Arabella groaned. The sun was too bright, every sound was too loud. She wasn't really sure where she was for a moment, all she knew was that her head hurt and her stomach was tight. Arabella yawned and she finally opened her eyes, looking out a window. All of last night's events came rushing back to her and she groaned again. Everything with Chrissy had ended up being horrible and now she was in the same house. Arabella rolled over, coming face to face with Hunter's sleeping face and she smiled a little bit.
Hunter could feel a little bit of movement in the bed. He didn't really recognize where he was sleeping, but he quickly figured that it wasn't his bed at camp. His eyes opened a little bit and all he saw were blurry shapes, but he blinked a few times as he woke up to see that it was Arabella, awake and looking at him. He couldn't help, but smile back at her. "Hi." He said very quietly, his voice raspy from sleep.
"Hi" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes, wishing that she could forget everything that had happened the previous night. She was still feeling pretty embarrassed. Arabella yawned and she stretched out her legs a little. "Chrissy really hates me now, doesn't she?" She said in a soft voice, keeping her eyes closed. As wonderful as it was to wake up next to Hunter, Arabella had a horrible knot in her stomach, thinking about Chrissy.
"I don't care." Hunter said, looking at her, brushing some hair behind her ear. "She can get over it. I think I'm going to keep you around for a while." He said with a smile, placing a hand on her side. He was mad at Chrissy. After last night, he was positive about what he felt for Arabella and he wasn't going to let Chrissy stop them. He ran his fingers along her side for a moment then took a breath. "Come on. I'm going to make you breakfast." He said, sitting up.
"Mmm...breakfast sounds fantastic" Arabella said and she sat up, stretching her arms out. "Thanks for the clothes, by the way. My dress is really gross now" She said with a bit of a laugh, nodding over to her dress where it was laid out on a chair. Arabella slid off of the bed and she picked a hair tie out of her clutch and she pulled her hair back into a messy bun. "Thanks for everything last night" She finished, placing a little kiss on his nose.
Hunter blushed a little bit and then took her hand, pulling her out of his room. He lead her down the hallway, rubbing his eyes and blinking as he adjusted to the light. Hunter looked down and saw the hallway covered in trash and empty cans and cups. Trudging his way through, he finally passed the sitting room where he found Chrissy and Jake sitting on the couch across from each other, talking quietly. When Hunter walked in Jake looked up, waving at the two of them. Chrissy looked back at them.
"Good morning, you two." He said with a smile. Hunter locked eyes with Chrissy who glared at Arabella then turned back to Jake.
"Hey, I'm going to make some breakfast. You guys..." He stopped and Jake simply nodded. Hunter led Arabella into the kitchen and lifted her onto the counter, smiling softly at her.
Arabella cleared her throat, and she smiled back at Hunter. Walking past Chrissy had felt so awkward and uncomfortable and she was just trying to forget about it. She wanted to let go of that bitterness. "Jake and Chrissy look adorable together" She said with a little nod, placing her hands on Hunter's arms. It would be great for Jake to have that connection with someone and maybe getting a boyfriend would loosen Chrissy up a little bit.
"It's definitely not as weird as I thought it was going to be." He said with a smile, placing his hands on her legs. He finally squeezed them and then turned to the fridge, leaning in and grabbing some eggs and a package of bacon. He started cook a little bit then yawned as he looked at the pans. "Do you mind if we stick around and help clean up a little?" He asked, nudging her leg a little bit.
"Uh, no..I don't mind" Arabella replied with a little shrug. It was going to be awkward and uncomfortable but Arabella felt like it was the least she could do. Maybe she would be able to spend all of her time with Hunter and she wouldn't have to talk to Chrissy. She glanced over at the pan where he was cooking the eggs and she yawned. "That looks really good, Hunter. Where did you learn how to cook?"
"I taught him." Chrissy said, walking into the kitchen, looking at Arabella and the clothes she was wearing. "We started with eggs and now I teach him new stuff every once in a while. It's kind of a tradition." She said, leaning on the doorway. Jake stepped next to her, nudging her familiarly. They exchanged looks for a long moment and then Chrissy sighed, stepping toward Arabella. "Hey, I just...I wanted to apologize for spilling on your dress. I had been drinking and it was..." She shook her head then rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry and I'll pay to dry clean your dress." She said, forcing a smile onto her face.
Arabella looked at her then glanced at Hunter for a moment. On one hand, it was a little nice to hear Chrissy apologize to her but it was also pretty obvious that she was being forced into saying. The fake smile could not be more obvious. "That's okay. Don't worry about it" Arabella said stiffly and she slipped off of the counter, tugging on the shorts a little bit. "Is breakfast almost ready?" Arabella asked Hunter, hoping that it was to keep everyone busy eating instead of talking.
Hunter sighed and looked at Jake who shrugged. He heard Chrissy sigh and grumble a little bit. She mumbled something under her breath.
"Yeah. Just a couple more minutes." Hunter said, pinching a little bit of salt over the eggs. He looked at Arabella a little pleadingly, hoping just everything would just blow over. After a couple moments of awkward silence, he grabbed some plates out of the cabinet and then served up four plates of food.
Arabella passed a plate to Jake with a smile and then she passed a plate to Chrissy, her smile faltering a little bit. "This, uh, this looks really good" She said, turning back to Hunter and grinning up at him. "Thank you" She added, kissing his cheek and then walking over to the table. Arabella sat down nibbling a little bit of toast.
Hunter sat down, blushing a little bit. He started eating, unable to ignore how awkward everything was. "So, have you guys looked at how bad the mess is?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"Well, there's a fair amount of trash outside." Jake said with a nod. "The backyard in particular."
"You can come back and help once you take Arabella home." Chrissy added, looking down at her food. Hunter opened his mouth to speak and looked over at Arabella.
"You said you were going to stay, right?" Hunter asked, looking at her a little hesitantly.
"Uh, yeah.." Arabella replied. She cleared her throat and she shifted in her chair a little, sitting up straighter. "Yeah, it's a pretty big mess. I don't mind sticking around to help out a bit" She nodded, glancing at Chrissy for a brief second before looking back at Hunter. "And besides, it seems a little silly for you to drive me back to camp, then drive back here and then drive back to camp later today"
"Well, Chrissy, you're going to have to drive us back, too." Hunter said with a nod. "I don't really want to leave the jeep on the side of the road.
"I control your fate then." Chrissy said with a giggle. She smiled at Hunter and glanced at Arabella, taking a deep breath. Hunter kept his head down a little bit and finishing his food somewhat quickly. He then stood up grabbing his plate and gesturing to Jake to finish. Jake finished and the two of them put their dishes in the sink then Hunter grabbed a couple trash bags.
"Jake and I are going to take care of the stuff outside." Hunter said, dragging Jake out the door.
Arabella opened her mouth to say something but the boys were gone before she had a chance to say anything. She quickly shut her mouth and glanced at Chrissy then took a bite of her food, finishing up her breakfast. She really didn't know how this was going to go but she figured that she might as well get down to cleaning. Maybe if they were busy, they wouldn't have time to keep fighting. Arabella stood up and she walked over to the sink, glancing around it. "Where, uhm, where do you keep the dish soap?" She asked Chrissy, turning to look at her.
Chrissy looked at her for a long moment then cleared her throat. "There's some below the sink." She said, putting her dishes in the sink. "You've probably had a ton of these parties before." She said, grabbing a couple trash bags. "Though you'd probably have the guy you slept with that night help." She took a breath, grabbing some trash off the floor. "I guess that's Hunter now..." She mumbled with a sigh.
Arabella had started doing the dishes but when Chrissy mentioned Hunter, Arabella stopped. She put down the plate she was holding and bushed her hands off on a towel. Things were getting too harsh between them and Arabella had enough of it. She needed to stand up for herself, now. "Would you stop it?" She snapped, turning to look at Chrissy with annoyed eyes. "You don't know anything about me and you have no right to start saying shit like that." She said and huffed, turning back to the dishes. "Why do you have to be such a bitch"
"I know girls like you, Arabella!" Chrissy said, stepping toward Arabella. "You're one of those entitled girls who grew up in the city. You go to some private school where everybody eats out of the palm of your hand. You've had a long list of boyfriends and an even longer list of sex partners. And every single guy at school pays attention to you more than anything else." She said, sinking down into a kitchen chair, her face falling to the floor.
"Gods, dammit, Chrissy!" Arabella raised her voice a little bit and she turned back around to face her but stopped when she saw how she was looking at the floor. She took a breath, trying to calm down, and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "That's not me. That's not who I am, at all. I mean, sure, my siblings back at camp can be a little bit like that. They are crazy.." She said, her voice trailing off. Arabella cleared her throat and took a bit of a step towards her. "Why do you hate me so much, Chrissy? Why do you just assume that I'm anything like those girls?"
"Thomas Samson." She said quietly. "We went to high school together and I had the biggest crush on him. We were really close and we talked a lot and he started dating Vanessa Bradshaw. Cheerleading, student counciling, prom queen permanent toothbrush commercial. He started dating her and then I fell by the wayside and I'm not really even upset about the fact that he liked her over me. I'm just...I lost a friend." She said, looking up at Arabella. "So, when I see you, I think about Vanessa Bradshaw and last night Jake told me that he used to like you and I just...I got mad and I spilled that drink on you."
"I'm not Vanessa Bradshaw, Chrissy." Arabella said and she leaned back against the counter, glancing over at the girl across from her. "Look, I know that Hunter told you about everything we've...everything him and I have been through. I get it. You're being protective" She sighed and rubbed her eyes, feeling pretty tired from the previous night. "But you have to know that I'm not like that in any way. I don't plan on hurting Hunter like that."
"I know, Arabella..." Chrissy said with a sigh. "I'm just...I've seen the way you look at him and I've seen the way he looks at you and I just don't want Hunter getting hurt and I...I don't want to lose Hunter either. He's my best friend and I don't want to lose him like I lost Thomas." She said quietly. "I'm sorry for how I've treated you, Arabella. You don't deserve it, but I don't want to lose anything."
"I don't want Hunter to be hurt, either, Chrissy. You have to believe me when I say that I regret every single thing that I have done in the past that hurt Hunter. He means more to me than he knows" Arabella confessed, feeling rather vulnerable. She hadn't really said anything like that to anyone, not even Daniel. "I know how much Hunter cares about you. You won't be losing him any time soon" she added.
Chrissy looked up at Arabella and then stood. She played with her hands for a moment. "Can I give you a hug?" She asked, looking up at Arabella a little hesitantly. She didn't really wait for an answer before she hugged her. She took a deep breath and then pulled away. "...Sorry. I'm just...I'm happy. He cares a lot about you, Arabella. He really, really cares for you and I'm relieved a little bit..." She chuckled a little uncomfortably, blowing some hair from her face. "Can I trust you?"
Arabella smiled back at Chrissy. Finally, things were starting to smooth out for them and it felt great. Arabella was so happy that Chrissy was starting to accept her and she couldn't wait to see Hunter again, to let him know. Even if he didn't say anything to her, she knew that the tension between her and his cousin was putting a lot of stress on him. "Yeah, yeah of course you can" Arabella said in a soft voice.
"I like Jake." She said, blushing hard, turning away from Arabella, opening a trash bag and grabbing some cups off the floor. "He's a huge dork and he has the lamest jokes, but he's so sweet and I...I don't know." She said, shaking her head, her cheeks bright pink as she sweeps a bunch of cups off the table into the bag.
Arabella grinned, quickly finishing up with the dishes. When she had walked in that morning, she got an instant feeling that there was some kind of chemistry between those two. "Well..." Arabella started and she moved on, taking down some of the decorations. "Jake is a really great guy. He's one of the best people I know" She said with a little nod then she turned to look at Chrissy "And I think he likes you, too"
Chrissy blushed and took a deep breath, tapping her fingers against her leg. "You're a daughter of Aphrodite, so you probably have a sense for that kind of thing, right?" she said, looking up at Arabella. "I just...I don't know. Guys usually don't like girls that look like me..." She said, looking own at herself, placing a hand on her stomach.
Arabella looked over at her and she bit her lip. It was a difficult thing, being worried about how you looked. Arabella felt like that sometimes, everyone felt like that sometimes. But Chrissy seemed to be really sad about the fact that she was carrying a little extra weight. "Well, you're just not meeting the right guys. Because you're beautiful" Arabella said honestly and smiled over at her. Chrissy got this sceptical look on her face and Arabella widened her eyes a little bit. "I'm telling you the truth! You are!" She said and she paused for a moment to fix her bun in her hair. "Look, we should do a girls day some time. We can go into the city and...have a spa day. It'll make you feel like the fabulous person you are"
Chrissy blushed a little bit and then smiled at Arabella. "You know...you being nice to me is making me feel awful for all the stuff I did..." She said, a small tear slipping down her cheek. "Ugh...I'm sorry. I cry like a leaky faucet." She said, turning away, wiping her cheek. "Anything and everything sets me off." She said, taking a deep breath.
Arabella laughed and she nodded. "Yeah, you and me both" She said, giggling and she walked over to Chrissy, hugging her again. It felt really good to be getting along with Chrissy. After all of the crap, it was easy to see her as she was and Arabella thought she seemed pretty great. Hopefully, they could just get along now at this point. Arabella heard the door open just as she pulled out of the hug and she looked over to see Hunter and Jake stepping into the house.
Hunter walked in slowly and when he didn't hear shouting and the silence wasn't uncomfortable, he headed into the kitchen and looked at Arabella and Chrissy. "The uh...outside is...done." He said, narrowing his eyes.
"What went on in here?" Jake asked, grabbing his sportcoat off the back of a chair. "It's...not as much of a mess. Did you guys do anything in here?"
"Shut up, Jake. They're bonding." Hunter said, elbowing him hard in side.
"Here, Jake" Arabella said, tossing him a garbage bag. "Why don't you and Chrissy go clean up the living room. She'll be able to make sure that you don't break anything" She teased. As Jake walked off towards the living room, grumbling slightly, with Chrissy following him, Arabella gave her a little wink. As soon as they were gone, Arabella stretched and went back to taking down the decorations, smiling at the look on Hunter's face.
Hunter looked at her, taking a deep breath. "Did you..." Hunter cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Uhh...Did you...charmspeak her...?" He asked, glancing back at where Chrissy and Jake were cleaning. "When does it wear off?" He said, placing a hand on her side.
"Oh, ye of little faith!" Arabella gasped with a little giggle and she grinned up at him. "No, I did not charmspeak her. When you leave two people alone for a certain amount of time, things tend to come up" Arabella said and she leaned into his arm a little bit. "We, uh, we just started snapping at each other and things kind of calmed down and we talked it out"
"That's great!" Hunter said with a smile. "I don't know how this is possible, but I'm definitely happy about it." He said, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. "So, what did it?" He asked. "What was the breaking moment? Are you BFFs now or something?"
Arabella rolled her eyes at him but she still smiled. "Oh, yeah, we are so totes BFFs" She said in a teasing tone and she placed her hands on his arms. "How was cleaning with Jake? Anything exciting happen?" She looked up at him, happy that everything seemed to be doing better. Her and Hunter were talking, she wasn't fighting with Chrissy and things were just good. Arabella couldn't wait to get back to camp.
"Oh, nothing special." He said with a smile. "Don't go spreading this around, but Jake is pretty happy about being invited. Except for being a shoulder to cry on, he had a good night with Chrissy." Hunter said in a hushed tone, placing a hand on her side. He looked down at his hand and then smiled, blushing a little bit. He couldn't help, but blush. He had no idea why he was worried now before. He had nothing to worry about. He could tell by the way she was looking up at him and he was almost positive he was looking at her the same way. He took a breath and then leaned in a little bit before blushing hard and turning into a hug. After a slightly awkward moment, he pulled away and cleared his throat. "We should go help clean up. And make sure they're not off making out or something." He said with a slightly nervous chuckle.
Arabella laughed a little bit and she nodded, pulling out of his arms and walking into the living room where she saw Jake and Chrissy, sitting down on the couch and talking about something. Most of the living room was clean and they seemed to be deep into their conversation. Arabella grinned to herself then glanced at Hunter. "We're uh, we're done in the kitchen" She said, getting both of them to look over at her and Hunter. "I think that all of the cleaning is pretty well finished"
"Oh!" Chrissy said quietly, standing up off the couch. "Thank you so much, guys. You saved me a ton of work." She said with a smile.
"Hey, it was our pleasure." Jake said, nudging her with his hip. Hunter smiled at Arabella for a moment then looked back.
"Yeah. It was a kicking party and you can't throw a party without cracking a few eggs, right?" Hunter said, glancing at Chrissy. She shrugged. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could give us a ride back to camp. I don't really want to leave the jeep there."
"Yeah, definitely. Let me just grab my keys." She said before disappearing into the kitchen.
"I'll just run upstairs and grab my stuff" Arabella said, kissing Hunter's cheek. She turned around and walked up the stairs, into Hunter's bedroom. She walked over to her dress where it was sitting on the chair and she frowned a little bit. Arabella didn't really feel right taking Hunter's cousin's shorts but her dress smelt terrible. It was also is pretty terrible condition. If she walked into camp wearing a dirty dress that smelt like beer, she would never hear the end of it. Everyone already thought she slept with half of the guys at camp. This wouldn't help. She sighed and slipped out of the shorts, walking over to the dresser in Hunter's room. Arabella pulled open drawers until she found what she was looking for. She pulled on a pair of gym shorts, pulling the ties around her waist as tight as she could get them. Arabella put her bag on her shoulder with her dress and tied Hunter's t-shirt around her waist so it was a bit more fitted and she walked downstairs. "I'm ready to go"
Hunter turned around when Arabella came back in. When he saw her, his jaw nearly dropped. She looked great even though she was just dressed in his clothes. Maybe that's why he liked it so much. He took her hand once she was close enough and left a kiss on her forehead. "You know, I'll need to buy new clothes if I keep giving you mine." He said with a smile down at her. "Not that I'm complaining. You make them look good." He smiled and pulled her a little bit closer, looking down at her. He leaned forward to kiss her, but was interrupted when Chrissy returned to the room.
"Alright, break it up you two. Let's hit the road." Chrissy said with a smile, twirling her keys on her finger. Hunter sighed a little bit then offered his arm to Arabella, turning toward the door.
Arabella smiled, letting Jake walk in front of them and she hook her arm with Hunter, walking out to the car. She was excited to get back to camp. They had only been gone for a night but so much had happened. Her and Hunter were more or less exclusive at this point and Arabella wanted to show him off. She wanted the whole camp to know that she was crazy about him. Hunter held the door open for her and she slid into the back seat, smiling at him as he sat down next to her. "Thanks for giving us a drive, Chrissy"
"It's not a problem." She said, checking her mirrors and looking at Jake for a long moment. She finally turned to the road and put the car in drive. Nothing happened. The car very slowly creeped forward, moving very slowly. Her foot thumped against the pedal, but nothing happened. "Umm...guys?" Hunter furrowed his eyebrows and Jake leaned toward her a little bit.
"You didn't turn the car on, Chrissy..." Hunter said with a small smile. She looked down at the unturned key in the ignition. Her cheeks quickly turned bright red.
"Oh, gosh..." She mumbled, putting the car in park. "I can't believe I just did that." She said, obviously embarrassed. She started the car and began to drive.
"Hey, it happens. I'd forget my name if it wasn't screwed onto my head." Jake said, patting her leg lightly. "...Or however it is that saying goes." He said, smiling over at her. She blushed and smiled back, turning back to the road after a moment.
Arabella looked up at those two flirting and laughing and smiling. She turned to Hunter with this big grin on her face, poking his knee so he knew exactly what she was getting so excited about. They were adorable and she was determined to get them together. "So, Hunter, looking forward to being back at camp?" She asked him, trying not to giggle or say anything to embarrass Jake and Chrissy.
Hunter smiled at her, rolling his eyes a little bit at how giddy she seemed. He was glad that Jake and Chrissy had hit it off. Jake deserved to be happy and so did Chrissy and it was a strange twist of fate that they could be happy together. Now, he wondered how things might go wrong. With Chrissy and Jake and Arabella and himself. Things usually didn't tend to stay happy in his world. Not for very long at least. He looked over at Arabella however and his mind changed. He was happy with Arabella and he didn't want that to change. "I am. I'm looking forward to hanging out with you sans the squares." He said, whispering to her, poking his thumb toward Jake.
Arabella giggled and she nodded. "Oh, I know. We are so much cooler than them" She whispered back. There was silence in the car for a minute and Arabella cleared her throat. "So, I'm thinking that all four of us should go get lunch or something at sometime. We can go somewhere in the city and make a bit of a day out of it" She suggested, talking to the whole car. She wanted to see Chrissy again and she hoped that if all four of them went out together, it would get Chrissy and Jake closer.
Hunter looked over at Arabella and raised an eyebrow then looked at Jake who looked over at Chrissy, his cheeks turning a little pink. Chrissy kept her eyes on the road, but Hunter could tell that she was nibbling on the inside of her lip like she did when she was nervous. It was silent and Hunter was wondering if the front was even breathing. Finally, he decided to be merciful on them. "That sounds like fun, Ellie." Hunter said, putting his arm across the back of the seats. "You can drag us into girly stores and we can drag you into manly stores. It'll be a blast."
"It will be a blast" Arabella said with a little nod, grinning over at Hunter. The drive was quick and before Arabella knew it, they were pulling up to the side of the road, right where the hill to camp was. Arabella cleared her throat and she adjusted her bag on her arm. "Thanks for the drive, Chrissy" She said and she reached up front, giving her a little hug. "Talk to you later!" She said in goodbye and she jumped out of the car, waiting for the boys.
Hunter watched Arabella get out and smiled a little bit when he hugged Chrissy and Chrissy actually hugged her back. It didn't hold her attention long because she then looked over at Jake. Hunter went ahead and got out looking at Arabella and smiling, he then turned to Jake who was talking to Chrissy and she was giggling a lot. Hunter couldn't hear through the car windows, but whatever it was, he was pretty okay with it. Once Jake finally got out, after hugging Chrissy, Hunter slipped into the passenger's seat and smiled at Chrissy.
"You okay?" He asked at Chrissy who still had a pink hue to her cheeks.
"Yeah..." She said, nodding as a smile spread onto her lips.
"I love you, Chrissy." He said before leaning over and hugging her. She hugged him back and then Hunter finally got out, taking Arabella's hand and waving at Chrissy as she drove away. "So, how was that for a second date?" He asked quietly to Arabella.
"It was a pretty great second date" Arabella said with a laugh. She let go of his hand and she hooked her arm with his, leaning on him a little bit as they walked towards their camp, their home. "We should go to the beach later or something. It's such a beautiful day and I would hate to waste it sitting in my bed" She said and looked over at Jake. "You should come too, Jake"
Jake had a pensive look on his face and at the sound of his name, he looked over, blinking a few times. "Hmm? Yeah. That sounds like fun." He said, smiling a little bit. Hunter grinned over at Jake and then nudged Arabella a little bit.
"I'm surprised I don't see him floating." He said quietly to her. They got over the hill and Jake waved as he headed toward Hermes cabin while Hunter headed toward Aphrodite with Arabella. He walked kind of slowly, knowing that once she went inside then the night would officially be over. He stopped by the porch and turned to her placing his hands gently on her waist. "I like spending time with you." He said quietly.
Hunter and Arabella
Chapter 77 - Arabella and Hunter
"So, what are you wearing tonight?" Daniel asked, sitting behind Arabella and running his fingers through her hair.
"I really don't know, to be honest" Arabella sighed and she closed her eyes. "Something fancy. I want to look good" She told him. The party was that night and she had about an hour to finish getting ready. She already did her makeup and Daniel was working on doing her hair. All she needed to do was pick out an outfit but that could take a little while.
"What about a dress?" Daniel asked her, picking up a curling iron and working on her hair.
