"And lastly, do not ever mention the word Ebola to my parents, okay?" I told Hunter as soon as I stepped out of his car. My parents turned completely mental whenever someone mentions that word. They would go on and on about sanitation and prevention and I really didn't want to go on that route of conversation tonight.

Since I did not want this meeting to be a complete disaster, I decided to prep Hunter on the dos and don'ts inside the Davies household.

My parents weren't exactly the strict and conservative type. As a matter of fact, they were pretty cool. However, like every other parents, they also had their fair share of weirdness, especially my dad.

Dad was a neurologist and unfortunately, he was also a jokester. That personality of his didn't really suit his profession well. His sick sense of humor often caused him trouble in his job. Like that one time he got suspended from the town's hospital because he made a joke about his patient's illness. The joke went somewhere along these lines:

Dad: I know a really funny joke.

Patient: What is it?

Dad: Your life. You have brain cancer.

Patient: Oh my God! Please tell me you're joking.

Dad: Just kidding! It's Parkinson's disease.

I almost facepalmed myself when he told me about it.

Dad insisted that he just said that to lighten the mood a bit. I advised him never to crack jokes again in public.

My mom was more of the subdued version of my dad. She was the head nurse at Diamond Crest Children's Hospital and maybe her profession was the reason why she could be overly doting at times. She really believed I was the best person in the entire world and nothing could make her believe otherwise, not even my lack of social skills and pathological inability to interact normally with other people.

"Relax, buddy. Leave it to my capable hands." I heard Hunter said. I didn't realize he was already beside me and we already reached the front door.

"The last time I left something to your hands, somebody's car got caged." I reminded him.

He shrugged.

"She deserved it." He mumbled under his breath.

My mouth opened as did the door behind us. Stomach dropping, I turned to see Mom standing there in all her hello-kitty scrub suit glory. She and dad were on night shift this week so they would have to be at the hospital after dinner.

Her eyes went from me to Hunter, completely misinterpreting everything. From the look on her face, I knew she was already picturing me and Hunter in our wedding suit and dress. The glee in her eyes made me want to hide Hunter in a place where she wouldn't see him, most preferably in Antarctica.

"I didn't know you'll bring someone tonight." Mom said, eyeing Hunter with obvious approval.

"Good evening, Ma'am. I'm Sky's friend, Hunter Cole. You must be Sky's older sister." Hunter greeted politely. He hadthis insanely beautiful smile on his face that no woman could possibly resist.

My mom's smile widened, obviously pleased by Hunter's mistake.

"Oh, dear, please call me Anna. I'm Sky's mother." Mom said, clearly now under Hunter's spell. It only took one smile and she'd gone loco. The power of Hunter Cole.

"I can't believe Sky has friends other than Shawn." Mom looked ecstatic as if I won the freaking Nobel Peace Prize rather than had the misfortune of being Hunter's partner in crime. I couldn't blame her; I knew how frustrating it was for her to know that her only daughter was incapable of making friends.

Hunter dropped his arm over my shoulders.

"To tell you honestly, I'm not just a friend. Sky told me she considers me as her BFF. She was just telling me how she thinks I'm such a big blessing in her life." he said, giving my Mom an innocent look before shooting me a sideway smirk when my mom wasn't looking.

The nerve was really testing my patience.

"Really? That is so sweet of you, honey." Mom said, surprised.

"She even invited me to join you guys for dinner. I told her I don't want to intrude, but she insisted. She's such a sweetheart." He chucked me on the arm and I almost fell into the railing.

I shot him a you-are-going-to-pay-for-this-later look before facing my mother.

"Mom,I didn't..." I tried to protest but my mom cut me off.

"Of course! We would love to have you join us at dinner!" she told Hunter warmly. I could practically see her envisioning Hunter and my future children. She then glanced behind at our living room and called out for my dad.

"Steven! Sky brought a friend!" she shouted excitedly.

My dad was at the front door in the blink of an eye.

"Did you just say friend?" dad said, catching his breath. He probably ran his way over here, excited to meet my new BFF.

