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.
Chapter 106 - Hunter and Arabella
Arabella groaned when she sun hit her face and she opened her eyes. It was early in the morning and Hunter was still asleep. With a sigh, Arabella turned over and closed her eyes again, trying to fall asleep. She was too excited though. She was excited to get packing, she was excited for the day ahead of her and she couldn't fall back to sleep. Slowly and gingerly, Arabella slid out of bed, wrapping a throw blanket around her and she padded out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She looked into the dog's crates and smiled. Ajax was sleeping near the back of his with his head on his paws. Jolie was curled up against the front bars of her cage. Arabella gingerly opened up the crates then walked to the kitchen, putting on a pot of coffee. She walked over to the dogs dishes, putting a scoop of food in their dishes. Jolie trotted over on tired feet and licked Arabella's hand before she started eating. A smile spread across her face and she looked around for Ajax. Maybe he was still asleep. Arabella walked over to his crate and sat down in front of it. "Are you going to wake up, buddy?" She asked in a gentle voice and Ajax lifted his head, looking out at her. Arabella smiled lightly and urged him out of it. Ajax stepped out of his cage and Arabella started to pet him gently. "Good morning, sleepy head"
Hunter moved his face forward, expecting to find Arabella's hair within reach. Nothing. He patted the bed to find her gone. He raised an eyebrow and quickly rolled, unintentionally falling out of bed. He groaned as he slowly stood up. Stumbling over to his dresser, he adjusted his pajama pants and rubbed his face as he made his way downstairs. He looked down at Ajax who moved into Arabella's lap and curled up. "Good morning, Ellie. Ajax. Jolie." He said as he walked into the kitchen and started to make breakfast.
Arabella smiled and she patted Ajax before standing up and walking to the kitchen. She slipped her arms around his middle from behind and she placed a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Good morning, Hunter" she said softly and moved away from him to start making her coffee. She poured the hot liquid into a big mug and took a sip. "How did you sleep?" Arabella asked him, turning her eyes towards him.
"Wonderfully. Until you left. And then I fell out of bed." He said as he moved the eggs to two plates. He put some bacon in the pan and turned around in her arms. "Overall, pretty well. How about you?" He asked before feeling a cold nose on his leg. He looked down to see Ajax looking up at him. "No run, this morning, buddy. We've got stuff to do." He said before glancing out the window. "Oh. And we got snow." He said with a smile. He loved snow. He didn't see it much, but he loved it when he saw it.
Arabella gasped, looking out the window. She didn't even notice the snow at first. "We got snow!" She said excitedly and she looked down at Jolie who had just jingled over to them. Arabella picked Jolie up, holding her close to her chest and she turned her face towards the window. Jolie's tail started to wag and she barked happily before turning around in Arabella's arms to lick her. Arabella giggled and gently placed her back on the ground. "We have to play in the snow today" She said in a matter-of-fact voice and she nodded.
Hunter smiled. "I'm up for it." He said with a nod as he turned the bacon. "So...packing. Frolicking in the snow. Dropping the dogs off at Danny's. Anything else we have to do today?" He asked as he walked behind Arabella and slipped his arms around her. He kissed her cheek and put his chin on her shoulder. "Breakfast is ready, by the way." He said, kissing her cheek again.
Arabella closed her eyes when he kissed her cheek and she smiled from ear to ear. "You're amazing" She said with a giggle and turned to kiss his lips. She turned towards all of the food and her stomach rumbled. "Wow, Hunter. I must say that I am very jealous of your cooking skills" Arabella teased, giving him a wink. She put the plates on the table then took another sip of her coffee, finishing it off. "Packing is going to take so long.."