"Yeah, I was thinking some kind of skirt or dress. I don't want to look too sexy or anything because it's his cousin's birthday party but I still want to look kind of sexy for Hunter" She said, her cheeks turning pink and a smile spreading across her lips when she mentioned Hunter.
"He's a straight guy. Anything you wear will drive him up the wall" Daniel teased with a slight roll of his eyes and a grin.
"Oh, shut up.." Arabella hushed, but still smiling. She let him working on her hair, turning her blonde hair into gorgeous loose curls. When he was done, Arabella stood up from his bed and walked over to hers. She was getting more and more nervous about this party. All she wanted was for it to go well. Chrissy was Hunter's cousin and one of his only family members. She knew how much she meant to him and no matter what Hunter said, Arabella knew that having his family's approval would mean a lot to him. She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and pulled out a champagne bottle from her trunk. Arabella had gotten one of Hunter's brothers to sneak it into camp for her and she spent most of the day putting glitter on the bottle and drawing up a card to go with it. Hunter didn't know about it and Arabella knew that he wouldn't want her to bring anything but she felt like she needed to.
Hunter buttoning up his shirt in the mirror, making sure he didn't miss a button or anything. He smoothed it out carefully, taking a bit of a nervous breath. He was dressed in a nice plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. He put his keys in his pocket and his wallet in another, grabbing a pack of gum off his dresser. He slipped a piece in his mouth then put it in his shirt pocket, heading out of his room, rolling up his sleeves.
"Hunter. There you--Well, you look handsome." She said, straightening his collar. "Are you bringing a date?"
"Uhh...I'm bringing my half-brother, Jake. He's not a date." Hunter said, carefully navigating his words. He tucked in his shirt then smiled up at her. "Need help with anything?"
"I need to get the cooler from the basement and then I am going to need to get the ice from the freezer in the garage." She said with a smile, placing red cups on a table. Hunter smiled and leaned up, kissing her cheek.
"I got it and then I'll need to go, I think. Happy birthday, cuz." He said with a smile.
"Thanks, Hunter. If this Jake guy is anything like you then he's more than welcome to my party." She said, patting his arm as he pulled away, heading toward the basement.
"Okay. Hunter should be here pretty soon" Arabella said in a low voice. Her nerves were starting to drive her crazy and she just wanted to get to the party. She slipped into her dress and turned her back to Daniel so he could zip it up.
"You are looking fabulous, sweetie. Hunter is going to love it" Daniel said, patting her back once before he went over and sat down on his bed.
"I hope he likes it. I hope his cousin likes me" She added with a little sigh and she sat down on her bed, tugging her high heels on.
"if she doesn't like you, she must be crazy" Daniel huffed.
"Oh, I don't know about that...she's just protecting Hunter" Arabella reasoned and she twisted a blonde curl around one of her fingers. "I mean, looking back at our history, I can see how I might not be her most favorite person ever" She added, grabbing her clutch and tossing a few things into it.
Hunter dumped the second bag of ice over the beer in the cooler then closed it, turning to Chrissy. "Alright. I gotta go." He said with a smile. "Have a good night tonight, okay?" He smiled then hugged her before pulling away.
"Hey, where's the other bag of ice?" She asked as he was walking out.
"Oh, I left it in the freezer. I'll grab it." He walked back out to the garage and grabbed the bag of ice, uncovering a box of Drumsticks. He thought for a second then smiled, grabbing one. He brought the ice in then ran out to his jeep. He got in and started the drive to camp. He parked and hurried up the hill, Drumstick in hand. He finally smoothed out his clothes on more time then knocked, waiting a little nervously for her to answer.
When there was a knock at the door, Arabella's heart jumped and she looked over at Daniel. "Could you get it? I need to finish up before I see him"
"Sure, no problem."Daniel sighed and he walked over to the door opening it up. He looked Hunter up and down and eyed the Drumstick in his hand. "A Drumstick?" He asked him and raised an eyebrow. "Did you bring that for Arabella?" He asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He thought the Drumstick was pretty silly.
"I'm almost ready!!" Arabella called to the door, rushing around her bed to finish getting all of her stuff ready to go.
When the door opened, Hunter felt his stomach clench, but when he saw Daniel, he stopped and opened his mouth to speak. The examination that Hunter was being given stopped him from talking again. Hunter looked down at the Drumstick and then shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed about it now.
"I...I thought it was kind of bouquet-like..." Hunter said quietly.
"A dozen roses are like 3 dollars and you can't take two seconds to get my sister some?" Daniel said, tilting his head toward Hunter. Hunter stammered for a second, trying to look past him, hoping to get some help from Arabella.
"I'm coming!" Arabella called and she grabbed the bottle of champagne, her clutch and rushed towards the door. Her heart skipping when she saw Hunter standing there. She smiled at him and nudged Daniel out of the way. "Hi, Hunter" She said softly, smiling up at him. He looked amazing and she was so happy to see him. "Was Danny bugging you? Don't mind him, it's his time of the month" She explained and when Daniel opened his mouth to speak, she shot him a look and he shut up.
Hunter laughed a little bit, then looked down at her, his breathing a little shallow. She looked absolutely beautiful and he felt so underdressed now, but he could barely think about that. "Oh, I got this for you. I uh...didn't have any flowers and I didn't want to be late." He said quietly, looking at her a little nervously. "I'm sorry. It's dumb." He said, shaking his head. "Just forget that happened and we can go."
"Oh, Hunter! Thank you! I haven't had one of these in forever" Arabella told him, excitedly and she took the Drumstick from him. She placed a kiss on his cheek and stepped out of her cabin, closing the door behind her. "Thank you, Hunter" She said and took a deep breath. "Do we just need to pick up Jake and then we'll go?" she asked him opening up the Drumstick then taking Hunter's hand in hers.
"Yep. Just pick up Jake." Hunter said with a nod, smiling a little bit, his cheeks red from her lips. "I feel underdressed." He said quietly, finally noticing the champagne that had ended up in his hand. He looked at it then sighed. "Arabella, I told you to not bring a gift." He said with a sigh. "I thought you weren't going to bring anything..." He said, cringing a little bit.
"Well, I don't feel right not bringing anything. It's not much, just a little something for her to have tonight at her party. She can have a toast or something. It is a big birthday, after all" Arabella said with a little shrug and she walked towards his cabin with him to pick up his brother. "If she doesn't like it then she doesn't like it. But I didn't want to just show up with nothing" She explained and took a step to the side so that Hunter could open the cabin door.
"I don't know. I hope it goes well." Hunter nodded and then opened the cabin door. "Jake, you ready to go? Fashionably late isn't a thing."
"Yeah, yeah." He said, standing up from his bed. He walked out, slipping a suit jacket on over a t-shirt. He buttoned it then followed Hunter out. "Arabella, you're looking very beautiful this evening." He said with a nod.
"Well, thank you, Jake" Arabella said with a grin and she walked along side Hunter. After picking up Jake and walking towards the car, Arabella was feeling a little bit better. It would be nice going into the party with at least two friends. However, she was still incredibly nervous. Maybe everything would go well but there was still a chance that things might go wrong. She took a bite from her Drumstick and glanced over at Jake. "So, Jake, you excited about tonight? Meet some pretty girls?"
"Well, that's a bit of the plan." Jake said with a nod. "I am a distraction though, right? So that Chrissy doesn't kill Arabella or you for bringing Arabella." Hunter sighed a little bit.
"Well, you could also have fun. That's an option." Hunter said with a chuckle. "Besides, Chrissy is an awesome person. You should be glad that I'm giving you my blessing. And on top of that, you should be happy that I'm letting you come. Other than Chrissy there should be some pretty girls there. I've got the prettiest one next to me though." Hunter said, grinning over at Arabella.
"Oh, yeah, I agree. Jake is very pretty" Arabella nodded, looking up at Hunter with a goofy smile. She laughed a little and stepped closer to him, kissing his cheek quickly. "Thank you" She finished, blushing a little bit at his compliment. Arabella loved kissing his cheek. She loved seeing the way that his cheeks turned bright red and a little smile spread across his lips. It made her feel pretty amazing, much more amazing than any boyfriend of hers has ever made her feel. Arabella took a breath and walked up to the top of the hill and she looked down at the jeep. "You live pretty close to camp, right?" She asked him.
"Yeah. It's not that far, but I wanted to make sure we got there before the party got into full swing and I forgot to lock my room." He said with a chuckle, squeezing Arabella's hand. "I saw where you live, now you get to see where I live." Hunter smiled and hooked his arm with hers, walking toward the jeep. "Oh, Chrissy said that if you were anything like me, Jake, then you are more than welcome."
"Right and now you're going to insult me or something. Blah, blah, blah." Jake said with a wave of his hand. Hunter looked at him and then nodded. "It's old, Hunter." Hunter smiled at Jake and then Arabella.
"Am I becoming predictable?" He said with a laugh, opening Arabella's door for her.
Arabella laughed a little bit and shook her head. "No, you're not predictable at all" she assured him and she slipped into her seat, pulling her seat belt on. She finished her Drumstick and brushed her hands off on her legs then pushed her hair behind her ear. They were going to be there in a few minutes and as Hunter got into the car and started her, her heart skipped a beat. Hopefully, it would all go well, but Arabella was still nervous. "I really hope she likes me.."
"She will." Hunter said, carefully turning the car around. "It might not happen tonight. It might not happen tomorrow, but my cousin is too nice and you're too sweet and caring and adorable to not like." Hunter smiled over at her, reaching and taking her hand as he drove. "This grudge of hers doesn't stand a chance."
"Plus, I'm there to charm the pants off her." Jake said from the backseat.
"No, no. Her pants had better be on the whole night or there will be Hades to pay, Jake." Hunter said, looking at him in the rearview mirror.
Arabella laughed, rolling her eyes a little at the boys. She hoped that Jake would hit it off with someone. If not Chrissy than at least some other girl there. Maybe he would find someone and they would start dating. Jake deserved that, at least. Arabella watched out of the window as they drove closer and closer to the house, tapping her fingers nervously on her thigh. When Hunter turned the car into a driveway, her heart raced but she put on her brave face. No matter what happened, she would smile. "Okay. Here we go..." She said, taking a deep breath and picking up the bottle of champagne.
"Wow. It looks like there are a lot of people here already." Hunter said, looking at the lines of cars on the street. "This is it. Casa Del Reed." Hunter said, getting out and taking Arabella's hand, standing in front of her a little bit as he walked toward the front door. Hunter walked in the front door, immediately looking around for Chrissy, slowly leading Arabella inside, Jake standing in front of him.
"Hunter!" Chrissy said, shuffling past people on her way out of the kitchen. "Is this Jake?" She said, looking at Jake, shaking his hand.
"I am Jake. You must be Chrissy." Jake said, smoothing out his jacket. He took her hand and shook it, his eyes not moving off hers. She smiled a little bashfully. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks, Jake." She said before turning to Hunter, finally noticing Arabella. "Hunter...What is she doing here?"
Arabella shifted on her feet a little bit. She wasn't really expecting to have Chrissy talk to her like that right off the bat. It was actually rather offensive. Arabella cleared her throat and she stepped to the side a little bit, so she wasn't behind Hunter anymore and she held the bottle out for Chrissy. "Happy, uh, happy birthday" She said with a smile on her face.
Chrissy looked down at the bottle of champagne. "A bottle of champagne." She said, holding it around the bottom. "Covered in glitter. I'm sure that in Gossip Girl land where everything is made of money and a party has a bartender paid for by the parents, having a bottle of champagne might be normal, but here this is an inconvenience."
"Chrissy back off..." Hunter said, stepping in front of Arabella.
"No, Hunter. She needs to know." She said, stepping forward. "Once all the glitter falls off, something I'm going to have to vacuum up, then I'm going to have to a bottle of champagne that I would be drinking alone in my room. So, thanks, Arabella! Thanks for coming!" She said, shoving the bottle of champagne back in Arabella's hands. "Be sure to put it back in your daddy's liquor cabinet."
Arabella gingerly placed the bottle down on a little side table and she took a step out from behind Hunter, looking over at Chrissy with a look that wasn't so friendly any more. She didn't want to have to put up with this crap for the entire night. "Please forgive me for wanting to bring a birthday present for you. It was incredibly rude of me to want to give you a gift. I don't know where I got such an awful idea" Arabella's voice was dripping with sarcasm and she knew that it was her bitch voice, but she didn't really care anymore.
"I didn't want you here in the first place!" Chrissy said, stepping toward Arabella. "Hunter brought you here, ignoring me in the first place! You want to get me a gift? Then get the hell out of here!" She said, taking a big step toward Arabella. Hunter and Jake quickly stepped between them.
"Hey, Chrissy, how about we talk about my gift? It is your birthday after all." Jake said, slipping an arm around her middle and pulling her toward the living room. Hunter quickly ushered Arabella into the kitchen, slipping his arms around her middle.
"I'm sorry, Arabella..." Hunter said quietly, hugging her gently.
"Ugh! Why does she ever-what did-she has no right-!" Arabella stumbled over her words in her frustration but she finally let out a long breath and she leaned against Hunter for a minute, trying to calm down. She really hated getting angry like that but Chrissy was just driving her up the wall. "Sorry" Arabella breathed and she pulled away from him, looking up at him to give him a little smile. "Well, I need a drink" She said and she moved away, walking out and grabbing the champagne bottle. If Chrissy wasn't going to drink it, Arabella could put it to good use.
Hunter followed her, watching as she grabbed the champagne. "She has probably had a little bit of alcohol." He said quietly, placing a hand on the small of her back. "I'm sorry, Ellie. This shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry." He said, watching as she opened the bottle, taking a long swig of it.
Arabella shrugged "It's fine, Hunter. Don't worry about it. Let's just have fun tonight, okay?" she said and she took his hand, walking towards where a large group of people were, finding herself in the living room. Arabella grabbed two red cups and poured a bit of champagne into both of them. She placed the bottle down on the table and handed a cup to Hunter.
Hunter looked down at the cup and took a sip, wincing at the taste. He made sure to follow her closely, trying to avoid another run-in with Chrissy. "I don't think I'm going to drink much tonight." Hunter said, swishing his cup around as he slipped an arm around her middle, taking another sip.
"No, that's fine" Arabella said with a shrug and she finished off her drink. She put her cup down on the table and she turned in Hunter's arms so that she was facing him. "Dance with me?" She asked, wiggling her hips a little bit. It felt great to be able to openly flirt with him like it was no big deal. Arabella wasn't really sure where they stood with each other, nothing was really too official yet, but she liked flirting with him and holding his hand and being close to him.
Hunter smiled and hooked an arm around her middle, dancing with her as best he could. It was mostly just moving his hips with hers. He knew it had the potential to be dirty and cheap, but he was keeping it innocent, just enjoying how close she was. "I'm not much of a dancer, but I'm enjoying spending time with you." He said quietly, running his hand to her side.
"I like spending time with you, too" Arabella grinned and she leaned up, about to kiss him, when she heard a scoff and saw Chrissy walking past her. With the mood quickly ruined, Arabella watched Chrissy walk into the kitchen with Jake and she bit her lip. "I'm gonna go get another drink" She told Hunter with a nod and she walked away from him, going to the drink table and pouring a bit of rum in a cup with some Pepsi.
Hunter sighed and shared a glance with Jake then followed Arabella. He found her at the drink table having a cup of rum with a little bit of Pepsi. He sighed a little bit, slipping his arm around her. "Come on. Let's go dance again or let's just find a place to talk." He said with a shrug, trying to pull her away from the table a little bit.
Arabella took a big gulp from her drink and she put a little bit more rum in her cup to top it off before letting Hunter pull her away from the table. "Do you want to talk or dance?" Arabella asked him, looking around to see if she could spot Chrissy anywhere. She really didn't want to see her anymore.
"I don't care. This is officially the first house party I've been to." Hunter said with a chuckle. He stopped on the dancefloor as a slow song started to play and Hunter carefully took her hand, pulling her a little bit closer. "Let's dance for one song and then we'll find a place to hide from Chrissy." He said with a smile.
Arabella smiled and she nodded, putting her drink down so that she could slip her arms around his neck and pull herself closer to him. No matter how angry or hurt or upset she was about all of the crap with Chrissy, Arabella was happy to be dancing with the man that gave her butterflies. "I'm glad to be here with you tonight, Hunter" She told him with a tiny smile and she leaned into him a bit closer, resting her head on his shoulder.
Hunter gently swayed, looking down at her with a smile, holding his arm around her, his fingers laced with hers. He was upset at how this night was going, but at that moment he couldn't have been happier. To say that he had feelings for her was a major understatement and at that moment he was happy to have her in his arms. As the song ended, Hunter pulled away and looked down at her, taking a deep breath. "Ellie, I--"
"Watch it!" He saw it before he could stop it, but he was interrupted by Chrissy bumping hard into Arabella, a cup full of beer spilling all over her.
Arabella yelped and she moved away from Hunter, holding her arms out a little bit so that she was't touching herself. She was covered in beer, her dress was soaked and it was clinging to her body in a horribly revealing and uncomfortable way. "Gods dammit, Chrissy! What the fuck was that for!?" Her voice was raised a little bit and she turned around to glare at Chrissy. It might have looked like a mistake but Chrissy bumped into her way too hard for it to be a mistake.
"Chrissy..." Hunter said, shoving her away. "That wasn't...okay. Just leave her alone." He said before putting an arm around Arabella's shoulders, leading her into the kitchen.
"Hunter, do you not remember everything that she did to you?" Chrissy shouted over the music. Hunter turned around and glared at Chrissy.
"Yes! I do! But it's obvious that I've forgiven her, so do the same, would you?!" Hunter said before ushering Arabella into the kitchen. "I'm so sorry..." Hunter said, leaning her against the counter and trying to find something to help clean her up.
"I don't understand why she hates me so much" Arabella said softly, looking down at her dress. No matter how much she was able to clean it up that night, she was going to have to take it to the dry cleaners and hope for the best. She pushed herself up so that she was sitting on the counter and she looked over at Hunter with sad eyes. That night kept taking terrible turns and she hated it. She just wanted to have a night with Hunter and enjoy herself. When he walked over to her with a dish towel, Arabella gave him a little smile. "Thanks" She said
"I'm so sorry about all of this." He said with a sigh, drying her off as best he can, He brushed a little bit of her out of her face then handed her the towel. "I'm going to go get some clothes for you to put on..." He said quietly.
"Okay, thank you, Hunter" Arabella said softly and when he walked off to go find some clothes, Arabella slid off of the counter. She reached into the fridge, finding an unopened bottle of white wine and she sat back down on the counter while she waited for Hunter. Arabella was embarrassed and she was tired and she was upset, all she wanted was the night to end. With a sigh, she opened up the wine and drank a big gulp of it from the bottle. There was no point trying to get Chrissy to like her anymore. Clearly, she hated her and Arabella was just going to have to get used to it.
Hunter walked to his room and grabbed a baggy t-shirt from his room then headed into Julie's room, grabbing a pair of running shorts that were probably a little big for Arabella. He walked back out and navigated through the people back to the kitchen where he found Arabella taking a long drink from a bottle of wine. "Oh, gods..." He mumbled, walking over to her. "I think maybe this isn't the best choice." Hunter said, taking the wine from her.
"I think it's a great choice" Arabella nodded and she reached over, taking the bottle back from him and taking another long drink from the bottle. At this point, most of the bottle was gone and Arabella was really feeling the alcohol. She hiccuped and looked at Hunter then glanced down at her lap. "I'm sorry, Hunter" She said, her voice slurred a little bit. "I wanted tonight to be amazing"
"Oh, Ellie..." Hunter said quietly, placing his hands on her sides. "It's okay. Any time I spend with you is amazing." He said leaning his forehead on hers. He kissed her forehead and then slipped his arms around her in a hug. He could tell that she was drunk, but he just wanted to salvage the night somehow. He didn't want her to get hurt. "Come on. Let's find a place for you to change." Hunter said, heading toward his room.
"Why doesn't she like me?" Arabella asked, letting him take her wherever he was going. "I'm loveable!" She yawned and when they got to his room, Arabella noticed the clothes and picked them up. "Thank you, Hunter" She said softly and she kissed his cheek. As soon as he was out of the room, Arabella pulled her dress off. It was getting really uncomfortable and sticky and gross, so she was pretty excited to take it off. She pulled on the shirt, which hung loosely on her but it was soft and warm and the shorts were a little bit too big but they were pretty comfortable too. After that night, Arabella was feeling rpetty terrible. She was embarrassed and upset and now that she was in a quiet room alone, she was really tired. Arabella looked around, realizing that she was in Hunter's room and with a little smile on her face, she flopped down onto his bed, putting her head on the pillow, taking a deep breath.
Hunter stood outside his room. He thought about how lovable she was and he couldn't help the little smile that spread across his lips. He stared bashfully down at the ground, his heart speeding up a little bit before he checked his watch, realizing how long she had been in there. He carefully knocked and slowly opened the door, watching for her. When he saw her on his bed, he smiled a little bit. She was asleep, hugging his pillow close. Hunter carefully closed the door and locked it, before moving the blankets out from under her. He covered her then slipped in next to her. "Good night, Arabella." He said, turning on his side and looknig at her as she slept, his eyes growing heavier every second until he was asleep right next to her.
"I really don't know, to be honest" Arabella sighed and she closed her eyes. "Something fancy. I want to look good" She told him. The party was that night and she had about an hour to finish getting ready. She already did her makeup and Daniel was working on doing her hair. All she needed to do was pick out an outfit but that could take a little while.
"What about a dress?" Daniel asked her, picking up a curling iron and working on her hair.
"Yeah, I was thinking some kind of skirt or dress. I don't want to look too sexy or anything because it's his cousin's birthday party but I still want to look kind of sexy for Hunter" She said, her cheeks turning pink and a smile spreading across her lips when she mentioned Hunter.
"He's a straight guy. Anything you wear will drive him up the wall" Daniel teased with a slight roll of his eyes and a grin.
"Oh, shut up.." Arabella hushed, but still smiling. She let him working on her hair, turning her blonde hair into gorgeous loose curls. When he was done, Arabella stood up from his bed and walked over to hers. She was getting more and more nervous about this party. All she wanted was for it to go well. Chrissy was Hunter's cousin and one of his only family members. She knew how much she meant to him and no matter what Hunter said, Arabella knew that having his family's approval would mean a lot to him. She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and pulled out a champagne bottle from her trunk. Arabella had gotten one of Hunter's brothers to sneak it into camp for her and she spent most of the day putting glitter on the bottle and drawing up a card to go with it. Hunter didn't know about it and Arabella knew that he wouldn't want her to bring anything but she felt like she needed to.
Hunter buttoning up his shirt in the mirror, making sure he didn't miss a button or anything. He smoothed it out carefully, taking a bit of a nervous breath. He was dressed in a nice plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. He put his keys in his pocket and his wallet in another, grabbing a pack of gum off his dresser. He slipped a piece in his mouth then put it in his shirt pocket, heading out of his room, rolling up his sleeves.
"Hunter. There you--Well, you look handsome." She said, straightening his collar. "Are you bringing a date?"
"Uhh...I'm bringing my half-brother, Jake. He's not a date." Hunter said, carefully navigating his words. He tucked in his shirt then smiled up at her. "Need help with anything?"
"I need to get the cooler from the basement and then I am going to need to get the ice from the freezer in the garage." She said with a smile, placing red cups on a table. Hunter smiled and leaned up, kissing her cheek.
"I got it and then I'll need to go, I think. Happy birthday, cuz." He said with a smile.
"Thanks, Hunter. If this Jake guy is anything like you then he's more than welcome to my party." She said, patting his arm as he pulled away, heading toward the basement.
"Okay. Hunter should be here pretty soon" Arabella said in a low voice. Her nerves were starting to drive her crazy and she just wanted to get to the party. She slipped into her dress and turned her back to Daniel so he could zip it up.
"You are looking fabulous, sweetie. Hunter is going to love it" Daniel said, patting her back once before he went over and sat down on his bed.
