Brittany was already in bed, snoring lightly by the time Amber closed the door silently behind her in their shared space. Quietly, she threw her purse along with her phone on her bed before realizing that she still had Hunter’s jacket around her shoulders.

Too late now. Amber was not going back down there just to return his jacket. With that, she made her way to the dresser, collected her sleepwear, and disappeared into the bathroom. All the while resisting the urge to look out the window. For the next thirty minutes, she mindlessly scrubbed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed before finally getting into bed. Shortly after, Amber fished out her phone, tossed her purse into a corner of the bed, and settled in for a good, comfortable night.

Six minutes later, however, Amber was still staring at the ceiling, the entire evening playing in her mind when her phone buzzed. She’d turned off notification earlier but still allowed for vibration, but who would be bugging her so late in the night? Not Liam, that was for sure.

Amber turned on her side to check, heart racing as she saw the text message and who it was from.

Hunter: [I’m not going to be in class tomorrow.]

She frowned in the darkness, wondering why he would send a text like that. Her fingers moved nimbly across the keyboard in response.

Amber: [I know. Nathan and Adam informed me of that earlier today in class.]

Hunter: [That’s good. I don’t have to punish them for not telling you, then.]

Amber: [How come?]

Amber was still very confused.

Hunter: [You mentioned something about seeing me tomorrow. I didn’t know if you got the message.]

It hit her then, and she smacked herself in the forehead. Outside, after Hunter asked about spending the night, she had blurted out something—anything—just to get away from him. Her typing slowed as she struggled to come up with something.

Amber: [I meant…I’ll see you when I see you…not that I’ll really see you tomorrow.]

Hunter: [Well…]

Hunter: […if you miss me that much, I could make an exception?]

Amber read both of his texts and responded by ignoring his question with one of her own.

Amber: [Nathan and Adam said you had some family matters to attend to. Is everything all right?]

Hunter: [I’m helping Dad take care of some leftover rats, is all. It’s taking longer than expected to lure them out with poison but shouldn’t be too long now.]

Amber lifted her head at the mention of rats and peeped at Brittany, recalling her mentioning something similar during the summer at home. Something about them being around in undeveloped or poorly maintained areas. Luckily, it was something Amber never had to deal with. She couldn’t imagine it being a pleasant experience. It was also a sensitive subject for Brittany.

Amber: [That sucks. I hope you get every one of them. I hear they can be a massive headache.]

It was still confusing why he would leave class just to take care of some rodents, but it wasn’t in Amber’s place to judge. Hunter’s family probably relied heavily on him, and he obviously cared a lot about them going back to help manage the issue.

Hunter: [Yes, they are. Especially the backstabbing ones.]

Amber frowned, more lost now than ever. Before she could type in her response, another text popped on the screen.

Hunter: [Enough of that. You said you wanted to talk to me?]

So it was a sensitive subject for him, after all, just like Brittany. Amber would have to ask Brittany for some pointers and get him some poison herself that can kill them permanently. Another vibration brought her back to the present.

Hunter: [Do you want me to call?]

Amber typed in furiously, sending him a flurry of messages one after another, feeling somewhat warm all of a sudden.

Amber: [No, no, it’s okay.]

Amber: [I mean, I can ask you another time. It’s not important.]

Amber: [I mean, it is important, but it doesn’t have to be tonight.]

Amber: [Not that I don’t want to talk to you, but I got a roommate who is sleeping, and she gets grumpy when she’s disturbed. I’m going to bed now anyway. Good night!]

She put the phone down and buried her face into the pillow, body taut. Wow, way to go, Amber. What is wrong with you?

Two seconds, three seconds.

Four, five, six…

Ten seconds now, and Amber found herself staring at the phone until finally, it buzzed.

She didn’t dare pick it up because she might be tempted to just call him. Fortunately for Amber, she didn’t have to as the words appeared on the screen.

Hunter: [Then…sweet dreams.]

Her muscles relaxed, her breathing returned, and just like that, Amber fell asleep with a smile on her lips.