Hunter stood there, waiting to pose for the picture. He was anticipating her jumping into his arms and kissing him like she did usually, but that didn't happen. She turned to him and took his hand before standing on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek. Hunter turned red and smiled large at the pose. The man took the picture and Hunter wrapped an arm around Arabella as she took the camera and thanked the man. He looked at the camera and found the picture to be lovingly genuine. "This one is perfect. You are adorable." He said with a laugh as he kissed her temple.
"I'm adorable? Look at that big smile on your face. You look like a kid in a candy store" Arabella giggled, pointing at the picture. She was wearing jeans and a warm sweater, her hair was tied up into a bun that was getting messier and messier in the wind but she didn't really care. Arabella pushed back a couple of golden strands and she turned to look out at the falls, taking a deep breath. They were stunning. It was hard to really explain just how beautiful they were. Arabella took the camera from him and she took the camera and she took a couple more pictures of the falls. "I kind of don't want to leave" She said with a giggle and looked across to the Canadian side, wondering if the people over there would be able to see her waving at them if she waved.
Hunter smiled softly and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Well, we can come again on the way back? Does that work?" He asked. He reached into her purse and grabbed her phone, deftly sliding his finger across the screen and opening the map. "It's about 3 hours to Cleveland. So we'll stop for lunch there and then it'll be about 6 hours before we get to Kyle and Marina's." Hunter said as he gave her phone back. "We'll get there by supper, but we should call and tell them when we're getting there." He looked over at Arabella and sighed. He turned toward the falls. They were beautiful. He found himself not particularly wanting to leave either. "We can stay a little longer. We could stay here another night, if you want?" He said quietly. "We're in no hurry."
Arabella smiled over at him and she took his hand, pulling herself closer to him. She placed her chin on his shoulder and she let out a small sigh. After everything that had happened the night before and everything they talked about, she felt closer to Hunter. She felt like their relationship had gotten stronger, in a way. Arabella also knew that she wanted to do everything in her power to make Hunter feel less guilty. "I think that we should get to Cleveland. We don't have to leave right away, I just think that it would be a good idea to get moving today, you know?"
Hunter shrugged. "Let's walk around the falls." He said with a smile as he took her hand. They walked slowly around the falls, stealing a kiss every once in a while. Hunter found a bench, close to the falls, and he sat down with her leaning on him. He smiled and kissed her head as he wrapped his arm around her. "Huh." He said with a sigh. Arabella looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think that two of the most beautiful things on the planet could be this close to each other." He said with a smirk before kissing her lightly on the lips.
Arabella's cheeks turned a bright pink and she smiled. "You're making me blush again" She said softly and leaned closer to him, into the kiss more. She pulled away a little bit, but only so that she could look at him and run her fingers down his cheeks. "I didn't think that I would ever be lucky enough to be with someone as amazing as you" She said softly with a smile.
"I didn't think that I would ever be lucky enough to be with someone, period." He said with a smile. He looked at her red cheeks and laughed. "You're so cute when you're blushing." He said before kissing her cheeks. He peppered her cheeks with kisses and laughed when he felt her squirm in his arms. She giggled and he could feel her cheeks warm against his lips. He finally held her face in his hands, running his thumbs across her cheeks, looking into her eyes. "You're cute all the time, actually." He said with a smile as he kissed her again.
Arabella giggled and she put her hands on his arms, holding onto his biceps. "You're pretty sexy all the time" she said, giving him a wink. Arabella curled up to his side, leaning against him. She turned to look out at the falls and she let out a happy sigh. "Last night was amazing, Hunter.." she said softly and took a deep breath, turning to look at him. "Thanks for everything. I don't think I could thank you enough for everything you've done for me"
"Likewise." Hunter said He leaned back in the bench and sighed. He really didn't want to talk about what they had talked about last night. He felt better about it, but he still feel bad. Every time he looked at her wrist, he wanted to do something to make like it had never happened. He sighed and put his head against her head. "I'm sorry." He said under his breath.
Arabella shook her head and she took his hands. "You don't have anything to be sorry about" She told him with a smile. Arabella kissed him tightly, then pulled away and cleared her throat. "Come on, no heavy stuff. Let's get go get a coffee" She said and nodded. Arabella didn't want him to feel bad and she didn't want him to start saying sorry to her. She hated seeing him upset like that.
