Hunter passed the sign that marked halfway to Philadelphia. They had only been on the road for about an hour or so, but Arabella was more or less asleep. Hunter looked over and smiled as her head bobbed and swayed slightly with the vibrations of the car. "Ellie, wake up." Hunter said as he patted her leg. She lifted her head up and looked at him before curling up on the seat, putting her head on his leg. Hunter blushed a little smiled down at her. He brushed some hair out of her face and kept driving. An hour later, Hunter was exiting toward Philadelphia. "Ellie, wake up. No more beauty sleep. You're already beautiful enough." He said with a chuckle as he parked at a gas station with an attached Starbucks. "Sweetie, wake up. I'll buy you Starbucks." He said as he grazed his fingers along her forehead.
Arabella moaned softly and she squeezed her eyes shut, curling closer into Hunter. She was never good with waking up early. Even if she had a lot of sleep the night before, waking up before 9 was hard for her. Especially if she was being woken up. Arabella yawned and turned her head to look up at Hunter when he mentioned Starbucks. "Starbucks?" She asked in a slightly raspy voice from not using it. Arabella opened her eyes, squinting up at Hunter and shielding her face from the sun. "Latte?"
Hunter smiled and grazed his hand along her cheek. "Whatever you want." He said as he helped her sit up. "Come on. We're in Philly. Let's see all the stuff." He stepped out of the car and started to fill his gas tank. He walked around to the other side of the car and opened the door, revealing Arabella still sitting there. "Come on, honey bunch. Starbucks. You can smell it." He said as he took her hand and helped her out of the car.
Arabella yawned again and she stretched out her arms. She grabbed her large sunglasses and shoved them on her face before looking up at Hunter. She sniffed the air and let out a happy little sigh at the smell of fresh coffee. "Thanks for stopping at a gas station that has Starbucks, stud muffin" Arabella giggled softly, leaning into him and kissing his cheek. "I'm going to go wait in the line up" She told him and on slightly weak legs from being curled up in the car, Arabella walked into the Starbucks, waiting in line.
Hunter finished fueling the car and paid with his debit card. He got in and parked in front of the door. He got out and walked into the gas station where he picked up several brochures for nearby attractions. He slipped them into his back pocket and walked into the Starbucks where he slipped his fingers between Arabella's taking her hand and smiled at her. He kissed her cheek and handed her the brochures. "We need to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall." He said with a nod. "And you probably want to see that big 'Love' sign thing."
Arabella nodded, taking some of the brochures from him. ''As a young couple in love, how could we not go see the 'Love' sign" She said and passed the brochures back to him, walking up to the counter. "I'll have a Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte, a tea and 2 big blueberry muffins" She said happily and kissed Hunter's cheek. The girl behind the counter passed her the muffins and Arabella walked over to the other counter to wait for her latte and the tea that she had ordered for Hunter. She looked up at Hunter and smiled a goofy, blissful smile, kissing him when he walked over to her. "Thanks for paying. I'll get the next one" She said.
"Nope. I got it." He said with a smile. Hunter slipped an arm around her waist and lightly put his head on hers. When their drinks came, he handed Arabella hers and her muffin before taking a sip of his. "Mmm...Good choice." He said with a smile as he lead her out to the car. He opened the door for her, pecking her on the cheek, and then got in himself. He started the car and Arabella snuggled up next to him. "We'll get into town and then walk around to see everything." He said before kissing her head and putting the car in reverse.
Arabella yawned and she took a sip of her latte. "Sounds good to me" She said and smiled up at Hunter. Arabella looked out of the window, watching everything fly by. It was exciting to be in a different city with Hunter. Out of New York and out of what they had grown used to. "Mmm..where do you want to go first/" Arabella asked Hunter as she pulled her muffin in half, putting the top part back in the bag and nibbling on the bottom half.
Hunter smiled and ate the bottom half of his muffin in one bite. She scrunched up her nose and pulled away to look at him. "It's the only-" He tried to say, but crumbs flew out. He chewed and swallowed before clearing his throat. "The top is the only part worth eating." He said with a laugh as he washed it down with a sip of his drink. "Ahem...I'd like to see the history stuff, but you probably want to shop or...do something not boring, so I'll let you do that, so that you wake up. Then I'll take you to the boring stuff, so you don't fall asleep." He kissed her head and kept driving toward downtown.
"I will not fall asleep!" Arabella said and she finished the bottom half of her muffin. With a smile, she started to nibble on the top half. "Mmm...I don't think I want to shop, really. Maybe just stop at a tourist type of store so that I can get post cards" She said with a nod and she pulled her legs up onto the seat. "So maybe we should go to the history stuff first. They'll probably have gift shops and things like that" She said and Hunter nodded, turning the car onto an exit.
