Saturday, June 15.
"Gracie!" Arabella giggled, running after the tiny Maltipoo. The puppy yipped, jumping up and snapping at butterflies that flew past. She smiled and ran up to the puppy, scooping her into her arms and holding her close to her chest.
"That dog is one of a kind" Ethan laughed, walking over to her side.
"When are going to admit that you think Jolie is the cutest dog in the universe?" Arabella teased and Gracie yipped, wiggling around in her arms with a doggy smile, as if to emphasize her point.
"I will never admit that anything is cute" Ethan said, but he reached over and scratched the top of Gracie's head.
"Too manly? A macho son of Ares can't admit that he thinks a puppy his cute?" Arabella giggled. She held Gracie up to Ethan's face and she started licking his face.
"Nope" Ethan shook his head with a defiant look on his face. Gracie kept licking him and his face finally broke out into a grin. "She might be...kind of cute" He muttered and Arabella smiled. She kissed his lips lightly then hooked the leash onto Gracie's collar. She placed the dog down on the ground and took Ethan's hand, walking out of Central Park.
"I'm really looking forward to going back to camp" Arabella told him, looking down at the puppy. Gracie had been a gift from her father for Christmas and she was the best gift that Arabella had ever gotten.
"Why so excited?" Ethan asked her, giving her hand a squeeze.
"I miss it. I miss my siblings, I miss Chiron, I miss the arena and the climbing wall. I even miss Mr. D" Arabella said with a little giggle.
"You miss Mr. D? Are you sick or something?" Ethan put his hand against her forhead, like he was trying to take her termerature. Arabella laughed, swatting his hand away.
"Very funny" She huffed then looked down at Gracie for a moment. "Don't you miss it, too?"
"Yeah, I do." Ethan finally agreed. He slipped his arm around her waist and they walked in silence for a little bit, just enjoying each other's company. Central Park was buzzing with activity, people running and walking dogs, families going for picnics, couples kissing and holding hands. There was the buzz of summer in the air, warmth and joy. Everyone was feeling better and everyone was excited for summer to really start. It was a tangible feeling. Arabella took a deep breath as they stepped out of the park and the started walking towards her home.
"I still have to pack..." Arabella groaned, pouting a little bit. Ethan laughed and he placed a kiss on her temple.
"We're not leaving for another week and a half...I think that you have a bit of time" Ethan gave her a little nudge.
"Well...I want to make sure that I don't forget anything important" Arabella huffed. She walked up the stiars to her house and she opened the door, letting Gracie off of her leash. Gracie ran into the house, stumbling over feet that were too big for her. She yipped andran to her water dish, wiggling a little bit.
'You're not going to pack all afternoon, are you?" Ethan asked, following her inside the house. Arabella walked back into the kitchen and dropped her purse down on the counter.
"I don't know. I'd like to get a bit pf packing done today" Arabella told him. She sighed softly and walked over to the fridge, where she started pulling out a bunch of fruit and placing it down on the counter.
"Why don't we just sit go sit in the backyard?" Ethan asked her, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. Arabella leaned back into him and smiled a little bit.
"Well, I guess that wouldn't be too bad" She giggled, started to cut the ends off of the strawberries.
"Perfect" Ethan said softly, placing a few kisses on her shoulder. Arabella smiled softly as she placed the stawberries on a plate. She added blueberries, raspberries, pieces of melon, pineapple and kiwi then grabbed the whipped cream from the fridge and filled a bowl up with the stuff.
"Okay. Let's go" Arabella said with a smile. Ethan took the tray from her, opening the back door and walking out into the fenced backyard. "Gracie!" Arabella called into the house. The brown little puppy came running, wiggling all the way. She jumped outside and down into the grass, rolling around. Giggling a little bit, Arabella sat down next to Ethan on the deck, sticking her legs out in front of her.
"Nice shorts, babe" Ethan laughed, tugging on the hem of her denim shorts. Arabella glanced down at her denim shorts with the patch of leopard print.
"I might have gotten a little carried away..." She said, smoothing out the leopard print.
"You made these?"
"Well, I bought the shorts but they were just so plain. So I ripped them up and added the animal print" Arabella told him.
"My girl is talented" Ethan leaned over and kissed her. Grinning against his lips, Arabella pulled herself closer to him. Arabella was crazy about him. Ethan made her so happy and she loved being around him. He made her smile and everything felt a bit better. Arabella picked up a strawberry and she popped it into her mouth.
"I'm really glad that I had you this year, Ethan. I don't think I'd be able to deal with the bitches at my school if I didn't have you" Arabella giggled a little bit. Ethan smiled, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear.
"I'm glad that I was here, too" He told her softly. As Ethan ate a couple pieces of pineapple, Arabella glanced over to Gracie, who was still rolling around in the grass. It was silent for a moment, but it was a comfortable silence.
"I love you" Arabella said suddenly, looking over at Ethan with vulnerable eyes. With a stunned look on his face, his eyes locked with hers. Her heart seemed to stop and the few moments of silence felt like ages. Arabella tried to read his expression, tried to figure out what he was thinking but she just couldn't. She was terrified that he was going to tell her that he didn't feel the same way. Arabella had opened herself up like that before and she had been broken because of it. Finally, Ethan's face softened and a small smile spread across his lips.
"I love you, babe" He said softly. Arabella squeaked, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.