Hunter checked his watch and slid an arm around Arabella, a plate of snack food in hand. "I do remember this at camp. Chiron and Mr. D and I would sit around the ping-pong table and talk about they year while we ate snack food like little hotdogs and stuff like that. It was nice. New Years was always pretty calm." He ran his hands through her hair as he offered her a Bagel Bite. "I'm really glad that I have you now." Hunter grinned and pressed his lips to her cheek.
Arabella closed her eyes, a smile on her lips when he kissed her cheek. "I'm really glad that I have you too, Hunter" She said softly and looked down at the Bagel Bite in her hand a moment before popping it into her mouth and chewing. "New Years was always a pretty big party. I like this better, though" She told him adn turned her eyes to look up at him. "I like this a lot better" She said and she kissed him lightly.
Hunter smiled and put the plate on the table before kissing her and pulling her back on top of him as he laid back. "I like this a lot too." Hunter said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head. Arabella moved and turned her head to watch the TV before putting her head down on Hunter'chest. Hunter looked at her, running his hands up and down her back as he kissed her lightly on the head.
Arabella yawned and she pulled a blanket down, spreading it over herself and Hunter. "Mmm..that feels nice" She said softly as he ran his hands up and down her back. Arabella was still pinching herself when she woke up and saw the ring on her finger. Being with Hunter, laying on the couch with him, having his ring on her hand...it all felt like a dream. She took a breath and looked up at him, grinning.
Hunter brushed his lips against hers and kissed down her cheek to her neck. He laid back and then placed a hand on her butt, giving it a soft pinch. She squeaked and looked up at him oddly. "See? It's not a dream." Hunter said with a grin. "You and I are going to get married. You and I are going to have the best life ever. Understand?" Hunter said, pressing his lips to hers.
"Understand" Arabella echoed, kissing him softly and closing her eyes. She pulled away a little bit, placing her hands on his cheeks and she locked eyes with him. "I am going to have the best husband in the whole wide world" She said softly and she shifted a little, getting more comfortable. Arabella brushed her hair to fall over one shoulder and she ran her fingers down his neck as she kissed his lips.
"And I am going to have the best wife in whole wide world." Hunter smiled and looked over at the TV a moment. "Oh! There it is! There's the uh...the thing!" He said, sitting up with her on his lap. He handed her her glass of champagne and grabbed his. "I can't believe you convinced me to have champagne." Hunter said as he smelled the liquid in his glass and made a face. "Are you ready for the new year?" He asked quietly, rubbing her back.
"This year is going to be the best year, ever" Arabella said in the same quiet tone as him. She looked down at her champagne for a moment and she let herself think back to the past year. So much had happened in her life and she didn't want to look back anyore. "My New Years Resolution is that I'm not going to look back anymore. I'm not going to be upset and ashamed of the stupid things I did and the people in my past that I wish I never met. You and I are going to have such an amazing life together and that's all that matters" She said in a small voice and looked up at him.
Hunter looked at her and smiled. "Mine is to drink less alcohol." He said with a laugh and Arabella smacked his arm. He laughed even harder and kissed her cheek. "I'm kidding. My New Years Resolution is to be the best boyfriend, fiance, husband, friend, teacher, and overall person as possible. I really wasn't that great last year, so..." Hunter let his voice trail off and then turned back to her. "And I'm going to drink less. And we are going to get through that whole book." He said, pointing up the stairs. "Will you hold me to these resolutions, Ellie?" He asked with a smile.
"Yes, I will" Arabella said with a nod and she looked over to the TV. Only one more minute until the new year. "And you better hold me to mine" She giggled and gave him a wink. Arabella shifted a little bit and she held her glass of champagne up a little higher. This felt like a big moment, her first New Years with Hunter. "You know what we do when midnight strikes, right?" She said, wiggling her eyebrows at him.
Hunter raised an eyebrow and looked at her, glancing at the TV then back at her. "We drink, right? That's why we have the champagne in the fancy glasses?" Hunter raised his cup a little. She bit her lip and looked at him. He laughed nervously and looked at her. "Wha-What-What do we do when midnight strikes? Yell? Shout?" Hunter turned to the TV. 30 seconds. Whatever it was it was coming quickly.
Arabella looked over at the TV and grinned. 15, 14, 13, 12. Arabella could feel her heart skipping and she didn't really know why. She was just so excited and so looking forward to the new year. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" Arabella counted down with the people on TV and soon enough, there were yells and cheers coming from the TV and she leaned into Hunter, kissing him tightly. She put everything she had into that kiss. All of her hopes and dreams for their life together. All of the love she had for him. Everything. After a moment, she pulled away just a little bit so that she could smile. "Happy New Year, Hunter" She said softly.