"Oh! There it is!" Hunter said as he parked on the street near the Liberty Bell exhibit. "They took the bell down from Independence Hall when it broke. It's here now." He said as he shut off the car and got out. He ran around to the other side and opened her door for her, bowing slightly to let her out. He smiled and closed it before taking her hand and leading her inside. They walked in and to the bell with its iconic crack down the side. "See? Up there." He said, pointing toward the bell tower of Independence Hall. "The Centennial Bell is up there, now. The Liberty Bell is down here."
Arabella hooked her arm through Hunter's and her eyes gazed over the bell with the crack in it. She nodded softly and looked up at the bell tower. Arabella always had trouble paying attention to history lessons and she never had the patience to read too many books, especially when she was younger. There was just so much fun stuff that she could be doing and her mind wandered easily. "When did it break again? I forget.." She said, her cheeks slightly pink and feeling like a bit of an idiot.
"Well, it has cracked several times, but the final time was when it was rung for George Washington's birthday in 1846." He said as he read off the plaque. "They rung it and it cracked even worse. It had cracked and then they fixed it and over and over again. They finally replaced it and moved it down here." He looked at her and smiled. "You could have just read that off the plaque, though." He said before kissing her temple lightly. "You still awake?" He asked, shaking her slightly.
"Yes! I am still awake" Arabella said but she took a big gulp of her latte that seemed to contradict what she had just said. "I was just...too lazy to read it. Much easier to get you to read it for me" She teased and nudged him slightly. She looked around and her eyes landed on the gift shop. "Oh! A store!" She said and pulled away from Hunter, running over to the store.
Hunter rolled his eyes and walked over. "It takes the prospect of spending money to get you excited." He said with a sigh as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Who knew that you could make this much merchandise based around a broken old bell." Hunter sighed as he picked up an Uncle Sam bobble head. He put it back down and looked over at Arabella. "The postcards are over there." He said, pointing toward the register. Arabella looked over and smiled as she ran to look through them.
-----------
"There it is." Hunter said, pointing to the famous sign of 'Love'. Hunter parked and got out, opening Arabella's door like normal and taking her hand. "Let's get lunch and we'll eat here. There's a hot dog stand or we can find some place a little higher class."
Arabella looked up at the sign with a wide smile on her face before turning her eyes back to Hunter. "A hot dog stand sounds so amazing right now" She said with a nod and she linked her arm with Hunter's, leaning against him slightly. She looked back at the sign as they walked towards the hot dog stand and she sighed happily. Once they got there, Arabella ordered the hot dogs that they wanted and she paid the man. "I wonder how Ajax and Jolie are doing.."
"Ellie..." Hunter said, putting his head on hers. "We've been gone for less than a day. Do we need to go back?" He asked with a smile. "Come on. We're in the city of love. Let's just relax." He said as he kissed her on the temple. They sat down in Love Park and Arabella leaned into Hunter while they ate.
"I thought the city of love was Paris" Arabella giggled and she took a bite of her hot dog, gazing up at the sign. She turned to Hunter, kissing his cheek lightly. "I'm really glad that we stopped here" she said and took a breath, letting it out in a happy sigh.
Hunter smiled and finished his hot dog. He put an arm around Arabella and kissed her temple. "I'm glad we stopped here too." He leaned his head on hers and sighed. It was quiet and calm. He was glad that they had come here and he was excited for the rest of the trip. He pulled away and kissed her head. "I'm ready to go when you are." He said quietly. "We can't spend the entire day here, sadly." He took a deep breath and put his head on hers again.
"Mmm..in a minute" Arabella said and she kissed Hunter before rummaging through her purse until she pulled out a small pink case. From inside of that, she pulled out her camera and stood up. Without asking Hunter first, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up. He followed her as she walked around, looking a little bit confused. Arabella finally found a woman who was walking with her kids. "Excuse me? Would you be able to take a picture for us?" She asked the woman in her sweetest voice. The woman smiled.
"Of course! I'd be happy to" The woman said and she took the camera from Arabella's hands. Arabella tugged in Hunter's hand and pulled him over to the 'Love' sign, in front of the fountain. Hunter chuckled and Arabella threw her arms around him kissing him tightly for the picture. Her foot popped up into the air and the woman took the picture, laughing a little bit. Arabella pulled away from Hunter, giggling then ran back to the woman, taking the camera from her and thanking her as she walked away with her kids.
Hunter stood there a moment, slightly shocked at the pose she had chosen. He licked his lips a moment before looking over at Arabella. Hunter walked over and slipped an arm around her waist. "Let's see." He said as he looked at the camera. There she was looking adorable, kissing him with her foot popped into the air. And there he was, slightly confused, stumbling backward a little with his hands clumsily up in the air. "That's a keeper." He said with a laugh as he kissed her temple. He laughed and shook his head a little. "Alright. Ready to go?" He asked with a smile.
