I didn't go to school on Tuesday, simply because it would've been to no avail. All of my thoughts were either about Emily and the break up or about Hunter and our upcoming date, so I basically was a useless wreck.

Certainly I wouldn't have been able to concentrate at school, and the thought of meeting Emily there was making my skin crawl. She wanted me to give her space, but as soon as I would've met her in the hallways, I probably would've talked to her and asked how she was doing. She was still my best friend, so naturally I was worried about her and wanted to help her to get over it. But how was I supposed to do that when I was the one who caused the pain?

So I had stayed at home all day, trying to distract myself by watching stupid reality TV shows, reading and drawing a bit. I had quickly caught myself drawing what looked a lot like Hunter's side profile, but since the sketch was actually pretty good, I had continued working on it until I ended up with a detailed portrait of him looking over his shoulder, a faint smirk playing around his lips and one brow raised, an expression that he often wore.

I had looked at it for a few minutes before I had hid it underneath some papers on my desk.

Afterwards, I had gone back to thinking about the date with Hunter and panicked slightly; he had talked about going clubbing, which was something I had never done before. Embarrassingly, one of my biggest worries was what I was going to wear. His advice to wear something "sexy" had only contributed to my insecurity. So I had spent at least half an hour in front of my closet, trying to pick an outfit that wouldn't make me look completely ridiculous.

I had just finished doing my hair (well, you couldn't really style my hair- all I could do was to try and somehow brush it with my fingers since nothing else worked with my curls), which I had quickly given up on, when the door bell rang.

I cursed quietly under my breath as I nearly tripped down the stairs in an attempt to get to the door before either of my parents could. Before I opened it, I only grabbed my wallet and my keys and shouted a quick goodbye. Since I couldn't exactly tell my parents what I'd be doing tonight, I had settled for telling them I'd be hanging out with Nate.

Being the clumsy idiot I was, I obviously opened the front door with way too much force in my eagerness to leave, and stumbled face forward into Hunter.

He caught my shoulders and grinned at me with an amused glint in his eyes. "What was that? Were you actually just falling for me?"

I rolled my eyes at him but didn't try to shake his hands off. "Hunter, you're such a cliché."

He just shrugged casually and let go of me. "You like it." He then took a step back and looked at my outfit with a stare that could've made pretty much anyone blush. "So you actually listened to me for once, huh?" When I didn't respond right away he stepped closer again and tugged at my shirt. "Why don't you wear this more often?"

I looked down at myself, a little self-conscious. In lack of anything better to wear, I had put on a washed-out blue shirt which, according to Emily, was exactly the color of my eyes, ripped jeans and white vans. "I just feel more comfortable in loose clothes."

Hunter's lips formed into what almost looked like a pout, but then he shrugged. "Okay. So, why weren't you at school today?"

For a second I was surprised he noticed, then I said: "I didn't feel well."

"You weren't sick," Hunter said, rolling his eyes at me. "If you were, you would've sent Nate at least five self pitying text messages. Which you didn't, I asked him. So, this is what I think: You didn't come to school because you were scared of running into Emily."

I was silent for a moment, taken aback by his accusation and how precise it was. Eventually, I nodded.

"So you told her?"

"Yes."

"How did she react?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "She wants space. I don't think she'll talk to me again anytime soon."

"She'll be fine," Hunter said. "Once she'll realize that she's better off with someone else, she'll be grateful you didn't lead her on any longer."

I only shrugged.

Hunter regarded me silently for a few more seconds before he grabbed my hand and led me towards his Audi.

When I climbed into the passenger seat, I asked: "Where are we going, anyway?"

Hunter waited until we had both sat down and fastened our seat belts before he started the engine. Only when we had already left the neighbourhood, he answered. "We're going to a gay club."

"Yeah, really funny. Now, where are we actually going?"

"I'm not joking, Jules."

I could feel my amused expression crumble. "Hunter, I'm not going there."

"Jules-"

"No! I'm serious, I won't do that. Why would you even think I would? I don't even know for sure if I like guys."