Hunter sighed and took her hand. "You're right." He said with a chuckle. "You're always right." He said kissing her cheek. He stood up and started walking with her around the falls again. He walked to a nearby Starbucks and got in line. "Let's get back on the road after we have our coffee. Is that okay?" He asked with a sigh. He reached the line and ordered the usual. He paid and got their drinks before sitting in the warm coffeeshop, Arabella sitting across from him.
Arabella took a sip of her latte and she let out a happy sigh. It was perfect, like it usually was. She smiled across the table at Hunter. "We need to come up with games that we can play while we're driving. For a little bit of entertainment" She said with a giggle. Driving had been fun. Arabella couldn't pick a better person to be stuck in a car with for hours on end. They didn't need to be talking all the time, it was just nice to be with him. "Do you want me to drive, by the way?" She asked before she took a sip from her latte, getting foam on her upper lip.
Hunter smiled over at her, shaking his attention out of his brain. He looked and saw her foam mustache. He blinked a few times and held back a laugh. "Umm...Yeah. You can if you want." Hunter said with a shrug. He leaned across the table and kissed her upper lip, savoring the sensation and the taste of coffee. He let his tongue slide across her lip before sitting back again. "As far as games go, it's all up to you. This is my first long-distance trip not on the back of pegasi." He said with a smile as he took another sip of his tea.
Arabella giggled when he kissed her lip but she didn't really know why. She never even noticed that she had foam on her lip. Arabella took a sip of her coffee and she nodded. "I'm sure that I'll be able to think of something" she said and grinned across the table at him. "I can't wait to see Kyle and Marina. It feels like it's been so long since we went to their wedding"
"Marina sent me a postcard from their honeymoon." He said with a nod. "Well, she sent us a postcard. They went to Rome." Hunter nodded and took another sip of tea. "She said they were doing quite well. It still felt weird for her to be actually married. Especially to Kyle." Hunter said, laughing a little bit. He was a surprised to hear that they were getting married, but overall he was happy for them. They were two of his closest friends and he was happy to see them happy.
"Why do you say that?" Arabella asked, looking at him with a questioning look on her face. She didn't really know Kyle or Marina very well but at their wedding, they seemed pretty happy. Arabella hoped that they were happy together and that they weren't going to fall apart or anything. She always found it depressing when people stopped loving each other.
"Oh, don't get me wrong. They absolutely love each other. They were meant for each other, but Marina didn't expect Kyle to step up like he did." Hunter said with a nod. "She was starting to question if he was the right man for her and when he finally popped the question she was more than happy." Hunter took a sip of his tea and thought for a moment. "I mean...I helped, but all I did was light a fire under him." Hunter shrugged and finished his tea.
"Some people just need a little kick to get going" Arabella said with a nod and she took the last sip of her coffee. She put her cup down and twisted a piece of hair around her finger, thinking about it all. "What you did for Kyle was great. You're a good friend, Hunter" she said with a nod and she stretched out her arms.
Hunter smiled and laughed a little. "They were with me. They were my friends." He said with a nod. "Marina was my best friend. I told her everything. Kyle was one of the best friends I could ever have." Hunter shrugged. He had known Kyle and Marina for a long time and he couldn't be happier to know that they were together. He stood up and grabbed Arabella's cup. He threw both of them away and put his arm out for her to take. "Shall we go?" Hunter asked with a smile on his face.
Arabella smiled up at him and she slipped her arm through his. Together they walked to their car. All of their bags had been packed and Arabella had stocked out on food. She bought snacks and drinks and put them in the cooler on the floor. "You know..if you just got a cell phone, you would be able to text Marina and you could still tell her everything" Arabella said and she slipped into the car, in the driver's seat. She pulled her seat belt on and looked over at Hunter. "You could tell her all of the juicy details of our relationship. I'm sure she's love that" Arabella teased in a sarcastic voice.
