Did she want to go around the city with Hunter? Did she want to see all of the things that they would be taking pictures of if they were together? Arabella didn't think that she could. She didn't know if she would be able to. It was going to be difficult, that was certain. However, Arabella also knew that if she decided to stay in the house, things were probably going to get awkward fast. At least if they went outside for a little bit, Arabella wouldn't have to talk to Hunter all the time. She could shop and do her thing. They wouldn't have to talk or plan or do anything like that. Maybe Hunter would even go and do his own thing too. She paused for a moment and looked over at him. "I want to go shopping" She told him with a nod. As soon as Arabella said it, she knew that it was what she wanted to do. Shopping would make her feel better. Shopping would distract her for a little while. Maybe she could find a few nice things for herself. "You don't have to come with me if you don't want to" She added quickly, looking over at him briefly.
"I'll uh..I'll go. If that' okay" Hunter said in his quiet tone. Arabella nodded a little bit and she slipped her purse over her shoulder before slipping into a pair of sneakers.
"I guess you can come with me. I'm going to need someone to help me carry the bags" Arabella said softly, the faintest trace of a smile sliding onto her face. She looked up at Hunter and saw his lips twitch a little bit. Laughing with him felt like it was off limits. Like it was too soon to laugh. Like it was against the rules for them to laugh or something. Arabella cleared her throat and she headded towards the door.
"Where are we going?" Hunter asked her. He didn't sound like he actually really wanted to know where they were going. More like he was asking her as something to talk about with her. Arabella didn't blame him and she was actually a little thankful that he spoke to her first.
"Country Club Plaza. I researched all shopping centers before we left and this one seems like it would be the best. I like stores that it has here" Arabella said with a little nod as they stepped into the elevator and headed towards the bottom floor. They stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the car in silence. Arabella felt like Hunter was thinking about something a lot. His brow was furrowed a little and his hands were shoved into his pockets. With a small sigh, she slid into the car and she fixed her hair in the mirror as Hunter got in, started the car and headed out.
"Where do I go from here?" Hunter asked her and Arabella pulled out her phone to show him the map. It didn't take them a long time to get to the shopping center and Arabella was excited to start shopping. It would get her mind off of everything else and she would maybe be able to breathe easily again. Hunter finally parked the car and Arabella slid out, closing the door behind her gently. She looked around her, seeing a bunch of stores that she wanted to go into. But she also looked around at the plaza. It was beautiful. There were fountains and people were walking around looking very happy. If there was a heaven, this would be it for Arabella.
"I want to go into Urban Outfitters first" Arabella said simply and she adjusted her purse on her shoulder before walking across the street and stepping into the Urban Outfitters. Hunter followed behind her in silence, his hands in his pockets. She walked around the store, picking up a few things here and there. Mostly clothes but she did grab a few other things. Jewllery, house items..things like that. She was already starting to feel a bit better. She was back in her comfort zone. A store. There was something familiar about the sounds of people talking, cash registers opening, shoes on the hard floor. Arabella looked back at Hunter and she let out a small sigh. He still had his hands in his pockets and he wasn't speaking at all. He was just following her, looking around the store a little bit. Arabella wondered what he was thinking about. She wondered why he was looking like he was lost in his own little world. She sighed and looked around then saw the men's clothes. She walked over to them, making sure that Hunter was following her. Part of her really just wanted to get him talking again so that things were a little less awkward. The other part of her, the designer and stylist, couldn't walk past this rack of clothes and not find something.
"You should wear more white" Arabella said with a nod and she looked back at him. He was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a slightly amused look on his face. "No, I'm serious. You're really tanned so white isn't going to wash you out or anything" She told him and turned back to the clothes, searching through the racks. "Here" She said and she shoved a sweater at him.
"Arabella, I don't need-"
"You need a sweater or something, you idiot. It's not exactly a warm day outside and that one is on sale" Arabella said and she put a hand on her hip. She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. He looked at her for a moment. He seemed to be thinking it over. Weighing his options. Arabella knew that he wasn't stupid and that he knew that she was either going to make him get it for himself or she was going to buy it for him. Finally he sighed and took one hand out of his pockets to take the sweater from her. Arabella gave him a little smile and she walked towards the cash. It felt weird to talk to him like that. The past day and felt so long and she was nowhere near being ready to forgive him. but it still felt good to get on his case like that and talk to him about something simple. Bickering about clothing wasn't something complicated or filled with emotion. It was just talking about clothing.