Hunter was silent for a moment before he quietly said: "I remember Friday night."

Now I was actually taken aback for a second, my jaw had dropped. "What?" I said feebly.

He turned his head to look at me. There was no teasing or hesitation in his voice as he talked. "I remember the kiss. And I know how much it meant to you, what a big step it was." As he spoke, one of his hands reached out for mine, but then he seemed to think better of it and dropped it onto the armrest in between our seats. "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's kind of a sign that you're not the straightest straight to ever straight."

I didn't say anything in reply, still too shocked by his words.

"Listen, okay?" Hunter said and looked at me with a more serious expression. "I'm not trying to force you to do anything you're not ready for. We'll just go in there and if you don't like it, we can leave and go somewhere else." He lifted a hand to interrupt me when I opened my mouth to object. "But I actually really think you'll like it there. It's a nice place to be when you're exploring your sexuality. No matter what you identify as, in that club, they'll respect you. Before you can accept yourself, it's good to know that others do. So that's why going to a gay bar, as scary as it might sound to you, actually is quite a good lesson."

I took a deep breath and slumped back into my seat. Then, not looking at him, I said: "Ten. We can stay there for ten minutes. If I want to leave then, we do, okay?"

Hunter nodded eagerly and I could tell that he was trying to bite back a grin. "Anything for you, sugarpie."

Glaring at him, I crossed my arms over my chest. "You really suck, you know that?"

"Just tell me where," he said, while winking at me and watching amused as my cheeks turned bright red. "Don't worry, I'm just fucking with you." He burst into laughter as I made a choking sound. "Sorry, wrong choice of words."

"You really do want to make me jump out of this driving car, don't you?"

"Please don't," he said, still trying to stop himself from laughing. "It'd be a pity if you'd cheat yourself out of our bet that easily."

"I hate you," I said without any heat and looked out of the window. "When are we there?"

To my surprise, Hunter swiftly pulled over and parked on the side of the road. "Now."

Without further explanation he got out of the car and walked around it to open my door as well.

I hesitantly got out and eyed the club. We were in a street close to the city centre and even though it was a Wednesday, there were a few people waiting in line in front of the doors. The club's name was hung above the entrance in LED letters, but other than that, it looked like a normal building.

"Are you coming?" Hunter asked.

I reluctantly followed him as he walked up to the end of the line. It moved rather fast and we stepped through the entrance sooner than I would have liked.

Behind it was a short corridor that opened into a huge loft-like hall. Once we reached it, I could finally see all that what was going on inside. The first thing that caught my eye was the bar that was on the left side, a black counter with long rows of glass bottles on the shelves behind it and some people standing around it. The rest of the room was occupied by a huge dance floor. Loud music was vibrating through the entire club, a dark, nearly hypnotizing song. Something about it sounded forbidden, sexual in a way.

Lights were flashing over the crowd, illuminating couples that were making out or dancing closely to each other.

Everything was exactly like I had imagined normal clubs, with the difference that everywhere I looked where topless guys, same-sex couples and even a few drag queens.

My eyes were probably the size of saucers as I took everything in. Almost unconsciously, my hand reached for Hunter's and slipped lightly into his.

From the corner of my eyes I could see him biting his lip to hide his smile as he tightened his grip on my hand. The light caressing of his thumb on my wrist didn't even startle me anymore this time, but didn't lose any of its comforting effect.

"It's quite overwhelming at first, huh?" Hunter asked into my ear.

I nodded, still rendered speechless.

"Come on, let's go over there," he said and pulled me into a less crowded corner of the club where, to my surprise, a few couches lined the brick walls.

The music was less deafening over there, so you could actually talk in a normal voice.

Hunter dragged me over to one of the red velvet couches, which had a bunch of cushions on them, and pulled me down so I sat beside him. "Do you want to drink anything?"

I looked at him with wide eyes. "They serve you alcohol here?"

He shrugged casually. "I'm friends with a bunch of workers here, otherwise they wouldn't even let us in. So yeah, I could get us something alcoholic, but I'm not going to since you're such a lightweight. I want you to be able to remember tonight."

