Hunt Me Down {boyxboy} ✓

Chapter 50

A/N: Pronounce "Rai" as in "Rae/ray".

 

*****

 

Nathaniel's POV

I hurriedly slid through the window and closed it before I headed to the door of my bedroom. Opening it, I almost collided with my mother who stood in the hallway, her hand raised as if she was about to knock.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" She inquired, looking me up and down.

"I... I took one of the pills leftover from last time I had a stomach ache," I replied, my need to justify why I was in my room and not the bathroom overriding my response to her actual question. "I feel better already," I added once I realized what she'd actually asked.

"So soon?" One of her eyebrows rose and for attention shifted from me to the room behind me, her eyes narrowing while she examined it.

I stood frozen with my hand over the handle. I was afraid that if I moved, I'd give it all away so I did my best to avoid glancing towards the Harris' house. Her search proving fruitless, her gaze returned to me, no traces of suspicion in it.

"Are you ready to return downstairs? There will be no champagne, I'm afraid; your sister dropped the bottle."

So that was what had produced the smashing sound earlier.

"I cleaned the glass up. It should be safe," she went on, "but be careful where you step."

I nodded, wondering if the cleaning process was a part of Val's plan to delay my mother and give me more time or did she drop the bottle simply to distract her and what happened afterwards was a of luck.

"Let's go then," I gestured with my arm towards the staircase. She stepped in that direction and I exited my room, letting out a puff at the narrow escape and throwing one last glance at Hunter's window.

*****

"You two should've seen mom's face when she realized I'd dropped that oh-so-expensive fancy champagne."

"It's been three days, Vallery; maybe you should stop bringing it up," I suggested but her enthusiasm didn't lessen.

"Her eyes bulged and her mouth became like double its size as she started screaming; I swear, she looked like a cartoon character!" My twin took a sip of her coda before she grinned at the built-in camera again. A moment later, however, her smile diminished. "I think dad suspects something thought."

"Why would you say that?" The boy from the laptop screen asked.

"I don't know," Vallery shrugged. "He just gave me the look, the one that he usually gives me when he thinks I'm up to something or when something happens and he's trying to make out whether I had anything to do with it."

I was not afraid to admit that the first time my sister had told me about dad's reaction, I panicked. But the days went without his acting out of character or making any inquiries; even if he had suspected something, he probably didn't think I was a part of it.

"He's very biased," my twin added.

"Well, it's not like you haven't done enough things to make him be on his guard around you," he replied, his hand running over his red hair. "God knows you keep me on my toes... No rhyme intended."

Vallery gasped, her palm flying to her chest and resting upon it.

"When did I do anything to you?"