Arabella held her hand out for the keys and she looked up at Hunter with big eyes. She gave him a small little smile and watched as he sort of thought it over. Finally, he sighed and passed her the keys. Arabella smiled and she slipped the keys into her pocket. "I promise I won't crash the car" She said with a giggle and she turned, walking back to her room. It was getting easier and easier to joke around with Hunter and Arabella didn't know why. It just was. She was comfortable with Hunter. Hunter had been her best friend for ages. Why couldn't he be her best friend again?
Arabella grabbed her bags that she ahd already packed and she looked around the room. The room that she hadn't slept in. The room that she couldn't sleep in. Arabella shook herself, trying to not think of what had happened. She took a breath and she walked back to the main room with her bags.
"Are you ready?" Hunter asked and he pushed himself away from the wall. Arabella nodded and together, they walked out of the hotel room and down to their car. She was excited to drive. It felt like it had been a really long time since she had gotten to drive and she was looking forward to being on the road again. She piled her bags into the bag and she got into the driver's seat. Once Hunter was sitting beside her and had his bags packed away, Arabella started the car and headed towards the highway. They were going to Colorado next and Arabella was excited to get there, she had spent most of her life by the ocean. It would be nice to be by the mountains. With a small sigh, she looked over at Hunter and she turned on the radio to fill the silence.
Arabella had been putting on a brave face all morning. She didn't want Hunter to know that she was hurting or that something had happened that morning. Her lips still tingled from kissing his forehead. Arabella had woken up in his bed and she saw that she was still asleep so she had decided to stay in bed and just look at him for a few moments. She tried to remember how it felt to wake up with his arms around her but eventually, she had to go back to her room. It was too painful to think about it all.
But when she had reached her door, she paused and looked back at him. He didn't look peaceful. He didn't look happy. It broke her heart to see the pain in his face. She could see it in the way that she clenched his jaw and even though she was angry about what had happened, Arabella needed a bit of comfort. She needed to kiss him. She knew that if they were still happy together, she would have woken up in his arms and she would have kissed him. Arabella would have wished him a good morning and she would kiss him before he rolled out of bed to get breakfast. Arabella would wait in bed for him and when he came back with a tray of food, she would wrap her arms around his neck and pull him down to her so that she could kiss him. She would tell him that she loves him and they would be happy.
But that wasn't how things were. Tiffany had kissed Hunter and ruined everything. Instead of doing all those things, Arabella was padding over to his spot on the floor and kissing his forehead. She wished him a good morning and snuck back into her bedroom before he even knew that she had been there. Arabella wanted to tell him that she loved him and that she would always be there for him. Instead, she was sneaking back into her room. The thought made Arabella want to cry as she was driving but she took a breath and kept driving. She didn't want to cry in the car. She didn't want this to be harder than it was. If she needed to cry, she would do it in their hotel room that night. Arabella just wanted to have a happy day with Hunter.
It was at that moment that her stomach growled and Arabella let out a little sigh. Luckily, they were going through a small town. "Do you want to pull over? I have some snacks and things packed but I really just want to have a good lunch" She said and looked over at Hunter. He shook himself out of whatever world he was stuck in and looked at her.
"Yeah, that sounds good" He said quietly and Arabella happily pulled off of the highway. She turned into the parking lot of a small diner and she slid out of the car, grabbing her wallet. It looked like the type of diner that had been there for decades, run by a family with loyal customers. It looked like the perfect place for lunch. Together, they walked inside and were seated at a booth by the window. Arabella didn't even pause to think about how this situation could be awkward, sitting with Hunter in a diner. She was so hungry and she knew that he probably was too.
The waitress walked up to their table right away with a warm smile on her face. She was an older woman but she had kind eyes. She looked like she was probably someone's grandmother. "What can I get for you, dears?" she asked, pulling out her notepad.
"I'm going to have the toasted BLT and a side of creamy tomato soup. And a big cup of coffee" Arabella asked in a friendly voice and she passed the menu back to the waitress. As Hunter placed his order, Arabella leaned back against the seat and looked out the window. It was a beautiful little town and Arabella was happy that they stopped there. With a small sigh, she looked across the table at Hunter and her eyes locked with his dark eyes. She remembered the feeling she got when she was in his hotel room and she kissed his forehead. It was a feeling that was hard to describe. She felt so much love towards him and kissing him, being close to him made her feel amazing and it made her heart race. But at the same time, she was hurt and there was a horrible sadness when she realized that it would probably be the last time that she would kiss Hunter.
Arabella cleared her throat and she looked down at the table. "I uh, I figured that we would get into Colorado by tonight. I need to stay in and finish up a few things on Vera's wedding dress then it'll be done.." She told him, her voice trailing off nervously as she thought of the dress. She really wanted Vera to be happy. She wanted Vera to love her dress and she hoped that it would fit her perfectly.
"It's going to be amazing, Arabella" Hunter said in a patient tone that was so familiar to Arabella. It was the same tone he used when she was freaking out about something, her worries spinning out of control. He would wrap his arms around her and tell her that it was going to be wonderful and she had nothing to worry about. Arabella looked up at him with slightly wide eyes and he looked back at her. they blushed at the same time and luckily, their food came at that moment. Arabella thanked the waitress quietly and started to eat.
The great thing about food, in Arabella's opinion, is that you don't have to talk when you're eating. It's actually rude to talk while you eat. It gave hre an excuse to sit with Hunter in silence as she chewed on her BLT and take sips of her soup. Once they were done eating, Hunter excused himself quietly and Arabella watched him as he walked back to the bathroom. With a huff, she leaned against the seat and closed her eyes. Being nice and putting on a smile when she was with Hunter was exhausting.