"We'll see if we can make it a little more entertaining." He said with a wink. He smiled as he pulled her chair out for her. She sat and then he sat down himself. He took a bite of bacon and broke off a piece. He fed it to Ajax and smiled up at Arabella. "Have you talked to Daniel to see how he was doing with the company?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Arabella nodded, smiling a little bit. "He's so happy. Everything is going perfect for him. He's always been really good with the business side of it all, you know? I started the company because I like making clothing not because I wanted to run a business" Arabella told him with a shrug and she nibbled on her bacon. It was perfect. Just like it was everyday. "I'm so happy that I gave it to him. It's the perfect job for him and I don't have to deal with it"
"Now you can be my beautiful trophy wife." He said with a smile and a wiggle of his eyebrows. He took a bite of his eggs and looked down at Jolie who had her paws up on the chair that Ajax had hopped onto. He helped her up and she sat next to Ajax, her tail wagging rapidly. Ajax looked at her and growled before barking a few times. "Ajax!" Hunter shouted at his dog who looked at him, teeth still bared. Hunter put his hand forward and Ajax bit his hand. Hunter pulled his hand back before reaching forward again and grabbing Ajax's muzzle, forcing his mouth closed and holding it. "Jolie, Ellie's got food for you." Jolie hopped down from the chair and ran over to Arabella. Hunter let go of Ajax who growled at him again. "Ajax. No." Hunter said, pointing at Ajax. Ajax snapped at him and Hunter pushed his face down. "Ajax. What did I tell you? You be nice. Be. Nice." He said, holding his muzzle. Ajax's angry eyes softened and Hunter let go of his muzzle. Ajax's ears drooped a little and Hunter picked him up. "I'm going to let him out in the backyard for a while. He'll be fine in the snow." He shrugged and walked to the back of the house, setting him down outside. Hunter stepped outside under the deck where no snow had landed and examined his backyard. It was a fenced in area, mostly flat, with a tall oak tree in the middle, nearly perfect for a rope swing, something Hunter had only heard of. He tried to make one in the forest, but all he had were vines and ragged pieces of wood he had cut with his knife. He looked down at Ajax who walked out in the snow and started sniffing around, looking perfectly comfortable. Hunter walked back inside and to the table, leaving the door open a crack, enough for Ajax to push his way back in. "Just his wolf side showing." Hunter said with a sigh.
Arabella looked up from Jolie and her eyes landed on Hunter. She nodded and turned back to Jolie, who had curled up on Arabella's lap and was nibbling on a piece of bacon from Arabella's hand. Arabella was nervous about Ajax's wolf side, to be honest. She trusted Hunter, though and it was clear that he knew what he was doing with Ajax. She stroked Jolie's soft fur and let out a little sigh before turning to look up at Hunter. "Is Ajax going to be okay? Or do you think that this is something that's going to happen a lot?" She asked him in a slightly nervous tone.
"He'll be okay." Hunter said, sitting at the table again. "A wolf, especially an arctic wolf, needs to protect his food." He ate his eggs and looked back up. "Once he recognizes that he'll have plenty of food and that he doesn't need to compete for it, he'll be as docile as Jolie. He'll be like Orion, probably. Willing to protect us if needed, but otherwise playful, calm, a house dog." He shrugged and wiped his mouth. "I just need to train him a little more. Be a little more consistent, I guess." He sipped his water and looked at Jolie in Arabella's lap. "Assuming, Jo doesn't keep toying with his emotions like that." He smiled and looked over when he heard the door open. He watched as Ajax walked back into the kitchen and shake himself dry again before trotting over to Arabella and sniffing her. "See?" He said with a smile as he got up to close the door.
Arabella smiled softly down at Ajax and she scratched the top of his head. She gingerly placed Jolie on the ground who sniffed Ajax for a moment before sticking her nose in the air and trotting off. Arabella laughed and patted Ajax's head. "Jo is a diva, sorry buddy" She teased and she looked over at Hunter with a little smile on her face. "Jolie is going to love Daniel so much. He is going to spoil her like crazy and we'll never be able to get her home" She said in a teasing sort of voice.
Hunter smiled and finished his bacon. He picked up his plate and stood before grabbing her plate and putting them both in the sink. He refilled her coffee and sighed. "I'm going to start packing. Do you want to get the dogs ready? Well, actually, it'll probably take you all day to pack." He said with a smile. "I'll get the dogs ready to move and you go start packing." He said with a nod as he took Jolie. "Don't just go upstairs and fall asleep, okay?" He said with a smile as Jolie licked his face.
Arabella rolled her eyes and she smacked his arm. "Shut it" She said with a playful smile. She ran her fingers through her hair, fixing it before she turned and started to walk upstairs. "Don't be too long, stud muffin" She called back to him, looking over her shoulder and giving him a wink before disappearing into the bedroom. Arabella cleared her throat and pulled out as much luggage as she could find and she started to pack.
Hunter packed up the dogs' things and put them in a little duffel bag. He figured that he could move them in the carriers but bring the cages. He put some food in and their food dishes, but left their water dishes in the mean time. He was really excited about the trip, but he was a little nervous about leaving the dogs. He knew that Daniel would do a great job, but he didn't want anything bad to happen. He finally climbed the stairs, leaving the dogs on the opposite sides of the couch. Ajax occasionally glanced at Jolie, but put his head down. It's like they were an old married couple. Hunter walked into the bedroom and smiled. "You should see the-You have so many bags..." He said with a chuckle.