"I hope he likes it. I hope his cousin likes me" She added with a little sigh and she sat down on her bed, tugging her high heels on.
"if she doesn't like you, she must be crazy" Daniel huffed.
"Oh, I don't know about that...she's just protecting Hunter" Arabella reasoned and she twisted a blonde curl around one of her fingers. "I mean, looking back at our history, I can see how I might not be her most favorite person ever" She added, grabbing her clutch and tossing a few things into it.
Hunter dumped the second bag of ice over the beer in the cooler then closed it, turning to Chrissy. "Alright. I gotta go." He said with a smile. "Have a good night tonight, okay?" He smiled then hugged her before pulling away.
"Hey, where's the other bag of ice?" She asked as he was walking out.
"Oh, I left it in the freezer. I'll grab it." He walked back out to the garage and grabbed the bag of ice, uncovering a box of Drumsticks. He thought for a second then smiled, grabbing one. He brought the ice in then ran out to his jeep. He got in and started the drive to camp. He parked and hurried up the hill, Drumstick in hand. He finally smoothed out his clothes on more time then knocked, waiting a little nervously for her to answer.
When there was a knock at the door, Arabella's heart jumped and she looked over at Daniel. "Could you get it? I need to finish up before I see him"
"Sure, no problem."Daniel sighed and he walked over to the door opening it up. He looked Hunter up and down and eyed the Drumstick in his hand. "A Drumstick?" He asked him and raised an eyebrow. "Did you bring that for Arabella?" He asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He thought the Drumstick was pretty silly.
"I'm almost ready!!" Arabella called to the door, rushing around her bed to finish getting all of her stuff ready to go.
When the door opened, Hunter felt his stomach clench, but when he saw Daniel, he stopped and opened his mouth to speak. The examination that Hunter was being given stopped him from talking again. Hunter looked down at the Drumstick and then shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed about it now.
"I...I thought it was kind of bouquet-like..." Hunter said quietly.
"A dozen roses are like 3 dollars and you can't take two seconds to get my sister some?" Daniel said, tilting his head toward Hunter. Hunter stammered for a second, trying to look past him, hoping to get some help from Arabella.
"I'm coming!" Arabella called and she grabbed the bottle of champagne, her clutch and rushed towards the door. Her heart skipping when she saw Hunter standing there. She smiled at him and nudged Daniel out of the way. "Hi, Hunter" She said softly, smiling up at him. He looked amazing and she was so happy to see him. "Was Danny bugging you? Don't mind him, it's his time of the month" She explained and when Daniel opened his mouth to speak, she shot him a look and he shut up.
Hunter laughed a little bit, then looked down at her, his breathing a little shallow. She looked absolutely beautiful and he felt so underdressed now, but he could barely think about that. "Oh, I got this for you. I uh...didn't have any flowers and I didn't want to be late." He said quietly, looking at her a little nervously. "I'm sorry. It's dumb." He said, shaking his head. "Just forget that happened and we can go."
"Oh, Hunter! Thank you! I haven't had one of these in forever" Arabella told him, excitedly and she took the Drumstick from him. She placed a kiss on his cheek and stepped out of her cabin, closing the door behind her. "Thank you, Hunter" She said and took a deep breath. "Do we just need to pick up Jake and then we'll go?" she asked him opening up the Drumstick then taking Hunter's hand in hers.
"Yep. Just pick up Jake." Hunter said with a nod, smiling a little bit, his cheeks red from her lips. "I feel underdressed." He said quietly, finally noticing the champagne that had ended up in his hand. He looked at it then sighed. "Arabella, I told you to not bring a gift." He said with a sigh. "I thought you weren't going to bring anything..." He said, cringing a little bit.
"Well, I don't feel right not bringing anything. It's not much, just a little something for her to have tonight at her party. She can have a toast or something. It is a big birthday, after all" Arabella said with a little shrug and she walked towards his cabin with him to pick up his brother. "If she doesn't like it then she doesn't like it. But I didn't want to just show up with nothing" She explained and took a step to the side so that Hunter could open the cabin door.
"I don't know. I hope it goes well." Hunter nodded and then opened the cabin door. "Jake, you ready to go? Fashionably late isn't a thing."
"Yeah, yeah." He said, standing up from his bed. He walked out, slipping a suit jacket on over a t-shirt. He buttoned it then followed Hunter out. "Arabella, you're looking very beautiful this evening." He said with a nod.
"Well, thank you, Jake" Arabella said with a grin and she walked along side Hunter. After picking up Jake and walking towards the car, Arabella was feeling a little bit better. It would be nice going into the party with at least two friends. However, she was still incredibly nervous. Maybe everything would go well but there was still a chance that things might go wrong. She took a bite from her Drumstick and glanced over at Jake. "So, Jake, you excited about tonight? Meet some pretty girls?"
"Well, that's a bit of the plan." Jake said with a nod. "I am a distraction though, right? So that Chrissy doesn't kill Arabella or you for bringing Arabella." Hunter sighed a little bit.
"Well, you could also have fun. That's an option." Hunter said with a chuckle. "Besides, Chrissy is an awesome person. You should be glad that I'm giving you my blessing. And on top of that, you should be happy that I'm letting you come. Other than Chrissy there should be some pretty girls there. I've got the prettiest one next to me though." Hunter said, grinning over at Arabella.
"Oh, yeah, I agree. Jake is very pretty" Arabella nodded, looking up at Hunter with a goofy smile. She laughed a little and stepped closer to him, kissing his cheek quickly. "Thank you" She finished, blushing a little bit at his compliment. Arabella loved kissing his cheek. She loved seeing the way that his cheeks turned bright red and a little smile spread across his lips. It made her feel pretty amazing, much more amazing than any boyfriend of hers has ever made her feel. Arabella took a breath and walked up to the top of the hill and she looked down at the jeep. "You live pretty close to camp, right?" She asked him.
"Yeah. It's not that far, but I wanted to make sure we got there before the party got into full swing and I forgot to lock my room." He said with a chuckle, squeezing Arabella's hand. "I saw where you live, now you get to see where I live." Hunter smiled and hooked his arm with hers, walking toward the jeep. "Oh, Chrissy said that if you were anything like me, Jake, then you are more than welcome."
"Right and now you're going to insult me or something. Blah, blah, blah." Jake said with a wave of his hand. Hunter looked at him and then nodded. "It's old, Hunter." Hunter smiled at Jake and then Arabella.
"Am I becoming predictable?" He said with a laugh, opening Arabella's door for her.
Arabella laughed a little bit and shook her head. "No, you're not predictable at all" she assured him and she slipped into her seat, pulling her seat belt on. She finished her Drumstick and brushed her hands off on her legs then pushed her hair behind her ear. They were going to be there in a few minutes and as Hunter got into the car and started her, her heart skipped a beat. Hopefully, it would all go well, but Arabella was still nervous. "I really hope she likes me.."
"She will." Hunter said, carefully turning the car around. "It might not happen tonight. It might not happen tomorrow, but my cousin is too nice and you're too sweet and caring and adorable to not like." Hunter smiled over at her, reaching and taking her hand as he drove. "This grudge of hers doesn't stand a chance."
"Plus, I'm there to charm the pants off her." Jake said from the backseat.
"No, no. Her pants had better be on the whole night or there will be Hades to pay, Jake." Hunter said, looking at him in the rearview mirror.
Arabella laughed, rolling her eyes a little at the boys. She hoped that Jake would hit it off with someone. If not Chrissy than at least some other girl there. Maybe he would find someone and they would start dating. Jake deserved that, at least. Arabella watched out of the window as they drove closer and closer to the house, tapping her fingers nervously on her thigh. When Hunter turned the car into a driveway, her heart raced but she put on her brave face. No matter what happened, she would smile. "Okay. Here we go..." She said, taking a deep breath and picking up the bottle of champagne.
"Wow. It looks like there are a lot of people here already." Hunter said, looking at the lines of cars on the street. "This is it. Casa Del Reed." Hunter said, getting out and taking Arabella's hand, standing in front of her a little bit as he walked toward the front door. Hunter walked in the front door, immediately looking around for Chrissy, slowly leading Arabella inside, Jake standing in front of him.
"Hunter!" Chrissy said, shuffling past people on her way out of the kitchen. "Is this Jake?" She said, looking at Jake, shaking his hand.
"I am Jake. You must be Chrissy." Jake said, smoothing out his jacket. He took her hand and shook it, his eyes not moving off hers. She smiled a little bashfully. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks, Jake." She said before turning to Hunter, finally noticing Arabella. "Hunter...What is she doing here?"
Arabella shifted on her feet a little bit. She wasn't really expecting to have Chrissy talk to her like that right off the bat. It was actually rather offensive. Arabella cleared her throat and she stepped to the side a little bit, so she wasn't behind Hunter anymore and she held the bottle out for Chrissy. "Happy, uh, happy birthday" She said with a smile on her face.
Chrissy looked down at the bottle of champagne. "A bottle of champagne." She said, holding it around the bottom. "Covered in glitter. I'm sure that in Gossip Girl land where everything is made of money and a party has a bartender paid for by the parents, having a bottle of champagne might be normal, but here this is an inconvenience."
"Chrissy back off..." Hunter said, stepping in front of Arabella.
"No, Hunter. She needs to know." She said, stepping forward. "Once all the glitter falls off, something I'm going to have to vacuum up, then I'm going to have to a bottle of champagne that I would be drinking alone in my room. So, thanks, Arabella! Thanks for coming!" She said, shoving the bottle of champagne back in Arabella's hands. "Be sure to put it back in your daddy's liquor cabinet."
Arabella gingerly placed the bottle down on a little side table and she took a step out from behind Hunter, looking over at Chrissy with a look that wasn't so friendly any more. She didn't want to have to put up with this crap for the entire night. "Please forgive me for wanting to bring a birthday present for you. It was incredibly rude of me to want to give you a gift. I don't know where I got such an awful idea" Arabella's voice was dripping with sarcasm and she knew that it was her bitch voice, but she didn't really care anymore.
"I didn't want you here in the first place!" Chrissy said, stepping toward Arabella. "Hunter brought you here, ignoring me in the first place! You want to get me a gift? Then get the hell out of here!" She said, taking a big step toward Arabella. Hunter and Jake quickly stepped between them.
"Hey, Chrissy, how about we talk about my gift? It is your birthday after all." Jake said, slipping an arm around her middle and pulling her toward the living room. Hunter quickly ushered Arabella into the kitchen, slipping his arms around her middle.
"I'm sorry, Arabella..." Hunter said quietly, hugging her gently.
"Ugh! Why does she ever-what did-she has no right-!" Arabella stumbled over her words in her frustration but she finally let out a long breath and she leaned against Hunter for a minute, trying to calm down. She really hated getting angry like that but Chrissy was just driving her up the wall. "Sorry" Arabella breathed and she pulled away from him, looking up at him to give him a little smile. "Well, I need a drink" She said and she moved away, walking out and grabbing the champagne bottle. If Chrissy wasn't going to drink it, Arabella could put it to good use.
Hunter followed her, watching as she grabbed the champagne. "She has probably had a little bit of alcohol." He said quietly, placing a hand on the small of her back. "I'm sorry, Ellie. This shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry." He said, watching as she opened the bottle, taking a long swig of it.
Arabella shrugged "It's fine, Hunter. Don't worry about it. Let's just have fun tonight, okay?" she said and she took his hand, walking towards where a large group of people were, finding herself in the living room. Arabella grabbed two red cups and poured a bit of champagne into both of them. She placed the bottle down on the table and handed a cup to Hunter.
Hunter looked down at the cup and took a sip, wincing at the taste. He made sure to follow her closely, trying to avoid another run-in with Chrissy. "I don't think I'm going to drink much tonight." Hunter said, swishing his cup around as he slipped an arm around her middle, taking another sip.
"No, that's fine" Arabella said with a shrug and she finished off her drink. She put her cup down on the table and she turned in Hunter's arms so that she was facing him. "Dance with me?" She asked, wiggling her hips a little bit. It felt great to be able to openly flirt with him like it was no big deal. Arabella wasn't really sure where they stood with each other, nothing was really too official yet, but she liked flirting with him and holding his hand and being close to him.
Hunter smiled and hooked an arm around her middle, dancing with her as best he could. It was mostly just moving his hips with hers. He knew it had the potential to be dirty and cheap, but he was keeping it innocent, just enjoying how close she was. "I'm not much of a dancer, but I'm enjoying spending time with you." He said quietly, running his hand to her side.
"I like spending time with you, too" Arabella grinned and she leaned up, about to kiss him, when she heard a scoff and saw Chrissy walking past her. With the mood quickly ruined, Arabella watched Chrissy walk into the kitchen with Jake and she bit her lip. "I'm gonna go get another drink" She told Hunter with a nod and she walked away from him, going to the drink table and pouring a bit of rum in a cup with some Pepsi.
Hunter sighed and shared a glance with Jake then followed Arabella. He found her at the drink table having a cup of rum with a little bit of Pepsi. He sighed a little bit, slipping his arm around her. "Come on. Let's go dance again or let's just find a place to talk." He said with a shrug, trying to pull her away from the table a little bit.
Arabella took a big gulp from her drink and she put a little bit more rum in her cup to top it off before letting Hunter pull her away from the table. "Do you want to talk or dance?" Arabella asked him, looking around to see if she could spot Chrissy anywhere. She really didn't want to see her anymore.
"I don't care. This is officially the first house party I've been to." Hunter said with a chuckle. He stopped on the dancefloor as a slow song started to play and Hunter carefully took her hand, pulling her a little bit closer. "Let's dance for one song and then we'll find a place to hide from Chrissy." He said with a smile.
Arabella smiled and she nodded, putting her drink down so that she could slip her arms around his neck and pull herself closer to him. No matter how angry or hurt or upset she was about all of the crap with Chrissy, Arabella was happy to be dancing with the man that gave her butterflies. "I'm glad to be here with you tonight, Hunter" She told him with a tiny smile and she leaned into him a bit closer, resting her head on his shoulder.
Hunter gently swayed, looking down at her with a smile, holding his arm around her, his fingers laced with hers. He was upset at how this night was going, but at that moment he couldn't have been happier. To say that he had feelings for her was a major understatement and at that moment he was happy to have her in his arms. As the song ended, Hunter pulled away and looked down at her, taking a deep breath. "Ellie, I--"
"Watch it!" He saw it before he could stop it, but he was interrupted by Chrissy bumping hard into Arabella, a cup full of beer spilling all over her.
Arabella yelped and she moved away from Hunter, holding her arms out a little bit so that she was't touching herself. She was covered in beer, her dress was soaked and it was clinging to her body in a horribly revealing and uncomfortable way. "Gods dammit, Chrissy! What the fuck was that for!?" Her voice was raised a little bit and she turned around to glare at Chrissy. It might have looked like a mistake but Chrissy bumped into her way too hard for it to be a mistake.
"Chrissy..." Hunter said, shoving her away. "That wasn't...okay. Just leave her alone." He said before putting an arm around Arabella's shoulders, leading her into the kitchen.
"Hunter, do you not remember everything that she did to you?" Chrissy shouted over the music. Hunter turned around and glared at Chrissy.
"Yes! I do! But it's obvious that I've forgiven her, so do the same, would you?!" Hunter said before ushering Arabella into the kitchen. "I'm so sorry..." Hunter said, leaning her against the counter and trying to find something to help clean her up.
"I don't understand why she hates me so much" Arabella said softly, looking down at her dress. No matter how much she was able to clean it up that night, she was going to have to take it to the dry cleaners and hope for the best. She pushed herself up so that she was sitting on the counter and she looked over at Hunter with sad eyes. That night kept taking terrible turns and she hated it. She just wanted to have a night with Hunter and enjoy herself. When he walked over to her with a dish towel, Arabella gave him a little smile. "Thanks" She said
"I'm so sorry about all of this." He said with a sigh, drying her off as best he can, He brushed a little bit of her out of her face then handed her the towel. "I'm going to go get some clothes for you to put on..." He said quietly.
"Okay, thank you, Hunter" Arabella said softly and when he walked off to go find some clothes, Arabella slid off of the counter. She reached into the fridge, finding an unopened bottle of white wine and she sat back down on the counter while she waited for Hunter. Arabella was embarrassed and she was tired and she was upset, all she wanted was the night to end. With a sigh, she opened up the wine and drank a big gulp of it from the bottle. There was no point trying to get Chrissy to like her anymore. Clearly, she hated her and Arabella was just going to have to get used to it.
Hunter walked to his room and grabbed a baggy t-shirt from his room then headed into Julie's room, grabbing a pair of running shorts that were probably a little big for Arabella. He walked back out and navigated through the people back to the kitchen where he found Arabella taking a long drink from a bottle of wine. "Oh, gods..." He mumbled, walking over to her. "I think maybe this isn't the best choice." Hunter said, taking the wine from her.
"I think it's a great choice" Arabella nodded and she reached over, taking the bottle back from him and taking another long drink from the bottle. At this point, most of the bottle was gone and Arabella was really feeling the alcohol. She hiccuped and looked at Hunter then glanced down at her lap. "I'm sorry, Hunter" She said, her voice slurred a little bit. "I wanted tonight to be amazing"
"Oh, Ellie..." Hunter said quietly, placing his hands on her sides. "It's okay. Any time I spend with you is amazing." He said leaning his forehead on hers. He kissed her forehead and then slipped his arms around her in a hug. He could tell that she was drunk, but he just wanted to salvage the night somehow. He didn't want her to get hurt. "Come on. Let's find a place for you to change." Hunter said, heading toward his room.
"Why doesn't she like me?" Arabella asked, letting him take her wherever he was going. "I'm loveable!" She yawned and when they got to his room, Arabella noticed the clothes and picked them up. "Thank you, Hunter" She said softly and she kissed his cheek. As soon as he was out of the room, Arabella pulled her dress off. It was getting really uncomfortable and sticky and gross, so she was pretty excited to take it off. She pulled on the shirt, which hung loosely on her but it was soft and warm and the shorts were a little bit too big but they were pretty comfortable too. After that night, Arabella was feeling rpetty terrible. She was embarrassed and upset and now that she was in a quiet room alone, she was really tired. Arabella looked around, realizing that she was in Hunter's room and with a little smile on her face, she flopped down onto his bed, putting her head on the pillow, taking a deep breath.
Hunter stood outside his room. He thought about how lovable she was and he couldn't help the little smile that spread across his lips. He stared bashfully down at the ground, his heart speeding up a little bit before he checked his watch, realizing how long she had been in there. He carefully knocked and slowly opened the door, watching for her. When he saw her on his bed, he smiled a little bit. She was asleep, hugging his pillow close. Hunter carefully closed the door and locked it, before moving the blankets out from under her. He covered her then slipped in next to her. "Good night, Arabella." He said, turning on his side and looknig at her as she slept, his eyes growing heavier every second until he was asleep right next to her.
Chapter 76 - Hunter and Arabella
A month had passed since their date and Hunter wasn't sure if he had shared air with Arabella for more than 6 minutes the whole time. He didn't want to embarrass himself with an attempt at asking her out, but after the first date, he was too nervous to actually talk to her. She was probably used to being dined and romanced. Not having sandwiches and having to walk because there's a major automobile failure on the part of the guy taking her out. He had just woken up when he heard Jake pacing by his bed. Hunter recognized it as something Jake would do when he was mad at someone.
"What's going on, Jake?" Hunter asked, his voice raspy with sleep.
"You seriously haven't asked Arabella out again?" Jake asked, sitting down on the bottom bunk next to Hunter's.
"I've explained this and I don't really need to explain it to you again." Hunter said with a sigh.
Arabella nervously played with a little string bracelet on her wrist. She was sitting on her bed, her legs crossed and every once in a while, she would glance over at the sleeping form of her brother, Daniel. She felt like she had been waiting for him to wake up for a while. A few of her sisters were sleeping on the other side of the room but other than that, the cabin was empty. When she saw some stirring from her brother's bed, Arabella perked up a little bit. It had been a month since her date with Hunter and at first, things were great. They had a really good time on their date and when they got back, Arabella was giddy. She thought that things were going to be amazing between them. But then it started to seem like Hunter had started avoiding her. "Daniel?" She asked over in a low voice.
"Mmmm?" He groaned, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Arabella let out a little breath.
"When you wake up, can we talk about Hunter?" She asked him.
"You said that she kissed you. And told you that she had a good time. And the both of you agreed to not freak out about stuff like this. And yet you've been avoiding her for the past three weeks." Jake said with a nod. Hunter groaned and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He stood with a sigh, grabbing a shirt from his drawer. "Is that not true? Did I miss something?" He stretched and then pulled on some clothes before turning to Jake.
"I...am going to get breakfast. And then I'm going to check in with my Uncle on the car." He said, leaving the cabin, heading to the mess hall.
"What about him?" Daniel asked with a little sigh. He was starting to get annoyed with Arabella always talking about him. She brought him up quite often.
"We had a great time, right? I kissed him and it felt amazing and I was really looking forward to seeing him more. But now he's avoiding me. What happened?" Arabella said, all in one breath.
"I don't know, Arabella. Why don't you go talk to him?" Daniel asked her, running his fingers through his hair and throwing his legs over the side of his bed.
"Because...I just...I was hoping...and he.." Arabella stumbled over her words.
"It is the 21st century, sweetie. You can ask him out if you want. Just go and kiss him. He won't be able to resist you" Daniel yawned, tugging on a shirt and slipping into a pair of shoes. "See you at the breakfast table"
"See you.." Arabella sighed and she laid back on her bed, thinking it over. Maybe Daniel was right. What did she have to worry about? If Hunter wasn't going to talk to her than she needed to talk to him. Arabella jumped out of bed, pulling on a pair of denim cut-offs and her orange Camp shirt. She pulled her hair back into a braid and slipped into a pair of TOMS before walking out of her cabin. It was time she found Hunter.
Hunter sat down at the breakfast table with his food, quickly getting his cup to fill up with orange juice. Did he feel bad for ignoring and avoiding Arabella? Of course he did. He could close his eyes and imagine the feeling of her lips on his like she had kissed him only moments ago. He saw her around camp and it made him feel even worse, but now he couldn't talk to her even more. Now he would have to explain why he hadn't been talking to her for the past few weeks. He finished eating fairly quickly, not talking to anybody, so only focusing on eating. After he took care of his dishes, he left, ducking past Daniel and a couple other Aphrodite people, hoping that they didn't see him heading for the Iris fountains.
Arabella wasn't really sure where to look for Hunter. There were a million places that he could be and camp was a big place. Of course, there had to be some people who knew where he had gone. With a bit of a nervous bounce in her step, Arabella walked up to his cabin and knocked on the door.The door creaked open and a familiar face greeted her. "Jake! Good morning!"
'Morning, Arabella." Jake said with a big of a nod. There was a sly smile on his face that she was a littler curious about but decided not to ask him anything.
"Have you, uh, have you seen Hunter at all? Is he still in bed?" she asked, tugging on the hem of her shorts.
"Nah, I think he went down to get something to eat" Jake shrugged and Arabella gave him a little smile.
"Okay, thanks, Jake" She said and turned on her heel, waking towards the mess hall.
He takes a deep breath as he tosses the coin in, hoping he doesn't have to waste his coins again. The image fuzzed for a moment then showed the image of his cousin working in the kitchen. "Hey, Chrissy!" Hunter shouted over the sounds of the kitchen. He heard some barking and she turned and saw him. She waved for a second then quickly shuffled around the kitchen, finally turning to him.
"Hey, Hunter! What's going on?" Chrissy asked, looking at the picture, situated over a bowl of carrots. Chrissy and Hunter had a long talk a week and a half beforehand about a lot of stuff, namely Arabella. She was going under the idea that he hadn't talked to Arabella and didn't plan on changing that any time soon.
"Well, I called to wish you an almost birthday and also I wanted to ask about a car." He said with a nod. A pot started boiling behind her and she quickly turned away to take care of it.
