begging you to be my escape

taryn leigh young. just graduated. it's the summer before i start college and i'm doing everything i can to save up and actually pay for classes. got a kid you need watched? give me a call.

[taryn-lyoung]

text → hunter

Hunter: You're good with her.

Taryn: That's why your dad hired me.

[taryn-lyoung]

text → hunter

Hunter: I was a mischievous child. A little bit of that translated to now. She is bound to have some of it in her blood.

Taryn: She's a wild child for sure.

[taryn-lyoung]

text → hunter

Hunter: Maybe she will turn out like me. ;)

Taryn: A character?

[taryn-lyoung]

text → hunter

Hunter: Forts are the best. You definitely won't bother me.

Taryn: Awesome. Iris is helping me make it. She's a real character lately.

[taryn-lyoung]

text → hunter

Hunter: Not right this second. I will be in an hour. What's up?

Taryn: Just wondering. I was gonna set up a fort in the living room but I don't wanna inconvenience you.

[taryn-lyoung]

text → hunter

Taryn: Hey. Are you home today?

[taryn-lyoung]

hunter-baymore:

“No. No need to do that. I can buy one. It’s not like I don’t have a job or money,” he replied, grinning at her. He looked down and then sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Okay I’ll be right back. Don’t leave me.” Sure, he could go on his own, but spending time with his baby sister and her cute babysitter? Yeah, that wasn’t something he was going to miss. He went back in the house and grabbed a beach towel, his drawstring bag he used for the gym, and a pair of clean clothes just in case. he tossed them in the bag along with some sun screen. Hunter walked back out and got into the passenger’s side. “I’m more prepared,” he told her as he pulled the seat belt on. Hunter turned in his seat and grinned at his sister. “Hey, bug. Hunt’s going to come and play with you. Sound good?” Iris clapped her hands together and agreed that it would be good. “See, she’s happy with it. Sorry if I ruined your plans.”

Taryn waited for Hunter to come back out, drumming her fingers on her steering wheel. He’d told her not to leave him - like that was even an option. Iris had already gotten excited to see him, she’d already said it was fine, he was her boss’ son...it was far from an option. Plus, she pretended not to think, she really wanted him to go if only so she could ogle him in his swim trunks. When he came back out she nodded, an easy smile on her face as she watched Iris from her rear view. “Of course she’s happy. She loves you.” She shrugged and pulled out of the driveway, turning her radio on low just so there was some kind of ambient noise outside of the toddler in the backseat babbling along to herself and playing with her small toys. “Riss,” she said, peeking at the little girl. “When we get there we have to listen, okay?” Iris was prone to wandering, Taryn had noticed, and she liked to warn her ahead of time. “Stay with Hunt and Tare. Yes?” she asked, smiling when she got a laugh in return. “Taking that as a yes.”

[taryn-lyoung]

hunter-baymore:

Hunter had planned to maybe veg out on the couch or hang out in his room playing video games. Iris’ babysitter, however, always caught his attention. He knew he needed to stop. He needed to not think of the babysitter as hot or someone he could potentially make out with. He needed a girlfriend. Yet, he just did not want to go out and get one. No one was interesting to him. Except said babysitter. He had gone to fill up his motorcycle with gas and he pulled up, put his helmet down, and moved towards the house. Taryn and Iris were coming out and he smiled as Taryn said hi. “Hey,” he replied, his smile reaching his eyes. “Okay,” he replied lightly. His eyes met hers and all he could think about was leaning down to kiss her. The boy winked at Iris before blowing a kiss back. Hunter went inside and to his room. An idea hit him. He threw off his jeans in a rush and tossed his boxers aside before throwing on his board shorts. After sliding his feet into his flip flops, he went out to the car where she was getting in. It must have taken her a few to get Iris buckled. “Mind if I come? I’d like to spend some time with my baby sister.”

Taryn was almost out of the house when Hunter got home. She loved and hated it when he was home - he was super cute and seemed like a good guy, but she really hated the idea of being attracted to her charge’s brother. It would, in most likely endings, wind up poorly at its end. He seemed to always be around, smiling at her and greeting her with these looks that she couldn’t interpret. Despite having been almost ready to leave, he still managed to catch her before she was out of the driveway. Damned car seats. “Um,” she said, blinking wide brown eyes up at him. “No. Of course not. But we already have tickets that your dad bought, so...” she said, trying not to sound like she was dissuading him. “I can give you mine and I’ll grab one at the door,” she said, hating that she was offering to shell out the cash for a ticket when she had one. “Is that all you’re bringing?”

[taryn-lyoung]

It was getting to the hot part of summer that made everybody miserable. Taryn barely wanted to take Iris outside to play even though the toddler loved it out there, but even when they went out they had to slather on eight pounds of sunscreen and take a case of water out so neither of them got dehydrated. When her employers, Iris’ parents, told her about the splash pad, she knew that it was more of a ‘get ready to take her’ than a suggestion. So, she was wearing a bathing suit under her clothes, a floppy hat on her head, and the biggest sunglasses she’d been able to find. Her beach bag had turned into a diaper bag, with extra swimmies and clothes and arm floaties just in case. With her car packed up and tickets purchased by Iris’ parents, they were ready to head out. “Oh, hey,” she greeted Hunter as she walked past him, Iris on her hip. “I’m taking little Riss to the splash pad. I have my phone if you need anything,” she offered, not sure what exactly he could need from her. “See you later,” she told him, smiling as Iris blew him wet, sloppy toddler kisses.

[taryn-lyoung]

text → hunter

Hunter: Dad thought it would be best if I did.