Once everything was paid for, Arabella walked back out of the store with Hunter. They walked in silence for a little while. She was trying to think of other things but he mind kept racing back to Hunter and her heart would break all over again. As they walked, they went past a Tiffany's. In the window, they had a display of engagment rings. Her heart clenched and she slowly walked a bit closer to the window. She was going to marry Hunter. She was going to get a ring. She was going to grow old with him. But all of that was gone now. Instead, there was a empty space in her heart where all those dreams and hopes used to be. Arabella bit back a few tears and she shook herself before looking over at Hunter. He had his hands in his pockets and was staring into the fountain that wasn't very far from the store. Arabella closed her eyes for a moment and she took a breath before walking over to him. "It's really beautiful here" Arabella said softly and Hunter jumped a little bit. He paused for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah, it is" Hunter agreed and Arabella took a couple steps back and she pulled out her camera so that she could take a picture of the fountain. Hunter stood behind her and he looked at the fountain again. Just as Arabella was about to take the picture, she heard a woman's voice from behind her.
"Why don't I take the picture for you? I can get a picture of you two infront of the camera" Arabella turned to look at her and saw an older woman, maybe in her mid-forties smiling at her.
"Oh, I uh..I don't know" Arabella said and Hunter shifted umcomfortably on his feet.
"Don't be silly, go on" The woman said in a kind voice and she took the camera from Arabella, shoving them infront of the fountain. Arabella sighed and she looked up at Hunter for a moment before slipping her hands into her pockets and giving the camera a forced smile. "Put your arm around her, would you?" The woman said in a teasing voice and giving Hunter an encouraging wink. Arabella felt Hunter pause and he opened his mouth to protest but the woman gave him a look and he took a little step closer to Arabella. She guessed that he was feeling nervous about putting his arm around her. Like he was worried that Arabella might bite it off if he got too close. Finally, Arabella took her hand out of her pocket and she slipped her arm around his waist. The woman took the picture and passed the camera back to Arabella before walking away.
Arabella looked back at the picture and she chewed on her lip, quickly stepping away from Hunter. It was a wonderful picture, really. The fountain was clear in the background and Arabella was looking at the camera with a small smile on her face. Hunter, however, was looking down at Arabella with a slight look fo shock on his face and she knew that it was because he wasn't expecting Arabella to put her arm around her. She put her camera away and looked up at Hunter. "Well, let's get on with this shopping" She said.
The rest of the shopping day went by pretty quickly. Arabella bought quite a few things and got a latte from Starbucks on the way back to the car. Shopping had been a good idea and it made her feel good but now that they were headed back to the hotel to get ready to go to the show, she felt nervous. Going to a show like this would be like a date and she was leaving her spot of comfort. Arabella slid into the car after putting their things into the back and she turned on some music. Maybe it would calm her nerves to hear some relaxing music. The drive back to the hotel would have been totally silent if it wasn't for the music. It was a good way to break the tension a little bit. At least there was some kind of sound. Arabella didn't have to talk because there was music on. Hunter could be lost in his own world and focus on driving because there was music on. As soon as they got back to the hotel, Arabella grabbed her bags and they headed back to their hotel room. She was looking forward to getting dressed. She would have to close her door and it would give her some time alone.
Arabella looked at Hunter as they walked into their hotel room and she took a little breath. "I'll uh..I'll be in my room if you need anything" She said softly and Hunter nodded, looking over at her briefly.
"Yeah, okay" Hunter said in his quiet tone. "I'll be in my room too" He said and Arabella gave him a little smile before turning to her room and closing the doors. As soon as the doors were closed, there was a heavy silence. She almost didn't know what to do with herself. It felt like it had been so long since she had been alone like this. She had been with Hunter so much, she had forgotten how to keep herself entertained while she was alone. Arabella looked around her room and she took a deep breath before she flopped down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.
Her emotions were all over the place at this point. She felt so betrayed and hurt by what Hunter did but she also missed him and she hated the awkwardness of what was happening. Arabella closed her eyes and she tried to think of something else. She tried to keep her mind on trivial things that didn't involve heartbreak. Arabella rolled off of the bed and she started to get dressed.