"Thank you!" She said before finally turning back. "And as far as the car goes, the garage is settling and dad got a ton of money. He's using it to fix the jeep and buy another car." She said with a smile. Hunter chuckled a moment, knowing that he was buying two new cars and that all of the kids chipped in to pay for what the court didn't take care of. She would find out at her birthday dinner tomorrow. "Oh, and while I have you here. I am cordially inviting you to my 18th birthday bash!" She says, holding up an invitation. "Mom and dad are taking a weekend away for their anniversary and are leaving me the house with permission to throw a party on Friday." She said with a smile. "So, bring a date or bring a friend or bring both. I don't care just show up."
"Okay! That sounds great! I'll see you tomorrow, Chrissy. Love you." He said, waving before passing his hand through the picture, effectively hanging up.
Arabella took a deep breath, looking around the mess hall. Maybe someone there would help her find Hunter. She didn't see him at his table and that really just annoyed her. It was really feeling like he was avoiding her and she hated it. With a little huff, Arabella sat down next to Daniel at the Aphrodite table. "I can't find him. I can't find him anywhere" she told him. Daniel paused for a moment before looking over at her.
"I saw him go to the Iris fountain, but-" He said to her but she left before he could finish his sentence. She was going to find Hunter and she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Arabella spotted Hunter by the fountain, waving his hand through a call, and she marched towards him. There was a blonde curl in her face, that had fallen out of her braid, but she didn't bother to fix it. She was on a mission. "Hunter Reed!" She said, walking up to him and standing right in front of him, which meant that she had to tilt her head up a little bit to look in his eyes.
Hunter leaned on his elbow on the edge of the fountain for a moment. He had just turned around when he heard his name. He saw Arabella charging at him. He looked around quickly, hoping for some sort of escape, but she was standing right in front of him. He backed against the fountain and looked down at her, not sure what to say.
"Hey, uh...I don't...Umm..." He stammered, looking down at her.
"You don't speak to me for like, a million weeks, and that's all you have to say?" Arabella asked him, putting her hands on her hips. "No, I'm not putting up with that bullshit anymore. I thought we had a good time, Hunter? I had a great time on our date and when I kissed you, it felt amazing. I was hoping that you would talk to me but you've been avoiding me and I don't know why. Is it because of something your cousin said about me because if it is, you're a..you're a...butt head" Arabella said to him, all in one breath. She didn't pause to let him talk or even really think about what she was saying, it all just kind of poured out.
Hunter stood there and accepted her words, staring down at his feet. She was right, of course. He sighed and looked up at her when she stopped. He really had no reason as to why he hadn't talked to her other than he was scared shitless of disappointment. "I...I don't...I didn't mean to..." He stumbled over his words again then tilted his head. "A butthead?" He said, raising an eyebrow at her.
Arabella folded her arms across her chest and huffed. "Yes, butthead" She pouted, looking up at him. He looked down at her, clearly trying hard not to laugh at her. "Stop! I'm mad at you!" Arabella whined but there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You were a jerk and I'm supposed to be mad at you"
"Well, I'm sorry, Arabella. You're right. I am a butthead." He said with a nod, shaking his laughs away and looking down at his feet. He tried to think of some way to make it up to her, but he couldn't think of anything. Nothing that wouldn't be disastrous at least. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking up at her.
"You are!" Arabella huffed and she turned away from him, glancing at the fountain before looking back at him. "I just don't understand why you wouldn't talk to me. We go to the same camp, dammit. Did I do something wrong? Did you not feel the spark that I felt?" She asked him and glared up at him. "So, yes, you are a butthead" she told him, looking up at him with the same playful glare.
"No, no...You were perfect." He said quietly. "I'm sorry. I guess, I just...panicked." He said, looking down. "I was scared that all of the stuff you said near the end of the date was just to try and get through it." He took a deep breath and then looked up at Arabella. "Look, my uh...my cousin is throwing a birthday party and I was wondering if you wanted to uh...go...with me? As my date." He said with a nod.
Arabella opened her mouth, ready to tell him off a bit more but then he said those words. The words that she had been waiting to hear for what felt like forever. He was asking her out again, on a date. Arabella closed her mouth and took a deep breath, pausing for a moment to calm herself down a little bit before she answered. "I, uhm, yeah..sure" Arabella said in a soft voice and she smiled up at him. "A date sounds good"
He smiled at her and then pulled her into a hug. "I'm really, really sorry." He said quietly. "It's on Friday. And I don't think my cousin likes you still, but I do not care." He takes a deep breath, brushing the curl of hair from her face. "I am a big fan of you." He ran his hand down her arm and then took her hand.
Arabella smiled up at him, turning her hand in his a little so that she could run her fingers over his knuckles. "I'm a big fan of yours, too" She told him and took a deep breath. Arabella took a step closer to him, letting go of his hand and wrapping her arms around his waist for another hug. It felt like it had been a long time coming for them to be able to just hug each other like that with no worries. She rested her head on his chest and smiled a little bit. "Maybe I'll get your cousin to like me by the time the night is over"
"Well, it shouldn't be hard. You're quite likable." He said with a smile, tilting her head up to look at him. He stared down into her eyes, wanting to kiss her. He missed feeling her closeness. He started to lean down, but then heard someone clear their throat. Hunter quickly looked away, over to see Jake smiling at them.
"Well, it's good to see you two back together." Jake said with a grin. Hunter sighed a little, looking over at Arabella and then back at Jake. He thought about the party and then raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, Jake. You want to go to a party with us?" He asked with a smile. "I've got somebody that you have just got to meet."
"Oh! Jake! You have to come, please?" Arabella asked him, looking over at him with big puppy eyes. She really wanted Jake to go to the party for a few reasons. For one, she wanted to spend some time with Jake. They had only really known each other at camp and it would be really nice to see him outside of camp. Out of all of Hunter's friends and siblings, Jake was her favourite. Another reason she wanted him to come was because of Hunter's cousin. She didn't like Arabella and Arabella was nervous about spending time with her at her party. Sure, she was determined to get into her good books but things could still go wrong.
"Third wheel style?" Jake said, raising an eyebrow. "Heck, why not? So, who is this person?"
"It's my cousin. It's her 18th birthday. You don't have to bring a gift." He said with a smile.
"Your cousin, huh? Your female cousin?" Jake smirked a little deviously.
"Yep. I am giving you clear go ahead to attempt any moves that you have." Hunter said, looking at Arabella, smiling down at her. "And there will be booze there most likely, too, so if all else fails, you can drunkenly make out or something."
"Wow. You're blessing feels incredibly inadequate." Jake said with a sigh.
Arabella grinned up at Jake then looked back at Hunter. She was really happy that Jake agreed to go and she she decided to not say anything about what his cousin had said to her. Arabella would talk to Hunter later when they were alone. But Jake deserved something like this to look forward to. "So it's on Friday? How old is she turning?" She asked Hunter, putting her hands in her pockets
"18. You don't have to bring a gift either." He said, hooking his arm with hers. "I put in some money toward a car for her. And the jeep is all fixed up." He said, nudging her a little bit. "So, hopefully there will be no breakdowns on the way this Friday." Hunter was really happy now that things were okay with Arabella, but he was still a little worried about it. It kind of relied on how things went at the party on Friday. "Alright. I think you and I should go to the beach. Jake, you should go practice in a mirror for when you talk to my cousin."
"Oh, hilarious. I'll go do that." Jake said, waving a little bit before heading back toward the cabins.
Arabella watched Jake walk away and then she sighed a little, turning to look at Hunter. "Does, uhm, does she know that I'll be going with you to her party?" Arabella asked him curiously. Either way, she wasn't going to be mad or upset, she just wanted to know before they went to the party. It was only in a couple of days and she wanted to make a good impression.
Hunter took a little breath, walking toward the beach. "Uhh...No." He said quietly. "She actually told me NOT to take you, but...I pretended to not hear that." He ran his thumb across the back of her hand. "That's kind of why Jake will be there. To defuse tension-slash-distract Chrissy." He shrugged and then turned to look at her. "I'm sorry. Chrissy isn't so bad and I'll get her to understand, but right now she's only gotten all of the bad things about you. How few and far between they are." He said, catching her gaze.
Arabella let out a breath and gave Hunter a little smile. She wasn't really happy about the fact that Chrissy didn't know that she was going to be there but at least she could start working on what she would do at the party to win her over. And thankfully, Jake would be there. "Okay. Tell me about her. What does she like to do or talk about? Any hobbies? Anything I could talk to her about?"
"She likes cooking..." Hunter said, taking a deep breath. "She also raises puppies and she likes...I don't know. She's a girl. You could talk to her about boys and make up or something." He said with a nod before looking at her with a small smile. "She has 4 puppies. Baxter, Jojo, Wilbur, and Misty. Misty is the newest one, but Wilbur is the best one, so don't even pay attention to the other ones." He said with a nod. "Maybe you can talk about that."
"Hmm...I do like puppies" Arabella said with a little smile "I just really don't want her to hate me or anything like that. Last time I saw her, she was so angry and I know that she's family and she's important to you and I just want her to like me" Arabella finished in a breath and she looked down towards the beach. "I'll bring her a gift. Just a little something"
"Uhh...No, I'm not sure that's best." He said quietly. "I mean, it's truly nothing against you, but I'm just trying to eliminate any possibility for error. If you bring the wrong thing then it only makes things worse." He said, squeezing her hand. "I mean...I don't want to insult you. I just don't think that it's the best idea." He looked at her, feeling concerned. He was trying to build a bridge between the two and Chrissy didn't need more of a reason to not like Arabella.
"I'll just get her a bottle of wine or something like that. Less of a birthday gift and more of a hostess gift..." Her voice trailed off and she let out a huff. "I don't know. I'll figure something out." She said then paused for a moment before looking up at Hunter. "I'm really excited to spend the night with you, though" She added with a smile and leaned towards him a little bit.
Hunter blushed, thinking about the idea of spending the night with Arabella. He had spent a night at her place, but the way she put it, it felt so serious. "I uh..." He said, smiling a bit like an idiot with red cheeks. "Mmhmm....yeah." He finally said awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other, staring down at his feet.
"What's going on, Jake?" Hunter asked, his voice raspy with sleep.
"You seriously haven't asked Arabella out again?" Jake asked, sitting down on the bottom bunk next to Hunter's.
"I've explained this and I don't really need to explain it to you again." Hunter said with a sigh.
Arabella nervously played with a little string bracelet on her wrist. She was sitting on her bed, her legs crossed and every once in a while, she would glance over at the sleeping form of her brother, Daniel. She felt like she had been waiting for him to wake up for a while. A few of her sisters were sleeping on the other side of the room but other than that, the cabin was empty. When she saw some stirring from her brother's bed, Arabella perked up a little bit. It had been a month since her date with Hunter and at first, things were great. They had a really good time on their date and when they got back, Arabella was giddy. She thought that things were going to be amazing between them. But then it started to seem like Hunter had started avoiding her. "Daniel?" She asked over in a low voice.
"Mmmm?" He groaned, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Arabella let out a little breath.
"When you wake up, can we talk about Hunter?" She asked him.
"You said that she kissed you. And told you that she had a good time. And the both of you agreed to not freak out about stuff like this. And yet you've been avoiding her for the past three weeks." Jake said with a nod. Hunter groaned and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He stood with a sigh, grabbing a shirt from his drawer. "Is that not true? Did I miss something?" He stretched and then pulled on some clothes before turning to Jake.
"I...am going to get breakfast. And then I'm going to check in with my Uncle on the car." He said, leaving the cabin, heading to the mess hall.
"What about him?" Daniel asked with a little sigh. He was starting to get annoyed with Arabella always talking about him. She brought him up quite often.
"We had a great time, right? I kissed him and it felt amazing and I was really looking forward to seeing him more. But now he's avoiding me. What happened?" Arabella said, all in one breath.
"I don't know, Arabella. Why don't you go talk to him?" Daniel asked her, running his fingers through his hair and throwing his legs over the side of his bed.
"Because...I just...I was hoping...and he.." Arabella stumbled over her words.
"It is the 21st century, sweetie. You can ask him out if you want. Just go and kiss him. He won't be able to resist you" Daniel yawned, tugging on a shirt and slipping into a pair of shoes. "See you at the breakfast table"
"See you.." Arabella sighed and she laid back on her bed, thinking it over. Maybe Daniel was right. What did she have to worry about? If Hunter wasn't going to talk to her than she needed to talk to him. Arabella jumped out of bed, pulling on a pair of denim cut-offs and her orange Camp shirt. She pulled her hair back into a braid and slipped into a pair of TOMS before walking out of her cabin. It was time she found Hunter.
Hunter sat down at the breakfast table with his food, quickly getting his cup to fill up with orange juice. Did he feel bad for ignoring and avoiding Arabella? Of course he did. He could close his eyes and imagine the feeling of her lips on his like she had kissed him only moments ago. He saw her around camp and it made him feel even worse, but now he couldn't talk to her even more. Now he would have to explain why he hadn't been talking to her for the past few weeks. He finished eating fairly quickly, not talking to anybody, so only focusing on eating. After he took care of his dishes, he left, ducking past Daniel and a couple other Aphrodite people, hoping that they didn't see him heading for the Iris fountains.
Arabella wasn't really sure where to look for Hunter. There were a million places that he could be and camp was a big place. Of course, there had to be some people who knew where he had gone. With a bit of a nervous bounce in her step, Arabella walked up to his cabin and knocked on the door.The door creaked open and a familiar face greeted her. "Jake! Good morning!"
'Morning, Arabella." Jake said with a big of a nod. There was a sly smile on his face that she was a littler curious about but decided not to ask him anything.
"Have you, uh, have you seen Hunter at all? Is he still in bed?" she asked, tugging on the hem of her shorts.
"Nah, I think he went down to get something to eat" Jake shrugged and Arabella gave him a little smile.
"Okay, thanks, Jake" She said and turned on her heel, waking towards the mess hall.
He takes a deep breath as he tosses the coin in, hoping he doesn't have to waste his coins again. The image fuzzed for a moment then showed the image of his cousin working in the kitchen. "Hey, Chrissy!" Hunter shouted over the sounds of the kitchen. He heard some barking and she turned and saw him. She waved for a second then quickly shuffled around the kitchen, finally turning to him.
"Hey, Hunter! What's going on?" Chrissy asked, looking at the picture, situated over a bowl of carrots. Chrissy and Hunter had a long talk a week and a half beforehand about a lot of stuff, namely Arabella. She was going under the idea that he hadn't talked to Arabella and didn't plan on changing that any time soon.
"Well, I called to wish you an almost birthday and also I wanted to ask about a car." He said with a nod. A pot started boiling behind her and she quickly turned away to take care of it.
"Thank you!" She said before finally turning back. "And as far as the car goes, the garage is settling and dad got a ton of money. He's using it to fix the jeep and buy another car." She said with a smile. Hunter chuckled a moment, knowing that he was buying two new cars and that all of the kids chipped in to pay for what the court didn't take care of. She would find out at her birthday dinner tomorrow. "Oh, and while I have you here. I am cordially inviting you to my 18th birthday bash!" She says, holding up an invitation. "Mom and dad are taking a weekend away for their anniversary and are leaving me the house with permission to throw a party on Friday." She said with a smile. "So, bring a date or bring a friend or bring both. I don't care just show up."
"Okay! That sounds great! I'll see you tomorrow, Chrissy. Love you." He said, waving before passing his hand through the picture, effectively hanging up.
Arabella took a deep breath, looking around the mess hall. Maybe someone there would help her find Hunter. She didn't see him at his table and that really just annoyed her. It was really feeling like he was avoiding her and she hated it. With a little huff, Arabella sat down next to Daniel at the Aphrodite table. "I can't find him. I can't find him anywhere" she told him. Daniel paused for a moment before looking over at her.
"I saw him go to the Iris fountain, but-" He said to her but she left before he could finish his sentence. She was going to find Hunter and she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Arabella spotted Hunter by the fountain, waving his hand through a call, and she marched towards him. There was a blonde curl in her face, that had fallen out of her braid, but she didn't bother to fix it. She was on a mission. "Hunter Reed!" She said, walking up to him and standing right in front of him, which meant that she had to tilt her head up a little bit to look in his eyes.
Hunter leaned on his elbow on the edge of the fountain for a moment. He had just turned around when he heard his name. He saw Arabella charging at him. He looked around quickly, hoping for some sort of escape, but she was standing right in front of him. He backed against the fountain and looked down at her, not sure what to say.
"Hey, uh...I don't...Umm..." He stammered, looking down at her.
"You don't speak to me for like, a million weeks, and that's all you have to say?" Arabella asked him, putting her hands on her hips. "No, I'm not putting up with that bullshit anymore. I thought we had a good time, Hunter? I had a great time on our date and when I kissed you, it felt amazing. I was hoping that you would talk to me but you've been avoiding me and I don't know why. Is it because of something your cousin said about me because if it is, you're a..you're a...butt head" Arabella said to him, all in one breath. She didn't pause to let him talk or even really think about what she was saying, it all just kind of poured out.
Hunter stood there and accepted her words, staring down at his feet. She was right, of course. He sighed and looked up at her when she stopped. He really had no reason as to why he hadn't talked to her other than he was scared shitless of disappointment. "I...I don't...I didn't mean to..." He stumbled over his words again then tilted his head. "A butthead?" He said, raising an eyebrow at her.
Arabella folded her arms across her chest and huffed. "Yes, butthead" She pouted, looking up at him. He looked down at her, clearly trying hard not to laugh at her. "Stop! I'm mad at you!" Arabella whined but there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You were a jerk and I'm supposed to be mad at you"
"Well, I'm sorry, Arabella. You're right. I am a butthead." He said with a nod, shaking his laughs away and looking down at his feet. He tried to think of some way to make it up to her, but he couldn't think of anything. Nothing that wouldn't be disastrous at least. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking up at her.
"You are!" Arabella huffed and she turned away from him, glancing at the fountain before looking back at him. "I just don't understand why you wouldn't talk to me. We go to the same camp, dammit. Did I do something wrong? Did you not feel the spark that I felt?" She asked him and glared up at him. "So, yes, you are a butthead" she told him, looking up at him with the same playful glare.
"No, no...You were perfect." He said quietly. "I'm sorry. I guess, I just...panicked." He said, looking down. "I was scared that all of the stuff you said near the end of the date was just to try and get through it." He took a deep breath and then looked up at Arabella. "Look, my uh...my cousin is throwing a birthday party and I was wondering if you wanted to uh...go...with me? As my date." He said with a nod.
Arabella opened her mouth, ready to tell him off a bit more but then he said those words. The words that she had been waiting to hear for what felt like forever. He was asking her out again, on a date. Arabella closed her mouth and took a deep breath, pausing for a moment to calm herself down a little bit before she answered. "I, uhm, yeah..sure" Arabella said in a soft voice and she smiled up at him. "A date sounds good"
He smiled at her and then pulled her into a hug. "I'm really, really sorry." He said quietly. "It's on Friday. And I don't think my cousin likes you still, but I do not care." He takes a deep breath, brushing the curl of hair from her face. "I am a big fan of you." He ran his hand down her arm and then took her hand.
Arabella smiled up at him, turning her hand in his a little so that she could run her fingers over his knuckles. "I'm a big fan of yours, too" She told him and took a deep breath. Arabella took a step closer to him, letting go of his hand and wrapping her arms around his waist for another hug. It felt like it had been a long time coming for them to be able to just hug each other like that with no worries. She rested her head on his chest and smiled a little bit. "Maybe I'll get your cousin to like me by the time the night is over"
"Well, it shouldn't be hard. You're quite likable." He said with a smile, tilting her head up to look at him. He stared down into her eyes, wanting to kiss her. He missed feeling her closeness. He started to lean down, but then heard someone clear their throat. Hunter quickly looked away, over to see Jake smiling at them.
"Well, it's good to see you two back together." Jake said with a grin. Hunter sighed a little, looking over at Arabella and then back at Jake. He thought about the party and then raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, Jake. You want to go to a party with us?" He asked with a smile. "I've got somebody that you have just got to meet."
"Oh! Jake! You have to come, please?" Arabella asked him, looking over at him with big puppy eyes. She really wanted Jake to go to the party for a few reasons. For one, she wanted to spend some time with Jake. They had only really known each other at camp and it would be really nice to see him outside of camp. Out of all of Hunter's friends and siblings, Jake was her favourite. Another reason she wanted him to come was because of Hunter's cousin. She didn't like Arabella and Arabella was nervous about spending time with her at her party. Sure, she was determined to get into her good books but things could still go wrong.
"Third wheel style?" Jake said, raising an eyebrow. "Heck, why not? So, who is this person?"
"It's my cousin. It's her 18th birthday. You don't have to bring a gift." He said with a smile.
"Your cousin, huh? Your female cousin?" Jake smirked a little deviously.
"Yep. I am giving you clear go ahead to attempt any moves that you have." Hunter said, looking at Arabella, smiling down at her. "And there will be booze there most likely, too, so if all else fails, you can drunkenly make out or something."
"Wow. You're blessing feels incredibly inadequate." Jake said with a sigh.
Arabella grinned up at Jake then looked back at Hunter. She was really happy that Jake agreed to go and she she decided to not say anything about what his cousin had said to her. Arabella would talk to Hunter later when they were alone. But Jake deserved something like this to look forward to. "So it's on Friday? How old is she turning?" She asked Hunter, putting her hands in her pockets
"18. You don't have to bring a gift either." He said, hooking his arm with hers. "I put in some money toward a car for her. And the jeep is all fixed up." He said, nudging her a little bit. "So, hopefully there will be no breakdowns on the way this Friday." Hunter was really happy now that things were okay with Arabella, but he was still a little worried about it. It kind of relied on how things went at the party on Friday. "Alright. I think you and I should go to the beach. Jake, you should go practice in a mirror for when you talk to my cousin."
"Oh, hilarious. I'll go do that." Jake said, waving a little bit before heading back toward the cabins.
Arabella watched Jake walk away and then she sighed a little, turning to look at Hunter. "Does, uhm, does she know that I'll be going with you to her party?" Arabella asked him curiously. Either way, she wasn't going to be mad or upset, she just wanted to know before they went to the party. It was only in a couple of days and she wanted to make a good impression.
Hunter took a little breath, walking toward the beach. "Uhh...No." He said quietly. "She actually told me NOT to take you, but...I pretended to not hear that." He ran his thumb across the back of her hand. "That's kind of why Jake will be there. To defuse tension-slash-distract Chrissy." He shrugged and then turned to look at her. "I'm sorry. Chrissy isn't so bad and I'll get her to understand, but right now she's only gotten all of the bad things about you. How few and far between they are." He said, catching her gaze.
Arabella let out a breath and gave Hunter a little smile. She wasn't really happy about the fact that Chrissy didn't know that she was going to be there but at least she could start working on what she would do at the party to win her over. And thankfully, Jake would be there. "Okay. Tell me about her. What does she like to do or talk about? Any hobbies? Anything I could talk to her about?"
"She likes cooking..." Hunter said, taking a deep breath. "She also raises puppies and she likes...I don't know. She's a girl. You could talk to her about boys and make up or something." He said with a nod before looking at her with a small smile. "She has 4 puppies. Baxter, Jojo, Wilbur, and Misty. Misty is the newest one, but Wilbur is the best one, so don't even pay attention to the other ones." He said with a nod. "Maybe you can talk about that."
"Hmm...I do like puppies" Arabella said with a little smile "I just really don't want her to hate me or anything like that. Last time I saw her, she was so angry and I know that she's family and she's important to you and I just want her to like me" Arabella finished in a breath and she looked down towards the beach. "I'll bring her a gift. Just a little something"
"Uhh...No, I'm not sure that's best." He said quietly. "I mean, it's truly nothing against you, but I'm just trying to eliminate any possibility for error. If you bring the wrong thing then it only makes things worse." He said, squeezing her hand. "I mean...I don't want to insult you. I just don't think that it's the best idea." He looked at her, feeling concerned. He was trying to build a bridge between the two and Chrissy didn't need more of a reason to not like Arabella.