Hunter sat there, eyes wide, lips slightly parted, heart pounding, arms wrapped tightly around Arabella. It was a new year and that was the best possible way to start it. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Happy New Year, Ellie." He said with a grin before putting a hand in her hair and pulling her in for a kiss. He pressed himself into that kiss, leaning into her, a smile plastered on his face that he knew was never going to go away. "I can't wait until next New Years."
"And the New Years after that and the New Years after that and the New Years after that..." Arabella said, her voice trailing off a little as she ran her fingers down his arm. She picked up her champagne glass and clinked it against Hunter's locking eyes with him. Arabella let out a little giggle before taking a sip. "This is going to be the best year ever. Mostly because we're getting married." She said with a little shrug and grinned at him.
Hunter smiled and took a sip of his champagne. "Have you thought about what date we're getting married on? What day we'll finally be tying the knot?" Hunter said, dancing his fingers up and down her spine. He took another drink then put his glass down. "Soon hopefully." Hunter said with a smile as he brushed his lips against her neck and rested his hand on her thigh.
Arabella shrugged and she let out a small sigh "I don't know when it's going to happen. It better be soon because I hate waiting to marry you. But there is just so much that I have to figure out before we actually get married. The place, the dress, the invites, the flowers, the cake. Who is going to marry us? What kind of ceremony will it be? What are the colors going to be? Where is the registry going to be? Prenup? Bridal shower? Bachelorette party?" Arabella let out a huff and she put her head on his chest. "And the list goes on and on and on..."
Hunter looked at her and kissed her head. "Hey, you know what? We are going to do this every step by step and I will be there to help you and take my share of stuff to do, but honestly I don't really have much of an opinion. I just want it to be perfect for you." Hunter wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers, pulling her closer. "I'm very excited and we don't need any of that stuff to make our wedding the best wedding ever."
"Our wedding..." Arabella said softly and she smiled at him, placing her hands on his chest. "One day, years from now, you and I will be on this couch and celebrating the new year. Either that or worrying about what party our teenage daughter has gone to" she said with a giggle and she looked up at him, brushing her fingers down his cheek. "I'm looking forward to having a teenage daughter" She added, laughing a little bit.
Hunter scoffed. "You mean what party she wished she had gone to, but wasn't allowed to because she's not allowed to talk to boys until she's married." Hunter said, wrapping his arms around her. "Ellie, I'm just excited to be Mr. Arabella Reed." Hunter kissed her and leaned back on the couch. "You know...our canine and porcine children are int heir cages and by the sound of it our asleep." Hunter smiled and ran his hands to her sides. "This wouldn't be a bad way to break in the new year." Hunter laughed a little and kissed her cheek.
Arabella giggled and she ran her hands down his arms. She leaned her cheek into his kiss a little bit then turned her head to kiss his lips lightly. "I think that it would be a wonderful way to break in the new year.." She said softly, a kissed him again before there was a sound like an explosion and she squeaked out of surprise, jumping up. The dogs started to bark as the sound came again and again. Arabella jumped off of the couch and looked out the window on her way to the dogs. "Fireworks!" She said in an excited voice and she bent down to open up the cages. Ajax looked like he was fine, just excited. Piggy was looking around with his regular chill expression. Jolie, however, was shaking like a leaf. Arabella gently lifted her out of the crate and held the tiny dog close to her chest.
Hunter smiled and stood off the couch. "I bet that's Thad and Jordan and their son Jon." Hunter said as he grabbed his sweatshirt and put it on Arabella's shoulders before picking Piggy up. Hunter opened the door and stepped outside into the cool night air. Hunter tugged his sleeves down a little and smiled at the sleepy little pig in his arms. "Happy New Year!" Hunter shouted over the sound of a Screeching Eagle. Thad and Jordan turned with the 2 year old Jon in her arms.
"Happy New Year, Hunter!" Thad shouted. Hunter took Arabella's hand and led her closer to the fireworks, Ajax trotting close nearby. "How are you guys doing with your mini zoo?" Thad asked with a chuckle and watched as Ajax trotted over to Jordan and looked up at Jon curiously.
"Puppy!" Jon exclaimed and almost fell out of his mom's arms trying to pet Ajax.
Arabella folded her arms across her chest, having left Jolie in the house. She was too terrified of the sound and was much happier hiding under Arabella and Hunter's bed. She grinned at Jon and leaned into Hunter a little bit. Arabella was looking forward to having a life like Thad and Jordan. It would be nice. Comfortable. "Happy New Year, guys" She said happily to them and looked down at Ajax on the ground. "I swear, this dog isn't afraid of anything. The other one is curled up in a ball under the bed.."
"You should see the cat." Jordan said as she set Jon down by Ajax who immediately sniffed away at the newcomer. "Was he hiding behind the toilet or in the couch?"