It took her a little while to get dressed. Arabella wanted to take her time. She was still nervous about going to the show with Hunter. It would be difficult to go out with Hunter like this. Like they were on a date. When she was done getting dressed, Arabella walked over to the mirror and she looked at herself from ever angle. She felt like there was something wrong with her. There must be something wrong with her if Hunter wanted to kiss Tiffany. Eventually, she pulled herself away from the mirror and she stepped out of her room. As soon as she walked out of ehr toom, she saw Hunter stand up from where he was sitting and looked at her with slightly wide eyes.
"You look be-" Hunter started but he paused and he seemed to think about what he was about to say and he stopped himself. He cleared his throat and he stuck his hands into his pockets again. "Ready to go?" He asked her and Arabella nodded a little bit.
"I was born ready" Arabella said in a feeble attempt to make a joke. She smiled a little bit and looked down at the ground. Even though he stopped himself, Arabella could tell that he was about to tell her that she looked beautiful. It still made her blush a little bit to think that he thought that she was beautiful. Arabella grabbed her purse and her jacket and Hunter walked out of the hotel room, holding the door open for her.
If you asked Arabella any details about the night later on, she wouldn't have been able to tell you anything, really. She spent the drive to the theater picking at her nails nervously. When they got to the theater, she watched the show but she didn't focus on it. She was thinking of the way that Hunter's knuckles accidentally brushed against her thigh as he drummed his fingers on his leg. Or the way that she could hear him breathing when he let out a sigh. Or the way that she could feel the warmth from his arm when he adjusted in his seat. Arabella wanted to go back to the morning and she wanted to never go for that shower. If she had stayed with Hunter all morning then Tiffany would never have come to their room and Arabella would have curled up to Hunter's side while they watched the show and she would have enjoyed every minute of it.
They drove back to their hotel, talking about the show a little bit. Arabella didn't really have much to say but it was nice to talk to Hunter a little bit. She was happy when they pulled up to the hotel though. Arabella was tired and she was looking forward to getting dressed in her pajamas and going to bed. As they walked into their hotel room, Arabella pulled her hair out of the braid and yawned. "I'm going to head to bed" She said and looked over at Hunter. It was their first night without each other. She didn't know how she was going to go through the night without him. She was so used to curling up by his side.
"Good night, Arabella" Hunter said in a quiet voice. He sounded so sad and so upset and it broke her heart. But at the same time, she was still mad at him.
"Sleep well" She said to him in a small voice and she turned, walking into her room. Arabella changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top and she was in bed in a flash. Her whole body was desperate to relax. Arabella closed her eyes but she could fall asleep. Without Hunter beside her, falling asleep felt like an impossible task. It was probably around an hour and a half before Arabella had drifted off into a restless sleep.
She was alone. Arabella looked around desperately for someone or something but all she saw was a black mist surrounding her. Arabella was all alone and she felt an empty chill race through her body. Her blood turned to ice. A sob rocked through her body and she screamed out for someone, anyone. Someone to hold her and tell her that she was okay. Someone to bring a light into this dark nothing that she was in.
Suddenly, the ground gave in and Arabella was falling. She was falling and falling and falling and no one was catching her. Arabella sobbed and she reached out her arms to the sides of her, trying to find something to hold onto but there was nothing. Just nothing.
Arabella sat up with a shock. For a moment, she felt like she was still falling. She put her head down and took a few breaths, trying to stop the tears that were falling freely down her eyes. Looking at the clock, Arabella saw that it was 2:34am. With a sigh, she ran her fingers through her hair and looked at the door that connected her room to Hunter's. Suddenly, she knew what she would need to fall asleep and without caring if Hunter was awake or not, Arabella tip toed over to the door and she pushed it open. She looked at the bed, trying to find Hunter but he wasn't there. Arabella chewed on her lip, wondering where he was. Finally, she found him on the floor and her heart stopped for a moment. Why was he sleeping on the floor again? She hadn't seen him sleep on the floor since she had first seen him again, when he had been homeless. Arabella covered her mouth with her hand as a dry sob shook through her. It was horrible to see him like that, even if he had hurt her. Slowly, she turned away from the door and she headed towards her bed and she laid down quietly.
In the silence, Arabella could now hear Hunter's steady breathing and it was relaxing her. She turned over in her bed and she held her teddy bear close to her, finally being able to fall asleep as the sounds of Hunter's breathing lulled her into a sleep.