"Okay," I nervously said. "Uhm, can I get a coke?"

"Yes, Jules, of course you can get a coke," Hunter laughed and let go of my hand. "Is it okay if you wait here for a minute?"

I nodded my confirmation and watched as Hunter made his way towards the bar counter. I turned back to look at what was going on on the dance floor in front of me, when a guy broke loose from the crowd and skipped towards me.

He was very tall, very shirtless and very good-looking from what I could see in the flashing light. He looked about two or three years older than me, with toned abs, broad shoulders and blonde messy hair that, for some reason, made me think of a surfer on an Australian beach.

I was more than surprised when he didn't stop in his tracks but continued to walk straight up to me and eventually sank down on the couch next to me. He draped one arm over the back of the couch and sat there, facing me. "Hey, gorgeous," he purred and flashed me a lazy grin. "How come such an eye candy like you is here all alone?"

For a second, I was too startled to even fully realize that he was talking to me. Then I said, uncomfortably leaning slightly away from him: "Uh, sorry, I think you must've mistaken me for someone..."

He leaned in even more, until his torso was pressing against my side. I could smell the alcohol in his breath as he opened his mouth. "Oh, trust me, you are exactly who I'm looking for."

I smiled nervously. "Looking for someone to do what?"

As soon as I had spoken the words out loud, I regretted them. His smirk only confirmed my worries. "I would tell you here, but I like dirty talking better when it's in the bedroom," he said, winking at me.

That was the moment when I started to panic slightly on the inside. That guy looked absolutely ready to drag me into an empty room to do whatever to me. "Y-yeah?"

He licked his lips in what could've been an unconscious movement, but to me it made him seem even more like a predator waiting to attack its prey. "So, what's your name, beautiful?"

I cringed on the inside and thought about lying and just making up any name, but then I saw Hunter coming towards us with two bottles of coke.

"Hey, uhm, I think you should get out of here," I said, hopefully loud enough for Hunter to hear. "See, my boyfriend is coming back and he really doesn't like other people flirting with me..."

The guy didn't even look fazed in the slightest as he looked around to see Hunter approaching us. "So, he's a possessive one? That's hot."

I stared at him with an incredulous look. The thought of getting beaten up by a jealous Hunter didn't sound hot to me at all.

"Hey, do you think we could get him to share you with me for a night?" the guy said, winking suggestively at me.

While I was still trying to process what he had just said and simultaneously trying not to throw up or punch him in the face, Hunter had finally reached us and set the bottles of coke down on the little table next to the couch. "Hey, is there a problem here?" he asked, eyes darting back and forth between the guy and me.

I nodded and got up to stand beside him. Then I firmly grasped his hand. "Babe, he won't stop flirting with me..."

Hunter's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at me, but then he turned back to the guy, who had gotten to his feet. "Mate, I don't know what led you to the conclusion that he's interested in you, but you better stay away from him."

Surfer-boy still didn't seem intimidated and only poured in disappointment. "Oh come on, you can't be that selfish! Look at him, he's so pretty!"

A grin flickered across Hunter's face. "I know he is. But he also doesn't want to be hit on by you, so you should show some respect and leave him alone."

"Okay, so he's yours, I gotcha," he said and raised his hands in surrender. "But what about sharing? Or I could just watch and maybe record a bit..."

"No," Hunter and I said at the same time, I could feel Hunter's hand tightening around mine, whether it was consciously or not.

Before the guy could answer, another boy around his age suddenly jogged up to him. "Corey, there you are!" He then looked at Hunter and me. "I'm really sorry if he said something inappropriate. He always gets like that when he's drunk... I was trying to keep an eye on him, but I lost him in the crowd."

Corey rolled his eyes at his partner, but let him sling an arm around his waist.

"It's okay," Hunter laughed. "He was just a little straight-forward."

The other boy grimaced and pulled Corey closer. "Yeah, I can imagine. I'm really sorry about that... we're going now."

"Bye," I said soundlessly and stared after the two of them.

