Friday, July 1st
Hunter stepped out of the mess hall, stretching slightly. He was loosening up or at least trying to before Capture the Flag. He was a little glad that he hadn't seen Arabella in a little while. Last week's Capture the Flag game was not exactly successful for him due to a small distraction. Now the game was coming up again and he was distracted again and even worse. The more he hung out with Arabella as 'just friends' the harder it was becoming to try and deny the attraction he felt toward her. Now he really just wanted to ask her out and be done with all of this waiting. However, he was absolutely terrified of misreading his relationship with her and then also worried about asking her too early. His mind was racing and now he had another Capture the flag game with only an hour or two to try and clear his mind enough to be at all useful with his team.
"Hunter!" Arabella called, waving to him from outside of the Aphrodite cabin. She smiled and started walking to him, with a little bounce in her step. Arabella had been trying really hard to be Hunter's friend. Did she have feelings for him? Did she want to be more than friends with him? Of course she did. Arabella didn't want to ruin her friendship with Hunter, though, and she needed to push down those feelings so she could just have him in her life. So she tried really hard to be his friend and spend some time with him, getting to know him. Arabella walked over to him now, standing in front of him and putting her hands on her hips. "You ready to lose today?" She asked him with a grin.
When Hunter heard his name, he turned around and saw Arabella walking toward him. Hunter sighed a little bit. As much as he liked seeing her and talking to her, she had to know that there was no way he was going to be able to focus on the game now. "Oh, good. You're preparing yourself. That's smart." He said, patting her shoulder and then unintentionally running his hand down her arm, grazing her skin. Hunter turned toward the forest. "I think it should be good. Hopefully no tricks or anything. Just good old fashioned violence and strategy." He said with a smile.
"And me kicking your butt" Arabella teased with a grin. Her skin was tingling from his touch and she tried her hardest to ignore it. She took a deep breath and put her hands in her pockets, smiling up at Hunter. "Violence and strategy. Just what I needed" Arabella giggled and she glanced around them. "It would be really nice if they put us on the same team for once. We always seem to be on opposing sides. I mean, I'm looking forward to kicking your butt again but still, it would be nice to kick butts together for once"
"I remember pretty distinctly you falling out of a tree and then being chased through the woods more than once." He said with a chuckle. "We barely even saw each other last week. Who knows if we will this week?" He muttered, looking down at his feet. "You better watch out because I'm not going to take it easy on you."
Arabella smacked his arm in a playful way "Hey! Don't be mean" She huffed and started walking away from the cabins, down to the main area of camp. "You should also watch your back. Cause it is on!" She said in a tough voice. It was great being able to joke around with Hunter but when he touched her, when he smiled at her, when he laughed with her, Arabella's stomach did flips. "Do you want to go get some lunch or something before the game?"
Hunter looked at her and cleared his throat. He really, really did want to get lunch, but he was nearing a breaking point. "Uhh...I actually ate already. I was going to go get some practice or warm up or something." Hunter said, looking her in the eye. He quickly moved his face back down to look at his feet, licking his lips nervously. "I'll just see you after the game then." He said, waving and then turning back toward the arena
Arabella watched him walk away and she let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly in a defeated sort of way. She didn't understand why he was running away from her like that. Yeah, he looked a little bit uncomfortable but they were supposed to be friends. Why couldn't he tell her what was wrong? Arabella twisted a piece of hair around her finger and headed towards the mess hall, still thinking about Hunter.
Hunter didn't look back at her. As much as he kind of wanted to just be with her all day, he did of other duties outside of trying to date her. Right now, it was getting ready for Capture the Flag. He went into the arena and drew his sword, grabbing a shield off the rack and squaring off with one of the dummies. He bashed it with his shield and hit a few quick strikes, but even though he was practicing, his mind really wasn't in it. "Maybe I'll just ask her." He said quietly, slashing along the torso of the dummy. "Maybe after the game tonight..." He mumbled.
Arabella stopped and looked around. To be totally honest, she wasn't really hungry anymore. She didn't know where to go or what to do. Part of her, a very large part, wanted to run over to the arena and join Hunter there. She didn't want to annoy him, though. He seemed like he wanted to spend some time alone, for whatever reason. So she took a breath and she walked back to the cabins, sitting down on the stairs of the Aphrodite cabin and nervously played with her fingers, wishing the game would come sooner.
Hunter felt like he had been practicing for hours, anxious for the game to start. When the horn sounded, he bolted out of the arena, not wanting to accidentally bump into Arabella beforehand. He met up with his team, lining up between a couple Ares kids. He looked up and realized that Ethan was one of them. He looked fired up more than anything. He looked at Hunter and gave a short nod before turning forward again. Hunter sighed a little, wondering if Ethan had noticed what's been going on between Hunter and Arabella the past couple days. He didn't get much of a chance to think about this, before the horn sounded again, starting the game.