"I don't need a phone." Hunter said, waving his hand. He kissed her on the cheek before sliding into the passenger seat of the car. "I have yours and besides, cellphones are like beacons for monsters. Marina and Kyle don't have cell phones. I think they have a landline." He said with a nod. He leaned his head on the window as they drove. He actually preferred driving, because that meant he had something to do. Right now the only thing he could do was tolerate Arabella's music. "Can we stop at a hospital and have them take my cast off?" Hunter asked randomly. "I mean, I don't really need it anymore and I can cut it off myself, but I know you would freak out if I did that." The first time Hunter cut a cast off, he accidentally sliced into his arm and had to head straight to the infirmary where they put a cast back on after healing his wound. He had gotten much better at it though.
"Yeah, I don't really feel like having a heart attack today" Arabella said with a nod and she looked at him briefly, raising an eyebrow. She remembered hearing about him cutting his cast off and cutting into his arm. It had been a while ago but she was spending time with a couple of girls from the Apollo cabin and they were talking about it. They all thought it was kind of funny but Arabella got the creeps. "I'm pretty sure that if we went back to camp, they would have a plaque up on the wall in the infirmary in honour of you. Most visits to the infirmary or something like that"
"I think I had my own bed." Hunter said with a laugh. "I'd always wake up there to my private physician, Dana. She would always give me a hard time about how much I hurt myself." He smiled a little at the memory. He got hurt a LOT. He fell out of trees. Hurt himself on the rock wall. Fell out of trees. Got hurt sparring. Oh, and fell out of trees. "It's a little bit different when you can nibble some ambrosia, drink some nectar and then be good to go. I was in the infirmary probably half the time I was at camp." He laughed again and looked over at Arabella.
Arabella giggled a little bit and she nodded. "I never spent much time in the infirmary, mostly because I didn't climb trees or anything like that" She teased. Arabella didn't hurt herself much. The only times that she did hurt herself, she hurt herself badly. Usually it was because of Chad. She had been thankful for ambrosia and nectar then. "I was always really impressed with you when we were at camp. You were doing things like climbing trees and the rock wall better than most of the demigods. Same with that bow of yours and your knife"
"I was impressed with that charmspeak of yours." Hunter said with a nod. He looked over at her and smiled. "You had the whole camp in the palm of your hand." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "What impressed me was that you didn't use it to control the camp. Lesser people would have given in." He put his forehead on her shoulder and sighed. "Maybe that's why you're so amazing..." He said, putting his chin on her shoulder and smiling.
Arabella resisted the urge to turn and kiss him deeply, like she wanted. She figured that it was a bad idea to do that while driving. Instead, she turned her head and gave him a quick kiss before turning back to the road. They were on open highway now and it was nice, more relaxing than being in a city or something like that. "You're too kind to me, Hunter" She sighed happily. "Having total control of the camp would have been wrong. Even if I could have charmspeaked you into breaking your oath with me" Arabella said with a little laugh.
"Artemis was actually worried that me being at camp might be dangerous." He said with a chuckle. "'There are those silver-tongued daughters of Aphrodite!'" He quoted in a very Artemis-esque voice. He rolled his eyes and smiled at her. "You could have charmspeaked me into kissing you before I took the oath, you know?" He said with a smile as he kissed her cheek. He put a hand gently on her thigh, but moved it up and put his hand lightly on her stomach. He patted it a few times and kissed her cheek again.
"Yeah, well...where would the fun be in that?" Arabella said, her cheeks were pink though. She didn't even think about that. She giggled a little when he patted her stomach before chewing on her lip a little. "Silver-tounged..." Arabella scoffed quietly. Artemis was Arabella's least favorite god, by far. There was no question, really. "I'd rather go shopping with Hades then spend an afternoon with Artemis" She said simply and looked around as they pulled into a town, looking for a hospital sign.
"I can't imagine she's too pleased with me, anyway." Hunter said with a smile. He leaned back against his door and put his feet on the seat. "I still can't believe everything that I've experienced. I mean, growing up in it, it started to become mundane, but now that I'm away...It seems so...fantastical." He said with a dreamy look on his face. As much as he gave up and sacrificed for the gods, he still did enjoy being an adopted half-blood for all those years. He will never forget any of it. "Artemis needs to leave me alone, now. I'm not a...Well, you know." He said with a chuckle as he put his head against the window.