Arabella giggled down at the picture and she nodded. She was planning to make a scrapbook when they got home and she wanted to get a picture of them together everywhere they stop. Slipping the camera back into her purse, she took Hunter's hand and walked back towards the car with him. "How far do you think we're going to get tonight?" She asked excitedly and grinned up at him.
"Well, we've got options. Let me see your phone." He said, putting his hand out. She dug around in her purse to look for it and finally handed it to him. "No map needed." He said with a chuckle as he took the phone gingerly in his hand. He was getting better at it and he slid a finger across the screen before tapping on the map icon. Their trip was saved and he opened it to look. "It's a few hours to Buffalo. If we don't really feel compelled to stop there then we can go right to Cleveland and stay there." He said, showing her the map on her phone.
Arabella took the phone from him and she nodded. She was looking forward to getting back on the open road. To not have to worry about traffic or anything. They could also talk since she wasn't going to be sleeping. Arabella put the phone back into her purse and she stretched out her arms, yawning softly. "Do you want me to drive to Buffalo or are you good?" She asked him.
"She asked right after yawning." He teased. "No, I'm okay." Hunter said, hugging her a little. "Come on. Let's get back on the road." He said, taking her hand and leading her back to the car. A few moments later, they were back on the road toward Buffalo. "Isn't Niagara Falls by Buffalo? Or am I being delusional?" He asked, looking over at Arabella.
"It sure is" Arabella said happily and she pulled her legs up onto the seat, folding them under her. She grabbed the small cooler that she had placed near her feet and she opened it up, getting out a bottle of apple juice for herself. She took a sip of it then turned to look at Hunter. "I want to learn how to cook. At least the basics. So that I can make something for lunch for myself that isn't ramen and burn the house down" She told him with a nod.
Hunter looked over and blinked. "Umm...Okay. I mean, you cook fine. That Greek salad is the best thing ever." He said with a nod. "I mean, eggs. Pasta. Rice. Meat." Hunter said with a nod. "Those are the basics. If you know how to cook an egg then you'll be in good shape. Pasta is really easy. Rice can be tricky. Meat can be a challenge, but all of it in good time." He smiled and looked back at the road. "Looks like I have another thing to teach you." He said with a smile as he changed lanes.
"You have like..a billion things to teach me and I don't have anything to teach you.." Arabella said with a sigh and a fake pout. "We're just going to have to go back to my old school while we're in California and I'll feel smart there" She said and giggled, leaning back into her seat. She took a sip of her apple juice before putting the closed bottle down and reached over, putting her hand on his leg. Arabella took a breath and traced circles on his thigh. "Why are you so amazing at everything you do?" She teased with a grin.
Hunter laughed and shook his head. "14 years of free time, very few friends, and a very supportive girlfriend." He said with a smile, leaning over slightly and kissing her. "And I'm not good at everything. I'm no good at taking off a bra." He said with a shrug. "I can't speak Russian, very well. I can't really pull off long hair." He smiled at her and thought again. "Back at camp, Philippa said I was a bad kisser. See? I'm not amazing at everything." He said with a chuckle.
"Well, Phillipa clearly doesn't know what she is talking about because you are an incredible kisser" Arabella said in a serious voice. She couldn't help it, Arabella was always going to dislike Phillipa to a certain extent. She could sit with her and have lunch with her or something but she was never going to like her or spend more than a couple of hours with her. It made Arabella furious to think about what she had done to Hunter. "She also doesn't really have much to go by seeing as she was an eternal virgin too. I, however, have had my fair share of kisses and I can tell you that you are the best kisser" She nodded.
"Oh, nonsense." Hunter said with a chuckle. "You just like me for my body." He laughed and put an arm around her, letting her lean into him. He smiled as she placed small kisses along his jaw. "Speaking of the best kisser...." He turned his head and kissed her lightly on the lips. He smiled as he looked back at the road. He knew that this road trip was going to mean a lot of driving and it could get boring, but if it was consistently like this he was more than okay with it. "You're pretty amazing at everything you do, too. You design clothes. You make me happier than anyone else. That's something, right?"
Arabella snuggled into him and she closed her eyes for a moment. That was all she wanted, really. That was what she wanted to do everyday. Make Hunter happy. Arabella took a deep breath and she looked up at him. "You make me pretty happy too, mister" She said softly and rested her chin on his shoulder. Arabella looked up at him, her eyes were big and happy. "I am beyond excited to see some people from camp. Without a doubt, there are going to be girls there that had a crush on you but couldn't do anything since you were a hunter" Arabella giggled.