Hunter: And I wanted it.

Hunter: Don't be sorry. You can bother me anytime.

Taryn: I'll keep that in mind?

Taryn: Thanks again.

[taryn-lyoung]

text → hunter

Hunter: I know who you are.

Hunter: Check the top of the kitchen cabinet. Sometimes he gets bad headaches and wants it somewhere close.

Taryn: I wasn't sure if you'd saved my number or not.

Taryn: Thank you. I'll check there. Sorry again for disrupting you.

[taryn-lyoung]

text → hunter

Taryn: Hi Hunter, it's Taryn: Iris' nanny. Sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you know where your dad keeps her tylenol? I don't see it in the cabinet with the rest of her medicine.

[taryn-lyoung]

hunter-baymore:

“I really don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” he said, a smile on his lips. He knew that she, so far, didn’t seem like his type of girl but it didn’t change the fact that he wanted to get to know her. “That sounds right so I don’t think you’re lying.” He raised an eyebrow and then licked his lips. His eyes were back on the documentary. There was some sort of something happening between them and he was pretty sure it was a tension of some sort. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. 

Feeling awkward, Taryn turned away from Hunter and focused on the documentary again. If he’d chosen a true crime or historical case based documentary, she’d be able to offer up a lot more insight and conversation because those were what she turned to when boredom got to be too much. She sat and watched until the movie was almost through, then heard Iris stirring through the monitor and got up with an apologetic smile. Once the toddler was up and ready to play again, she brought her downstairs and stood in front of the couch with Iris on her hip. “Iris, look who’s here.”

[taryn-lyoung]

hunter-baymore:

“I was offering more due to the fact that you’re taking care of my sister. But, I suppose that’s a fair compromise.” Hunter wondered whether she was uncomfortable with him looking at her and decided he better try to pay attention to the documentary he had picked out. The last thing he wanted was Iris’ babysitter to tell his dad that his son was a total pervert. Hunter looked back at the television screen to see sea horses. He always found them fascinating because the male literally carried the babies. 

“Even if I am her sitter, you don’t have to like me. You could think I’m horrible as anything other than a babysitter and not want anything to do with me ever again. Which is fine, of course, but it’s not like...what I want.” She shrugged, ending her rambling forcibly. “Did you know that seahorses like to swim with their tails linked to another seahorse’s? It makes camouflaging themselves as plants easier. I think. I could be lying.”

[taryn-lyoung]

hunter-baymore:

“College is very expensive,” he said, nodding his head. “It’s why I try to work every summer. I have a small scholarship that helps but every bit of money I don’t have to ask my dad for is worth it or me.” Hunter adjusted himself a little and leaned back on the couch. The boy nodded his head. “Yeah, State is a good school. I have friends that go there. They like it a lot. I usually make at least two road trips there a month to visit so if you see me around I’ll treat you to lunch.” He grinned and kept his eyes on her, taking her in some more. The more he looked at her, the more things he noticed about her. 

“Well you don’t know if you like me or not yet, so maybe don’t offer me lunch until the summer ends. By then you should have a pretty good opinion of me.” Taryn winked at him and then looked at the tv. She’d known him for all of an hour and she was already winking, which was never a good sign. Deciding to focus on the documentary he had on, she ignored the feeling she had that he was looking at her and tried to remember more facts about sea life in the deep parts of the ocean.

[taryn-lyoung]

hunter-baymore:

“I think I can handle that,” he said as he tossed his head towards her. She was pretty, more so than he originally thought, and he wondered if that would be a problem for him. It wasn’t as if he had a girlfriend or anything waiting for him back at college. He went out on dates, sure, but nothing ever happened past an initial date or two. “So…let me guess. You just graduated high school. If I am correct in this assumption, are you planning on going to college in the fall and where if that answer is yes?”

“Good guess. I’m going to State. That’s why I’m working. College is expensive and I’m the last of three so I don’t want to completely put my parents out.” She nodded, adjusting herself on the couch so that her legs were on the cushion as well. “I want to major in history. Maybe switch to library science, I’m on the fence. State has great programs for each and it’s close to home, so...” Taryn shrugged. She didn’t know where to begin in guessing anything about him because he was pretty much a wild card to her. She hadn’t even remembered he existed until he’d appeared there that afternoon.

[taryn-lyoung]

hunter-baymore:

“She’s a doll. I just hope you don’t mind me being around…you know…with me around some we can take her to like the park and stuff. If you want. Or don’t care. I know it’ll be fine with my dad.” He looked over at the girl who would be watching his sister. “I’m going to get a part time job but I will still be around a lot. I was offered a job working at an engineering firm for like three hours a day. I think it’s good because at least it would be paid unlike an internship. But if you’re not comfortable with it then we don’t have to. I promise.” He grinned over at her and then added something. “I mean, I’m not that hard to watch.” Hunter added a wink and then scrunched his nose as he laughed. 

“I’ve got permission to take her anywhere I want as long as it’s age appropriate, so I don’t see why it would be an issue.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind you hanging out. I mean it’s your house and your sister and it’s not like you’re taking my job or anything, so...go ahead.” Taryn was impressed. Engineering, she knew, was a pretty intense field. She felt it safe to assume that Hunter was probably going to have a good job like his dad did, which was awesome for him. “Well I don’t mind watching you, but I’m not afraid to give time outs and I don’t think you’d like sitting on the time out bench in the corner for twenty ish minutes so you should be on your best behavior. No back talk, no sass, no fighting me at nap time. Think you can handle that?”