"I don't want to forget anything!" Arabella said defensively and looked up at Hunter, her hair a little messy from walking around and getting all of her things together. She took a deep breath and put a folded up blanket into one of her bags. "The last thing I want is for our car to break down somewhere in the middle of the country, miles away from any sign of life and we don't have any supplies. That's the opening scene from a horror movie." Arabella said, gingerly putting her teddy bear into a bag. "How are the dogs?"
"Fighting, actually." He said with a sigh. "Not like actual fighting, but fighting like an old married couple." He gingerly grabbed his backpack and set it on the bed. He looked at it and sighed. "You know? There was a time where I could fit everything that I would ever need in this backpack." He said quietly. He reached into the closet and brought out a duffel bag. "That was a long time ago." He nodded as he pulled out a pair of jeans and set them on bed.
"Well...you can pack whatever you want into that backpack and I'll just pack the rest into one of my bags. We'll pretend that all of your stuff is in the backpack" Arabella giggled and she kissed him lightly. She looked up at him and took a deep breath. Sometimes, she forgot that he used to be a Hunter and that he never grew up in a household like this. He grew up in the woods. Arabella hoped that he was okay with it all. She took a deep breath and looked over at his backpack. "We should go visit camp sometime. Just to see how it is and how everyone is doing. I miss being around there"
"Me too." He said quietly. "I'm glad that I've seen something outside, though. I mean, I've been all over the United states on quests, but it was never for my enjoyment. I was always serving the 'great and all-powerful' gods." He said with a scoff. He still felt a little bitter against the gods. He assumed that if he were to leave camp, that he would be okay with the gods. Considering all that he had down for them, he thought it would all be okay for him. To find out that as soon as he left, they abandoned him... "I'm glad I had your mom watching out for me." He said as he pulled out a several pairs of boxers and set them messily on the bed.
Out of habit and her OCD tendencies, Arabella started to fold the boxers neatly and she nodded softly. She was proud to say that Aphrodite was her mom. Arabella felt like the rest of the gods just didn't care about their kids like Aphrodite did. "I always felt bad for a lot of the kids at camp. Even the ones that were claimed. I always knew that Mom loved me and that she was looking out for me. Even if she didn't say it. I could feel it. I never resented her or thought that she didn't care about me." Arabella explained and gingerly laid down a pair of boxers before picking up another pair and starting to fold them. "I think that she was always on your side. She has good taste" Arabella said with a smile.
"She was more of a mom than I ever knew." Hunter said with a shrug as he snatched the boxers out of her hand and threw them in his duffel bag. He grabbed the pile and threw them in before giving her a defiant smile. "Alright. How are we going to make packing more interesting? There has to be a game." He said as he stepped forward and put a hand on her hip. "Come on. You know this kind of stuff." He said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Like...strip packing or drinking packing or something." He said with a smile.
Arabella laughed. "Drinking packing? I don't know about that but I can go get some drinks if you'd like.." she teased and wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him tightly. She smiled against his lips before looking back at his duffel bag with a sigh. "You know what's fun about packing? Doing it neatly" She giggled and picked up one of his shirts. She looked at it for a second then pulled away from Hunter and she yanked off her sweater, pulling Hunter's shirt on over her tank top. "I like this one" She said with a nod.
"You can keep it." He said, pulling her close and kissing her again. "Don't expect anything for Christmas though." He said with a laugh as he pulled the shirt off of her, folding it neatly, and putting it in his duffel bag. He grabbed another shirt and folded it, putting it in his bag. Hunter looked over at her before grabbing his sweatshirt. It was a little big on Hunter, meaning it was enormous on her. He slipped it over her head and grabbed the sleeves. He pulled her in and kissed her before tying the sleeves together behind his back. "I think I like this idea." He said with a smile as he kissed her tightly on the lips, putting his hands on her hips.
Arabella giggled against his lips and she wiggled around, not being able to move to much. But she didn't mind. Arabella kissed his top lip before kissing his bottom lip, nibbling gently. Arabella brushed her lips away from his and along his jaw. "Mmm..I think I like this sweatshirt too. Maybe I'll steal it from you at some point" she giggled and pulled herself closer to him, gazing up into his eyes.