"Will that be all, dear?" The waitress asked and Arabella opened her eyes to look at the woman who was smiling down at her. She nodded and looked at the name tag on her dress.
"Yeah, thanks, Karen" Arabella said softly and she tried to smile up at Karen but it was more of a sad smile, a forced smile.
"If you don't mind me saying, dear, if that man is not your boyfriend, you need to snatch him up right now" Karen said with a little smirk and Arabella let out a little sigh.
"Yeah, because he's such a babe. I know..I hear that a lot" Arabella nodded.
"No, because he loves you. I can see it in his eyes. He loves you" Karen said with a nod and she collected their plates. "He's not too bad on the eyes either." she said and walked away.
Arabella tried to laugh a little bit, but her heart was racing. She knew that Hunter had loved her but it was still an emotional rush to hear it like that. She tried to convince herself that Hunter didn't love her anymore, not like he did. But now she was hearing something different. Arabella quickly put the money in the bill and she stood up just as Hunter came back. "Let's get back on the road" She said softly.
"I just have to pay" Hunter said but Arabella shook her head.
"I took care of it" She told him and she turned on her heel, walking out to the car before he could protest. She slid into the driver's seat and Hunter sat down next to her in the car.
"Arabella, you didn't have to pay for me..." He started but Arabella cut him off.
"It was no big deal, really" Arabella said and she backed up the car, getting onto the highway quickly.
-------
By the time they were driving into Boulder, the sun was starting to get lower in the sky. The drive had gone by quickly and Arabella was getting stiff. Stretching out on a bed sounded pretty perfect. Maybe she would go down to the pool and relax in the hot tub for a little bit before she did anything else. Arabella yawned and finally spotted a hotel that looked like it was a pretty good one. It was quaint and rustic but it looked like it was high quality, at least a four or five star hotel. Arabella pulled into the parking lot and she stopped the car, yawning. "Is this hotel okay?" She asked, looking over at Hunter. He looked at her and he nodded.
"This looks great" He told her and as soon as he said that it looked great, Arabella got out of the car, grabbed her bags and was walking towards the building. She walked into the lobby and over to the young girl behind the counter. Arabella was desperate to get a hotel room. She was exhausted from not getting much sleep the night before and sore from not being able to stretch as she drove.
"I need a suite with two seperate bedrooms" Arabella said, trying to make it clear that they needed to have different rooms. The girl looked at Hunter briefly before looking at Arabella and giving her a smile. If she hadn't been so tired, she would have noticed the smirk that was hidden in the smile.
"Perfect. Let me get it all set up for you" The girl said and within a couple of moments, Arabella had their room key in her hand and they were in the elevator, headed up to their room. Once the doors opened, Arabella walked out of the elevator and towards their room. She swiped the room key and pushed the doors open. Her stomach dropped and she glanced over at Hunter.
They did not get a room with a different bedrooms. They got one room with one king sized bed. Arabella was mad. She wanted different rooms for a reason. She didn't know if she would be able to control herself if they ahd to share a bed. Arabella had promised herself that she wasn't going to let herself be hurt again but having to share a bed with Hunter was the easiest way to get her to go back with him. She wouldn't be able to control herself.
Arabella let out a sigh and she flopped down on the bed. "Shit.." she muttered under her breath and she looked around the room, avoiding Hunter's eyes.
"I'll sleep on the floor" Hunter said suddenly in his quiet voice and Arabella looked at him, a little bit stunned.
"Are you sure, Hunter? You don't have to do that.." Arabella said but Hunter shook his head.
"No, really, it's fine" He said with a nod and Arabella chewed on her lip, still looking at him. Normally, she would protest but she knew that sharing a bed with him would be dangerous.
"Okay..thanks" She said softly. To be honest, Arabella was torn. She didn't want to sleep in the same bed with Hunter because of her worried and her fears. However, her heart ached to sleep in the same bed with him. To feel the warmth of his back against hers. To feel his heart beat.
The rest of the night passed quickly. Both of them were eager to get to bed so they both quickly changed, taking turns in the bathroom. Soon enough, Hunter was settled on the floor and Arabella was curled up in the bed. "Good night, Hunter" she breathed. There was a moment's pause before Hunter replied to her.
"Sleep well, Arabella" Hunter said quietly and Arabella closed her eyes. She was happy to have him close to her, though. It was relaxing to be able to hear him as she tried to sleep. However, sleep evaded her again. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't fall asleep.
It was close to 1 in the morning when Arabella slid out of the bed and she sat down by Hunter, leaning against the bed. Arabella wasn't sure if he was asleep or not, but he sounded like he was asleep. So without thinking about it, Arabella took his hand and she gingerly held it in her lap, brushing her fingertips against his skin, his palms, his fingers, his hand. The hands that made her happier than anything. The hands that have danced along every inch of her skin. The hands that made her feel like a goddess. The hands that were no longer hers to hold.
Arabella took a shaky breath, trying to hold back her cries. She knew that if she wasn't holding Hunter's hand, she would probably be sobbing. She had never felt a pain like she felt when she saw Tiffany kissing Hunter. Breaking up with him left a hole in her heart that she knew would never be filled, no matter what happened. If she wasn't with Hunter than that hole would always be empty.
With a tired, dry sob, Arabella laid down on the ground. She rested her head on a pillow and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep. When she finally did fall asleep, her back was against the bed and she was facing Hunter. Her fingertips were still in his hand, gently hooking onto his fingertips.