"You're going to rub it in their faces, aren't you?" He asked with a smile. It was inevitable for him to not have a girl like him at some point. He was at that camp for so long that it was a definite possibility. Hunter pulled her closer and kissed her head. "I'll be busy letting people down easy, I'm sure. 'I'm sorry, but whatever we had is over.'" He said, with a feigned solemn look. "I'll be breaking a lot of hearts. Actually, you'll be breaking a lot of hearts. You having the opportunity to make sweet love to this?" He said, gesturing to himself. "That's something people are bound to be jealous of." Hunter teased. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Do you think Brian is going to be there?" Hunter asked quietly, his face turning serious.
Arabella bit her lip and she turned to look out the window. She had tried not to think about it. If she didn't think about it then maybe it wasn't going to happen. But she was going to have to think about it now. Now that they were driving there, Arabella was going to have to come up with something to say to him or how she was going to act when he was around her. "Yeah, I think he will be there. He's Rory's brother and they were pretty close" She said with a sigh. "I don't know what I'm going to say to him or anything like that.." she added, her voice trailing off.
"Don't worry about it." Hunter said quietly. "We'll just get past it when we get there. I'm sorry I brought it up." He said with a nod as he looked back at the road. Hunter glanced at her and saw the pain in her eyes. Her exes had done more damage to her than she was willing to admit. "Ellie, I'm going to be right next to you every step of the way from now on. Everyday I'll be right next to you whenever you need me." He said, gently grazing her shoulder with his fingers.
Arabella looked up at Hunter and she nodded a little bit. "Thanks, Hunter.." She said softly and she kissed his jaw lightly. Slowly, she pulled her lips away from his skin and she rested her chin on his shoulder, curling up to him. "I'm just..nervous, you know? It's not something unusual for Brian to get drunk and say or do stupid things. I don't want him to get like that and start saying mean things to the people I love. I don't want him to ruin Vera and Rory's big day"
"Oh..." Hunter said as he drove. He opened his mouth to speak, but a sign for Buffalo came into view. "We are now entering Buffalo, New York." He read as he kept driving. There was a sign for the Niagara Falls and he pulled over, conveniently at a Starbucks. "Hmm...A Starbucks." He said with a smile. "Let's go to Niagara Falls tonight and we can find a hotel there." He said quietly. "Is that okay?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah...a hotel sounds good. I'm tired" Arabella said in a soft voice, her mind still racing and her stomach still knotted up in worries. She was anxious about Brian. She was nervous that he was going to start saying things about her and make a scene. Not only would it be embarrassing on her part because he was saying things about her but it would also make her feel guilty to have Brian start something like that at her friend's wedding. She tugged on Hunter's sweater, pulling it tighter around her and she looked up at him with big eyes. She kenw that he was going to be by her side and he was going to be with her the whole time and that was probably the only thing that was keeping her from having a panic attack at that point. "We should get a room with a view" She said with a nod.
"Absolutely." Hunter said with a nod and a small smile. "Well, let's go." He said as he started to drive again. They drove in silence for a little while. Hunter ran his fingers through her hair as they finally approached Niagara Falls. "There's one of them." He said with a nod. "I guess if we look around there for Hotels then we can probably find-Oh...There." He turned toward the Red Coach Inn. It looked more like a house then a hotel, but it had a perfect view of the falls and Hunter knew they had to stay there. "Does this work?" Hunter asked as he parked in the lot.
Arabella looked at the hotel and a small smile spread across her lips. "This is perfect, Hunter" Arabella said and she kissed his cheek before she slid out of the car and looked through all of their bags for the duffle bag with some of her clothes in it and Hunter's bag. She finally found them and pulled them out, placing them on the ground and closing the trunk. Arabella was looking forward to getting to the hotel room. Maybe she could take a bath and calm down a little bit, get her mind off of Brian. Her eyes turned up to Hunter when he bent down, picking up the bags. She smiled softly and kissed him lips tightly before he could stand up all the way. They walked into the hotel and Hunter got them a room but Arabella wasn't paying attention. Her mind was elsewhere.
Hunter took their room keys and lead Arabella to their room. He set the bags on the bed and immediately turned around, putting his hands on Arabella's waist. He could tell that she was distracted by something. Brian more than likely. "Ellie, stop thinking about it." He said quietly. "Brian is going to be there. It's possible he'll make an ass out of himself. We won't be able to know what he's going to do, but don't let him ruin the rest of this trip." He wrapped his arms around her and put his chin on her head. "How about this? Let's call room service. Order some really good food. You can get some champagne. We'll take a nice relaxing bath, then we'll go to bed. I'm determined to get you to relax." He said, pulling her tighter.