My dad took a quick look at Hunter and then turned to face my mom.

"Anna, are you sure he's just a friend and not her boyfriend?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because I can see sparks fly!" dad said, laughing heartily at his own joke.

"Dad!" I blurted out, horrified by my dad's display of his uncanny ability of cracking awful jokes at the wrong moment.

"Steven! Stop embarrassing your daughter!" Mom reprimanded. She leaned towards my Dad. "I think they are still in the getting to know each other stage. Give them time." She continued in a hush voice that we could still hear clearly.

I was so embarrassed I wanted to commit Hara Kiri right there and then.

Unfortunately, I had a feeling that this was just the beginning of a very a long night.

***

Mom ushered us to the dining room as soon as we entered the house. She had prepared dinner early because they had to be at the hospital at 7:30. The table was already set when we arrived. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I saw the homemade steak and pasta fetuccini on the table. My mom was such an amazing cook, a talent that unfortunately, I didn't inherit.

"Wow! I'm really happy you invited me to dinner." whispered Hunter as soon as he saw the food on the table.

"I did not. You invited yourself, remember?" I hissed back.

"Psh! As if having a dinner date with me isn't included in your bucket list." He said, grinning at the murderous expression on my face.

"You and your imagination." I retorted.

"Hiding it won't change the fact that you like me."

"I like to strangle you to death."

"You and your fetishes."

"Awww... You two are so cute." I almost jumped out of surprise when I heard my dad's voice behind us. We didn't notice that he already caught up on us and was listening attentively to our banter.

"Remember what I told you, Dad? No joking in front of other people." I reminded him.

He pouted like he was an eight year old.

"I wasn't joking. You two are like soulmates."

Great. I knew nothing would come off good the moment Dad got hooked on watching reruns of Gossip Girl. Now he'd added another term to his vocabulary. Soulmates? What kind of forty seven year old dad says that kind of things?

"I told you to stop watching Gossip Girl. It's making you sound like a creep." I complained.

"I got it from Vampire Diaries, not Gossip Girl." He corrected me, looking really smug.

Hunter looked at my dad in surprise.

"Team Damon?" he asked, wide eyed.

Dad nodded.

"Hell yeah!"

And then the two men did a high five.

Could this night get any weirder than this? Now I had to deal with two guys bonding over their mutual love for supernatural romance. Why was I surrounded with slightly neurotic people?

I shook my head and gave my Mom a look of exasperation.

My mom just shrugged, telling me wordlessly that we couldn't help it if Dad was currently experiencing his midlife crisis.

Mom saved me from listening to Elena, Stefan and Damon's tragic love triangle when she told the two guys that dinner was ready.

I sat down on my usual seat while Mom made Hunter sat on the chair opposite me.

"Hunter, why don't you say the grace?" My dad said as he took his seat at the head of the table. He smiled expectantly at Hunter.

Hunter, who was already eyeing mom's dishes longingly, jerked from his seat.

"Uh, g-grace?" he said, giving me an alarmed look.

I felt panicky. I didn't know what Hunter's religion was, hell, I even spent most of my high school life believing he was the devil himself. It could be really awkward if it turned out that he was an atheist or something.

"Dad, don't be so rude. You don't even know if Hunter's a Christian!" I said, trying to salvage the situation.

My dad's smile didn't falter.

"It's okay, honey. Religion doesn't really matter when it comes to saying the grace, unless Hunter doesn't want to, of course." Dad gave Hunter a sharp look as if daring him to refuse.

"No, no, no... I'd love to!" Hunter exclaimed, clearly trying to win my father back. I kicked his leg under the table and tried to give him a warning look. The jerk just ignored me.

"I'm an expert in saying the grace, Mr. Davies. If there's an Olympic game for that, I will totally get the gold medal."

I didn't know if I should laugh or cry after hearing him say that.

My dad looked impressed. My mom looked like she was trying so hard not to laugh.

Hunter gave us all a serious look, telling us wordlessly that he meant business.

"Okay guys, close your eyes, and let's pray." He said in a solemn voice.