"Oh..I know" Arabella said and she looked at him, wiggling her eyebrows. With a giggle, she turned back to the road and she put a hand on his leg. "Everything at camp seems pretty fantastical to me too. It feels like it's been so long since I've been there. I miss being around a big group of people who knew the truth about the gods. As soon as I moved out of camp, whenever I formed relationships with people, it felt kind of fake because I was hiding a huge part of myself"
"'How'd you learn how to use a knife like that?' Well, umm...self-taught. 'How'd you get that scar?' Umm...car accident." He said, reenacting conversations he had while he was homeless. "I know what you mean. The mist just doesn't even try and cover up all of my scars. Hellhound. Harpy. Nemean Lion. Atlas. Prometheus. Chimera. Chimera." He said, pointing to scars. "I had to get creative, so people didn't think I just sat in the middle of the street, waiting for cars to come and hit me." He sighed and looked at her. :We should go back sometime." He nodded and smiled softly. "We can walk in and you can kiss me and I can show you all my favorite spots and you can brag to your siblings..." He said with a chuckle.
"Ouu..they are going to be SO jealous" Arabella said with a grin and she turned down a street that had a sign for a hospital up ahead. She was looking forward to Hunter getting the cast off. It was a pain to have to work around it. Besides, it was never fun to roll over when she was sleeping and get his cast digging into her back. Arabella reached over and took his hand, running her fingers over a small scar. "I love your scars" She told him.
Hunter smiled and kissed her hand. "Good, because it was a LOT of trouble to get them." He said with a smile as he sat normally again, looking out the windshield. "I love not having a big hunk of plaster on my arm." He said, waving his cast around. He probably had a crazy tan and it probably smelled really bad, but he was more than excited to get his cast off. When they parked at the hospital, he hopped out of the car and ran around to her door, opening it for her.
Arabella smiled up at him, her stomach fluttering just like it did everytime he did something like that. She slid out of the car, trying to be graceful as she did it. With a small yawn and a stretch, Arabella took a couple of steps away from the car so that Hunter could close the door. She locked it quickly and stuffed her keys into her pocket before taking his hand and walking towards the hospital doors with him. "I can't wait for you to not have a hunk of plaster on your arm, either." She said with a giggle as they walked inside the doors.
Hunter smiled and caught a nurse. "Hi, ma'am. I have this cast and I'd really like it removed. I broke my arm--really small fracture--and it's pretty much all healed. Is there anyway that you or someone else can cut me out of this thing?" He asked with a smile on his face. The nurse looked at the cast a moment before looking up at Hunter.
"Your doctor gave you a cast this big for a really small fracture?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Hunter smiled and cleared his throat before nodding. "Alright, umm...step into that room right there. We'll get you out of here in no time."
"Thank you, ma'am." Hunter said as he took Arabella's hand and lead her into the room.
Arabella followed Hunter, looking around at everything, a little nervous. Hospitals always made her nervous and they probably always would make her nervous. They were too clean and there were too many people that we sad or scared or nervous. She could feel it when she stepped into the doors. Arabella held onto his one hand with both of her hands and moved closer to him. When they walked inside the room, Arabella gingerly sat down on the chair in the corner and looked up at Hunter. After a few minutes, the door opened and a man walked in with a clipboard.
"Hello, Mr. Reed and uh.." He said, raising his eyes to look at Arabella.
"Oh, uhm..Foster" Arabella said and she sat back into her chair, turning her eyes back to Hunter.
"Ms. Foster." He said as he wrote while glaring at Hunter. He set down the clipboard and looked at the cast. "Nice drawings." The man said as he opened a cabinet. He pulled out a saw and plugged it into the wall. "Alright. This won't hurt, but some people have found it uncomfortable, so if it does just look at her." He said gesturing to Arabella.
"Yes, sir." Hunter said as he looked at Arabella. He just wanted to look at her. He smiled and looked at her. He wasn't sure how long he looked, but was surprised when he heard.
"Done." the man said, putting the saw away. He wiped Hunter's arm off and handed the pieces of the cast to Arabella. "Well, thanks. Have a good day." He said as he walked and left.