"That sounds perfect, Hunter" Arabella said softly, slipping her arms around his middle. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. She knew that he was right. She couldn't let Brian ruin hr trip. He was going to be there and there was nothing that she could do about it. Arabella held herself closer to Hunter and she closed her eyes, focusing on the sound of his heartbeat. After a few moments, she pulled away so that she could take his hands and walk over to the window with him. They had an incredible view. She smiled slightly at it, leaning into Hunter. "Thanks for all of this, Hunter" She said softly.
"No thanks necessary." He said with a smile as he stood behind her with his arms around her waist. He was comfortable here. He loved holding her. He loved the way she leaned into him. He loved the way her hair tickled his chin. He loved the way she smelled. He loved the way she breathed when she was comfortable. He loved the feeling of her heartbeat. He imagined her years from now. They are still very much in love. Married. Maybe a kid. At least one on the way. She would be standing in the house and he would hold her like this, putting a hand on her stomach. On their baby. On his baby. He would feel the baby kick and he would smile and his heart would soar and he would thank his lucky stars that he could be with someone as amazing and beautiful as Arabella. He gave her a loving squeeze and kissed her neck. "What do you want from room service?" He asked into her ear.
Arabella closed her eyes and took a breath, lost in the feeling of Hunter standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her. It was relaxing and it was comfortable and she felt safe. She could have stood there with him like that for the rest of their lives. She was happy like that. Arabella leaned into his kiss, into his lips and she let out a soft sigh. "Mmm...whatever, I guess. Something warm..like soup maybe" Arabella said in a quiet voice. Her stomach growled and she let out a little giggle before turning her head so that she could kiss him lightly.
Hunter chuckled and kissed her back. He held her tightly and lead her to the bed. She sat down and pulled him down with her. Hunter kissed her and laid next to her, his hand on the nightstand reaching for the room service menu he knew was there. He finally tracked it down and grabbed it. "What kind of soup do they have?" He said, kissing her and holding the menu so they could both see it. "A lot of chicken noodle soup? Maybe tomato?" He said, still kissing her.
"Ouu..tomato sounds good. Maybe they'll have grilled cheese too. They must have a kids menu or something" Arabella said and she took the menu from him flipping through it slowly to the back, where there was a list of food items for kids. Chicken fingers, mac and cheese, grilled cheese..things like that. Arabella pointed out the grilled cheese. "That sounds perfect. Tomato soup, grilled cheese and champagne" She said with a giggle and she put the menu down, curling up against Hunter's chest. she listened as he made the call ordering the food and as he talked to the person on the other line, Arabella trailed kisses along his neck.
Hunter smiled as he talked into the phone, squirming a little, turning his neck toward Arabella. "Yeah. Two orders of grilled cheese and two orders of tomato soup." He said into the phone. "No....Yes....Umm..." He covered the phone on his shoulder and kissed her tightly on the lips before smiling and going back to the call. "Yes. We do have someone under 11 in our room. Just charge it to the room. Oh, and could we get a bottle of champagne?" He asked. He sighed when the person at the desk said that he wasn't old enough. "Oh, right. Ellie, work your magic." He said, handing her the phone and turning to her. He brushed her hair away from her neck and trailed his lips down her neck and to her chest where he left very distracting kisses along the skin near her shoulders.
Arabella took the phone from him and tried really hard not to giggle. She squirmed a little and ran her fingers through his hair."Hi" she giggled into the phone and she cleared her throat, trying to concentrate on what she was doing but Hunter was kissing her and every kiss sent electric shocks through her body. "Uhm yes..I'd like to order a bottle of champagne" She said closing her eyes so that she could focus on her Charmspeak. The woman on the other side of the phone went quiet for a moment then said that there food would be there as soon as possible in a dreamy voice. Arabella hung up and tossed the phone to the side, pulling Hunter closer to her. She wrapped her legs around him and she giggled softly, leaning into his kisses.
Hunter laughed and kissed up her cheek to find her lips again. When he had located her mouth he pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss that made his heart speed up. He wrapped his arms around her and pushed her onto her back where he brushed his lips along her shoulder. He placed kisses down her shoulder all the way down her arm to her hand. He kissed her fingers and sat up, straddling her, where he ran his fingers up her shirt a little, gently grazing her stomach's soft skin. He looked at her and smiled a moment before lifting her shirt up a little and gently kissing her belly. She gasped and he could feel her stomach grumble under his lips. He smiled again and kissed across her stomach and to her side. He pulled away and ran his fingers along her side before kissing her cheek and her lips again.