I closed my eyes and wished to all the Gods I knew that he actually knew how to pray.

"Oh dear God, thank you for your grace." Hunter started.

"You are such a good God to us. A cool, respectable, loving, and totally dope God."

Not bad. Except for the dope. So far, so good.

"You, my lord, is really the best God. You're my favorite. I don't think anybody could be a better God. I just want you to know that I am so thankful that you are our God. We wouldn't want anybody else."

Oh, God, No.

"We really thank you for the bountiful dinner, the steak looked extra juicy and the pasta's sauce looks mouthwatering too. But I guess I have to thank Mrs. Davies for that. God, this prayer is making me so hungry. Sorry if I'll just make this quick."

For the love of God, someone make this idiot stop!

"Oh sweet lord, thank you for this blessed moment when instead of giving us sickness, like aids, malaria, or EBOLA; you gave us a moment to share your blessings with each other. We really appreciate it. In the name of our lord, our favorite God, forever and ever, amen."

Oh boy, he didn't just say Ebola!

I almost didn't want to open my eyes after hearing that cringe-worthy prayer. I knew Hunter was slightly mental, but I didn't expect that he was this mental.

I was sure my dad was going to kick his ass out of our house anytime now.

"That was..." I heard my dad say, I prepared myself for the chaos that was about to follow.

"That was the most honest and thoughtful prayer I've heard lately, Hunter." Dad said looking really emotional. "I'm glad you appreciate how blessed we are. Our God is my favorite too!"

You have got to be kidding me.

***

To cut the story short, my parents absolutely adored Hunter. They had seen him on the news years ago when he hacked the DOD, and they were impressed. My dad even asked Hunter to teach him how to use Photoshop so that he could edit his photos. Hunter said he'd gladly drop by our house one of these days for the photoshop lessons. I wasn't looking forward to that.

Hunter was on his best behavior during the conversation with my parents. He was still on his goofy self but just like what he bragged earlier, he could be really charming when he wanted to.

By the time Hunter asked for my parent's permission for the camping trip, my parents so much as handed me over to him. They were both ecstatic to learn that I had finally made some friends at school and couldn't wait for me to experience the normal teenage life. Mom said she'd buy me hiking boots first thing in the morning and my dad gladly offered his DSLR camera for me to borrow so that I could take pictures during the trip.

They were so excited for me that I couldn't help but feel touched. My parents might be weird, but they were the best parents ever.

"We need to go now." Mom said when the clock hits seven o'clock. She unconsciously fixed my dad's hair, and my dad kissed her on her hand when she was done. I smiled. I've always wanted a love like that.

"Bye guys. Be safe!" I kissed them both on the cheeks.

"Is it okay if I stay here for another hour or two? I don't want to leave Sky here all alone by herself. She misses me a lot." Said Hunter, making my parents laugh.

"Oh, it's okay. We trust you, buddy." Dad said happily but I thought I heard a tinge of warning laced in his voice. He tapped Hunter on the back with more force than necessary.

"Keep her safe." Dad gave Hunter one last glare before he turned his attention back to me.

"Bye my sweet princess. I love you." He said, giving me a bear hug.

I laughed in his arms.

"Love you too, dad and mom." I said, pulling my mom so that she could join our cuddling session.

Unlike other teens, I was never shy to show the world how much I loved my parents.

I didn't intend to, but I accidentally caught Hunter's expression when he saw me being cuddled by my parents. He was smiling but there was a hint of sadness and longing in his eyes. It made me sad for him. I also wanted to give him a hug at that moment.

An uncomfortable silence followed as soon as my parents left.

We were still standing at the foyer, no one uttering a single word. I could feel that Hunter wasn't in his usual self. Something was bothering him and I was dying to find out what.

"Uhm, would you like to go inside?" I asked after a while.

He just nodded.

"Where's your medicine kit?" He inquired on our way to the living room. Maybe he wasn't feeling well that was why he was acting weird tonight?

"It's in my room, let me go ahead and get it for you."