"I'll just get her a bottle of wine or something like that. Less of a birthday gift and more of a hostess gift..." Her voice trailed off and she let out a huff. "I don't know. I'll figure something out." She said then paused for a moment before looking up at Hunter. "I'm really excited to spend the night with you, though" She added with a smile and leaned towards him a little bit.
Hunter blushed, thinking about the idea of spending the night with Arabella. He had spent a night at her place, but the way she put it, it felt so serious. "I uh..." He said, smiling a bit like an idiot with red cheeks. "Mmhmm....yeah." He finally said awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other, staring down at his feet.
Chapter 75 - Hunter and Arabella
Hunter could hear something small moving near him. He turned away from it in his sleep, but then felt it leap onto the couch and settle itself in a ball next to him. Hunter opened his eyes and blinked a few times before turning around to see Gracie laying next to him. She looked up and then leaned to lick his face. Hunter picked up the small dog and sat up finally, looking around the room as he woke up. "Good morning, Gracie..." He said quietly, setting the dog down then heading into the kitchen to start on breakfast.
Arabella groaned when the sun shone through her window and she shoved her face in her pillow. For a moment, she had forgotten where she was. She was sure that she was in her bed at camp and maybe it had all been a dream. What finally woke her was the sound of cars going past from her open window. Arabella sat up, looking around her bedroom and a smile spread across her lips. Hunter was downstairs and she was sure that she could hear him cooking. She rolled out of bed, tugging on the hem of her shorts and pulling on a sweater before she walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs. "Hunter?" She said, poking her head into the kitchen.
Hunter turned around, yawning a little bit. "Good morning, sleepyhead." He said with a wave. He turned back to the stove and stirred some eggs before turning away and checking in the microwave. "A couple more minutes." He said to himself before turning back to Arabella. "I set Gracie on that chair because she stole the first pancake." He said, pointing to the small dog who was sitting on a very high chair in the middle of the kitchen, unable to get down. "I banished her."
Arabella turned her eyes away from Hunter and looked over at her tiny little dog, sitting up on the chair. Gracie started to bark when she saw Arabella. "Oh...what a cutie" Arabella laughed and she walked over, scratching Gracie's ear but not getting her off of the chair. "Did you have a good sleep?" Arabella asked him, looking back at him with a sleepy smile. It was great to see him again and when she saw him, her heart skipped a beat.
Hunter nodded, turning back to the food. He had slept fine and it felt strangely natural to see her first thing in the morning. He liked it. Hunter finally turned off the stove and filled three plates with two pancakes, sausage links, eggs, bacon, and some fresh fruit. He put the dishes in the sink and then turned, handing Arabella a plate. "I assumed Tyler was eating with us, so I made a plate for him." He said, gesturing to the third plate.
"Oh...this looks amazing, Hunter" Arabella said happily and walked over to the table. "Tyler will probably eat his for lunch. He tends to sleep in until noon" She said with a little laugh. She put her plate down on the table and walked back into the kitchen, over to the coffee machine. "Do you want some coffee?" She asked him, starting to get it ready.
"Uh...No thanks. I don't really drink coffee." He said with a shrug. He picked at his food a little bit, taking a couple bites. "Any ideas on how we're going to get back? I mean, we could walk." He said with a nod. "I could call my uncle and he can drive us there. That works too." He said, runnig his fingers through his hair.
"I am far too lazy to walk all the way back to camp" Arabella laughed and she glanced over to Hunter. "If your uncle doesn't mind picking us up, that would be amazing. Tell him that I can pay for gas money" She said with a nod and she took her finished cup of coffee, walking over to the table and sitting down. She yawned and took a bite of her food. "Oh my gods, Hunter, this is amazing" She sighed, eating more of her food.
Hunter smiled, taking a few more bites before wiping off his hands. He cleared his throat and walked over to the phone, quickly dialing his house.
"Hello?" Chrissy answered.
"Hey, Chrissy. Is Uncle Wayne there?" He asked. She yawned.
"No. My mom and he went to the garage for the car." She said. Hunter sighed. "What do you need?"
"Uhh...Well, I'm over at Arabella's and we need a ride back to camp." She scoffed and audibly rolled her eyes.
"Can't she get her driver to do it for her in her limo?" She said, clearly upset.
"Just tell Uncle Wayne that I called." He said before going to hang up.
"No! No, no. I'll do it. Where does she live?" She said, moving around. Hunter glanced over at Arabella and then took a deep breath, finally saying her address. He hung up and went back to his plate.
"My cousin is coming to pick us up in a little while."
"Oh! That is perfect! I can't wait to meet her" Arabella said with a big smile. She took a big drink of her coffee before she went back to her food. They ate in silence for a little while and that made Arabella very happy. It made her happy because the silence was comfortable. They could sit together and not say anything but still feel comfortable around each other. At least, it felt comfortable for Arabella. Finally, she cleared her throat and looked down at her empty plate before looking up at Hunter. "Hunter, I uh, I know that we decided not to talk about the past but I just wanted to thank you. I know that I freaked out when you told me about Ethan but if it wasn't for you, he would have hurt me even more. So...thank you."
Hunter looked up at her for a moment then shrugged. "I...I'm just sorry that I didn't do it sooner." He said quietly, taking the last few bites of breakfast then putting the dishes in the sink. "It's probably 30 minutes from my house to here, so we still have a little while." He said, starting to wash the dishes. He was trying to play off the past. They had a pretty checkered past, but there was a reason he wanted to let it go. It didn't take long for Hunter to finish the dishes and when he checked his watch they still had 15 minutes left, so Hunter grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and went to the living room, sitting down on the couch.
Arabella had run upstairs to get dressed while Hunter was doing the dishes and when she heard the water stop and him move into the living room, Arabella walked downstairs. She had changed into a pair of denim shorts and a pink hoodie. She tugged on the sleeves of her sweater as she walked into the living room and sat down next to Hunter. "Thanks for breakfast. It was so much better than the left over Chinese food" She said with a laugh.
Hunter smiled. "Hey, it was the least I could do as thanks for last night." He said with a nod. He tapped his fingers on his knees for a moment then turned to look at her. "Can I ask you a question?" He said, taking a deep breath. "It's nothing to worry about. If you were a pirate, would you put a parrot on this shoulder?" He said, putting his hand on the shoulder close to him. "Or on this shoulder?" He said, putting his arm around her, his hand on her other shoulder.
Arabella giggled, rolling her eyes but her heart started to race and she leaned into his side a little bit. "This one, for sure" She said, reaching up and touching the tips of her fingers to where his were on her shoulder. Arabella smiled up at him, not moving a muscle. It felt so good to be in his arm like that, her fingers touching his. "What about you? What shoulder would you put your parrot on?"
"I don't like birds." He said with a nod. "So...neither. I think I might have a gerbil or something. A small dog." He said and with perfect timing Gracie ran over, jumping onto his lap. Hunter carefully picked her up, placing her on his shoulder. "There we go. Much better." He said with a nod just as there was a loud knock on the door. Hunter placed Gracie in Arabella's lap. "That must be Chrissy." He said, heading for the door.
Arabella jumped up from the couch, holding Gracie close to her chest. She placed a big kiss on the dog's head before putting her down on the couch. She yawned, grabbing her bag and throwing it over she shoulder. Arabella stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a couple granola bars before joining Hunter at the door. Together they walked out and Arabella locked the door behind her. When she turned around, she smiled and waved at Hunter's cousin.
Hunter walked closely behind Chrissy who surprisingly hadn't said anything. He was expecting the insults to start right out the door, but nothing happened. He glanced back at Arabella and then got into the car. They drove for about a minute when Chrissy looked back at Arabella.
"So, is your driver off today or did you feel like slumming it?" She asked, no hint of joking in her voice.
"Chrissy..." Hunter said quietly.
Arabella's cheeks turned bright red and she cleared her throat. She really didn't know how to respond to any of that. Hunter's cousin sounded kind of bitter and Arabella was worried that any response she gave her would result in teasing or jokes. "He, uh, he actually has most of the summer off" Arabella finally told her and she pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, suddenly wishing that she would have taken cab.
Hunter closed his eyes, hanging his head for a moment. Chrissy nodded and sighed. "Well, that's gotta be tough. I'll be sure to drop you off a few blocks away, so you don't have to be--"
"Chrissy, stop talking." Hunter said, taking a deep breath.
"Well, I just understand why she let you sleep at her place last night." She said, clearing her throat.
"Stop it, Chrissy." Hunter said, a little louder.
"The princess didn't want to get her feet dirty. She needed a ride back to camp. Isn't that right, Arabella?" Chrissy said as she pulled up to a stoplight. Hunter looked at his cousin and clenched his teeth for a second before getting out of the car. He opened Arabella's door and helped her out then held her hand as he started walking back toward camp.
Arabella didn't really know how to respond but she was really glad that Hunter had done what he had done. She didn't know what she had done to make his cousin so angry and she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do to make things better. Arabella held on to Hunter's hand with both of hers and she glanced back at the car before turning around and letting out a sigh. "I don't...why was she..." Arabella said, stumbling over her words, not sure what to say.
Hunter turned and looked angrily back at Chrissy who looked more surprised than anything. She pulled forward and opened the window, driving next to them.
"Hunter... You're just going to walk?" She said, taking a small breath.
"Chrissy. Go home." Hunter said before putting an arm protectively around Arabella's shoulders.
"Hunter, please. I'm sorry. I won't talk anymore. Just...get in." She said quietly. Hunter looked at Arabella.
"Chrissy. Go. Home." He said, pulling away from Arabella to move closer. "I cannot express how mad I am at you right now, so just go home. I'll see you when I'm home next." He said, pulling away and moving back to Arabella.
Arabella glanced over at Chrissy then back to Hunter. She really didn't know what to do and she felt really torn. She leaned into Hunter a little bit and let out a deep breath. "Hunter, it's okay. If you want to drive with her, that's totally okay with me" She said, wanting Hunter to spend a little bit more time with his cousin before they went back to camp, even if she felt so uncomfortable around her.
Hunter shook his head and when he didn't hear tires pulling away, he turned around and opened his mouth to speak, but Chrissy put her hands up in surrender and then drove away, leaving Arabella and Hunter to walk back to camp. He waited a moment and then slipped his arms around her middle, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry, Ellie..." He said quietly, taking a deep breath to try and calm down.
Arabella closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest and she let out a low sigh. "It's okay, Hunter" She said softly hugging him close. It felt good to hold him that way, it felt right. "I just don't understand what I did wrong to make her so angry.." Her voice trailed off and she lowered her head a little so she was now facing the ground.
Hunter took a small breath and felt his face heat up. "You didn't do anything, Arabella." He said quietly. "You didn't deserve any of that." He pushed some hair behind her ear and then pulled away from her, clearing his throat. "When I uh...That Fall. The one after... Brett and Ethan happened and you left and spent all that time with Ethan, I was...I was upset. It was kind of heartbreaking to be so close to telling you that I was the one who saved you and then seeing you writing your number and Ethan's hand the night before you leave for 9 months." He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck a little nervously. "I was upset. Chrissy was there for me and...and now she thinks that this is a mistake." He said, staring at the ground. "I'm...I'm really sorry..." He said, turning away from her.
Arabella took a small breath, not really sure how to react. It made sense that he would have talked to people but she didn't really expect it. Finally, she shrugged. "It's fine, Hunter, really" She said and she brushed her hand against his. "Let's just get back to camp and forget about all of this, okay?" She asked him, giving him a little smile.
Hunter pulled away a little bit again. "Arabella, we...we can start over and say we started over as much as we want, but for some reason, we can't get away from all of that garbage that happened..." He said, staring at his feet. "If we can't escape it, then...then how is this going to work? We're right back where we were and we tried to get away, but...I know this was going to happen and so I'm sorry." He said, running his fingers through his hair.
Arabella sighed, running her fingers through her hair before letting her hand fall to her side. "Hunter, what do you want me to say? Do you want me to agree with you and then we can get into a big fight and then everything will be ruined or do you want me to tell you the truth?" She raised an eyebrow at him, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "And the truth is that you're over reacting to all of this"
Hunter took a deep breath and looked up then just started walking again. He got a foot away from Arabella and then turned around to look at her. "I..." He stopped and cleared his throat. "Of course I don't want to fight and of course I don't want to ruin this, but...I mean, it's obvious that some higher power is making things difficult for us and by my recollection those higher powers are what you and I call mom and dad."
Arabella sighed "Yeah, well, maybe they're wrong" She said, looking over at him with wide eyes. Why couldn't things just be normal with them? Something always had to happen. "Look, maybe they've got some plan for us and maybe we won't find out what that is for a long time but why can't we just enjoy what we have right now? I mean, if they are planning something than clearly we went on a date last night for a reason"
Hunter chuckled quietly too himself. "And that was like the best date ever, so..." He said quietly. He turned to look at her and then took a deep breath. "I don't like pissing off the gods, but I do really like you, so I guess it makes sense for us to piss off the gods together, right?" He said before extending his hand to her. He still felt uneasy with this relationship. It was difficult not to be nervous considering how much success they've had in the past 24 hours, but he didn't want to lose her. They had gotten through too much for him to lose her now. "Not that we have much of an option. The gods are gonna be upset either way."
Arabella laughed a little bit, nodding in agreement. She gave his hand a little squeeze and walked towards camp with him, really looking forward to crashing in her bed. "They always seem to be upset about something" She said with a little shrug. They walked together in silence but Arabella's stomach was tied up in knots. Finally, she took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. "Hunter, do you think we should talk? Like...about what's happened between us?"
"What do you mean?" He said quietly, walking toward camp. "I mean...there is a lot of stuff that happened between us. And talking about it kind of...ruins the idea of starting over. On top of that, we got to a point that couldn't really be salvaged and the only reason I got to this point was by ignoring that." He said with a shrug. "Is something still bothering you about it?"
Arabella looked up at him and she shrugged. "I don't know. You just seemed a little upset about all of it earlier and, I dunno, I figured that if there was something you wanted to say it was probably the best idea to just...let it off your chest." She said in a soft voice and she looked up at him with big eyes. "I really like you, Hunter." She told him simply.
Hunter nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah...I really like me, too." He said with a smile. "I just really want this to work and I'm...I don't know. I'm worried about getting hurt and I'm worried that if I hold out too long then I'm going to get hurt." He said, running his fingers through his hair. "I really, really want this to work, Ellie."
"I really want it to work, too" Arabella said softly and she looked down at the ground before looking up at him with a little smile. She was willing to work as hard and she needed to to make it work between them. They had gone through too much and in Arabella's opinion, it was too late to go back now. "Do you think we're getting closer to camp?"
Hunter nodded. "We're only about 15 minutes away, I think." He said, looking over at her. "I've walked here plenty of times. Sorry we had to walk." He said, taking her hand again. "It's a good thing we like spending time with each other." He said with a grin. He kept walking for a while and finally they were standing in front of Half-Blood Hill. He stopped and took her hands, looking toward her. "Let's...just...go back to camp, not let any drama effect us, and see where that takes us, huh?" He said, running his thumb over the back of her hand.
Arabella looked up at him, locking eyes with him and a smile spread across her lips. "Deal" She nodded. "We'll go back to camp and we'll just...enjoy out summer, have a good time. Drama free" She agreed with him and she leaned closer to him, placing a kiss on his cheek then letting go of his hands and running up the hill.
Arabella groaned when the sun shone through her window and she shoved her face in her pillow. For a moment, she had forgotten where she was. She was sure that she was in her bed at camp and maybe it had all been a dream. What finally woke her was the sound of cars going past from her open window. Arabella sat up, looking around her bedroom and a smile spread across her lips. Hunter was downstairs and she was sure that she could hear him cooking. She rolled out of bed, tugging on the hem of her shorts and pulling on a sweater before she walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs. "Hunter?" She said, poking her head into the kitchen.
Hunter turned around, yawning a little bit. "Good morning, sleepyhead." He said with a wave. He turned back to the stove and stirred some eggs before turning away and checking in the microwave. "A couple more minutes." He said to himself before turning back to Arabella. "I set Gracie on that chair because she stole the first pancake." He said, pointing to the small dog who was sitting on a very high chair in the middle of the kitchen, unable to get down. "I banished her."
Arabella turned her eyes away from Hunter and looked over at her tiny little dog, sitting up on the chair. Gracie started to bark when she saw Arabella. "Oh...what a cutie" Arabella laughed and she walked over, scratching Gracie's ear but not getting her off of the chair. "Did you have a good sleep?" Arabella asked him, looking back at him with a sleepy smile. It was great to see him again and when she saw him, her heart skipped a beat.
Hunter nodded, turning back to the food. He had slept fine and it felt strangely natural to see her first thing in the morning. He liked it. Hunter finally turned off the stove and filled three plates with two pancakes, sausage links, eggs, bacon, and some fresh fruit. He put the dishes in the sink and then turned, handing Arabella a plate. "I assumed Tyler was eating with us, so I made a plate for him." He said, gesturing to the third plate.
"Oh...this looks amazing, Hunter" Arabella said happily and walked over to the table. "Tyler will probably eat his for lunch. He tends to sleep in until noon" She said with a little laugh. She put her plate down on the table and walked back into the kitchen, over to the coffee machine. "Do you want some coffee?" She asked him, starting to get it ready.
"Uh...No thanks. I don't really drink coffee." He said with a shrug. He picked at his food a little bit, taking a couple bites. "Any ideas on how we're going to get back? I mean, we could walk." He said with a nod. "I could call my uncle and he can drive us there. That works too." He said, runnig his fingers through his hair.
"I am far too lazy to walk all the way back to camp" Arabella laughed and she glanced over to Hunter. "If your uncle doesn't mind picking us up, that would be amazing. Tell him that I can pay for gas money" She said with a nod and she took her finished cup of coffee, walking over to the table and sitting down. She yawned and took a bite of her food. "Oh my gods, Hunter, this is amazing" She sighed, eating more of her food.
Hunter smiled, taking a few more bites before wiping off his hands. He cleared his throat and walked over to the phone, quickly dialing his house.
"Hello?" Chrissy answered.
"Hey, Chrissy. Is Uncle Wayne there?" He asked. She yawned.
"No. My mom and he went to the garage for the car." She said. Hunter sighed. "What do you need?"
"Uhh...Well, I'm over at Arabella's and we need a ride back to camp." She scoffed and audibly rolled her eyes.
"Can't she get her driver to do it for her in her limo?" She said, clearly upset.
"Just tell Uncle Wayne that I called." He said before going to hang up.
"No! No, no. I'll do it. Where does she live?" She said, moving around. Hunter glanced over at Arabella and then took a deep breath, finally saying her address. He hung up and went back to his plate.
"My cousin is coming to pick us up in a little while."
"Oh! That is perfect! I can't wait to meet her" Arabella said with a big smile. She took a big drink of her coffee before she went back to her food. They ate in silence for a little while and that made Arabella very happy. It made her happy because the silence was comfortable. They could sit together and not say anything but still feel comfortable around each other. At least, it felt comfortable for Arabella. Finally, she cleared her throat and looked down at her empty plate before looking up at Hunter. "Hunter, I uh, I know that we decided not to talk about the past but I just wanted to thank you. I know that I freaked out when you told me about Ethan but if it wasn't for you, he would have hurt me even more. So...thank you."
Hunter looked up at her for a moment then shrugged. "I...I'm just sorry that I didn't do it sooner." He said quietly, taking the last few bites of breakfast then putting the dishes in the sink. "It's probably 30 minutes from my house to here, so we still have a little while." He said, starting to wash the dishes. He was trying to play off the past. They had a pretty checkered past, but there was a reason he wanted to let it go. It didn't take long for Hunter to finish the dishes and when he checked his watch they still had 15 minutes left, so Hunter grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and went to the living room, sitting down on the couch.
Arabella had run upstairs to get dressed while Hunter was doing the dishes and when she heard the water stop and him move into the living room, Arabella walked downstairs. She had changed into a pair of denim shorts and a pink hoodie. She tugged on the sleeves of her sweater as she walked into the living room and sat down next to Hunter. "Thanks for breakfast. It was so much better than the left over Chinese food" She said with a laugh.
Hunter smiled. "Hey, it was the least I could do as thanks for last night." He said with a nod. He tapped his fingers on his knees for a moment then turned to look at her. "Can I ask you a question?" He said, taking a deep breath. "It's nothing to worry about. If you were a pirate, would you put a parrot on this shoulder?" He said, putting his hand on the shoulder close to him. "Or on this shoulder?" He said, putting his arm around her, his hand on her other shoulder.
Arabella giggled, rolling her eyes but her heart started to race and she leaned into his side a little bit. "This one, for sure" She said, reaching up and touching the tips of her fingers to where his were on her shoulder. Arabella smiled up at him, not moving a muscle. It felt so good to be in his arm like that, her fingers touching his. "What about you? What shoulder would you put your parrot on?"
"I don't like birds." He said with a nod. "So...neither. I think I might have a gerbil or something. A small dog." He said and with perfect timing Gracie ran over, jumping onto his lap. Hunter carefully picked her up, placing her on his shoulder. "There we go. Much better." He said with a nod just as there was a loud knock on the door. Hunter placed Gracie in Arabella's lap. "That must be Chrissy." He said, heading for the door.
Arabella jumped up from the couch, holding Gracie close to her chest. She placed a big kiss on the dog's head before putting her down on the couch. She yawned, grabbing her bag and throwing it over she shoulder. Arabella stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a couple granola bars before joining Hunter at the door. Together they walked out and Arabella locked the door behind her. When she turned around, she smiled and waved at Hunter's cousin.
Hunter walked closely behind Chrissy who surprisingly hadn't said anything. He was expecting the insults to start right out the door, but nothing happened. He glanced back at Arabella and then got into the car. They drove for about a minute when Chrissy looked back at Arabella.
"So, is your driver off today or did you feel like slumming it?" She asked, no hint of joking in her voice.
"Chrissy..." Hunter said quietly.
Arabella's cheeks turned bright red and she cleared her throat. She really didn't know how to respond to any of that. Hunter's cousin sounded kind of bitter and Arabella was worried that any response she gave her would result in teasing or jokes. "He, uh, he actually has most of the summer off" Arabella finally told her and she pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, suddenly wishing that she would have taken cab.
Hunter closed his eyes, hanging his head for a moment. Chrissy nodded and sighed. "Well, that's gotta be tough. I'll be sure to drop you off a few blocks away, so you don't have to be--"
"Chrissy, stop talking." Hunter said, taking a deep breath.
"Well, I just understand why she let you sleep at her place last night." She said, clearing her throat.
"Stop it, Chrissy." Hunter said, a little louder.
"The princess didn't want to get her feet dirty. She needed a ride back to camp. Isn't that right, Arabella?" Chrissy said as she pulled up to a stoplight. Hunter looked at his cousin and clenched his teeth for a second before getting out of the car. He opened Arabella's door and helped her out then held her hand as he started walking back toward camp.
Arabella didn't really know how to respond but she was really glad that Hunter had done what he had done. She didn't know what she had done to make his cousin so angry and she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do to make things better. Arabella held on to Hunter's hand with both of hers and she glanced back at the car before turning around and letting out a sigh. "I don't...why was she..." Arabella said, stumbling over her words, not sure what to say.
Hunter turned and looked angrily back at Chrissy who looked more surprised than anything. She pulled forward and opened the window, driving next to them.
"Hunter... You're just going to walk?" She said, taking a small breath.
"Chrissy. Go home." Hunter said before putting an arm protectively around Arabella's shoulders.
"Hunter, please. I'm sorry. I won't talk anymore. Just...get in." She said quietly. Hunter looked at Arabella.