When the horn sounded, Arabella took off into the woods. She loved being out there with the wind in her hair. It felt so good to be running through trees, hiding from Ares kids, charmspeaking boys into walking away from her. It just felt good to have her mind off of Hunter for five seconds. It seemed like every time she turned around, something was there to remind her of Hunter and how badly she wanted to be more than friends with him. When she was running through the trees, however, she could focus on the game. It felt great. Arabella tore through the woods, skipping over logs and rocks. She was hoping to find a clearing soon, somewhere to hide and watch for campers.
Hunter took off through the woods, the two Ares campers, plowing a hold through the foliage and making a trail easy enough to follow. Hunter simply followed them and when they split, so did he, going straight when they turned off. As Hunter crossed the boundary, he slowed way down, keeping his sword drawn as he moved through some of the woods, taking his time and keeping his eyes wide open. He bashed an Apollo camper's helmet then kicked another one in the stomach, improvising some kind of wrestling move he had seen while watching it with his cousin a few months ago. The kid fell and Hunter took off, clotheslining a child of Demeter and turning around a tree, running right into Arabella, knocking her on her back and then stumbling as he backed up, falling awkwardly on his ass. "Dammit..." He grumbled, looking for his sword which had fallen out of his hand.
Arabella fell backwards with a little squeak. She didn't want to lose the game anymore and she didn't want to be saved anymore. As quickly as she could, Arabella flipped over and jumped up on her feet, turning to see who she bumped into, praying to the gods that it wasn't Ethan. When she turned around and saw Hunter, however, her heart started to slow down to a normal heart rate. "Hunter" She gasped, a little out of breath from the running. "Give me your sword" She told him with a grin, putting all over her energy into the words.
Hunter stood up and gave her his sword, like it was the easiest decision he'd ever made. As soon as it left his hand, he sighed and looked at her for a moment, rubbing his eyes. "That's so unfair. Complete unfair advantage." He said angrily. "No matter how many locks I can pick or how many pockets I pick or how good I am at sleight-of-hand, I will never be able to match that." He said with a shrug. "Okay, if you're going to knock me out just make it quick." He said, dropping to his knees and turning around.
Arabella giggled "My goodness, you give up fast. I just have your sword and I'm half your size" She teased, holding his sword at her side. Arabella paused for a moment, smiling at him for no other reason than the fact that being around Hunter made her smile. "Come on. You are going to jail, mister" She finally said and she walked up to him, grabbing his wrist and giving him a little tug to try and get him up.
Hunter rolled his eyes a little, standing up, trying to not think about how close they were to holding hands. "I would almost prefer that you just knock me out. Jail is such a...it's embarrassing. Come on." He said, looking over at Arabella. "What if I just over-powered you?" He said, facing her, stepping closer to tower over her.
Arabella turned so that she was facing him, still holding his wrist in her hand. She didn't realize how close he was to her and ended up being just a few inches away from him. Her heart started to race and the butterflies in her stomach went wild. But she cleared her throat, trying to remain calm and cool. "I would charmspeak you into sleeping so fast, you wouldn't have a chance to over-power me" She teased, giving him a wink.
Hunter narrowed his eyes slightly before sighing, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, then take me to jail. I will submit." He said, putting his hands up in surrender. He looked down at her for another moment, licking his lips nervously before moving away and following her. After a few moments, she seemed to be a little turned around. Hunter cleared his throat. "Did you...Do you know where the jail is?"
"Yes! I know where it is!" Arabella huffed but she furrowed her brow in confusion, looking around to try and find out where she was. She ahd run too far and now she was pretty lost. But she wasn't about to admit that to Hunter. "It's not far from here. We'll get there eventually. I'm just...taking the scenic route" She said with a wave of her hand. She walked with him for a little bit but she soon realized that they were going in circles. She was lost and she was starting to really not like it. Arabella groaned and turned to look at Hunter "Okay. Fine. I might be a little bit lost. Want to help me find the jail?" She asked him, smiling up at him and batting her eyelashes.
Hunter took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" He asked quietly. Hunter nodded his head in a direction and started walking slowly. He looked around a little bit as he walked and found it to be quiet. They were in a small clearing and it didn't seem like there was anyone around and as soon as Hunter noticed that he slowed down, glancing back at Arabella. "Hey, uhh...Since we're alone, I was thinking...Well, I was wondering if uh..." Hunter sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I think you and...I think...Did you want to...uh.." He stammered, staring down at his feet.
Arabella looked up at him with wide eyes. Was he going to say what she thought he was going to say, what she hoped he was going to say? She bit her bottom lip, waiting for him to say what he needed to say. She had to stay calm and let him say it when he was able to say it. Arabella let out a little breath, waiting for him and listening to him stumble over his words. Finally, she lost her patience and she huffed. "Oh, would you just spit it out!" She said, not realizing that she had used her charmspeak until it was too late.
"Would you go to dinner with me tomorrow?" He blurted out, finding himself a little out of breath like the sentence took his breath with it. His eyes widened and he slowly looked up, locking eyes with her not sure what he had just done. Hunter opened his mouth and looked down again. "Sorry. I mean, it's probably too early. I don't know what I was thinking..." He said, covering his eyes with his hand. "I'm sorry. Just forget I said anything."
