Chapter 33

**Hunter's POV**

I watch for a few seconds as Taylor walks away with tears in her eyes and I groan internally before excusing myself to go after her. I call on her to stop and she doesn't answer me but eventually, I catch up with her. I grab her wrist and turn her around and she tries to fight me before she calms down and hug me. I wrap my arm around her after a period of time and wait for her to completely calm down.

"Why can't you love me?" She sobs into my chest.

"I've done everything I can to make you be with me" She adds.

"Taylor, I told you that this can't happen between us on that last day of camp and we both agreed to give our friendship a second chance" I say and she moves out of my arm to look up at me.

"I know you said so but I just couldn't help but hope. I can't control what I feel for you Hunter. Do you think I like the kind of girl I've become? I did all this for you!" She yells her voice cracking between her words.

"Taylor, I never asked you to change. Like I've said before, I was a jerk for sleeping with you considering the fact that we were friends before and I'm really sorry. But nothing can change the past and I've made it clear that the only thing that can be between us is friendship" I state feeling like a jerk. More tears well up in her eyes and I clench my fist trying to tell myself that this needed to be done. Despite all the years that we have lost as friends, I still care for her but only in a platonic way.

"So you're not just getting engaged to her because of a business deal? You really love her, don't you?" She asks and when I refuse to answer her, she nods as if she got what she was looking for.

She stands on her tip toes and pecks my lips "Good bye, Hunter" She says before getting into the backseat of a car I hadn't noticed had been waiting.

She meets my eyes one last time before the car pulls away and I hope that she'll be able to get over her 'feelings' for me. I stare off till the car disappears in the far distance before turning back to get to Daisy: my fiancé. The thought that I now have some sort of claim on her did things to me that I didn't understand.

When I get back inside, I see our seats empty and I rub my palm down my face. I feel like every minute that I'm spending away from her is a minute wasted badly.

How more mushy can I fucking get today?

I push through the partying people trying to see a sign of a very beautiful blonde in a golden dress and an ability to make me question everything I've ever stood for. After searching everywhere including the female bathroom which earned me a few screams and curses followed by inappropriate offers  to get it on with them.

I scoff. Like that will ever happen. Maybe before it might have but now, there's not even a chance.

I run into a shit-faced Blake and he hollers at the top of his voice when he notices me. How did he even get drunk when there's no alcohol? This only leads me to one conclusion, the drinks must have been spiked by some pranksters which I'll be guessing is Tyler and Daniel. If they really are the one, I pity their future.

"Hunty Dunty, my man, I've missed you so much. I never see you anymore" Blake yells at the top of his voice and hugs me tight proceeding to sniff as if he was crying.

"You saw me two hours ago" I state blankly.

He blinks at me "Two hours is too long, I don't even know you anymore" he tries to hug me again and I move out of his way.

"Why are you so drunk anyways? You obviously knew the drink was spiked" I asked looking around seeing if I can be successful this time in sighting Daisy.

"She's driving  me crazy. She has been dancing with every single guy that has asked her and yet she refused to dance with me and even proceeded to avoid me. I'm her best friend, she should know I only have her best interest in heart, all these guys want from her is a simple lay, they won't care about breaking her beautiful smile. How can she even be so dumb to let them touch her anyway?" He responds his eyes suddenly firing up in anger.

"Who are you talking about?" I ask confused because the only female friend that he has and hasn't slept with is just Bloom.

"It's Bloom. She won't listen to me.....fuck, I need a drink" he answers before dragging himself away his eyes half closed giving me the impression that it won't take long for him to pass out.

I continue my search and eventually find myself in the garden. A golden dress shining around the corner has me sighing in relief. I walk towards her and when I get to her, I automatically pull her into my arms grinning at how good it felt to be able to hold her like this.

Since her back was facing my front, I bury my head in the crook of her neck and she wraps her hand around my arms that are holding. She leans into me and then sigh, I turn her around to see her face holding a distant look.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask gently cupping her face and she shakes her head in response.

"It's nothing, I thought I saw someone but the chance of that person  being here is next to impossible.

"Who is it?" I ask tracing her beautiful face with my fingers.

"Levi" she answers and my fingers freeze in their ministrations.

"But that can't be possible, he was sentenced to life imprisonment at a maximum prison that no one has ever escaped from. The dark must have been playing tricks on my eyes" she quickly adds when she notices my tense posture. I nod but I can't stop feeling like something was off here. I hold her tighter and she snuggles into my chest.

I can't let anything happen to her, she has become a part of me. The part that you can't live without.

I love her. I love her so damn much and I wonder how it has taken this long for me to realize this.

"Daisy, I know that we're in this because we have no choice but I want....." I start to say when I get cut off by Dean entering the garden and looking around frantically before seeing us.

What the fuck was up with the interruptions whenever I want to say something that can change my life?

"Hunter, come fast. Blake is about to kill a guy that was dancing with Bloom and we can't stop him" He says urgency lacing his words.

I take Daisy's hand and follow Dean inside with long strides. When we get to the scene, I see Blake trying to destroy the face of Troy. Troy was the heir to the International 'Bon appetite' restaurant. He was a decent guy on a normal day so I don't understand why Blake was hell-bent on ruining his face but I guess jealousy does that to you. He might be stupid enough not to realize this but it's so obvious he has feelings for his so-called best friend.

Tyler and Mark finally succeed in pulling him away from Troy who I'm definitely sure would look unrecognizable tomorrow.

"Leave me alone, that'll teach you to touch her anyhow!" Blake yells and Bloom who was standing in shock before runs over to Troy and gives Blake a disapproving look.

"Really? You're siding with him? Fuck it, I'm out of here" he grits out and then walks off with his phone to his ear probably calling for a car.

Bloom stares as he walks away but says nothing and helps Troy up. I shake my head at the drama when I notice the flash of camera from my peripheral vision, it's probably paparazzi. I turn to face the side where the flash came from and I see someone in black rushing away.

Something's not right.

Out of instincts, I follow the person and I see a man that looks like the human version of Satan wearing an eye patch turn around at the back exit to give the group where I was previously standing one last look.

I quickly take out my phone and take a picture of his face, maybe my friends will recognize him.

I return back to my friends and ask them if they've noticed any strange activities around here. They shake their head in response and asked why I was asking making me show them the picture.

"Damn this man looks like a villain that escaped from a Disney movie" Mark exclaims and the others nod in agreement.

"What are you looking at?" Someone asks and I turn to see that it's Chloe.

This is the first time I'm seeing her tonight and I notice she looks beautiful. I don't seem to be the only one who thinks so as I can practically see drool from the corner of my friends mouth. Tyler especially looked dumbstruck. They had the same reaction to Bloom and Daisy.

Speaking of Bloom and Daisy, they walk up to us one minute after Chloe appeared looking equally curious about what we were huddled around.

Mark takes the phone from me but not before smacking a still gawking Daniel whose gaze was fixed on Chloe.

"Hunter saw a weird man and took a picture. Maybe he's an actor and he just likes dressing like his characters everyday" He says showing the pictures to the girls and I notice Daisy gasp when her eyes land on the picture.

I move my gaze to her face to see her eyes wide in horror and her breathing speed up.

"What happened? Do you know him?" Almost everyone chorus.

She continues staring at the picture as if she still can't believe what she's seeing.

"It's him, It's Levi" She replies her voice laced with terror.