"Chrissy. Go. Home." He said, pulling away from Arabella to move closer. "I cannot express how mad I am at you right now, so just go home. I'll see you when I'm home next." He said, pulling away and moving back to Arabella.
Arabella glanced over at Chrissy then back to Hunter. She really didn't know what to do and she felt really torn. She leaned into Hunter a little bit and let out a deep breath. "Hunter, it's okay. If you want to drive with her, that's totally okay with me" She said, wanting Hunter to spend a little bit more time with his cousin before they went back to camp, even if she felt so uncomfortable around her.
Hunter shook his head and when he didn't hear tires pulling away, he turned around and opened his mouth to speak, but Chrissy put her hands up in surrender and then drove away, leaving Arabella and Hunter to walk back to camp. He waited a moment and then slipped his arms around her middle, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry, Ellie..." He said quietly, taking a deep breath to try and calm down.
Arabella closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest and she let out a low sigh. "It's okay, Hunter" She said softly hugging him close. It felt good to hold him that way, it felt right. "I just don't understand what I did wrong to make her so angry.." Her voice trailed off and she lowered her head a little so she was now facing the ground.
Hunter took a small breath and felt his face heat up. "You didn't do anything, Arabella." He said quietly. "You didn't deserve any of that." He pushed some hair behind her ear and then pulled away from her, clearing his throat. "When I uh...That Fall. The one after... Brett and Ethan happened and you left and spent all that time with Ethan, I was...I was upset. It was kind of heartbreaking to be so close to telling you that I was the one who saved you and then seeing you writing your number and Ethan's hand the night before you leave for 9 months." He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck a little nervously. "I was upset. Chrissy was there for me and...and now she thinks that this is a mistake." He said, staring at the ground. "I'm...I'm really sorry..." He said, turning away from her.
Arabella took a small breath, not really sure how to react. It made sense that he would have talked to people but she didn't really expect it. Finally, she shrugged. "It's fine, Hunter, really" She said and she brushed her hand against his. "Let's just get back to camp and forget about all of this, okay?" She asked him, giving him a little smile.
Hunter pulled away a little bit again. "Arabella, we...we can start over and say we started over as much as we want, but for some reason, we can't get away from all of that garbage that happened..." He said, staring at his feet. "If we can't escape it, then...then how is this going to work? We're right back where we were and we tried to get away, but...I know this was going to happen and so I'm sorry." He said, running his fingers through his hair.
Arabella sighed, running her fingers through her hair before letting her hand fall to her side. "Hunter, what do you want me to say? Do you want me to agree with you and then we can get into a big fight and then everything will be ruined or do you want me to tell you the truth?" She raised an eyebrow at him, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "And the truth is that you're over reacting to all of this"
Hunter took a deep breath and looked up then just started walking again. He got a foot away from Arabella and then turned around to look at her. "I..." He stopped and cleared his throat. "Of course I don't want to fight and of course I don't want to ruin this, but...I mean, it's obvious that some higher power is making things difficult for us and by my recollection those higher powers are what you and I call mom and dad."
Arabella sighed "Yeah, well, maybe they're wrong" She said, looking over at him with wide eyes. Why couldn't things just be normal with them? Something always had to happen. "Look, maybe they've got some plan for us and maybe we won't find out what that is for a long time but why can't we just enjoy what we have right now? I mean, if they are planning something than clearly we went on a date last night for a reason"
Hunter chuckled quietly too himself. "And that was like the best date ever, so..." He said quietly. He turned to look at her and then took a deep breath. "I don't like pissing off the gods, but I do really like you, so I guess it makes sense for us to piss off the gods together, right?" He said before extending his hand to her. He still felt uneasy with this relationship. It was difficult not to be nervous considering how much success they've had in the past 24 hours, but he didn't want to lose her. They had gotten through too much for him to lose her now. "Not that we have much of an option. The gods are gonna be upset either way."
Arabella laughed a little bit, nodding in agreement. She gave his hand a little squeeze and walked towards camp with him, really looking forward to crashing in her bed. "They always seem to be upset about something" She said with a little shrug. They walked together in silence but Arabella's stomach was tied up in knots. Finally, she took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. "Hunter, do you think we should talk? Like...about what's happened between us?"
"What do you mean?" He said quietly, walking toward camp. "I mean...there is a lot of stuff that happened between us. And talking about it kind of...ruins the idea of starting over. On top of that, we got to a point that couldn't really be salvaged and the only reason I got to this point was by ignoring that." He said with a shrug. "Is something still bothering you about it?"
Arabella looked up at him and she shrugged. "I don't know. You just seemed a little upset about all of it earlier and, I dunno, I figured that if there was something you wanted to say it was probably the best idea to just...let it off your chest." She said in a soft voice and she looked up at him with big eyes. "I really like you, Hunter." She told him simply.
Hunter nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah...I really like me, too." He said with a smile. "I just really want this to work and I'm...I don't know. I'm worried about getting hurt and I'm worried that if I hold out too long then I'm going to get hurt." He said, running his fingers through his hair. "I really, really want this to work, Ellie."
"I really want it to work, too" Arabella said softly and she looked down at the ground before looking up at him with a little smile. She was willing to work as hard and she needed to to make it work between them. They had gone through too much and in Arabella's opinion, it was too late to go back now. "Do you think we're getting closer to camp?"
Hunter nodded. "We're only about 15 minutes away, I think." He said, looking over at her. "I've walked here plenty of times. Sorry we had to walk." He said, taking her hand again. "It's a good thing we like spending time with each other." He said with a grin. He kept walking for a while and finally they were standing in front of Half-Blood Hill. He stopped and took her hands, looking toward her. "Let's...just...go back to camp, not let any drama effect us, and see where that takes us, huh?" He said, running his thumb over the back of her hand.
Arabella looked up at him, locking eyes with him and a smile spread across her lips. "Deal" She nodded. "We'll go back to camp and we'll just...enjoy out summer, have a good time. Drama free" She agreed with him and she leaned closer to him, placing a kiss on his cheek then letting go of his hands and running up the hill.
Chapter 74 - Arabella and Hunter
"She's still getting ready" Daniel said when he opened the door for Hunter. Arabella rolled her eyes, running around her bed, trying to get her purse and all of her jewellery and makeup together for the date. She tossed her wallet into her little purse and sat down on her bed.
"I'll be right there!" Arabella called towards the door, pulling on her high heels.
"So, where are you taking my sister tonight?" Daniel asked Hunter, leaning against the door frame and folding her arms across his chest.
Hunter leaned on the cabin, catching his breath. He looked up at Daniel and then took a deep breath.
"I'm actually taking her to a restaurant called Daniel." He said with a chuckle. "It should be...really good." He said, standing up straight. "Phew. I'm sorry. I ran here."
"You're driving there, though, right?" Daniel asked, narrowing his eyes at Hunter. Hunter nodded.
"Yeah. I've got a car parked on the other side of the hill." He said with a smile.
Daniel let out a bit of a sigh but he didn't say anything, however, when Arabella heard silence from the door she moved a bit faster. Daniel might not be saying anything but that didn't mean he approved of Hunter now. Arabella wanted to avoid as much awkwardness as possible. She grabbed her purse and stood up, tugging on the hem of her dress a little as she walked. "Hi, Hunter" Arabella said in a soft voice, smiling at him as she walked up to the door. He looked handsome and nervous and Arabella couldn't be more excited for this date.
Hunter looked at Arabella and his mind went blank. Now that she was there and dressed for their date it all seemed so real and it was actually happening. "Oh, wow..." He said quietly. "You look beautiful, Arabella." He looked at her dress then up to meet her eyes. He blushed, but he didn't look away. He just smiled and then licked his lips a little bit nervously before offering his arm to her. "Shall we?"
Arabella nodded then turned to Daniel, giving him a little wave. "See you later, Danny" She said and she stepped out of the cabin, closing the door behind her. She looked up at Hunter with a big smile. "Did I hear that right? We're going to Daniel?" She asked him, wiggling her eyebrows a little bit.
"Yeah." Hunter said with a nod. "I hear it's supposed to be really nice there." He said as they walked toward the hill. "You do look really pretty, Ellie." He said, looking over at her. "And now I feel a little underdressed..." He looked down at himself and smoothed out his shirt. "I'm...sorry." he said nervously.
"You look amazing" Arabella reassured him, touching his sleeve lightly. "I've heard that it's a really good restaurant, but I haven't had a chance to go there, yet" She told him, walking with him towards the hill. "How was your day today? I was kind of busy and I didn't really see you" She said, making a bit of small talk while they walked.
"It was good. I was...incredibly nervous, to be honest." He said with a sigh. "And I didn't really think asking you out through, so it was a bit of a rush and I don't know why I'm telling you this." He said, rubbing his eyes as they reached the top of the hill. "The jeep is mine. Well, it's not mine, but I'm borrowing it for this." He said, looking over at Arabella and sighing.
Arabella smiled up at him and she took a step closer to him, slipping her arm through his. She held onto him lightly as they started to walk down the hill. "It's okay, Hunter. Everything is going to be perfect tonight" She told him, trying to make him feel a bit better. "So, tell me about your family. You said that you have a cousin? What's she like?"
Hunter smiled at her, blushing softly. He tried to think of what to say about Chrissy without mentioning that she hated Arabella. Hunter nodded his head back and forth for a second. "Her name is Chrissy. She's a couple years older than we are. She's...She's kind of my best friend. At least she was. Not sure if she is anymore. I love her for obvious reasons and I always will." He said with a shrug. "I don't know what else to say." He said, rubbing the back of his neck a little nervously. "The rest of my family is my uncle and aunt then two other cousins." He said with a nod. "A set of twins. Julie and Steven. They're both in college. How about you? How's Tyler?"
"Tyler's doing really good!" Arabella told him, smiling when she mentioned her little brother's name. "He seems to really be enjoying school, which is good" She added with a little nod. It had been a little while since she had last seen Tyler and she worried about him a lot when they were apart. She always felt like she needed to protect him. Arabella cleared her throat and pushed a piece of loose hair out of her eyes. "I'm liking this Jeep" She said with a little laugh as they got closer to the car.
"Well, wait until we start driving." He said with a small laugh as he opened her door for her. He closed it and then hurried over to his side, getting in and starting the car. It died again almost immediately. Hunter gave it another try and sent a desperate prayer to any god that was listening. It finally started and he started heading down the road toward the city. "So, why don't you have your drivers license? No desire or no need?" He asked, glancing over for a second, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as to not embarrass himself.
"Uh, no need, I guess" Arabella shrugged, leaning back in her seat and glancing out of the window. She looked back at him and smiled a little bit, just happy to be in the car with him and driving towards the city. "My dad has always had drivers for us and he doesn't really want me to learn how to drive. I asked him but he totally just brushed me off" She confessed and played with the hem of her dress. "I'd really like to learn, though"
Hunter nodded. "Well, maybe I could teach you sometime..." He said quietly. "I mean, I'm not a teacher or an expert or anything." He said quietly. "If you wanted to learn, I guess." He looked down at the steering wheel and took a deep breath. "What does your dad do. I'm not sure if we ever really talked about that." He said, simply trying to find something to talk about.
Arabella laughed a little bit and shrugged. "Who knows? He's some...CEO for this big company." Arabella told him and she looked out of the window, watching the trees pass as they drove down the road. "We don't really talk about his job. It usually gives me a headache so I don't bother asking him about it anymore" She said with a bit of a laugh. "Did you get to see your family much this past year? You seem to be getting a bit closer to them"
"Yeah. My aunt and I have talked a lot more and we're just growing closer. It's nice. I feel like I have a place to go home to now." He said with a nod. "I mean, Camp is always going to feel like home, but sometimes it's just nice to get away from it, you know? Like...I go home to take a vacation. I don't know. I'm weird." He said with a shrug. "It's just...a really long and sad story that shouldn't darken our date." He said with a smile as he parked outside of the restaurant and got out to open her door.
Arabella blushed a little bit when he opened the door for her and she stepped out, holding onto the side of the car for a second while she balanced herself on her high heels. She looked up at the fancy restaurant with a look of awe on her face. "This is...wow. Hunter, this is really incredible" She breathed and smiled up at him and she stepped away from the Jeep, moving towards the doors. "I can't believe that we're coming here, I mean, really...wow"
"My uh...My uncle suggested it." He said, looking up at the restaurant. "Now you see why I feel underdressed." He said with a sigh. "You fit in perfectly." Hunter opened the door for her and then followed her inside. He headed toward the hostess and she looked up with a smile.
"Hello, sir. Welcome to Daniel. Do you have a reservation?" She asked, looking down at her podium.
"Uhh...No. I...We just walked in." He said, glancing over at Arabella, feeling embarrassed. The hostess' face fell slightly.
"Well, It's gonna be about an hour wait, unfortunately. Is that okay?" Hunter rubbed his eyes and then gave the hostess his name before walking back to Arabella.
"It's...It's going to be an hour..." He said quietly, looking at his feet. "Sorry..."
Arabella let out a little puff of air. An hour wait sucked but it wasn't the end of the world. Hunter looked so upset, Arabella just wanted to make him feel a bit better. "Well, that's no problem. We can...I don't know, we can go for a bit of a walk while we wait? Or we could go somewhere else. The possibilities are endless" She said with a bit of an added giggle.
"Yeah!" He said quickly. "Sorry. We can go somewhere else." He looked around for a moment. "I mean, I don't know any other places." He said. "I mean, we can just...go for a walk. I'm sorry. I should have called ahead..." He walked toward the exit and opened the door for Arabella, then following her out of the restaurant onto the street. "Maybe we should drive around."
"A drive sounds really good" Arabella said, honestly rather excited. It would be great going for supper but she really just wanted to spend some time with Hunter, talking about some things and getting to know him. ''So, where do you want to go?" She asked him, wiggling her eyebrows as they walked towards the Jeep.
"I don't know. I mean,you probably know this part of the city better than I do." He said with a nod as he opened her door for her. He got in then started the car, checking the time. "I'll just drive and if you see another restaurant or if we want to get out and walk, then you can just say so. Sorry about...not being more prepared..."
"Hunter. Stop apologizing. I'm really having a good time. Everything is going to be fine" She told him with a little smile and she slid into seat, buckling up her seat belt as she waited for Hunter to get into the driver's seat. When he sat down and started the car, she pointed down the road. "Head out this way. It's a good part of the city" She told him and leaned back in her chair.
Hunter nodded and opened his mouth to apologize again then stopped. He drove as Arabella directed and looked around, admiring all of the buildings and things. "See any other restaurants?" He asked, looking over at Arabella and finding himself looking at her as she bit her lip. He stared at her lips for a moment, only turning away when she looked and caught him. "So, where is your school and stuff?" He asked, clearing his throat a little bit.
"Uh, pretty close to here, actually" Arabella said, sitting up a little straighter and playing with her fingers in her lap. She glanced out of the window for a second before glancing back at Hunter. "Just down this street a little bit, we'll be going past Central Park and my school and my house is all within about a 10 minute walk of there" She said then let out a little breath. "It's nice, it's a good place to live" She shrugged. "Didn't you say that your family is close to camp?"
"Yeah. It's not too far from camp, but it's in a different direction from the city." He said with a shrug. "I haven't really done a lot of exploring in the city. I drove a fair amount in it, but I was kind of distracted by the whole...focusing on the road thing." He said, taking a turn toward Arabella's house without her telling him.
Arabella furrowed her brow a little bit when Hunter turned the car towards the street she lived on. "We, uh, we should go down to Times Square. Have you seen it, yet?" She asked him. Arabella wasn't sure if he knew where she lived or if she wanted to know the answer to that question. She just wanted the date to go well and she figured that if she got far from her house, things might be better.
Hunter shrugged. "Only in the daytime which didn't seem as impressive. It's probably tons better when it's dark, right?" He said, turning away from her street and toward Time Square. "Have you lived here your whole life?" He asked, looking at some of the buildings and stopping at a stoplight.
"Born and raised" Arabella nodded with a little smile and she glanced over at Hunter. She really didn't know that much about him or his past. He seemed to really keep it close to his chest for the most part. "What about you? Where is the magnificent Hunter from?" She asked him with a little playful tone in her voice.
"Connecticut." He said with a nod. As much as he had come to terms with his past and as he's gotten over a lot of it since talking to his Aunt, it was still a little sensitive. It felt odd sharing it with Arabella, but at the same time it felt natural. "My mom and I traveled around a little bit when I was very young, but then we settled in New York with my aunt and uncle and cousins." He said quietly, not wanting to mention the car wreck or his grandparents. "I owe my aunt and uncle a lot." He said, taking a deep breath.
Arabella nodded a little bit and she looked down at her lap. She knew that it was best not to push him anymore. If he wanted to tell her, he would tell her in his own time and when he was ready. "Well, your family seems pretty great" She said, looking up at him. Arabella bit her lip and looked out of the window for a long moment before turning back to Hunter. "How old were you when you came to camp?"
"Well, I started going part time when I was 5. That was summers and some other times of the year. I started going full time when I was 12 or 13, I think." He said with a nod. He kept driving when he felt the car shake a little bit and he kept moving when the engine revved several times and the engine died. Hunter took a deep breath in surprise and steered it into a parking spot before throwing it in park and looking over at Arabella. "Gods, no this can't be happening..." He said under his breath as he took the key out then put it back in, turning it. The engine turned and turned and finally started only to die immediately after. Hunter sighed and hit his head on the steering wheel. "I cannot believe this car just broke down..." He said quietly.
Arabella looked out the window, away from Hunter. She wanted to get her composure and stay calm and happy. He seemed so upset and she didn't really want to make it worse. Arabella looked back at Hunter with a small smile, resting her hand on his back. "Hey, it's okay. We, uh, we can walk. It should be that far from here" She told him. "Is there a manual or anything in here? A number to call or something?"
Hunter buried his face in his hands, thinking. "I can call my uncle. Let me find a payphone." He said, getting out and hurrying toward a payphone across the street. He put in some change and dialed the number. It rang twice and then his uncle picked up. "Hey, uncle Wayne."
"Hey, kiddo. How's the date going?" He asked excitedly. Hunter glanced over as Arabella made her way across the street.
"Terrible. The car just broke down. Arabella and I are going to get going to see if we can get still get a table at the restaurant." Hunter said. He told his uncle where the car was and then hung up, locking the car and then looking at Arabella. She looked beautiful and she got dressed up for the worst date in history. "I'm so sorry, Arabella."
"Hunter, it's really okay." Arabella told him, walking closer to him. She took a little breath before slipping her hand into his. "At least it's a beautiful night. It's warm, it's not raining and we're in the best city in the world" She said and smiled up at him. "What did your uncle say?" She asked him, not letting go of his hand just yet.
Hunter blushed and looked at their hands together. "He and my cousin are going to come and see if they can take care of it. Then they might call a tow if they can't." Hunter ran his finger over the back of her hand. "Well, we better hurry if we want to get a table." He said, pulled his hand out of hers, heading back the way they came to try and find the restaurant again.
Arabella looked down at the ground for a moment, part of her really wishing that Hunter hadn't dropped her hand like that. It felt good to hold his hand. She let out a little sigh before looking back up and following him as he walked down the street. "It shouldn't be too hard to find and with any luck, it won't take to long" She said and smiled up at Hunter. "So...Jake said that he broke up with that girl he had been seeing?"
Hunter looked over at her and took a deep breath. "Yeah. From what he told me, they were hanging out one night and he asked her why they weren't more serious or something." Hunter said with a shrug. "She laughed and he said he was being serious. That's pretty much all he told me. He seems to be perfectly happy without her anymore, so I don't feel too bad for him." He shrugged as he walked, slipping his hands in his pockets. Hunter felt a little bad for acting a little cold toward Arabella, but he was feeling a little stressed about this date.
"That's good! I'm happy for him" Arabella said, focusing on keeping pace with Hunter in her high heels. "From what he told me, it didn't really seem like that great of a relationship" She said and looked around at where they were, trying to figure out how far it was going to be until they got back to Daniel. "I have a sister in Aphrodite who was in a relationship like that. It was terrible. She would cry for a day straight over this guy when they would break up and the next day when she saw him again, they were totally fine. It was confusing!" She said, finishing with a bit of a laugh. Finally, she let out a puff of air. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid story, I'm just talking because I'm nervous and I want this to go well"
Hunter looked over at her and took a small breath. He couldn't help, but laugh a little bit, mostly because it was a little relieving to see that he wasn't the only one nervous about this. "That's okay. I'm just glad one of us is talking." He said with a sigh. They walked a little bit further and finally found the restaurant again. Hunter walked in and found the hostess. "Hi, we're back and it's been about an hour." He said, clearing his throat.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. We had a big group come in and we had to give them your table. If you'd like we can have another table ready for you in about 45 minutes." She said with a smile. Hunter's jaw dropped and he stepped away, rubbing his eyes. He finally gave her his name and Hunter looked up at Arabella for a second, feeling so embarrassed.
"They gave our table away. They can have another one ready in 45 minutes." He said quietly, studying his feet. "Gods, this is such a disaster." He said, walking out of the restaurant and back into the cool night air.
"Oh...uhm, it's okay" Arabella said and she looked over at Hunter, who looked crushed. "No, really, it's okay. Can we just find a bench or something somewhere? My feet are really killing me" She said, offering him a little smile and balancing on one foot lightly, to get pressure off of the other foot. Arabella was pretty good in high heels but she had walked pretty far in a pair of very high heels.
Hunter nodded and cleared his throat, walking down the street a little bit to find a bench near a bus stop. He helped her sit down and then took his seat next to her, looking down at his lap. "I'm sorry about your feet." He said quietly, watching her as she took off one of her shoes. "I like your nail polish." He said quietly, looking down at her foot.
Arabella grinned and glanced down at her feet, remembering that time they sat on the beach together and he mentioned her nail polish. "Oh, thanks. I worked hard on it" She said, moving towards him a little bit on the seat. She put her shoes down on the ground and rested her feet on top of them. "I see you still have the same green shoes you've always had" She said with a little smile.
"Why fix what ain't broke, right?" He said quietly. "I've been wearing green shoes since I was nine." He tapped his feet together and leaned back on the bench before checking his watch. "Wow. It's already 10 o clock." He said quietly. "And we haven't even had food yet." He added under his breath. "We're going to miss curfew at this point."
"It's probably too late to get supper" Arabella said softly and she glanced over at him. "And I highly doubt that we're going to make it back in time for curfew" She added with a little bit of a giggle. Arabella thought about it for a moment then let out a little sigh. "I live pretty close to here. Why don't we just go to my place? We should have enough stuff in the fridge to make a couple sandwiches."
Hunter sighed a little bit. He hated how this date was going and he felt completely embarrassed. He did blush a little at the prospect of going to her place, but he pushed it down when his stomach grumbled. "Yeah. That sounds okay." He said, taking a deep breath. "You need me to carry you? Or are your feet feeling better?" He asked, standing up and extending his hands to help her stand.
"I should be fine" Arabella said and she slid into her shoes. When she stood up, she winced a little bit but still held onto Hunter's hand. "Totally fine" She tried to assure him and she started to take a couple of steps but it was really starting to hurt. "When we get back to my place, you can call your uncle on the house phone. Maybe he'll be able to tell you something about the car"
Hunter nodded and kept walking, but stopped when he felt Arabella's hand squeeze his as she winced again. "Okay. Take off your shoes." He said, holding out his arm to let her balance while she slipped out of her heels. He picked up her shoes then put his back to her, crouching down. "Piggy back ride time." He said, glancing back at her.
Arabella laughed a little bit and she glanced around before she slipped her arms around his neck and she hopped on to his back, hooking her legs on his sides. "You good?" She asked, laughing as he stood up and started walking with her. "Oh...my hero" She teased and she leaned against him a little bit, closing her eyes for a moment. "Thank you, Hunter" She said softly.