"You're welcome to it." He said, running his hands up inside the sweatshirt. He smiled and kissed her again. "It'll get cold in the car. It's possible we'll only have each other to keep us warm. There's plenty of room for the both of us in this sweatshirt." He said with a smile as he pressed his lips to hers. He slipped his fingers up her tanktop, dancing them up and down her sides. Hunter smiled against her lips and untied the sleeves, setting her free. He kissed her again and again, not wanting to stop kissing her. "I love you and I am more than excited for this trip. And after the trip and during the trip and right now and next year and twenty yeas from now." He laughed and kissed her tightly on the lips, pulling her closer with his hands on her hip.
Arabella smiled softly up at him and she slid her hands to his chest, holding onto his shirt lightly. She stretched on her toes, leaning into the kiss more. "Mmm..you are still going to be so sexy 20 years from now" She giggled and pulled away from him, but only so that she could take his hands in hers. Walking backwards, Arabella flopped down onto the bed and she pulled Hunter down beside her. She moved closer to him and pressed her lips against his collar bone. "I can't wait to see everyone from camp's faces when they see you, the eternal virgin, with a girlfriend" She said with a laugh and kissed his collar bone again.
Hunter laughed and ran his hands along her sides. "And especially one as beautiful and sexy as you." He said with a smile. Hunter rolled on top of her and kissed her again trailing kisses across her cheek and down her neck to her shoulder. He pulled the sweatshirt up over her head and kissed down her shoulder to her arm and across to her chest. He felt her squirm slightly and Hunter realized something. "Ellie?" He said as he pulled away slightly. "This isn't packing." He said with a chuckle as he stood back up.
Arabella let out a sigh and she pushed herself into a sitting position. "Damn packing" She said with a little smile and she pulled the blanket from the bed around her, wrapping up in a little ball so that only her head was visible. "I was thinking that we should leave as soon as possible tomorrow. I mean, I might be half asleep but I figured that if we can get on the road early we'll move along faster" she said with a small shrug, but it looked like the blanket was moving by itself.
"Sounds good." He said as he looked at Arabella in tiny little ball form. He smiled and pushed her onto her back. She held her legs tightly and was on her back, rolling from side to side slightly. She whined due to her current turtle-like status. Hunter ignored her and went back to packing. "We'll leave early assuming we're packed by tomorrow." He said with a teasing grin on his face.
Arabella squealed and she rolled around on the bed, trying to find a way to get up but she just couldn't manage it. "Maybe we would be packed if I could sit up" She said and rolled over so that she was on her stomach and she was able to get hands free enough to push herself into a sitting position. "You are so mean to be" Arabella said and squeaked when she lost her balance and fell back onto the bed.
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"It's this way, right?" Hunter asked as he turned left toward Daniel's apartment. In the back of the car he could hear Ajax and Jolie loudly barking and howling from their cages. "We're almost there, you guys." He said as he parked on the street. Hunter got out and ran around, opening Arabella's door. She got out and he closed it behind her. "You go talk to Danny. I'll start bringing stuff up." He said, before kissing her cheek and opening the door to grab the cages.
Arabella nodded and she slipped out of the car, shivering a little in the cold air. She pulled Hunter's sweater out of the car, wrapping it around her shoulders before walking to the apartment. Arabella pressed the buzzer multiple times until Daniel pressed the button to open the door. Arabella moved a door stop in front of the door so that Hunter could bring all of the stuff in and she climbed the stairs to Daniel's apartment. Arabella yawned as she knocked on the door.
"Oh yay! Th dogs!" Daniel said in a happy voice, opening up the door. He looked at her then looked around her. "Where are the dogs?" He asked
"Good to see you too, Danny" Arabella said sarcastically and she rolled her eyes. She stepped into his apartment and looked around. He had clearly set up for the dogs and spent a bit of money on dog supplies. A good part of his living room looked like a doggy heaven. "You are going to spoil them so much" She said with a giggle. From the back of the apartment, Arabella could hear the water shut off but she didn't think anything of it. She tugged on the sleeves of the sweater that we too long on her.
"Hey, Daniel? Do you know where I left my sweater?" A voice from the hallway said, coming closer. Arabella looked up and saw Tom with damp hair and only a pair of jeans on. "Oh! Uhm..hi" Tom said with red cheeks when he saw Arabella.
"Alright. Where should I put little miss Princess here?" Hunter said as he carried the very loud and very anxious Jolie into Daniel's apartment."Too late. She's licking my arm through the cage and it tickles." He said before quickly setting the crate down in the middle of the apartment. He looked up with a sigh and looked at Daniel before seeing Tom out of the corner of his eye. "Oh...." He said quietly. "Hey, Tom." Hunter said with a wave. "How's it going?"