Arabella looked at the cast pieces for a moment before putting them down and turning her eyes back up to Hunter. She smiled softly at him and she wiped her hands on her jeans before standing up. "Well...at least he managed to take off the cast without almost slicing your arm off" She said in a teasing voice and she moved closer to him, kissing him tenderly. "Is your arm okay? Everything's going good so far?"
Hunter put a hand on her hip and stretched out his other hand. He clenched and unclenched his fist. "No pain." He said as he bent his wrist. It was a little uncomfortable, but nothing hurt. He smiled and put his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. He kissed her on the lips. "Thank you." He said as he kissed across her cheek and down her neck. "You know..." He said as he brushed her neck with his lips. "They closed the door to the exam room." He said with a smile as he moved his hands up her sides.
Arabella giggled and she placed her hands on his thighs, shivering at the feel of his lips on her skin. It was an electrifying touch and it wasn't one that Arabella was going to forget anytime soon. It felt like it set her whole body on fire but gave her goosebumps at the same time. She closed her eyes and she leaned into him more. "Let's just hope that they don't have to use this room anytime soon" Arabella whispered and her hands squeezed his thighs.
Hunter stood up and kissed her. "I've been waiting to do this again." He moved his hands down to her butt and lifted her up, kissing her tightly. He felt her wrap her legs around his waist and he wrapped an arm around her waist, his lips never leaving hers. Hunter loved being able to carry her. It made him feel strong and she felt so small close to his body. He heard the door open and he quickly set her on the bed, taking a step away as a doctor walked in, followed closely by a small child and his mother. "We were just leaving." He said as he grabbed his cast and hurried out the door, Arabella's hand in his.
Arabella laughed as they rushed out of the hospital and towards their car. She opened the door and she slid in, pulling Hunter in behind her. Her arms found their favorite spot around his neck and she pulled him down to her. Her lips danced across his jaw and brushed against his lips before she kissed him tightly. Arabella didn't want this moment to end. She never wanted to stop having moments like this with Hunter. It was a rush to run out of the hospital and into their car like that. Arabella took the cast from his hand and put it aside before pulling Hunter closer to him.
Hunter smiled against her lips and hummed as he kissed her. "In a hospital parking lot...." He said with a laugh as he moved his hand up and down her side. He stopped for a moment before pulling away and sitting up. He pulled her closer and started the car. "In Cleveland. We'll pick this up in Cleveland." He said, taking deep breaths.
Arabella leaned back against her seat, her heart slowly going back to it's normal pace. She closed her eyes for a moment and she nodded. "Cleveland" She agreed in a breathless voice. Arabella turned her eyes back to Hunter and she smiled lightly. She watched him as he pulled the car out of the parking lot and down the street, heading out of the town. Arabella looked back out the window and she took a deep breath. "How far to Cleveland?" She asked with a giggle.
"Too far." He said with a nod. He looked over and kissed her lightly on the lips and looked back at the road. They stopped at a busy intersection and Hunter looked over. He pulled her close and kissed her tightly on the lips. He leaned into her and kissed across her cheek. "Cleveland is way too far." He said as he moved his lips to her neck. He heard a loud honk behind him and he cursed under his breath before sitting up again and hitting the gas. As Hunter drove, Arabella placed kisses along his jaw occasionally. He loved the feeling of her lips against his skin. The warmth of her closeness. The steadiness of her breathing. He smiled and kissed her forehead lightly before turning back to the road again.
Arabella giggled against his skin and she placed her hands on his arm, holding onto his bicep as she brushed her lips across his neck. She didn't care that there were people giving them weird looks as they passed by them or kids making grossed out faces from the backs of their parents cars. Arabella was happy against Hunter like that. "Mmm..I've never wanted to get to Cleveland so badly before" She whispered against his skin and she trailed her kisses down his shoulder.
Hunter took a deep breath and kissed her on the forehead. "Me either. I think we're almost there, thankfully." He said quietly. He drove and tried to keep his calm as well as he could, but Arabella leaving tender kisses on his neck and lips was making it difficult. He smiled softly and leaned his head back against the seat. When they finally reached Cleveland, Hunter stopped in a gas station and started to fill up. He ran inside and asked where the nearest hotel was. After the clerk told him he paid for his gas and hurried back to his car where Arabella was waiting 'patiently'. Hunter took a deep breath and drove to the hotel. He parked and kissed Arabella tightly on the lips. He pushed her back and laid over her, kissing her tenderly across the cheek to her neck and shoulders, running his hand along her stomach and sides.