Arabella giggled against his lips and she pulled him closer to her. She kissed his top lip then his bottom lip and brushed her tongue over his lips. Arabella wasn't worried anymore. She wasn't thinking of anything but the way that Hunter's body felt against hers and the taste of his lips and the sound of his breathing. It was all so intoxicating and addicting. Arabella didn't want any of this to end. She wanted to stay in his arms forever and not have to worry about anything. She kissed him tightly then heard a knock on the door. "Wow..they're quick" She whispered and kissed Hunter quickly, when he got up to get the food, Arabella stretched out, her shirt rising on her stomach a little bit.
Hunter looked back at Arabella a moment, a huge smile on his face, as he walked to the door. He opened it and smiled at the man with a cart of food and their bottle of champagne in an ice bucket. "Your food, sir." The man said as he wheeled the cart in. He looked over at Arabella and raised an eyebrow at her. Hunter glared at him and stepped between him and her.
"That look is coming out of your tip." Hunter said firmly as he reached into his pocket. He handed him a ten and almost pushed him out of the room. As soon as the door clicked closed, Hunter smiled and ran back to the bed, leaping and grabbing Arabella at the same time. He had a little too much momentum and pulled the both of them off the bed with her on top of him. He groaned and looked up at her with a smile on his face. "How romantic." He said with a chuckle. "You okay?" He asked.
Arabella laughed and she nodded, running her hands down his neck. "Never better" she said and kissed him gently, moving her lips down his chin and onto his neck. Her stomach growled at that point tough and the soup was starting to smell really amazing. She pushed herself off of Hunter, giving himself a teasing kiss before she rushed over to the food and took the cover off of one of the bowls. She moaned happily and sat down at the table with her food, taking a bite into her grilled cheese. "This is just...wow. So good"
Hunter laughed and stood up, wincing a little. He walked over to Arabella and pulled her head back, returning her teasing kiss. "Mmm...It does taste good." He said with a smile as he grabbed his food and sat down at the table with her. He also grabbed the champagne and two glasses. He poured one for her and filled his with water before handing her the champagne. "What shall we toast to?" He asked with a grin as he held up his glass of water.
Arabella smiled and she held up her glass of champagne. "Hmm..." She thought and chewed on the inside of her cheeks. "The fact that we're young, sexy and totally in love" Arabella giggled and she clinked her glass against his, taking a sip out of her champagne. "This is amazing" She said with a small moan and put the glass down. She ate some of her soup and she looked over at Hunter. "The guy that brought our food seemed....interesting?" She said with a giggle, not sure what to think of that guy.
"Well, he saw you all sprawled out on the bed." Hunter said, taking a bite of his grilled cheese sandwich. "I can't blame him. I'd probably sneak a peek or two." He dipped his sandwich in his soup and looked up at her and laughed. "It's okay for me to do it though. You do it to me." He said as he lifted his sandwich up and ate it. He sat there for a few moments before lifting up his glass again. "Oh. That reminds me of two things." He said with a nod. "1) I still haven't worked on my speech." He said, taking a sip. "And 2) To Vera and Rory. For being the couple that gave us reason for this trip and for giving us entertainment back at camp. 'We're just friends!'" Hunter said, mocking Vera a little.
"Oh gods...they were so blind!" Arabella said and sighed eating some of her food. "It used to bug me to much when they said that. It was so clear that they were crazy about each other. It drives me up the wall to see two people who are meant to be together and they refuse to see it for themselves" She giggled and finished off her sandwich. She looked over at him and smiled a little bit. "Rory used to get so mad at me because I kept bugging him about it"
"I can't imagine why." Hunter said, rolling his eyes slightly. He smiled when she smacked his arm and he shrugged. "You know, you and I are obviously meant to be together. I don't know about you, but I'm crazy about you. Did you particularly see it?" He asked with a chuckle. He knew that he couldn't do anything at camp, but he would always be curious how his life would have been different if one of them had built up the courage to kiss the other. He was glad that his life had gone this way, but he would always be curious. He turned her head and kissed her tightly on the lips before smiling and going back to his food.
"No, I din't see it because someone was a hunter" Arabella teased and she leaned in, putting her hands on either side of his face and bringing his lips down to hers. A smile spread across her face and she kissed him. Arabella pulled away, wiping the corners of his mouth with her thumbs and she sat back into her chair. She took a sip of her champagne and she let out a soft moan. "You should have a sip of this Hunter, this is incredible'' She said and held her glass out for Hunter.
"Umm...no thanks." Hunter said with a chuckle. "I'm sure it tastes great, but unless you force feed it to me, No thanks. The last time I touched alcohol was the last time I touched alcohol." He said, pushing the glass back at her as he took a sip of his water. The entire night of drunkenness was still a blur to him and part of him was thankful for the fact. He would hate himself if he had done something to hurt someone. "Did I do anything that night? When I got home, I mean?" He asked as he slurped his soup again.