"Hey, Hunter. I'm doing okay." He said with a laugh. Hunter nodded and clapped his hands together.
"I'm going to go get Ajax. I'll be back." He said before leaving the apartment again.
Arabella watched Hunter walk out of the apartment then she bent down, gingerly opening Jolie's cage. Jolie stumbled out of her crate and Arabella picked the small puppy up in her hands, holding her close to her chest.
"That is one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen" Daniel said in a soft voice and he stuck out his hand for Jolie to sniff him. Jolie looked up at him for a moment then she started to lick his hand happily. Arabella smiled and she passed her over to Daniel to hold.
"She's a bit of a diva. She also has the hots for Ajax so you're probably going to want to watch out for that. Make sure that she doesn't do anything to piss him off too much" Arabella said with a nod and she smiled at Tom. "Jolie plays hard to get. It's the funniest thing" She said with a giggle.
"Does she?" Tom laughed and Arabella nodded.
"Oh yeah...She'll flirt with him like it's her job and then as soon as he does something back to her, like give her half of his treat, she'll stick her nose in the air and walk away" Arabella said.
"She's going to give him a complex" Hunter said as he walked in the door, placing Ajax's crate on the ground beside Jolie's. "This poor dog already has trust issues. He doesn't need Jolie messing with him." He said as he opened Ajax's cage. Ajax barked a few times and stepped out to be lifted by Hunter. "Come here, Danny." He said as he grabbed Ajax's muzzle. Danny cautiously stuck a hand out and Ajax sniffed it and growled a little. "It's just because you're new. Come on. Pet his head." Hunter said with a nod, taking a step closer.
"No way. That dog is going to kill me!" Danny said, stepping away. Tom walked up behind him and patted Danny on the butt. Danny jumped a little before giggling. Hunter rolled his eyes and let go of Ajax's muzzle. He scratched behind his ear and Ajax closed his eyes, leaning into Hunter's hand.
"Come here, Ajax." Tom said as he approached Hunter. He took the opportunity of Ajax having his eyes closed and scratched under his chin. Ajax opened his eyes at the addition of a new hand and looked at Tom who pulled away a little. Hunter moved Ajax toward him and he happily licked Tom's hand. "What a big softie..." He said with a smile as he took Ajax from Hunter.
"Come here, Ajax." He said with a smile.
Arabella smiled up at Tom and Ajax then looked over at Hunter. "Oh! Before I forget!" Arabella said and picked up a small bag that she had put with the dog stuff. "Danny, if it's cold outside when you take Jolie out, make sure that she has one of these coats on. She gets cold really easily" She said with a nod and held the bag up so that Daniel knew which one she was talking about.
"Does the little princess have a tiara too?" Daniel asked with a giggle and Arabella rolled her eyes. She took a breath and walked over to him, petting Jolie softly.
"Oh...I'm going to miss them" Arabella said and Daniel passed Jolie back to Arabella. She held her close and kissed the top of her head. "She likes carrots, by the way. She hates limes, too. She actually barks at them. I dropped a slice of lime today and she took a bite of it, spat it out and started barking at it. Also, she likes to crawl under the blankets so I like to make sure that she has her little blanket in her crate when she goes to bed and-"
"Hun..you sound like a mother. She will be fine" Daniel said, trying not to laugh at Arabella.
Hunter looked at Arabella and was curious about how she felt about being called motherly. He knew that she was going to make a fantastic mother and this only proved it. "Ajax is fine. Make sure he has food and water." Hunter said, patting Ajax's side. "A walk would be good for him, but it's not necessary." Hunter shrugged. "As long as Jolie doesn't toy with him too much you guys will be fine." Hunter said and he walked over to Arabella and slipped a hand around her waist. "Shall we go before you change your mind and we end up fitting Jolie into your luggage?" He asked before kissing her on the cheek. "It would probably have to be mine. There's no room in yours." He teased.
"She would fit!" Arabella gasped and looked up at him with wide eyes but the look he gave her made her remember that he was only joking and that the trip wouldn't be as fun with the dogs to worry about. She nodded and she gently put Jolie on the ground. With a small sigh, she watched for a second as Jolie jingled around the living room, sniffing everything. It felt odd to hear Daniel call her motherly. It also made her feel a little sad. She never thought of herself as a motherly type until she had that pregnancy scare. Then they got the dogs and Daniel had pointed out to her just how motherly she was. Arabella took a breath, shaking herself and she looked up at Hunter. "Okay, I'm ready" She said and gave Daniel a hug then hugged Tom.