Arabella didn't realize that she was holding her breath at first. Hunter had did it. He asked her out on a date. He wanted to go to dinner with her. Arabella froze for a moment, thinking it over while he talked. She wanted to go with him, she did. A small part of her worried about it because of their past but she shook herself out of it. She wanted to be with Hunter. What would one date hurt, anyway? "Hunter" Arabella said, trying to get him to stop talking and look at her. "Yes. I would love to go to dinner with you" She told him, smiling up at him.
Hunter felt his breath catch up to him and he cleared his throat, his cheeks turning bright red. "Oh, well...Okay..." He said, not sure what to do for a moment. "That's...That's great!" He said with a smile. He stood there wringing his hands, taking a step closer toward her, thinking about hugging her, then changing into a handshake then just pulling back altogether. "I'll uh...I'll pick you up at...7?" He said, not sure what to do.
Arabella smiled, her cheeks felt hot but she didn't care. Hunter had finally asked her out and she had said yes. They were finally going to try at being more than friends without secrets and lies and misunderstandings. Arabella smiled up at him, loving the way that he stumbled over his words and tried to decide between a handshake or a hug. It was adorable and it was endearing and Arabella was thrilled that she was going on a date with him. She didn't even care about the game anymore. "7 sounds great to me" She said with a little nod then practically jumped at him, hugging him tightly.
Hunter hugged her back, lifting her up a little bit. He set her back down and let his hands move to her sides as he locked eyes with her. He felt his heart skip a beat as he smiled widely. "This is really great." He said, moving a little bit closer. "You know why?" She giggled a little bit. "Because now I can do this." He said before grabbing his sword from her and then quickly taking off away from her.
"Dammit!" Arabella shouted, laughing, and she ran off after him. She really didn't care about winning or losing the game at this point. She just wanted to spend some time with Hunter and she was really looking forward to sitting at the fire with him. "Hunter!" She called to him, jumping over a log and running through the woods.
"What?" He shouted back, turning around. He continued to run backwards, smiling at her, but he wasn't paying attention when his foot caught on a tree root and he fell right back, groaning quietly as he looked up at the sky through the trees. "That was such a stupid idea..." He said as Arabella appeared over him, laughing her head off.
Arabella leaned her hand against a nearby tree, trying to catch her breath through her giggles. "You make this too easy sometimes, Hunter Reed" Arabella teased "I could easily charmspeak you into giving me your sword and dancing like a money, but I'm too nice-" She said but she was cut off when the horn sounded. Arabella raised an eyebrow and smiled down at Hunter "I wonder who won. Probably my team. We're pretty awesome" She said, offering her hand to help him up.
Hunter sighed and closed his eyes a moment. He sighed then looked up at her, grabbing her hand and then pretending to pull her down, but he stood, moving a little close to her as he regained his balance. He really liked being close to her and feeling the warmth she gave off. He put his hands gently on her shoulders then reached back, lifting his foot. "It feels like I have a tree in my shoe." He said, picking out a few twigs. "Thanks." He said with a smile, sheathing his sword and starting to walk out of the forest.
"You are so mean" Arabella huffed, brushing her hands off on her jeans. She skipped up so that she was walking beside him and smiled a little bit to herself. Arabella gave him a little nudge and folded her arms across her chest as they walked towards the edge of the woods. "So, do you know where we're going tomorrow? I need to know how I'm supposed to dress for this dinner" She asked him in a light tone.
Hunter looked at her and he started to worry a little bit. "I have no idea." He said quietly. "I honestly wasn't sure if you would say yes and I don't think I thought this far ahead." He said, standing still and covering his face in his hands. "I feel like such an idiot. I'm so sorry." He said, pulling away from her a little bit.
Arabella took a step closer to him and she pulled his hands away from his face. "It's okay, really. It's totally fine. We'll find out where to go when we leave" She told him and smiled at him for a moment before leaning forward and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Now, what do you say we go and celebrate what I'm sure is my team's victory?"
Hunter stood there frozen for a long moment. Arabella and he had kissed before and she had kissed him and she had kissed him on the cheek, but everything seemed so different now. They were actually dating. Well, were going to be dating. Well, we're going on a date. It took Arabella nudging him slightly for him to start moving again and he didn't even hear her question. He just continued back toward camp and cleared his throat a little bit, licking his lips nervously.
Arabella smiled up at him, feeling really rather giddy. They were finally going out on a date, a real date and there was nothing that they had to hide or lie about or worry about. Just the two of them going out for dinner. As the two of them walked out of the woods, Arabella looked around to try and see what was going on. She opened her mouth to day something but was quickly interrupted.
"Arabella! We won!" Daniel's voice called to her and she felt him running into her, hugging her.
"Ha! We won!" Arabella turned and grinned up at Hunter then stuck her tongue out at him. "Told you"
Hunter narrowed his eyes toward her smiling. "Go ahead. Keep bragging. We'll see what happens next week." He said, nudging her side. Hunter looked over and saw Marina, Jake, and Kyle out of the woods, looking tired. Hunter looked over at Arabella and cleared his throat. "Uhh...I'm go...Is it okay if I..." He stammered, pointing toward Jake and the other two. He shook his head and then hurried over toward Jake.