As soon as Hunter reached his place, he was met with silence.
That was the first thing that hit him. No distant loudness of Aiden. No warm scent of vanilla candles or the soft thump of someone bumping into furniture in that adorable clumsy way Aiden always did. Just cold dry silence and dust.
Hunter dropped his bag with a thud beside the rickety bed and stood in the middle of the room and let it sink that he was back.
He walked over to the bed and sat down. The frame creaked loudly beneath him, like it was mocking the weight of his loneliness.
Just yesterday, Aiden had been curled up beside him in that soft pastel blanket in Aiden's room. He remembered how he always had to kiss Aiden's forehead to coax him out of bed. There were so many little moments like brushing teeth together, Aiden sneaking bites of his toast, hugging him from behind when Hunter tried to cook, memories that had felt so normal just hours ago now felt like dreams.
Hunter exhaled shakily and ran a hand through his hair. He already misses that troublemaker.
It wasn't like they wouldn't see each other, he'd still meet Aiden every day. But that constant warmth, that quiet companionship of being in the same space, of waking up to Aiden's sleepy "good morning" and the feeling of soft arms clinging to his chest, those were gone.
And now, this place felt even more suffocating than before.
He sighed and pulled out his phone, checking the locked savings FD again. It was still months away from maturing. He wanted to bring Aiden here but then he remembered what happened to Aiden in this neighborhood. The pervert who had tried to take advantage of Aiden. Hunter had seen the fear in his eyes that night and swore he'd never let him return here.
But knowing Aiden, he would definitely try to come back to him.
Suddenly, he remembered something. Pulling his bag, he wonder if he still has the card the crazy woman gave him. Rummaging for a while, he pulled out the business card. The elegant gold letters gleamed under the dim bulb: Carolyn Beaumont.
He stared at it a second longer, then pulled out his phone and called Sam. The line clicked after a few rings.
"Yo, Hunter? Everything good, bro?"
"Yeah. Just had a quick question. What does your aunt do again?"
"My aunt?" Sam sounded surprised. "Carolyn? Why?"
Hunter leaned back against the wall. "She gave me her business card a while ago and told me to visit her sometime if I needed her help. I just never asked what she actually does."
Sam laughed. "Dude, seriously? You've had her card all this time and never knew?"
"I wasn't planning to use it," Hunter said simply. "But now I am."
"Alright, well she runs a high-end hotel downtown. Hotel Sauvage. She owns it with her partner."
"Okay, thank you."
"Wait, what's this about?" Sam asked curiously.
"I just need to talk to her. Can you ask Carolyn if I can get an appointment with her? I donr want to show up uninvited."
Sam didn't push. "Yeah, sure. I'll text her right now."
"Thanks," Hunter said quietly.
"No prob. You're being weird though," Sam chuckled. "You applying to be a five-star chef or something?"
Hunter didn't respond to the joke. "Let me know when she replies."
Sam hummed. "Alright, alright. Chill, bro. I'll text you when I hear from her."
Hunter ended the call and looked at the card again. Now that he knew what Carolyn did, maybe this could really work out for him.
He stood up and grabbed his jacket. Time to meet her.
◾◾◾
Hunter stood in the lobby of Hotel Sauvage, completely out of place in his plain jeans and hoodie.
The receptionist was a sharply dressed young man with an earpiece, he gave Hunter a professional smile. "Mr. Hunter, Ms. Carolyn will see you now. Please follow me."
Hunter nodded stiffly and followed him through a series of hallways that screamed luxury. He was finally led to a glass-paned office with gold accents and soft velvet chairs.
Sitting behind a massive desk was Carolyn Beaumont, radiant in her tailored suit and sipping an espresso with a grin that made Hunter sigh internally.
"There's my sweetheart," she purred the moment he walked in. "God, look at you. You got so skinny from the last time I saw you."
Hunter rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. "Old woman."
Carolyn only laughed, though she heard it, she completely unoffended. "Say that louder and I'll have you cleaning toilets for the first month, darling."
Hunter shrugged and stood awkwardly in front of her desk. "You said to come see you. I need a job."
Carolyn arched a brow and leaned back, setting her cup down. "Straight to business, huh? Alright. Let's do this like a real interview then. What's your area of expertise, sweetheart?"
"Nothing," Hunter replied bluntly. "I've worked in a café. That's it. I can carry trays and make decent coffee."
Carolyn sighed and stood from her chair. She walked up to Hunter and opened her mouth, probably to make a witty comment, when the office door swung open.