Arabella shivered at his touch and her hands grazed down her back. It was taking everything she had not to wrap her legs around him right then and there. With a racing heart and shallow breaths, Arabella pulled away from Hunter a little. "Hotel room" She breathed and wiggled out from under him and out of the car. Once he was out of the car and had the doors locked, Arabella rushed into the hotel room and she slapped her credit card down on the counter. "I need a room. Now." She said in an urgent voice. Soon enough, she had her room key in her hand and her credit card back in her wallet. Her arms snaked around Hunter's neck and she pulled him into the elevator with her.
Hunter smiled and kissed her tightly on the lips. He reached for the buttons and finally found the panel. "What room are we in?" He whispered. She showed him the key and he kissed her again. "Well, we'll get there when we get there." He said with a brief chuckle as he ran his hand across all the buttons. He lifted her up and leaned on the back of the elevator, his back against the wall. He wrapped his arms around her with her legs around his waist. They went through a couple floors, making sure that no one saw them or wanted to get on. On the third floor, the doors opened and a family of four gasped as they looked into the elevator. Hunter quickly dropped Arabella and looked. "We're uh...We're going up. And we pressed all the buttons." He said with red cheeks and an apologetic wave.
Arabella giggled, hiding her face in his shoulder as the doors closed, leaving the family looking at them with shocked looks on their faces. Once the doors were closed again, Arabella stretched up, placing kisses along Hunter's jaw. She placed her hands on his arms and she leaned into him, into the kiss. It felt like it was a long time when the bell finally dinged and stopped on their floor. Arabella pulled away from the kiss with a little gasp and she walked out of the elevator, bringing Hunter with her. She took out the room key and she tried to swipe it but her hands were shaking because Hunter's hands were on her hips and his lips were dancing along her nape of her neck. "You're distracting me" She breathed with a smile.
Hunter laughed quietly and ran his hand down her arm. He put his hand over hers and swiped the card for the door. He turned the handle and pushed her inside. She turned around in his arms and put her hands on his chest. He closed the door with his foot as he kissed her tightly on the lips, running his hands up and down her sides. "I guess we'll get our bags later." He whispered against her lips. He trailed his lips across her cheek and down her neck to her shoulder. He slipped her sweater over her head and threw it against the wall before running his hands up her shirt, lightly tickling the small of her back. He slipped off her shirt and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. "I love how my arms fit around you." He said with a smile. He kissed her on the lips. "You're so thin!" He said with a laugh before pressing his lips tightly to hers.
"After all of that food you make me, that's a little surprising" Arabella teased with a giggle. She nuzzled into him, slipping her hands up his shirt. Being so close to Hunter made her feel better than anything else on the planet. He made her feel loved, protected, beautiful and safe. He lit a fire in her spirit and made her heart race and her whole body feel warm. Arabella tugged his shirt off and she tossed it to the side before walking over to the bed and flopping down on it. With a devious smirk, she took his hands and pulled him ontop pf her, kissing him passionately.
Hunter kissed her tightly and rolled next to her. He kissed her and laced his fingers into hers. "It really doesn't matter." He said, kissing her again. "I'd love you no matter how you looked. You'd still be beautiful." He said with a soft smile as he ran his hand through her hair. He looked her in the eye and kissed her on the forehead. He looked at her for another moment before sighing. "We don't have any protection." He said calmly, trying to hide his laughter a little. He put his hand on her side, pulling her closer. "I could use a nap though, if you want."
Arabella looked up at him for a moment then let out a sigh. "You are such a tease" She muttered and she placed her forehead on his shoulder. Of course. This would happen to her. Arabella took a breath, trying to calm down her racing heart. Slowly, she rolled so that she was laying on her back and she took deep breaths, her chest rising and falling with each breath. "Yeah..nap sounds good. Then I won't be too tempted to jump your bones" She said in a quiet voice and she looked over at him with a small smile.