"Have a great trip!" Daniel said and he hugged Hunter quickly. Tom shook Hunter's hand and Arabella looked down at Jolie.
"Oh! And make sure that she has her stuffed dog when she goes to bed or else-" Arabella started to say.
"Goodbye, Arabella!" Daniel said, cutting her off and waving them out of the door.
"Bye, you guys." Hunter said as he pushed Arabella out the door. "Danny, don't do anything I wouldn't do." He said with smile.
"Too late, Hunter!" He shouted in response as Hunter closed the door. Hunter looked at Arabella and placed his hands gingerly on her waist, giving her a slight hug. "You okay?" He asked quietly. "Danny and Tom are going to take great care of Jolie." Hunter said with a comforting smile. Hunter figured that Ajax and Arabella didn't have much of a connection, so her concern would be focused on Jolie. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. He kissed her lightly on the head before closing his eyes and swaying a little.
Arabella let out a big sigh and she nodded. "I know...Danny is going to treat her like a queen" She said and she leaned into Hunter. "I'm just going to miss those two" She said. Arabella stood with Hunter like that for a little while. His embrace was comforting and soon, her worries were ebbing away. She pulled away a little bit so that she could kiss him then smiled a little. "Let's go home" she said and together, they walked out to their car. Arabella held his hand the whole way, leaning into him slightly. "What time do you want to wake up tomorrow morning?" she asked Hunter, looking up at him.
"I was thinking 3 and then we'd be out by 4." He said with a nod. She looked at him like he was crazy. Hunter laughed and rolled his eyes. "I'm kidding. Let's wake up at 8 and I'll make you a really good breakfast and we'll be on the road by 9." He said as they reached the car again. Hunter kissed the back of her hand as they finally let go. Hunter opened her car door and closed it behind her before getting in on the driver's side. He started it and drove toward the house. "I'm really excited." He said quietly as he reached over and put a hand gently on her leg.
Arabella smiled softly, placing her hand on Hunter's. She flipped it over and she started to trace patterns in his palm with her fingers. "Me too" She said, her tone matching his. "I mean..it's going to be difficult to be stuck in a car with you for a few days but I guess I can deal with it" She teased in a sarcastic voice. Arabella looked back down at his hand and she spread his fingers apart before drawing a heart in his palm with her finger. "I feel like we're making up for lost time on this trip, you know? All of that time that we could have been together but we weren't because I was a wimp" Arabella said with a giggle.
"You were a wimp?" Hunter said, shuddering slightly at the feeling of her hand tickling his. "You weren't a wimp. That's nonsense." He took her hand and held it tight, running his thumb across the back. "You're a strong, beautiful, smart, kind, wonderful, amazing, sexy...Gorgeous...magnificent...Did I say beautiful?" He said with a chuckle. "I'm glad that everything has worked out this way. Was it tough? Absolutely, but look at us now." He kissed the back of her hand lightly. "Your mom told me something about 2 years ago. Back at camp. Did I mention how awesome your mom is? Anyway, she told me to never give up on love." He said with a nod. "It has a lot to offer, according to the goddess." He said with a smile. "It's a testament to your strength that you never gave up. Even after all these years, you still had hopes and that's what matters." He kissed her hand again and smiled. "I probably wouldn't have had the courage."
Arabella's cheeks were a bright pink and she didn't even know what to say to Hunter at this point. He was so wonderful to her and everything he said made her feel like incredible. Like she actually was all of those things. "Oh, Hunter...you're too kind ot me" She said softly and she slid over, so that she was sitting next to him. She pressed her lips against his cheek in a tender kiss and she trailed her lips down the side of his neck. "Not giving up on you isn't a testament to me strength, though. It's hard to forget about someone as incredible as you" She said softly with a smile. Arabella loved the fact that her mom was the way she was. So approving of Hunter and so kind to Hunter. She always believed in Hunter and it made Arabella happy to know that her mom did too.
Hunter parked the car in the driveway and looked over at Arabella. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled. "Come on. Let's get you in bed." He said as he adjust the sweatshirt around you. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "No...Not like that." He said with a chuckle before kissing her cheek. "That is one way of keeping warm though." He said before holding her close and getting out of the car. He closed the door and the two of them hurried into the house. Hunter didn't stop and didn't let her stop until they were in the bedroom where he wrapped his arms around her again. They were both shivering a little, but quickly enough they warmed up again. "You know making sure you have clothes on seems counter-productive." He said with a smile as he kissed on the lips.