In walked a tall woman, taller than Carolyn. She wore a black pantsuit, high heels, perfectly done hair and an expression that screamed power and precision. Her eyes instantly locked onto Hunter, then flicked to Carolyn and raised a brow. She walked over and casually draped an arm around Carolyn's waist, tilting her head slightly.
"And who's this?" she asked coolly.
Carolyn grinned like the cat that caught the canary. "This, darling, is Hunter. The kid who saved my ass at that night. Remember? The drunk guy?"
The woman's sharp gaze returned to Hunter. She stepped in front of him and extended a hand.
"I'm Selene, Claire's wife. Thank you for helping her that day."
Hunter, caught mid-breath, choked slightly. "W-Wife?"
Carolyn cackled behind her Selene while Selene's lips twitched into the faintest smirk.
"Something wrong with that?" Selene raised an questioning eyebrow, ready to kick him out if he shows an ounce of disregard.
"No! No, not at all," Hunter quickly let out, gripping her hand politely and trying not to look completely shocked. "Just wasn't expecting that."
Carolyn strolled over, slipping an arm around Selene's waist and nestling against her with a grin. "He's adorable, isn't he? Like a baby fox."
Selene chuckled softly. "Don't scare the kid with your weiedness."
"I'm not scaring him," Carolyn pressed a kiss to her wife's cheek. "You're the one with the ice-queen thing going on. He's here to get a job but I think he's training before that. Babe, I have given my words to him. You will agree right?"
Selene rolled her eyes but Hunter noticed how her hand squeezed Carolyn's waist gently and her eyes softened as they gazed at Carolyn's pout.
Then Selene turned her full attention back to Hunter and got serious. "Your training will start from tomorrow. Be here by 9 a.m. sharp."
Hunter blinked in shock and disbelief. "Wait…really?"
"You'll be trained across departments so we can figure out where you fit," Selene cleared. "You'll be paid during the training, so don't worry."
Carolyn grinned excitedly. "Dont worry. We don't exploit our employees."
Hunter chuckled despite himself. "Thank you. Seriously."
Selene gave a small nod. "Don't make me regret it."
"I won't," Hunter promised sincerely.
Selene crossed her arms as her sharp eyes scanned Hunter from head to toe. "You look so young, kid. Why are you even looking for a job? Shouldn't you be out living life or, I don't know doing drugs and wasting your life?"
Hunter gave her a small smile. "I want to buy a house," he said simply, fingers curling into his lap as a faint blush take over his cheeks. He don't know whether he should tell them this or not. But he felt safe in their energy so he said. "Somewhere my partner can come and go freely without any trouble. The place I'm currently living is not safe."
There was a brief pause before Carolyn looked over at Selene. A knowing warmth touched Selene's eyes. She immediately picked up what Hunter meant by "partner."
Carolyn's expression softened into something tender. "Oh, sweetheart," she said, walking around the desk and sitting beside him. "That's so sweet. You really love them, huh?"
Hunter gave a shy nod, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. A lot."
Carolyn reached over and squeezed his arm. "Then I'm going to help you buy that house."
Hunter's eyes widened. "Wait, no—! That's not why I came. I'm not asking for—"
Selene clicked her tongue from where she stood. "Take the advance. Use it to get the place. You can pay it back once you start earning."
Hunter opened his mouth to protest again, but Carolyn interrupted. "Please, take it. We know what it feels like when you and your partner don't have a place to go. When the world makes it feel like you're not welcome anywhere."
Hunter blinked and looked between them.
Selene's gaze was fixed on Carolyn. Something unspoken passed between them. In that brief look, Hunter saw the weight of years they must've spent fighting to have what they now did. The hotel, the respect, the freedom to be together openly.
He swallowed the lump rising in his throat.
"Thank you," he said softly. "I'll pay back every cent."
Carolyn gave him a bright smile and reached out to ruffle his hair. "You better. Or I'm stealing your partner."
"Lyn," Selene warned, shaking her head with a sigh, though the fondness in her voice betrayed her stern tone. She stepped up beside Carolyn and pulled her away from Hunter. "Crackhead."
Carolyn giggled and leaned into her. "You love this crackhead."
Don't want to disturb them Hunter thanked them one last time and left.
Carolyn teased Selene. "You scared him, darling. You should've seen his face when you said 'wife'!"
And Selene's amused reply. "He'll get used to it. If he survives you."
"Oh, he will survive me just fine. Remember, how you used to run away from me everytime you see me. Now look at you, can't live without me even for a second.
Done with her Selene leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Keep talking and I'll tie you to the bed tonight."
Carolyn turned bright red. "As if I'll hate it."