Arabella put her glass down and she ate some of her soup. She paused for a moment, thinking about it. "Uhm, not..not really" She said with a shrug. "You wanted to cuddle, which I thought was pretty adorable. But you were asleep not long after you got home. Don't worry. You didn't do anything stupid" She teased and she quickly finished off her soup. It was amazing. Obviously, it was a home made soup, not from a can or anything like that. "I've seen people do some really stupid things because of alcohol. You were totally fine"
"I wanted to cuddle..." Hunter said, finishing his soup. He cleared his throat and leaned back, thinking about that. He was a little surprised that he didn't make an ass out of himself. "I wanted to cuddle. That's all? I just came home and wanted to cuddle?" She giggled a little and nodded. Hunter laughed a little and looked at her. "Did you try anything?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Arabella took a sip of her drink and she shook her head. "No, I didn't. I wanted to" She said with a giggle and she pulled her legs up onto the chair and she looked over at him. "I knew that you were drunk and if I tried anything then, I would be a horrible person and you would probably be mad at me when you were sober. I would feel guilty doing that" She told him with a nod and she yawned, pouring herself a bit more champagne. "I would feel like one of those old men from the movies that are taking the little girl's virtue or something like that" She added with a shudder.
"Well, I'm glad you didn't do anything." Hunter said with a nod. He smiled and finished his sandwich. "I have to say...That night on the beach. It was..." He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair before putting his feet up on Arabella's chair's armrest. "It was worth the wait." He said with a nod. "The ground was a really romantic place to do it for the first time, too." He said with a laugh.
Arabella smiled up at Hunter, a wide and totally content smile. She pulled Hunter's feet down so that they were in her lap and she placed her hands on his ankles. "The ground is like, the most romantic place ever" She said in a Valley Girl type of voice. She giggled and let out a sigh. "It was the best night of my life" Arabella said softly and she looked down at his legs. "Before that night, I never really understood people when they said things like 'making love'. It was never like that for me. But then you came along and changed everything"
"You keep saying that..." Hunter said with a sigh. "You keep saying that I 'came along and changed everything.' I really didn't intend to do that." Hunter said quietly. He felt bad for Arabella. He was happy that they were together, but he never wanted to flip her life upside down. Because of him, she didn't have a job. She talked to Chad again. She tried to kill herself. She was lonely, but she was fine before Hunter showed up. "Sometimes, I feel like your life would be easier if that giant had never shown up at your office. I never would have killed it and we never would have reunited." Hunter said quietly. "I don't know. I'm probably just bringing up a touchy subject. Never mind. It's just a thought." He sighed and shook his head before finishing his water. He got up to get water, but looked at the bottle of champagne, tossing the idea of drinking around in his head.
Arabella chewed on her lip and she got up out of the chair. She walked over to Hunter and she slipped her hand into his, holding it tight. She took a breath, a little unsure of how she was going to say what she needed to say to him. Finally, she turned her gaze up to meet his eyes and she smiled a little, trying to give him a comforting look. "Before you came back into my life, Hunter, I was miserable. I didn't even know who I was anymore. I spent most of my nights alone. I was heart broken because of Brian. I was having meaningless sex with guys like Ian. I was lonely." She told him softly and she moved closer to him, running her thumbs along the skin on his palm, over a small scar. "Yes, things were difficult between us for a little bit but we've come out of it and I couldn't be happier. I never thought that I would be as happy as I am now. You changed everything, Hunter. You totally flipped my life upside down. And I wouldn't have it any other way"
Hunter sighed and looked away. "Ellie, 'difficult' is having a day of bad timing. What happened between us was not difficulty." He said with a sigh. "Because of me, you don't have a job. You got punched by a sociopath demigod. Tom got hit by a car." He lifted her hand up and gently ran a finger across the scar on her wrist. "Ellie, this is because of me." Hunter said quietly. "I feel awful, every time I see it, because I know that it was my fault. If I had stopped you and Chad from getting back together. If I hadn't even left that night. If I hadn't found Philippa again. No matter how I look at it, it's my fault." He put her arm back down and let go of her hand. "That is my fault." He said, nodding toward her wrist.
Arabella looked down at her wrist and she took a shaky breath. She hated looking at it and she hated thinking about it. But she never realized that Hunter blamed himself for it. That fact never even crossed her mind. "Hunter..." She said in a soft voice, almost a whisper. How could she convince him that it wasn't his fault? How could she make this better for him? Arabella took a deep breath and she reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face, holding his head in her hands gently. "Please don't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault. It never was your fault. You saved me, Hunter. I would have died that day if you never saved me. Please, please, please don't blame yourself for my mistakes"
"I..." Hunter started, but couldn't find the words. He finally looked up at her and sighed. "It is my fault though. I'm taking responsibility for it. It is my fault." He said quietly. "I do blame myself. You shouldn't blame yourself. Saving you was the start of making up for it. I never meant to hurt you." He said, putting his forehead against hers. "What can I do? How do I make it up to you? I hurt you so much and I..." He shook his head and closed his eyes. "I don't even know how to begin to make it up to you. How to fix this." He said quietly.