Arabella laughed against his lips and she ran her hands down his sides. "I know...it's almost depressing to see you in so many layers of clothing" She teased and kissed him before walking towards the bed with him. Arabella wanted to be under the blankets, snuggled up to Hunter's side. She didn't care what they did or what they talked about, she just wanted to be warm and cozy with him. "Why does it have to be so damn cold?" Arabella pouted and she let go of Hunter. In what seemed like less than a second, Arabella threw herself into the bed, pulling the blankets up tightly. "We need to move to some place warm. We could buy a tropical island in the middle of the ocean and live there" She said with a nod.
"You could see if Circe's selling her place." Hunter said as he took off his sweatshirt. He changed all the way down to pajama pants and looked over at Arabella who was already changed and in bed again, giving him a 'come hither' look. Hunter raised an eyebrow and got in bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled herself closer to him. Hunter smiled for a moment before responding in kind. He loved being close to her. Just holding her in his arms and telling her that everything was going to be okay. That he was going to keep her safe and warm. He kissed her head and gave her a squeeze as he pulled the blankets up around them. He held onto her tightly before putting his head down and closing his eyes. "Mmm....I love you." He said quietly, his words slightly slurred from the rapid oncoming of fatigue.
Arabella looked up at him, smiling softly. She curled up to him, melting into his arms. She couldn't think of any other way to spend her nights. Arabella didn't need to go out with a bunch of people and get drunk. She didn't need to flirt with every guy that looked at her. Arabella just wanted to spend her nights with Hunter. She took a breath and closed her eyes, tracing a heart on his chest with her fingers. "I love you, Hunter" She whispered and slowly drifted off to a heavy, comfortable sleep.
Hunter moved his face forward, expecting to find Arabella's hair within reach. Nothing. He patted the bed to find her gone. He raised an eyebrow and quickly rolled, unintentionally falling out of bed. He groaned as he slowly stood up. Stumbling over to his dresser, he adjusted his pajama pants and rubbed his face as he made his way downstairs. He looked down at Ajax who moved into Arabella's lap and curled up. "Good morning, Ellie. Ajax. Jolie." He said as he walked into the kitchen and started to make breakfast.
Arabella smiled and she patted Ajax before standing up and walking to the kitchen. She slipped her arms around his middle from behind and she placed a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Good morning, Hunter" she said softly and moved away from him to start making her coffee. She poured the hot liquid into a big mug and took a sip. "How did you sleep?" Arabella asked him, turning her eyes towards him.
"Wonderfully. Until you left. And then I fell out of bed." He said as he moved the eggs to two plates. He put some bacon in the pan and turned around in her arms. "Overall, pretty well. How about you?" He asked before feeling a cold nose on his leg. He looked down to see Ajax looking up at him. "No run, this morning, buddy. We've got stuff to do." He said before glancing out the window. "Oh. And we got snow." He said with a smile. He loved snow. He didn't see it much, but he loved it when he saw it.
Arabella gasped, looking out the window. She didn't even notice the snow at first. "We got snow!" She said excitedly and she looked down at Jolie who had just jingled over to them. Arabella picked Jolie up, holding her close to her chest and she turned her face towards the window. Jolie's tail started to wag and she barked happily before turning around in Arabella's arms to lick her. Arabella giggled and gently placed her back on the ground. "We have to play in the snow today" She said in a matter-of-fact voice and she nodded.
Hunter smiled. "I'm up for it." He said with a nod as he turned the bacon. "So...packing. Frolicking in the snow. Dropping the dogs off at Danny's. Anything else we have to do today?" He asked as he walked behind Arabella and slipped his arms around her. He kissed her cheek and put his chin on her shoulder. "Breakfast is ready, by the way." He said, kissing her cheek again.
Arabella closed her eyes when he kissed her cheek and she smiled from ear to ear. "You're amazing" She said with a giggle and turned to kiss his lips. She turned towards all of the food and her stomach rumbled. "Wow, Hunter. I must say that I am very jealous of your cooking skills" Arabella teased, giving him a wink. She put the plates on the table then took another sip of her coffee, finishing it off. "Packing is going to take so long.."