"No thanks necessary, ma'am." He said with a smile as he hooked his arms under her legs. Hunter's face was bright red as he felt her warm breath on the back of his neck. He didn't mind giving her a piggyback ride and it was the very least he could do after the date he just put her through. "I'm really sorry about tonight." He finally said quietly. Arabella didn't say anything and that made him realize how quietly he did say it. She probably didn't even hear him.
"If you just go down this street about a block and then hang a right, we'll be at my place in like...5 minutes" Arabella told him. She had heard what he ahd said but she didn't want to dwell on it. Yeah, the date had gone a little off but it didn't ruin how she felt about Hunter or how she saw him. Arabella let out a relaxed sigh and she rested her head on his shoulder, happy that she was that close to him in that moment. She saw him turn down her street and she lifted her head "We're the one with all of the ivy on it and none of the lights on" She told him, stifling a yawn.
Hunter nodded, already knowing which house it was. He turned his head and saw Arabella's face, her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed. He felt so much like kissing her right then, but he resisted the urge, looking forward again. He doubted that she would want to kiss him after a first date. Especially a first date this bad. It was being salvaged for parts at this point. He stopped in front of her brownstone and climbed the stoop before letting her down, turning around to face her.
"Thank you so much, Hunter" She sighed, happy to be back home and not having to worry about her feet anymore. She took her shoes back from him and dug around in her purse until she found the key and unlocked the door. "My dad is off on business. I think he's in Europe for the next week or so" She said and she turned to Hunter. "Really, thanks for carrying me" She kissed his cheek then pushed the door open and walked into the house. "Gracie!"
Hunter stood there frozen as he took a deep breath. They had kissed plenty of times, but it felt so different now. In a way he truly did start over with her. He didn't count all of the other kisses they had shared. Hunter finally followed her into the house, closing the door behind him. "Oh, I finally get to meet Gracie." He said, looking around for the tiny dog. He had seen the dog from a far and he had read about her, but he had never met the puppy.
Arabella smiled wide when the little puppy came running down the stairs. She picked her up, scratching behind her ears. "My baby girl. I miss her so much in the summers when I'm away. I practically just come back during the school year for her" She said with a bit of a laugh. Arabella kissed the dog's nose then passed her over to Hunter. "I'll make us some food. The phone is in here if you wanted to call your uncle" she called back to him, walking into the kitchen and opening up the fridge.
Gracie squirmed in Hunter's arms a little bit until Hunter looked down only to be met with a tongue to the chin. Hunter scrunched his nose a little bit just as he heard some heavier footfalls on the steps. He looked up to see a young kid, tall and thin with a pair of glasses pushed onto his face. "Uhh...hey." Hunter said with a small wave as headed into the kitchen, looking for Arabella. He finally set Gracie down, met with a couple yips before Hunter grabbed the phone and quickly dialed his aunt and uncle's house.
"I can make us a super fancy meal and by super fancy, I mean a ham and cheese sandwich with a side of Pepsi and chips because I can't cook to save my life" Arabella told Hunter with a little laugh and she turned to face him, only to find him on the phone with her little brother walking into the kitchen behind him. "Tyler!" Arabella squeaked and she ran over, hugging him tightly. "You're home! I forgot that you were coming home from school"
"Yeah, I just got in yesterday" Tyler said, hugging Arabella back tightly.
Hunter looked up at the two of them as his uncle spouted off some details about the car. Hunter stepped into another room just as his uncle let out a sigh.
"So, we'll get a new car at some point." He said.
"I'm really sorry, Uncle Wayne." Hunter said quietly.
"It's alright, kiddo. That car was on its last legs, anyway. No need to apologize." He said with a chuckle. "Chrissy was begging for a new car anyway. With her birthday coming up, I might make it a nice one." He paused for a moment. "So, how did the date end up going?"
"Well, we got to the restaurant. It was an hour wait. So we left. The car broke down. We got back to the restaurant to find that they had given our table away. It was another 45 minutes wait, so we left and I'm calling you from her house now."
"Whoa, whoa. You're at her house?" He said. Hunter shook his head.
"Yes, but it's just to get some food. I'll walk back to camp after that." He said with a sigh. He knew that it would be a terrible walk, but he didn't have much of a choice.
"Alright. Well, be smart. Be safe. Feel free to come home for tonight. I don't want--" There was a voice in the background and Wayne's voice disappeared for a few moments.
"Give-Give me the phone." Hunter recognized the voice as his aunt Lucy. "Hunter?"
"Yes, ma'am?" He said, straightening up a little bit.
"Don't listen to your uncle. Have a good time tonight. From what he's told me, you could use a fun night, so don't worry about walking back to camp. If she lives in the city that's gotta be an hour's walk."
"Well, I don't want to impose. And I don't mind." Hunter said quietly.
"Okay, sweetie. Well, I'll leave it up to you. Call us if you need anything. Love you." She said. Hunter replied in kind then hung up, walking back into the kitchen and putting the phone back, letting out a small yawn.
Arabella was just finishing up with the sandwiches. Tyler was leaning against the counter, waiting for his and Gracie was at her feet, praying that Arabella would drop some food on the ground. "What did he say?" Arabella asked him, putting the cheese back in the fridge and putting the last piece of bread on top of the sandwiches. She passed one to Tyler then sat up on the counter, taking a bite out of hers.
Hunter moved, grabbing his plate and leaning on the counter next to Arabella. "Well, the battery is dead. And it has a cracked cylinder cap. My uncle is taking it to the shop tomorrow and he'll see if there's anything else, but it looks like we'll be buying a new car." He said, eating a couple of chips. He looked at Arabella then saw Tyler and quickly shook himself, brushing off his hand. "I'm sorry. Hi, I'm Hunter." He said, extending his hand to Tyler. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Tyler" He said, quickly shaking his hand. "Hey" He said, nodding at him then taking a big bite of his sandwich.
"So, do you have a plan for tonight?" Arabella asked Hunter, her eyebrows knitting together in worry. She really didn't want him to be stuck anywhere or end up having to take a cab or something like that, it would be a ridiculous amount of money.
Hunter opened his mouth to speak, but his stomach growled loudly. "Well, eat this sandwich." He said with a nod. He took a bite out of the sandwich and smiled, nodding toward Arabella. "My compliments to the chef." He said, swallowing. "After this, I'll probably walk home or walk back to camp." He said with a nod. "It's not that far." He said, eating a few more chips.
"It's far enough!" Arabella gasped, looking at Hunter with wide eyes. He might be able to brush it off like it was no big deal but Arabella knew that it would be a long walk, in the middle of the night, through New York City. "Look, you can sleep on our couch. We've already missed curfew and it's going to be a long walk. So you might as well crash on our couch for the night and we can both go back to camp tomorrow"
"No, no, no." He said with a shrug. "The sandwich is already enough. I don't want to impose." He said with a nod. "It's not that far of a walk. Seriously." He said, taking a bite of his sandwich. He chewed and swallowed before speaking again. "I don't want to be a trouble." He said. "Especially after that heinous thing I called a date." He said under his breath, eating a few more chips.
"You are not imposing and you are not any trouble" Arabella said, folding her arms across her chest and glancing down at him. "Really, it's okay. I would worry about you too much if I let you walk out of this house. That's a long walk and it's almost 11 at night, now." Arabella sighed and she leaned towards him a little bit. "Please, Hunter, stay here tonight" She asked him, her eyebrows knitting together lightly in worry.
Hunter sighed and put his hands up in surrender, not committing to anything, but simply dropping the topic while he finished eating. Hunter looked over at Tyler for a moment. He seemed like a nice guy. Shy, obviously, and as much as Hunter would like to get to know him, Hunter was hoping to have a little bit of time with Arabella. "Any ideas on how we're getting back to camp tomorrow morning? Unless, we walk." He said with a shrug.
"No clue" Arabella said simply with a little shrug. She looked over at Hunter and laughed a little bit. "It'll be fine. We'll figure something out. I'm sure that we can get a ride to camp somehow" She added and slid off of the counter. Arabella started cleaning up the kitchen and Tyler sighed, pushing away from the counter.
"Well, she's started cleaning and that is my cue to leave before she starts spraying me with Lysol" Tyler said, finishing off his sandwich.
"It was one time!!" She called up to Tyler as he walked upstairs. Arabella huffed and put the cloth down in the sink. "It was one time" She said to Hunter with a nod.
"Hey, I believe you." He said with a nod. "Just don't spray me with Lysol, too." He said, finishing off his food and then moving toward the sink, rolling up his sleeves. "Go...sit down or something. I'll do these." He said, nudging her out of the way slightly. "It's the very least I can do." He smiled at her and then turned to the dishes.
"Well aren't you just the sweetest" Arabella grinned and after thinking about it for a moment, she moved away from the sink and she leaned against the counter, glancing around her kitchen. "Have you ever thought about going back to a mortal school?" She asked him, just genuinely curious. Curious about him and his life and his plans for the future.
Hunter paused for a second then shrugged. "I guess I haven't really thought about it." He said, continuing to wash dishes. "I'd have to make up a lot of school, so I'm not sure how possible it is. I've got elementary schooll under my belt, but other than that no schooling. Other than what I learned at camp. And what I read." It didn't take him long to finish the rest of the dishes then he drained the sink and dried his hands. "Do...Do you think I should go back?" He asked after a moment.
Arabella shrugged and she played with the hem of her dress before looking up at him again. "It's up to you. I was just curious. It would be a heck of a lot to do to catch up" She agreed with a little nod. "I mean, if you ask me, it's really not worth it. Yeah, some of the social stuff is fun but the classes suck and a lot of the people really suck too" She said in a light tone, rolling her eyes a little bit.
Hunter shrugged and leaned on the counter opposite her. "Yeah. It's probably not worth my time." He nodded and then took a deep breath. "I'm having a hard time seeing myself successful in anything outside of camp. Inside camp, even." He said quietly. "Kind of a problem with us Hermes kids. Other than pranks it takes nearly destroying Olympus to get much attention." He said, picking at his pants for a moment.
"Oh, don't say that" Arabella said, looking over at him with a warm smile. "Hermes kids are funny and warm and just plain awesome. And I happen to like them very much" She added with a final hmmph and a nod. Arabella pushed away from her counter and she went over to stand beside Hunter. "I think you're pretty great" She told him in a lower, more serious voice.
"Well, you did offer to humor me with this date, so that's telling." He said with a shrug. He took a deep breath and looked over at her, blushing a little bit. "I really am sorry about tonight. I don't know what I was thinking with half of this..." He said, crossing his arms. "I was almost late. Well, I was late and then to take you in the jeep. You deserve a nicer car and then the restaurant. I hadn't really thought about any of this. I probably could have taken you somewhere less busy. We could have gone somewhere else. And I...I just feel so bad." He said, stepping away from her a little bit. "If you don't want another date, I totally understand. No hard feelings. We gave it our best shot and it missed."
Arabella sighed, hating the fact that he felt so bad. Was the date perfect? No, it wasn't but she didn't care. She just like being with Hunter for the night. She wanted to make him feel better and she wanted to prove to him that she really did have a good time, but she didn't really know how. She knew that if she were to just tell him, he wouldn't believe her. He would probably think she was lying just to make him feel better. So she moved closer to him and she did something that she had been dying to do all night. Arabella brushed her fingers along the side of his hand and she kissed his lips, leaning into him ever so slightly.
Hunter's cheeks turned pink as he felt the kiss wave over his body. After a moment, he let his hand move up her arm to gently cradle her cheek, leaning closer and deepening the kiss. It felt like he wasn't even touching the ground. Like he was floating right there in the middle of her kitchen. Hunter ran his thumb over her cheek for a second before slowly pulling away.
Arabella smiled up at him, her stomach filled with butterflies. This kiss was special and Arabella was so happy. After everything they had been though, she was ready just be with him and not have any drama to worry about. Arabella bit her lip, her cheeks bright red, and she glanced down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Hunter. She leaned into him, just wanting to feel his warmth. "I had a really great time tonight Hunter, I really did."
Hunter took a deep breath, not sure what to say. "Wow..." He whispered, locking eyes with her. He moved his hand back down her arm to take her hand in his. It felt like everything disappeared except for Arabella. It took Gracie barking to break him out of this trance. He turned and looked down then checked his watch, clearing his throat a little bit. "I should go..." He said, looking toward the door then back at Arabella.
"Really?" Arabella huffed and she walked past him, standing in front of the door so that he couldn't open it and she looked over at him. "Would you please, please stay here tonight?" She asked him, looking up at him with big eyes. "I really don't want to know that you're walking around New York City in the dark, on a Saturday night. We can get back to camp in the morning. Please?"
Hunter took a deep breath, trying to not meet her eyes, but then finally sighed. "Okay. Fine. I'll stay here..." He said, looking up at her. "I don't want you to make too much of a fuss, though. I'll sleep in the living room. On the couch." He said quietly. "I'll make breakfast in the morning to make up for it, okay?"
"I guess I'd be okay with that" Arabella said with a little laugh. She moved away from the door and she took his hand as she walked past him. "Come on, I'll get you set up on the couch" Arabella walked with him to the living room, not letting go of his hand. "I hope that you're comfortable. It's actually a pretty great couch. I've slept here a few times myself, just because it's so comfortable" She told him, letting go of his hand so that she could open the ottoman and take out the blankets and the pillows.
Hunter quickly moved next to her, nudging her out of the way to take out a blanket and a pillow. "Thanks, Arabella." He said, setting the pillow down and putting the blanket on the back of the couch. He slipped off his shoes and then unbuttoned his plaid shirt, setting it on the coffee table, leaving him in his jeans and a plain white undershirt.. "I really appreciate this." He said, moving over to her. He licked his lips a little nervously and then put his arms around her, hugging her.
Arabella smiled to herself and she moved closer to him, resting her head on his chest. "Don't mention it" She said softly and she took a deep breath, wanting to remember everything about that moment. In the end, it had been the perfect date. Finally, Arabella pulled away from him and she cleared her throat. "Uhm, if you need to go to the bathroom, it's just down the hall and, uh, if you get hungry there's some left over Chinese food in the fridge" She said and she bent down a little, picking up his shirt, which was still warm from being on him. "I'll stick this in the washer for you" She said in a soft voice.
Hunter was sitting on the couch and he didn't realize what she was talking about until she had already disappeared. "Oh, you don't have to--" He said, but she couldn't hear him. He shrugged and then rubbed his eyes a little bit, wondering a lot of things. If she would want another date. How he would make sure it didn't fail as badly as this last one? When was the next time he would kiss her? He finally laid down, putting his head on the pillow. He carefully spread the blanket out over his body then closed his eyes, nervous about what was going to happen next for the two of them.
Arabella practically ran up the stairs and up to her room. Her heart was racing and she was really resisting the urge to go back down stairs and lay down beside Hunter. She changed into her pajamas and she let her hair out of the bun. The night had been crazy and emotional but Arabella was happy. Things had gone well between her and Hunter, which she had been worried about. She was worried that they were not going to be able to move on from their past and their friendship would be ruined. Arabella picked up his shirt and she walked to the laundry room, putting it in the wash before she padded back to her room and flopping down on her bed. Her lips still tingled with his kiss and her skin felt warm where he had touched her. She couldn't wait for a second date.
"I'll be right there!" Arabella called towards the door, pulling on her high heels.
"So, where are you taking my sister tonight?" Daniel asked Hunter, leaning against the door frame and folding her arms across his chest.
Hunter leaned on the cabin, catching his breath. He looked up at Daniel and then took a deep breath.
"I'm actually taking her to a restaurant called Daniel." He said with a chuckle. "It should be...really good." He said, standing up straight. "Phew. I'm sorry. I ran here."
"You're driving there, though, right?" Daniel asked, narrowing his eyes at Hunter. Hunter nodded.
"Yeah. I've got a car parked on the other side of the hill." He said with a smile.
Daniel let out a bit of a sigh but he didn't say anything, however, when Arabella heard silence from the door she moved a bit faster. Daniel might not be saying anything but that didn't mean he approved of Hunter now. Arabella wanted to avoid as much awkwardness as possible. She grabbed her purse and stood up, tugging on the hem of her dress a little as she walked. "Hi, Hunter" Arabella said in a soft voice, smiling at him as she walked up to the door. He looked handsome and nervous and Arabella couldn't be more excited for this date.
Hunter looked at Arabella and his mind went blank. Now that she was there and dressed for their date it all seemed so real and it was actually happening. "Oh, wow..." He said quietly. "You look beautiful, Arabella." He looked at her dress then up to meet her eyes. He blushed, but he didn't look away. He just smiled and then licked his lips a little bit nervously before offering his arm to her. "Shall we?"
Arabella nodded then turned to Daniel, giving him a little wave. "See you later, Danny" She said and she stepped out of the cabin, closing the door behind her. She looked up at Hunter with a big smile. "Did I hear that right? We're going to Daniel?" She asked him, wiggling her eyebrows a little bit.
"Yeah." Hunter said with a nod. "I hear it's supposed to be really nice there." He said as they walked toward the hill. "You do look really pretty, Ellie." He said, looking over at her. "And now I feel a little underdressed..." He looked down at himself and smoothed out his shirt. "I'm...sorry." he said nervously.
"You look amazing" Arabella reassured him, touching his sleeve lightly. "I've heard that it's a really good restaurant, but I haven't had a chance to go there, yet" She told him, walking with him towards the hill. "How was your day today? I was kind of busy and I didn't really see you" She said, making a bit of small talk while they walked.
"It was good. I was...incredibly nervous, to be honest." He said with a sigh. "And I didn't really think asking you out through, so it was a bit of a rush and I don't know why I'm telling you this." He said, rubbing his eyes as they reached the top of the hill. "The jeep is mine. Well, it's not mine, but I'm borrowing it for this." He said, looking over at Arabella and sighing.
Arabella smiled up at him and she took a step closer to him, slipping her arm through his. She held onto him lightly as they started to walk down the hill. "It's okay, Hunter. Everything is going to be perfect tonight" She told him, trying to make him feel a bit better. "So, tell me about your family. You said that you have a cousin? What's she like?"
Hunter smiled at her, blushing softly. He tried to think of what to say about Chrissy without mentioning that she hated Arabella. Hunter nodded his head back and forth for a second. "Her name is Chrissy. She's a couple years older than we are. She's...She's kind of my best friend. At least she was. Not sure if she is anymore. I love her for obvious reasons and I always will." He said with a shrug. "I don't know what else to say." He said, rubbing the back of his neck a little nervously. "The rest of my family is my uncle and aunt then two other cousins." He said with a nod. "A set of twins. Julie and Steven. They're both in college. How about you? How's Tyler?"
"Tyler's doing really good!" Arabella told him, smiling when she mentioned her little brother's name. "He seems to really be enjoying school, which is good" She added with a little nod. It had been a little while since she had last seen Tyler and she worried about him a lot when they were apart. She always felt like she needed to protect him. Arabella cleared her throat and pushed a piece of loose hair out of her eyes. "I'm liking this Jeep" She said with a little laugh as they got closer to the car.
"Well, wait until we start driving." He said with a small laugh as he opened her door for her. He closed it and then hurried over to his side, getting in and starting the car. It died again almost immediately. Hunter gave it another try and sent a desperate prayer to any god that was listening. It finally started and he started heading down the road toward the city. "So, why don't you have your drivers license? No desire or no need?" He asked, glancing over for a second, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as to not embarrass himself.
"Uh, no need, I guess" Arabella shrugged, leaning back in her seat and glancing out of the window. She looked back at him and smiled a little bit, just happy to be in the car with him and driving towards the city. "My dad has always had drivers for us and he doesn't really want me to learn how to drive. I asked him but he totally just brushed me off" She confessed and played with the hem of her dress. "I'd really like to learn, though"
Hunter nodded. "Well, maybe I could teach you sometime..." He said quietly. "I mean, I'm not a teacher or an expert or anything." He said quietly. "If you wanted to learn, I guess." He looked down at the steering wheel and took a deep breath. "What does your dad do. I'm not sure if we ever really talked about that." He said, simply trying to find something to talk about.
Arabella laughed a little bit and shrugged. "Who knows? He's some...CEO for this big company." Arabella told him and she looked out of the window, watching the trees pass as they drove down the road. "We don't really talk about his job. It usually gives me a headache so I don't bother asking him about it anymore" She said with a bit of a laugh. "Did you get to see your family much this past year? You seem to be getting a bit closer to them"
"Yeah. My aunt and I have talked a lot more and we're just growing closer. It's nice. I feel like I have a place to go home to now." He said with a nod. "I mean, Camp is always going to feel like home, but sometimes it's just nice to get away from it, you know? Like...I go home to take a vacation. I don't know. I'm weird." He said with a shrug. "It's just...a really long and sad story that shouldn't darken our date." He said with a smile as he parked outside of the restaurant and got out to open her door.
Arabella blushed a little bit when he opened the door for her and she stepped out, holding onto the side of the car for a second while she balanced herself on her high heels. She looked up at the fancy restaurant with a look of awe on her face. "This is...wow. Hunter, this is really incredible" She breathed and smiled up at him and she stepped away from the Jeep, moving towards the doors. "I can't believe that we're coming here, I mean, really...wow"
"My uh...My uncle suggested it." He said, looking up at the restaurant. "Now you see why I feel underdressed." He said with a sigh. "You fit in perfectly." Hunter opened the door for her and then followed her inside. He headed toward the hostess and she looked up with a smile.
"Hello, sir. Welcome to Daniel. Do you have a reservation?" She asked, looking down at her podium.
"Uhh...No. I...We just walked in." He said, glancing over at Arabella, feeling embarrassed. The hostess' face fell slightly.
"Well, It's gonna be about an hour wait, unfortunately. Is that okay?" Hunter rubbed his eyes and then gave the hostess his name before walking back to Arabella.
"It's...It's going to be an hour..." He said quietly, looking at his feet. "Sorry..."
Arabella let out a little puff of air. An hour wait sucked but it wasn't the end of the world. Hunter looked so upset, Arabella just wanted to make him feel a bit better. "Well, that's no problem. We can...I don't know, we can go for a bit of a walk while we wait? Or we could go somewhere else. The possibilities are endless" She said with a bit of an added giggle.
"Yeah!" He said quickly. "Sorry. We can go somewhere else." He looked around for a moment. "I mean, I don't know any other places." He said. "I mean, we can just...go for a walk. I'm sorry. I should have called ahead..." He walked toward the exit and opened the door for Arabella, then following her out of the restaurant onto the street. "Maybe we should drive around."
"A drive sounds really good" Arabella said, honestly rather excited. It would be great going for supper but she really just wanted to spend some time with Hunter, talking about some things and getting to know him. ''So, where do you want to go?" She asked him, wiggling her eyebrows as they walked towards the Jeep.
"I don't know. I mean,you probably know this part of the city better than I do." He said with a nod as he opened her door for her. He got in then started the car, checking the time. "I'll just drive and if you see another restaurant or if we want to get out and walk, then you can just say so. Sorry about...not being more prepared..."
"Hunter. Stop apologizing. I'm really having a good time. Everything is going to be fine" She told him with a little smile and she slid into seat, buckling up her seat belt as she waited for Hunter to get into the driver's seat. When he sat down and started the car, she pointed down the road. "Head out this way. It's a good part of the city" She told him and leaned back in her chair.
Hunter nodded and opened his mouth to apologize again then stopped. He drove as Arabella directed and looked around, admiring all of the buildings and things. "See any other restaurants?" He asked, looking over at Arabella and finding himself looking at her as she bit her lip. He stared at her lips for a moment, only turning away when she looked and caught him. "So, where is your school and stuff?" He asked, clearing his throat a little bit.
"Uh, pretty close to here, actually" Arabella said, sitting up a little straighter and playing with her fingers in her lap. She glanced out of the window for a second before glancing back at Hunter. "Just down this street a little bit, we'll be going past Central Park and my school and my house is all within about a 10 minute walk of there" She said then let out a little breath. "It's nice, it's a good place to live" She shrugged. "Didn't you say that your family is close to camp?"