I left him in the living room and ran upstairs. I rushed to my bedside cabinet to get the medicine kit and almost died from heart attack when I turned around and found Hunter leaning on the doorframe of my bedroom.

"Holy shit! You scared me!" I shouted, almost tempted to throw the first aid kit to his face.

Hunter found my near-death experience so amusing that his face stretched to a wide grin.

"Tsk, tsk, I didn't know you have such a dirty mouth, buddy." He said, walking towards me.

I unconsciously took a step back.

"What are you doing inside my room?" I asked nervously.

Hunter took the kit from my hand and pulled something out of it.

"Take it." He handed me a small capsule and a bottle of water which he probably got from the refrigerator downstairs. "That's paracetamol. You're a little hot earlier; I don't want you to catch the flu."

I felt my cheeks reddened. So he still remembered that. It always amazed me how he could remember even the smallest and most insignificant things about me.

I accepted the medicine wordlessly and did what he said.

"So... what are we going to do now? I'm bored." he said, yawning.

He sat on the edge of my bed and let his gaze wander across my room.

"Nice room." He mumbled.

He looked so out of place in my purple and pink bedroom that it was almost comical. I noticed his gaze lingered on the cabinet where I put my mini-violin collection. If you would have asked me days ago, I would have definitely not expected myself to be with Hunter Cole in a room together, especially not in my room.

I somehow felt embarrassed; allowing him inside my room was like letting him inside my secret world. It felt too personal, like I was exposing a part of myself to him. Seeing him comfortably seated on my bed made me feel strange, it was too intimate.

I shook my head.

I really had to stop thinking of stupid things right now.

I masked my embarrassment with annoyance.

"I'm going to do my assignments now. How about you go home and lounge on your own bed?" I pulled out my Philosophy notebook out of my bag and purposely shove Hunter away so that I could sit on the middle of my bed. I stretched my legs to make myself comfortable and laid my back on the head rest. Then I gave Hunter a boastful look that says: my bed, my rules.

Hunter, never one to back out, took one of my pillows, put it over my legs then comfortably laid his head on there, like I was his very own human pillow.

"Oh, for God's sake! Go ahead, make yourself comfortable!" I said sarcastically.

Hunter grinned.

"Oh, I will." He said then adjusted his torso so his whole body was completely lying on my bed while his legs dangled at the edge. His smile turned from playful to seductive and I had a feeling that this was going to be another one of his lame test.

I needed to distract him from his evil thoughts!

Suddenly, I remembered the reason why I was looking for him earlier.

"Uhm, Hunter, I need your help." I started. It was effective because his face turned from teasing to serious in a split second.

"What is it?" he asked, looking up at me. A lock of hair fell over his eye.

"Well, it's not really me. But I was the one who sort of suggested your services to a... friend."

I said lamely. My fingers itched to brush that strand of hair back.

"What kind of help?"

"Uhmm, there's this very private video that should be deleted immediately."

I unconsciously reached down and brushed back the strand of hair. My fingers barely grazed his skin. I pulled my hand away, not sure why I'd done that, but I was surprised when he took my hand and pulled me so that my face was hovering on top of his.

"You know I never do things without conditions, Davies." he said with only the right corner of his lips tipping upward. His breath was a warm stroke against my lips.

I did not know what to say because I got distracted with his immaculate face that was just a few inches away from mine. My breath was coming in short gasps.

"W-what do you want?" I managed to croak out.

His heated gaze travelled down from my eyes and lingered on my lips.

"Go on a date with me." He said seriously.

My eyes widened and my mouth parted slightly. I was suddenly hyper aware that he was still holding my hand and my skin was tingling from the contact.

Hunter Cole just asked me on a date. Holy shit.

"Don't worry, I might even allow you to take me home if you ask nicely." Then the jerk flashed me a sardonic grin.

I pulled my hand away from his grip, grab another one of my pillow and slap it on his face.

"You're an asshole."

I said, pissed off by the fact that he one-upped me again. I would totally make him pay for it one of these days.

He threw his hands up, chuckling like the psycho that he was.

"You're so cute." He said, dropping his hands to clutch his stomach and laughing so hard.