As they walked away I could faintly hear the boy muttering: "Baby, I told you to stay away from the tequila... did you see that guy with the curls? He's probably scarred for life now..."

When they had disappeared on the dance floor, Hunter pulled me closer towards him and put a finger under my chin to make me look at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just didn't know what to say," I said. "I mean, I didn't expect that to happen..."

Hunter laughed quietly. "You always have some horny drunks at any party... By the way, it's been ten minutes now... So you want to leave?"

Everything about his face screamed Please say no, but the fact that he asked nevertheless was so incredibly sweet that there really was no way I could have said anything other than, "No...I'd like to stay, if that's okay for you."

"If that's okay for me?" Hunter asked incredulously. "Of course that's okay for me. Uh...do you want to dance?"

I had to think about it for a few seconds. I didn't really like dancing, nor was I good at it, but I could tell that Hunter really wanted to. "Yeah...yeah, sure."

Hunter's face lit up with a genuinely surprised smile, then he pulled me towards the dance floor, leaving our drinks on the table.

The song that was playing now was similar to the style of music I had heard when we had entered, but this one had vocals that were sung by a smooth, soft male voice. The beat was dreamy, but with an underlying darkness to it.

Hunter quickly noticed that I was just standing around awkwardly. I gasped when he hooked his two index fingers into my belt loops, pulling me closer until there were only a few inches between us.

I looked around to see if anyone was looking at us. This was probably the closest we had ever gotten in public and the thought of someone seeing us like this made my hair stand on end. If, for whatever reason, someone I knew was here, they'd surely assume there was something between Hunter and me.

"Relax," Hunter muttered into my ear, lips lightly grazing my skin. "No one's watching you."

I nodded and smiled at him, even though my heart was pounding.

Hunter then started to move slowly to the beat and after some hesitation I followed his example and mirrored his movements.

I didn't really know what to do, but when I looked around, I saw that pretty much everyone was really just dancing in their own way, seemingly lost in the music and their own little world, so I started to move to the beat on my own accord.

All along I stayed close to Hunter, until we suddenly ended up pressed against each other in one corner of the dance floor. Hunter's cheeks were slightly flushed and there was a wide grin on his face as he leaned down and tentatively brushed my cheek with his lips.

My breath caught in my throat for a second. "Why did you do that?"

Hunter smiled cheekily. "I'm just returning the favour."

I rolled my eyes at him, but couldn't stop a sheepish grin from creeping onto my face.

Hunter looked at me for a moment that felt like hours, then he took both of my hands and leaned in again. This time he placed a kiss even closer to the corner of my mouth. "I don't think I've ever kissed someone on the cheek before on a date," he then said thoughtfully. "It's usually a little more than that."

My head felt like it was filled with cotton at this point, but his words still managed to draw a quiet "Do you like it?" from me.

"Hm. It's innocent and sweet... Kind of like you," he laughed.

I bit my lip and looked away for a second, just for him to reach out and turn my face back to him. Then he kissed my cheek once more, almost grazing my lips this time.

I narrowed my eyes at him and leaned back, just a bit so I could look him in the eye. "Hunter, what are you trying to do?"

He didn't even sound remotely shy when he said: "I'm trying to take it slow so that I don't mess things up, but it gets pretty damn hard when you do things like biting your lip like that."

"You like when I bite my lip?" I asked, surprised that he even noticed things like that.

"I like pretty much everything about you."

"You don't even know me that well," I pointed out.

Hunter grinned and gripped my hands even tighter. "Give me a few weeks. You'll be so fucking in love with me, Jules Hatcher."

I raised a brow at him and tried hard to hide the fact that my heart had just skipped a beat at his words. "You think?"

"I know that for a fact," he said before he pulled me back onto the dance floor.

+++

An hour or two later, we were back in the car and sitting outside of my house. It was after one a.m. by now, but I didn't feel tired at all.

"Are you coming back to school tomorrow?" Hunter asked.

"I don't know..." I sighed while playing with his fingers in my hand.

"Come on, please?"

"Aw, you think you'd miss me already?"

"You're too full of yourself, Jules."

"Says