrisome popped into my head: Did Hunter Hayes believe himself? I tugged on G's neck until he was level with me, moved closer to his ear.  

- Does Hunter Hayes think he is?- My voice indicated that he believed he had lost his mind. 

He choked his laughter against my neck, but he was shaking with laughter. My body followed suit and together we began to shake like a washing machine. That's how Hunter found us with a towel around his waist. He looked at us with his mouth open. It was rare to see G and me together, almost glued and without arguing.

Wouldn't you think that...?

- They had sex - accused us. 

G and I started coughing. But what? Confused we look at him with decomposed faces. How could he think of such a subnormality? We got along awfully. We were screaming and we just want to be close to each other to kill each other. It would be very strange if our relationship went from hate to love. From love to hate it is easier than the other way around. Seriously, at that moment we were everything possible except lovers. I couldn't even think about that. It gave me chills to think of the mere possibility. I looked at G. He didn't seem so horrified at the idea and I didn't like that one bit. 

- Maybe- G answered with all the tranquility in the world.

- WHAT?!- Ooops, did I say that out loud?- You and I ...- I looked at G and then Hunter. I shuddered- NO. Please- I shook my head- No way.

I did not see him coming. Hunter was laughing but G not so much. He took me by the nape and gave me a kiss that made me see the stars. I stared at him wide-eyed as he pressed his lips to mine with a force that could have bruised them. There was only determination and challenge in his eyes. I pushed his chest in disgust. I rubbed my lips with the backs of my hands and tears came to my eyes. Nobody assaulted me like that. No one. 

I had nowhere to go, so I ducked into the closet, closing the door behind my fort. I didn't care if he wanted to come and apologize. He was going to receive it with a well-deserved punch. I looked at my clothes. He was still wearing his shirt. I took it off and grabbed it from a hanger the first thing I caught. I took off my pants and sat there. The darkness of this place was comforting. I liked the tranquility of being alone. No sounds could be heard outside either. He had rendered them speechless. I was hoping Hunter would break idiot G's jaw. He wanted that. The pig who had hired a mafia family needed a humility cure. 

I don't know how I started to cry in silence, and how that turned into loud crying. I was falling apart emotionally and I didn't like it at all. I used to be the stronghold of my group of friends and I was starting to act like a crybaby. It had never been like this. I only had a slip like this when my first boyfriend left me. After that I vowed not to cry for a man anymore and here I was years later, crying in a closet. Beautiful. 

A soft knock on the door made me jump. I wanted to be alone.

- It's me, Samantha- Hunter sounded on the other end- You want company?

-Do not. Yes. I don't know.- I sighed defeated. I had no idea what he wanted.

- I'm going in- he announced.

I closed my eyes as the light from outside bathed my dark burrow. The simple contact with the rays of the sun (or those of a light bulb) hurt me. I think at that time I was developing a Vampire Diaries-inspired syndrome or something like that. On second thought, it would have been normal to have had that beautiful disease because the truth is that the Mafia boys I had met had nothing to envy the Mystic Falls. 

It entered and closed at the same time. I thanked him through my life waves. Does that exist? I want to make it clear that I was never an energy guru or chakra guru or anything like that. Maybe. My spiritual side was somewhat dead. Well, the case, he sat in front of me and with his hand touched my knee. Now that knee was bare and the heat from her skin made my hair stand on end. I hadn't realized how cold I was until he had touched me. Holy temperature! If this were always like this I would be crazy. I didn't think at the time that Hunter had no idea that I had taken my pants off. 

- I have broken G.'s nose- There was not a hint of regret in his voice. Good for him. I thanked him. Not out loud. - He deserved it.

- I don't like the dark- I muttered. I took her hand and crawled to her side to rest my head on her neck.

-Hi girl.- He laughed a little.- I guess all this for you has to be a real nightmare, right?

-One of those big and ugly full of monsters that make me wake up terrified.- I know, I am an accomplished poet.- Only you two are the monsters and although you fit the description of greats, the truth is that I honestly cannot call you exactly ugly.

Ladies and gentlemen this is me and my stupid sincerity.

- So...- In the darkness of the furniture, I could swear I could see his bright smug smile flash. What ego did the boy have? - You think I'm attractive, huh?

-Don't change what I said.- I replied as quickly as I could.- I said you are not ugly. The rest you have invented. Don't jump to conclusions so quickly- He laughed and pulled me closer into his embrace.

-You're smart, Sam. You can see the vein of a writer. Now we are going to get out of this closet before G gets the wrong idea of what we are doing here locked up.- He got up, throwing several hangers to the floor, and at the same time dragged me with him outside.

The light blinded me. KO me blinking like a real idiot with chronic problems. A mole would have moved more easily. I bumped into Hunter, dropping him to the ground and we rolled as he tried to stand up, which was a bit tricky with me circling his waist like a monkey. In defense, I will say that I was scared, confused, and just needed something familiar to make me feel safe. He wasn't doing it for her sensual body. No. Well, maybe my subconscious did, but my conscious self didn't.

I rolled around him as gracefully as I could. Come on, I rolled like a fat croquette trying to escape the boiling oil in the pan. You can say that my thing was not grace. I turned my head slowly and saw Hunter laughing in my face. I knew he was going to end up watching me play the idiot. It was about time. He got up and offered me his hand. Then I took putting just as red as a tomato. He picked me up and led me to the couch.

- G won't be back for a while, so don't worry- I shrugged. That situation seemed excellent to me. I was not going to complain.- You see, now that you are calmer I want to inform you of where you have been. 

His previously lit face had darkened. My hairs stood on end. What he was about to tell me was not good. The Hunter in front of him was not the same one who was singing country in the shower. He was the one hired by the mafia to shoot and murder indiscriminately. That was the Hunter I feared and had him by my side. I looked down at my shaking hands. My hands never shook. Bad augury.

- Samantha, you're a passive part of the mob right now- Shit. Just what I did not want to hear.- You have become a protégé of our family because of G they have linked you with us and they will surely come after you at some point to extract information from you. We are in a kind of war with another of the great families of the mafia. There was an argument and the agreed peace was broken. There is no truce. And they are not going to play fair. They will kill and hurt and you are too easy a target. If G entered your house without problems, they will enter without you noticing. We cannot expose you to such danger when you cannot defend yourself. It is like attacking a baby. - He shrugged at my not very friendly face after comparing me to a baby - I'm sorry but that's the way it is. You'll have to put up with G and me a little longer. 

I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I counted again. I don't know how long I had been like this, I only know that in 100,000 I stopped. I shook my head and looked at Hunter.

-Do not.

He looked at me blankly.

-No what?

I raised my eyebrows as if it were obvious.

-I refuse. I'm going to go to the police and get involved in witness protection. I pass these gangster rolls and shit like that. In the books it's super cool because it always ends well and the girl marries the mobster who leaves everything for her and blah blah blah, but look, I don't believe it. I'm a writer and I know that real life is nothing like that of books- I patted him on the shoulder and stood up- I'm sorry, but I'm going.