"Yeah. It's not too far from camp, but it's in a different direction from the city." He said with a shrug. "I haven't really done a lot of exploring in the city. I drove a fair amount in it, but I was kind of distracted by the whole...focusing on the road thing." He said, taking a turn toward Arabella's house without her telling him.
Arabella furrowed her brow a little bit when Hunter turned the car towards the street she lived on. "We, uh, we should go down to Times Square. Have you seen it, yet?" She asked him. Arabella wasn't sure if he knew where she lived or if she wanted to know the answer to that question. She just wanted the date to go well and she figured that if she got far from her house, things might be better.
Hunter shrugged. "Only in the daytime which didn't seem as impressive. It's probably tons better when it's dark, right?" He said, turning away from her street and toward Time Square. "Have you lived here your whole life?" He asked, looking at some of the buildings and stopping at a stoplight.
"Born and raised" Arabella nodded with a little smile and she glanced over at Hunter. She really didn't know that much about him or his past. He seemed to really keep it close to his chest for the most part. "What about you? Where is the magnificent Hunter from?" She asked him with a little playful tone in her voice.
"Connecticut." He said with a nod. As much as he had come to terms with his past and as he's gotten over a lot of it since talking to his Aunt, it was still a little sensitive. It felt odd sharing it with Arabella, but at the same time it felt natural. "My mom and I traveled around a little bit when I was very young, but then we settled in New York with my aunt and uncle and cousins." He said quietly, not wanting to mention the car wreck or his grandparents. "I owe my aunt and uncle a lot." He said, taking a deep breath.
Arabella nodded a little bit and she looked down at her lap. She knew that it was best not to push him anymore. If he wanted to tell her, he would tell her in his own time and when he was ready. "Well, your family seems pretty great" She said, looking up at him. Arabella bit her lip and looked out of the window for a long moment before turning back to Hunter. "How old were you when you came to camp?"
"Well, I started going part time when I was 5. That was summers and some other times of the year. I started going full time when I was 12 or 13, I think." He said with a nod. He kept driving when he felt the car shake a little bit and he kept moving when the engine revved several times and the engine died. Hunter took a deep breath in surprise and steered it into a parking spot before throwing it in park and looking over at Arabella. "Gods, no this can't be happening..." He said under his breath as he took the key out then put it back in, turning it. The engine turned and turned and finally started only to die immediately after. Hunter sighed and hit his head on the steering wheel. "I cannot believe this car just broke down..." He said quietly.
Arabella looked out the window, away from Hunter. She wanted to get her composure and stay calm and happy. He seemed so upset and she didn't really want to make it worse. Arabella looked back at Hunter with a small smile, resting her hand on his back. "Hey, it's okay. We, uh, we can walk. It should be that far from here" She told him. "Is there a manual or anything in here? A number to call or something?"
Hunter buried his face in his hands, thinking. "I can call my uncle. Let me find a payphone." He said, getting out and hurrying toward a payphone across the street. He put in some change and dialed the number. It rang twice and then his uncle picked up. "Hey, uncle Wayne."
"Hey, kiddo. How's the date going?" He asked excitedly. Hunter glanced over as Arabella made her way across the street.
"Terrible. The car just broke down. Arabella and I are going to get going to see if we can get still get a table at the restaurant." Hunter said. He told his uncle where the car was and then hung up, locking the car and then looking at Arabella. She looked beautiful and she got dressed up for the worst date in history. "I'm so sorry, Arabella."
"Hunter, it's really okay." Arabella told him, walking closer to him. She took a little breath before slipping her hand into his. "At least it's a beautiful night. It's warm, it's not raining and we're in the best city in the world" She said and smiled up at him. "What did your uncle say?" She asked him, not letting go of his hand just yet.
Hunter blushed and looked at their hands together. "He and my cousin are going to come and see if they can take care of it. Then they might call a tow if they can't." Hunter ran his finger over the back of her hand. "Well, we better hurry if we want to get a table." He said, pulled his hand out of hers, heading back the way they came to try and find the restaurant again.
Arabella looked down at the ground for a moment, part of her really wishing that Hunter hadn't dropped her hand like that. It felt good to hold his hand. She let out a little sigh before looking back up and following him as he walked down the street. "It shouldn't be too hard to find and with any luck, it won't take to long" She said and smiled up at Hunter. "So...Jake said that he broke up with that girl he had been seeing?"
Hunter looked over at her and took a deep breath. "Yeah. From what he told me, they were hanging out one night and he asked her why they weren't more serious or something." Hunter said with a shrug. "She laughed and he said he was being serious. That's pretty much all he told me. He seems to be perfectly happy without her anymore, so I don't feel too bad for him." He shrugged as he walked, slipping his hands in his pockets. Hunter felt a little bad for acting a little cold toward Arabella, but he was feeling a little stressed about this date.
"That's good! I'm happy for him" Arabella said, focusing on keeping pace with Hunter in her high heels. "From what he told me, it didn't really seem like that great of a relationship" She said and looked around at where they were, trying to figure out how far it was going to be until they got back to Daniel. "I have a sister in Aphrodite who was in a relationship like that. It was terrible. She would cry for a day straight over this guy when they would break up and the next day when she saw him again, they were totally fine. It was confusing!" She said, finishing with a bit of a laugh. Finally, she let out a puff of air. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid story, I'm just talking because I'm nervous and I want this to go well"
Hunter looked over at her and took a small breath. He couldn't help, but laugh a little bit, mostly because it was a little relieving to see that he wasn't the only one nervous about this. "That's okay. I'm just glad one of us is talking." He said with a sigh. They walked a little bit further and finally found the restaurant again. Hunter walked in and found the hostess. "Hi, we're back and it's been about an hour." He said, clearing his throat.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. We had a big group come in and we had to give them your table. If you'd like we can have another table ready for you in about 45 minutes." She said with a smile. Hunter's jaw dropped and he stepped away, rubbing his eyes. He finally gave her his name and Hunter looked up at Arabella for a second, feeling so embarrassed.
"They gave our table away. They can have another one ready in 45 minutes." He said quietly, studying his feet. "Gods, this is such a disaster." He said, walking out of the restaurant and back into the cool night air.
"Oh...uhm, it's okay" Arabella said and she looked over at Hunter, who looked crushed. "No, really, it's okay. Can we just find a bench or something somewhere? My feet are really killing me" She said, offering him a little smile and balancing on one foot lightly, to get pressure off of the other foot. Arabella was pretty good in high heels but she had walked pretty far in a pair of very high heels.
Hunter nodded and cleared his throat, walking down the street a little bit to find a bench near a bus stop. He helped her sit down and then took his seat next to her, looking down at his lap. "I'm sorry about your feet." He said quietly, watching her as she took off one of her shoes. "I like your nail polish." He said quietly, looking down at her foot.
Arabella grinned and glanced down at her feet, remembering that time they sat on the beach together and he mentioned her nail polish. "Oh, thanks. I worked hard on it" She said, moving towards him a little bit on the seat. She put her shoes down on the ground and rested her feet on top of them. "I see you still have the same green shoes you've always had" She said with a little smile.
"Why fix what ain't broke, right?" He said quietly. "I've been wearing green shoes since I was nine." He tapped his feet together and leaned back on the bench before checking his watch. "Wow. It's already 10 o clock." He said quietly. "And we haven't even had food yet." He added under his breath. "We're going to miss curfew at this point."
"It's probably too late to get supper" Arabella said softly and she glanced over at him. "And I highly doubt that we're going to make it back in time for curfew" She added with a little bit of a giggle. Arabella thought about it for a moment then let out a little sigh. "I live pretty close to here. Why don't we just go to my place? We should have enough stuff in the fridge to make a couple sandwiches."
Hunter sighed a little bit. He hated how this date was going and he felt completely embarrassed. He did blush a little at the prospect of going to her place, but he pushed it down when his stomach grumbled. "Yeah. That sounds okay." He said, taking a deep breath. "You need me to carry you? Or are your feet feeling better?" He asked, standing up and extending his hands to help her stand.
"I should be fine" Arabella said and she slid into her shoes. When she stood up, she winced a little bit but still held onto Hunter's hand. "Totally fine" She tried to assure him and she started to take a couple of steps but it was really starting to hurt. "When we get back to my place, you can call your uncle on the house phone. Maybe he'll be able to tell you something about the car"
Hunter nodded and kept walking, but stopped when he felt Arabella's hand squeeze his as she winced again. "Okay. Take off your shoes." He said, holding out his arm to let her balance while she slipped out of her heels. He picked up her shoes then put his back to her, crouching down. "Piggy back ride time." He said, glancing back at her.
Arabella laughed a little bit and she glanced around before she slipped her arms around his neck and she hopped on to his back, hooking her legs on his sides. "You good?" She asked, laughing as he stood up and started walking with her. "Oh...my hero" She teased and she leaned against him a little bit, closing her eyes for a moment. "Thank you, Hunter" She said softly.
"No thanks necessary, ma'am." He said with a smile as he hooked his arms under her legs. Hunter's face was bright red as he felt her warm breath on the back of his neck. He didn't mind giving her a piggyback ride and it was the very least he could do after the date he just put her through. "I'm really sorry about tonight." He finally said quietly. Arabella didn't say anything and that made him realize how quietly he did say it. She probably didn't even hear him.
"If you just go down this street about a block and then hang a right, we'll be at my place in like...5 minutes" Arabella told him. She had heard what he ahd said but she didn't want to dwell on it. Yeah, the date had gone a little off but it didn't ruin how she felt about Hunter or how she saw him. Arabella let out a relaxed sigh and she rested her head on his shoulder, happy that she was that close to him in that moment. She saw him turn down her street and she lifted her head "We're the one with all of the ivy on it and none of the lights on" She told him, stifling a yawn.
Hunter nodded, already knowing which house it was. He turned his head and saw Arabella's face, her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed. He felt so much like kissing her right then, but he resisted the urge, looking forward again. He doubted that she would want to kiss him after a first date. Especially a first date this bad. It was being salvaged for parts at this point. He stopped in front of her brownstone and climbed the stoop before letting her down, turning around to face her.
"Thank you so much, Hunter" She sighed, happy to be back home and not having to worry about her feet anymore. She took her shoes back from him and dug around in her purse until she found the key and unlocked the door. "My dad is off on business. I think he's in Europe for the next week or so" She said and she turned to Hunter. "Really, thanks for carrying me" She kissed his cheek then pushed the door open and walked into the house. "Gracie!"
Hunter stood there frozen as he took a deep breath. They had kissed plenty of times, but it felt so different now. In a way he truly did start over with her. He didn't count all of the other kisses they had shared. Hunter finally followed her into the house, closing the door behind him. "Oh, I finally get to meet Gracie." He said, looking around for the tiny dog. He had seen the dog from a far and he had read about her, but he had never met the puppy.
Arabella smiled wide when the little puppy came running down the stairs. She picked her up, scratching behind her ears. "My baby girl. I miss her so much in the summers when I'm away. I practically just come back during the school year for her" She said with a bit of a laugh. Arabella kissed the dog's nose then passed her over to Hunter. "I'll make us some food. The phone is in here if you wanted to call your uncle" she called back to him, walking into the kitchen and opening up the fridge.
Gracie squirmed in Hunter's arms a little bit until Hunter looked down only to be met with a tongue to the chin. Hunter scrunched his nose a little bit just as he heard some heavier footfalls on the steps. He looked up to see a young kid, tall and thin with a pair of glasses pushed onto his face. "Uhh...hey." Hunter said with a small wave as headed into the kitchen, looking for Arabella. He finally set Gracie down, met with a couple yips before Hunter grabbed the phone and quickly dialed his aunt and uncle's house.
"I can make us a super fancy meal and by super fancy, I mean a ham and cheese sandwich with a side of Pepsi and chips because I can't cook to save my life" Arabella told Hunter with a little laugh and she turned to face him, only to find him on the phone with her little brother walking into the kitchen behind him. "Tyler!" Arabella squeaked and she ran over, hugging him tightly. "You're home! I forgot that you were coming home from school"
"Yeah, I just got in yesterday" Tyler said, hugging Arabella back tightly.
Hunter looked up at the two of them as his uncle spouted off some details about the car. Hunter stepped into another room just as his uncle let out a sigh.
"So, we'll get a new car at some point." He said.
"I'm really sorry, Uncle Wayne." Hunter said quietly.
"It's alright, kiddo. That car was on its last legs, anyway. No need to apologize." He said with a chuckle. "Chrissy was begging for a new car anyway. With her birthday coming up, I might make it a nice one." He paused for a moment. "So, how did the date end up going?"
"Well, we got to the restaurant. It was an hour wait. So we left. The car broke down. We got back to the restaurant to find that they had given our table away. It was another 45 minutes wait, so we left and I'm calling you from her house now."
"Whoa, whoa. You're at her house?" He said. Hunter shook his head.
"Yes, but it's just to get some food. I'll walk back to camp after that." He said with a sigh. He knew that it would be a terrible walk, but he didn't have much of a choice.
"Alright. Well, be smart. Be safe. Feel free to come home for tonight. I don't want--" There was a voice in the background and Wayne's voice disappeared for a few moments.
"Give-Give me the phone." Hunter recognized the voice as his aunt Lucy. "Hunter?"
"Yes, ma'am?" He said, straightening up a little bit.
"Don't listen to your uncle. Have a good time tonight. From what he's told me, you could use a fun night, so don't worry about walking back to camp. If she lives in the city that's gotta be an hour's walk."
"Well, I don't want to impose. And I don't mind." Hunter said quietly.
"Okay, sweetie. Well, I'll leave it up to you. Call us if you need anything. Love you." She said. Hunter replied in kind then hung up, walking back into the kitchen and putting the phone back, letting out a small yawn.
Arabella was just finishing up with the sandwiches. Tyler was leaning against the counter, waiting for his and Gracie was at her feet, praying that Arabella would drop some food on the ground. "What did he say?" Arabella asked him, putting the cheese back in the fridge and putting the last piece of bread on top of the sandwiches. She passed one to Tyler then sat up on the counter, taking a bite out of hers.
Hunter moved, grabbing his plate and leaning on the counter next to Arabella. "Well, the battery is dead. And it has a cracked cylinder cap. My uncle is taking it to the shop tomorrow and he'll see if there's anything else, but it looks like we'll be buying a new car." He said, eating a couple of chips. He looked at Arabella then saw Tyler and quickly shook himself, brushing off his hand. "I'm sorry. Hi, I'm Hunter." He said, extending his hand to Tyler. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Tyler" He said, quickly shaking his hand. "Hey" He said, nodding at him then taking a big bite of his sandwich.
"So, do you have a plan for tonight?" Arabella asked Hunter, her eyebrows knitting together in worry. She really didn't want him to be stuck anywhere or end up having to take a cab or something like that, it would be a ridiculous amount of money.
Hunter opened his mouth to speak, but his stomach growled loudly. "Well, eat this sandwich." He said with a nod. He took a bite out of the sandwich and smiled, nodding toward Arabella. "My compliments to the chef." He said, swallowing. "After this, I'll probably walk home or walk back to camp." He said with a nod. "It's not that far." He said, eating a few more chips.
"It's far enough!" Arabella gasped, looking at Hunter with wide eyes. He might be able to brush it off like it was no big deal but Arabella knew that it would be a long walk, in the middle of the night, through New York City. "Look, you can sleep on our couch. We've already missed curfew and it's going to be a long walk. So you might as well crash on our couch for the night and we can both go back to camp tomorrow"
"No, no, no." He said with a shrug. "The sandwich is already enough. I don't want to impose." He said with a nod. "It's not that far of a walk. Seriously." He said, taking a bite of his sandwich. He chewed and swallowed before speaking again. "I don't want to be a trouble." He said. "Especially after that heinous thing I called a date." He said under his breath, eating a few more chips.
"You are not imposing and you are not any trouble" Arabella said, folding her arms across her chest and glancing down at him. "Really, it's okay. I would worry about you too much if I let you walk out of this house. That's a long walk and it's almost 11 at night, now." Arabella sighed and she leaned towards him a little bit. "Please, Hunter, stay here tonight" She asked him, her eyebrows knitting together lightly in worry.
Hunter sighed and put his hands up in surrender, not committing to anything, but simply dropping the topic while he finished eating. Hunter looked over at Tyler for a moment. He seemed like a nice guy. Shy, obviously, and as much as Hunter would like to get to know him, Hunter was hoping to have a little bit of time with Arabella. "Any ideas on how we're getting back to camp tomorrow morning? Unless, we walk." He said with a shrug.
"No clue" Arabella said simply with a little shrug. She looked over at Hunter and laughed a little bit. "It'll be fine. We'll figure something out. I'm sure that we can get a ride to camp somehow" She added and slid off of the counter. Arabella started cleaning up the kitchen and Tyler sighed, pushing away from the counter.
"Well, she's started cleaning and that is my cue to leave before she starts spraying me with Lysol" Tyler said, finishing off his sandwich.
"It was one time!!" She called up to Tyler as he walked upstairs. Arabella huffed and put the cloth down in the sink. "It was one time" She said to Hunter with a nod.
"Hey, I believe you." He said with a nod. "Just don't spray me with Lysol, too." He said, finishing off his food and then moving toward the sink, rolling up his sleeves. "Go...sit down or something. I'll do these." He said, nudging her out of the way slightly. "It's the very least I can do." He smiled at her and then turned to the dishes.
"Well aren't you just the sweetest" Arabella grinned and after thinking about it for a moment, she moved away from the sink and she leaned against the counter, glancing around her kitchen. "Have you ever thought about going back to a mortal school?" She asked him, just genuinely curious. Curious about him and his life and his plans for the future.
Hunter paused for a second then shrugged. "I guess I haven't really thought about it." He said, continuing to wash dishes. "I'd have to make up a lot of school, so I'm not sure how possible it is. I've got elementary schooll under my belt, but other than that no schooling. Other than what I learned at camp. And what I read." It didn't take him long to finish the rest of the dishes then he drained the sink and dried his hands. "Do...Do you think I should go back?" He asked after a moment.
Arabella shrugged and she played with the hem of her dress before looking up at him again. "It's up to you. I was just curious. It would be a heck of a lot to do to catch up" She agreed with a little nod. "I mean, if you ask me, it's really not worth it. Yeah, some of the social stuff is fun but the classes suck and a lot of the people really suck too" She said in a light tone, rolling her eyes a little bit.
Hunter shrugged and leaned on the counter opposite her. "Yeah. It's probably not worth my time." He nodded and then took a deep breath. "I'm having a hard time seeing myself successful in anything outside of camp. Inside camp, even." He said quietly. "Kind of a problem with us Hermes kids. Other than pranks it takes nearly destroying Olympus to get much attention." He said, picking at his pants for a moment.
"Oh, don't say that" Arabella said, looking over at him with a warm smile. "Hermes kids are funny and warm and just plain awesome. And I happen to like them very much" She added with a final hmmph and a nod. Arabella pushed away from her counter and she went over to stand beside Hunter. "I think you're pretty great" She told him in a lower, more serious voice.
"Well, you did offer to humor me with this date, so that's telling." He said with a shrug. He took a deep breath and looked over at her, blushing a little bit. "I really am sorry about tonight. I don't know what I was thinking with half of this..." He said, crossing his arms. "I was almost late. Well, I was late and then to take you in the jeep. You deserve a nicer car and then the restaurant. I hadn't really thought about any of this. I probably could have taken you somewhere less busy. We could have gone somewhere else. And I...I just feel so bad." He said, stepping away from her a little bit. "If you don't want another date, I totally understand. No hard feelings. We gave it our best shot and it missed."
Arabella sighed, hating the fact that he felt so bad. Was the date perfect? No, it wasn't but she didn't care. She just like being with Hunter for the night. She wanted to make him feel better and she wanted to prove to him that she really did have a good time, but she didn't really know how. She knew that if she were to just tell him, he wouldn't believe her. He would probably think she was lying just to make him feel better. So she moved closer to him and she did something that she had been dying to do all night. Arabella brushed her fingers along the side of his hand and she kissed his lips, leaning into him ever so slightly.
Hunter's cheeks turned pink as he felt the kiss wave over his body. After a moment, he let his hand move up her arm to gently cradle her cheek, leaning closer and deepening the kiss. It felt like he wasn't even touching the ground. Like he was floating right there in the middle of her kitchen. Hunter ran his thumb over her cheek for a second before slowly pulling away.
Arabella smiled up at him, her stomach filled with butterflies. This kiss was special and Arabella was so happy. After everything they had been though, she was ready just be with him and not have any drama to worry about. Arabella bit her lip, her cheeks bright red, and she glanced down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Hunter. She leaned into him, just wanting to feel his warmth. "I had a really great time tonight Hunter, I really did."
Hunter took a deep breath, not sure what to say. "Wow..." He whispered, locking eyes with her. He moved his hand back down her arm to take her hand in his. It felt like everything disappeared except for Arabella. It took Gracie barking to break him out of this trance. He turned and looked down then checked his watch, clearing his throat a little bit. "I should go..." He said, looking toward the door then back at Arabella.
"Really?" Arabella huffed and she walked past him, standing in front of the door so that he couldn't open it and she looked over at him. "Would you please, please stay here tonight?" She asked him, looking up at him with big eyes. "I really don't want to know that you're walking around New York City in the dark, on a Saturday night. We can get back to camp in the morning. Please?"
Hunter took a deep breath, trying to not meet her eyes, but then finally sighed. "Okay. Fine. I'll stay here..." He said, looking up at her. "I don't want you to make too much of a fuss, though. I'll sleep in the living room. On the couch." He said quietly. "I'll make breakfast in the morning to make up for it, okay?"
"I guess I'd be okay with that" Arabella said with a little laugh. She moved away from the door and she took his hand as she walked past him. "Come on, I'll get you set up on the couch" Arabella walked with him to the living room, not letting go of his hand. "I hope that you're comfortable. It's actually a pretty great couch. I've slept here a few times myself, just because it's so comfortable" She told him, letting go of his hand so that she could open the ottoman and take out the blankets and the pillows.
Hunter quickly moved next to her, nudging her out of the way to take out a blanket and a pillow. "Thanks, Arabella." He said, setting the pillow down and putting the blanket on the back of the couch. He slipped off his shoes and then unbuttoned his plaid shirt, setting it on the coffee table, leaving him in his jeans and a plain white undershirt.. "I really appreciate this." He said, moving over to her. He licked his lips a little nervously and then put his arms around her, hugging her.
Arabella smiled to herself and she moved closer to him, resting her head on his chest. "Don't mention it" She said softly and she took a deep breath, wanting to remember everything about that moment. In the end, it had been the perfect date. Finally, Arabella pulled away from him and she cleared her throat. "Uhm, if you need to go to the bathroom, it's just down the hall and, uh, if you get hungry there's some left over Chinese food in the fridge" She said and she bent down a little, picking up his shirt, which was still warm from being on him. "I'll stick this in the washer for you" She said in a soft voice.
Hunter was sitting on the couch and he didn't realize what she was talking about until she had already disappeared. "Oh, you don't have to--" He said, but she couldn't hear him. He shrugged and then rubbed his eyes a little bit, wondering a lot of things. If she would want another date. How he would make sure it didn't fail as badly as this last one? When was the next time he would kiss her? He finally laid down, putting his head on the pillow. He carefully spread the blanket out over his body then closed his eyes, nervous about what was going to happen next for the two of them.
Arabella practically ran up the stairs and up to her room. Her heart was racing and she was really resisting the urge to go back down stairs and lay down beside Hunter. She changed into her pajamas and she let her hair out of the bun. The night had been crazy and emotional but Arabella was happy. Things had gone well between her and Hunter, which she had been worried about. She was worried that they were not going to be able to move on from their past and their friendship would be ruined. Arabella picked up his shirt and she walked to the laundry room, putting it in the wash before she padded back to her room and flopping down on her bed. Her lips still tingled with his kiss and her skin felt warm where he had touched her. She couldn't wait for a second date.
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