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.