"I actually think she's on top of the bookcase this time." Thad said with a laugh. He had the kind of hearty laugh that was contagious and he laughed with his whole body, causing his heavy shoulders to bounce up and down with each guffaw. "That cat gets scared of everything."
"Sounds like Jolie. The only thing she's not scared of is Ajax." Hunter looked down at his dog who was licking Jon's face as the boy made a face and laughed the same way as his father. It made him really want to have this life. He wanted to live that life with Arabella. He could imagine holding his son and watching him grow up into a man. Hunter sighed a little and looked over at Arabella, smiling softly.
Arabella took a little breath and she shivered a little, shoving her hands into her pockets. "So, how was your night?" She asked them, smiling a little. Arabella liked Thad and Jordan. She liked that they were a young couple and they had a kid. It made things fun and she liked being able to talk to Jordan. They had friends.
"Oh, it was wonderful. It'll take an army to get this one to bed though. He's all excited" Jordan said with a laugh and she nodded toward Jon. Arabella smiled down at him for a moment before turning back to Jordan. "How was your night?"
"Fantastic. It was quiet but it was really great" Arabella said and she nudged Hunter a little with her hip, a soft smile on her lips. "So....fireworks!"
Hunter adjusted his jacket onto Arabella and then handed her Piggy before walking over to Thad. "Do you mind?"
"No, not at all." Hunter grabbed a firework and a lighter. He set it down in the middle of the street and little before backing up to Arabella where he stood next to her, putting his arms around her and rubbing her arm as it exploded, launching a fountain of red and blue sparks into the air, showering down in front of them. Thad clapped and lit another one, picking up Jon. It hissed until exploding into several bursts of sparks ranging from pink to blue to all the other colors. Hunter smiled and kissed Arabella on the cheek.
"Got anymore?" Hunter asked, shivering a little. Thad shook out the bag.
"Nope, we're all out." Thad said as he crumpled up the bag. He took his lighter back from Hunter. "It's a good thing too. It looks like your dog tired Jon out." Thad laughed as he patted the quickly fading Jon on the back.
"Good night, you two." Jordan said with a wave.
"Good night" Arabella said in a soft voice and she smiled at Jon lightly touching his little fingers. "Sleep tight, Jon" She said in a gentle voice and she waved as Thad and Jordan walked back to their home. Arabella took a deep breath and slipped her hand into Hunter's, yawning as she did. "I've had a really good time tonight, Hunter" She told him softly as he turned her towards their home and started walking.
Hunter smiled and raised her hand up, kissing it gently. Hunter let her inside and let Ajax in then closed it behind him, locking it. Ajax climbed into his cage and Hunter looked inside and saw Jolie sleeping in the corner. Ajax looked at her for a moment before curling up next to her and putting his head down. "Good night, Ajax. Good night, Princess." Hunter said quietly before turning to Arabella who latched Piggy's cage closed and looked at him sleepily. Hunter moved toward her and caught her as she fell into Hunter's arms. "Let's go to bed, sweetheart." Hunter said, placing a small kiss on her forehead.
"Bed" Arabella agreed and she leaned into Hunter, letting her arms fall limp at her sides. It was nice to just stand there with him but after a moment, she could feel him lifting her up and she slipped her arms around his neck, placing small kisses on his cheek. Arabella could feel Hunter shift her in his arms a little bit as he started to walk up the stairs and she smiled a little bit. "What's the plan for tomorrow?" She asked him gently as they moved into their bedroom and Hunter gently placed her down on the bed. Arabella sat up a little and she kicked off her pants so that she was in a pair of boy short underwear and a loose tee shirt before she laid back onto the pillows.
Hunter changed into a pair of pajama pants and slid into bed next to her. He lifted the blankets and put them over the two of them, snuggling up to each other. "Have a really good day." Hunter said as he placed his lips to hers and ran his hand down her hip to her thigh. "What do you want to do? We can do some wedding stuff, too." Hunter ran his fingers through her hair and put his head down on the pillows, lying on his side and looking at her.
"Mmm...wedding stuff sounds really good" Arabella said quietly with a smile on her face. All of the planning that had to be done was stressing her out a little bit but she was just too happy to let it bring her down. It was her wedding. She was getting married and she wasn't going to let a little bit of stress ruin her wedding excitement. "We can do some googling tomorrow to find invites and stuff like that. That way, we won't have to leave the house" She said with a tired giggle.
Hunter smiled and ran his hand into her hair, kissing her softly on the lips. He pulled her closer and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Sounds like a plan." Hunter said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her and put his head down. "Good night, beautiful. Happy New Year." Hunter pressed his lips to her forehead one more time before putting his head down and falling asleep.