Because you left, was the unspoken part of that sentence. If Hunter felt guilty about it, he didn’t show it.
“Let’s see what we have.” I opened the garage beer fridge. “I have a few take-home packs from Buckeye Brewery. Brad has some Miller Lite. He’s usually anal about people drinking his beer, but he won’t be back in town for two more weeks.”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” he said.
I grabbed two Buckeye Blonde Ales and went inside. Hunter followed, closing the garage door behind me. I retrieved two pint glasses from the cabinet, cracked open the beers, and poured them into the glasses.
“Thanks,” Hunter said, following me from the kitchen to the living room. “I have to admit. It’s weird seeing you drinking.”
“Yeah, I’m an adult and stuff now,” I said as I sat on the couch.
“I can see that.” He took a seat on the edge of the recliner next to the couch, then raised his glass. “To seeing old friends.”
“To old friends.” I took a long pull while he did the same. “So, what brings you back to Columbus?”
Hunter ran his fingers through his messy brown hair, just like he used to when he was contemplative. “I’m, uh, here to do some special videos.”
“Oh? What kind?”
“They’re going to be throwbacks,” he explained. “My manager—the guy who does all of my marketing and promotions and stuff—wants me to do a series of videos showing how I got started with my YouTube channel. Driving around my old stomping grounds, visiting the auto shop I worked at, that sort of thing.”
“Oh, that’s really cool,” I said.
He leaned forward and cradled his beer with both hands. “Yeah, I was driving around the 270 loop getting B-roll footage, and I pulled into the convention center parking lot to get some still shots. That’s when I saw that they were having a big event. After taking my shots in the parking lot, I went inside to use the bathroom. That’s when I saw you.”
He was there by accident. I couldn’t believe it. What were the odds that he was randomly driving around, and happened to show up right where I was?
If Lizzy were here, she would have insisted it wasfate.
“I have to admit, I wasn’t surprised to see you there,” Hunter added.
I blinked. “You weren’t?”
“You were always a little businesswoman back in high school,” he explained. “You had a new creative ideaeverymonth, it seemed like. I’m glad to see you still have that entrepreneurial spark.”
“Oh yeah, hah,” I said sheepishly. “We’ll see how the new business goes.”
His dark eyes glistened. “Something with jewelry, right?”
“Custom-made gemstones,” I replied. “It’s all really boring, trust me.”
Hunter sipped his beer and shook his head. “I always pictured you moving to a bigger city, like New York or Los Angeles. A place where new ideas can thrive.”
I shrugged. “That’s the beauty of the internet, I guess. I can start a business anywhere!”
“I saw that you moved back here after college, just like Brad,” he said.
I nodded. “It was only supposed to be temporary until I got on my feet, but then mom got sick, and… Yeah.”
He rolled his beer glass between his palms while looking at me. “I’m really sorry about your parents. They were good people.”
My throat tightened. Even after a month, it was still tough to talk about. “Thanks. Dad always joked that he didn’t want to live without Mom, so I guess it’s fitting he passed two weeks after her.”
Hunter looked down at the ground. “I wanted to be here for her funeral, but I was out of the country at the time…”
“At the Formula One race in Monte Carlo, right?”
“That’s right.” He tilted his head. “How’d you know about that?”