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.