Arabella pulled his lips down to hers and she kissed him tightly, hoping that her kiss could tell him the things that she couldn't find the words for. She loved him and she never blamed him for anything. Arabella pulled away from the kiss softly and she looked up at him with big eyes. "What are you always telling me? It's in the past and you need to let it go. I've hurt you too, Hunter and I feel so guilty about that but we're never going to be able to move on if we don't forgive ourselves for those mistakes, right? Besides, it doesn't matter that you left. What matters is that you came back.."
Hunter sighed and kept his eyes closed. She was right. "I can't believe you gave me my own advice...." He said with a small chuckle. "I guess the student has become the master." She giggled and Hunter didn't wait for her to stop before kissing her. Tightly and tenderly on the lips. He kept his eyes closed, but he felt like he knew her face so well that he could still see it. Every hair in her eyebrows which were always perfectly tweaked. Every spot on her forehead where he had placed a kiss. Every wrinkle and dimple that formed when she smiled. Every perfectly straight and aligned tooth in her smile. Her beautiful smile. Her perfectly sculpted chin. She was formed by the gods themselves. He finally broke the kiss and opened his eyes. She was perfect. "I'm sorry." He said, kissing her lightly on the lips. "And thank you."
Arabella smiled softly against his lips and she slipped her arms around him, holding herself closer to him. Standing close to him, feeling every muscle and every movement made her feel better than anything else. It made her feel loved and warm and beautiful. His arms around her and his tender kisses made her feel so safe, so protected. Nothing was ever going to hurt her because she knew that she had Hunter on her side. Arabella looked up at him and she grazed her fingers over his cheeks, loving the feel of his skin against hers. "I love you" She said softly, simply.
"I love you too." He said quietly as he kissed her again. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned into her, loving the feeling of her body so close to his. He finally took a deep breath and lifted her up in his arms. His broken arm ached a little, but he didn't care. He needed her in his arms. He needed her arms around his neck. He needed to hold her. She turned and managed to wrap her legs around his waist. Thankfully that meant he didn't have to use his arm anymore. He put his hands on her back and held her closer. He finally walked toward the bed and fell backward, bouncing comfortably onto the hotel mattress. He looked up at her and smiled. Using both hands he brushed her face free of hair and put a hand on the back of her head. He grinned up at her before leaning up and pulling her head down to kiss him. His free hand ran along her sides, finding her legs and giving her thigh a squeeze.
Arabella looked down at Hunter, her stomach clenching when he squeezed her thigh. She could have cried right there, she was so happy. Her emotions were running wild at that point and it was taking everything Arabella had in her not to break down into tears. Once of her hands was resting on the bed, next to Hunter's head and holding herself up. The other hands was running down Hunter's arm, grazing the curves of his muscles. She smiled against his lips and leaned into him more, kissing him passionately. Arabella wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms forever. He was perfect for her. Being with Hunter like this made her believe in soul mates and true love. How could she feel something like this, something so intense and powerful and it not be true love, soul mates? Arabella kissed him and pulled away slightly, sitting up. She grazed her thumb across his lips and she reached up, taking the hair band out of her hair and letting her curls fall freely.
Hunter smiled and kissed her again. He yawned, turning his head to not face her. He looked back and smiled. "Gosh, you're pretty." He said with a smile as he kissed her again. He placed a small kiss on her nose and then peppered her cheeks with kisses as he ran his hands up her shirt, tickling her sides up and down. She giggled and squirmed. Hunter smiled up at her and ran his hands across her cheeks. He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her again. He brushed hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. He kissed along the side her face and to her chin. He wrapped an arm around her where he rolled, ending up on top of her. He kissed down her chin and to her neck. "You're perfect." He said, running the back of his hand across her smooth skin.
"Stop it...you're making me blush" Arabella whispered, her cheeks really were a bright shade of pink. She didn't think of herself as perfect. She never did and she probably never was going to see herself as perfect but when Hunter told her she was perfect, it made her feel special and beautiful. Arabella closed her eyes and she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling his body closer to hers. "If anyone here if perfect. You're strong, handsome, funny, charming, smart, wonderful.." She whispered, moving her hands away from his head and down his back, grazing her fingernails against his back. A small smile spead across her lips and she hooked a leg around his waist again, holding him tighter to her.