"We'll see if we can make it a little more entertaining." He said with a wink. He smiled as he pulled her chair out for her. She sat and then he sat down himself. He took a bite of bacon and broke off a piece. He fed it to Ajax and smiled up at Arabella. "Have you talked to Daniel to see how he was doing with the company?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Arabella nodded, smiling a little bit. "He's so happy. Everything is going perfect for him. He's always been really good with the business side of it all, you know? I started the company because I like making clothing not because I wanted to run a business" Arabella told him with a shrug and she nibbled on her bacon. It was perfect. Just like it was everyday. "I'm so happy that I gave it to him. It's the perfect job for him and I don't have to deal with it"
"Now you can be my beautiful trophy wife." He said with a smile and a wiggle of his eyebrows. He took a bite of his eggs and looked down at Jolie who had her paws up on the chair that Ajax had hopped onto. He helped her up and she sat next to Ajax, her tail wagging rapidly. Ajax looked at her and growled before barking a few times. "Ajax!" Hunter shouted at his dog who looked at him, teeth still bared. Hunter put his hand forward and Ajax bit his hand. Hunter pulled his hand back before reaching forward again and grabbing Ajax's muzzle, forcing his mouth closed and holding it. "Jolie, Ellie's got food for you." Jolie hopped down from the chair and ran over to Arabella. Hunter let go of Ajax who growled at him again. "Ajax. No." Hunter said, pointing at Ajax. Ajax snapped at him and Hunter pushed his face down. "Ajax. What did I tell you? You be nice. Be. Nice." He said, holding his muzzle. Ajax's angry eyes softened and Hunter let go of his muzzle. Ajax's ears drooped a little and Hunter picked him up. "I'm going to let him out in the backyard for a while. He'll be fine in the snow." He shrugged and walked to the back of the house, setting him down outside. Hunter stepped outside under the deck where no snow had landed and examined his backyard. It was a fenced in area, mostly flat, with a tall oak tree in the middle, nearly perfect for a rope swing, something Hunter had only heard of. He tried to make one in the forest, but all he had were vines and ragged pieces of wood he had cut with his knife. He looked down at Ajax who walked out in the snow and started sniffing around, looking perfectly comfortable. Hunter walked back inside and to the table, leaving the door open a crack, enough for Ajax to push his way back in. "Just his wolf side showing." Hunter said with a sigh.
Arabella looked up from Jolie and her eyes landed on Hunter. She nodded and turned back to Jolie, who had curled up on Arabella's lap and was nibbling on a piece of bacon from Arabella's hand. Arabella was nervous about Ajax's wolf side, to be honest. She trusted Hunter, though and it was clear that he knew what he was doing with Ajax. She stroked Jolie's soft fur and let out a little sigh before turning to look up at Hunter. "Is Ajax going to be okay? Or do you think that this is something that's going to happen a lot?" She asked him in a slightly nervous tone.
"He'll be okay." Hunter said, sitting at the table again. "A wolf, especially an arctic wolf, needs to protect his food." He ate his eggs and looked back up. "Once he recognizes that he'll have plenty of food and that he doesn't need to compete for it, he'll be as docile as Jolie. He'll be like Orion, probably. Willing to protect us if needed, but otherwise playful, calm, a house dog." He shrugged and wiped his mouth. "I just need to train him a little more. Be a little more consistent, I guess." He sipped his water and looked at Jolie in Arabella's lap. "Assuming, Jo doesn't keep toying with his emotions like that." He smiled and looked over when he heard the door open. He watched as Ajax walked back into the kitchen and shake himself dry again before trotting over to Arabella and sniffing her. "See?" He said with a smile as he got up to close the door.
Arabella smiled softly down at Ajax and she scratched the top of his head. She gingerly placed Jolie on the ground who sniffed Ajax for a moment before sticking her nose in the air and trotting off. Arabella laughed and patted Ajax's head. "Jo is a diva, sorry buddy" She teased and she looked over at Hunter with a little smile on her face. "Jolie is going to love Daniel so much. He is going to spoil her like crazy and we'll never be able to get her home" She said in a teasing sort of voice.
Hunter smiled and finished his bacon. He picked up his plate and stood before grabbing her plate and putting them both in the sink. He refilled her coffee and sighed. "I'm going to start packing. Do you want to get the dogs ready? Well, actually, it'll probably take you all day to pack." He said with a smile. "I'll get the dogs ready to move and you go start packing." He said with a nod as he took Jolie. "Don't just go upstairs and fall asleep, okay?" He said with a smile as Jolie licked his face.
Arabella rolled her eyes and she smacked his arm. "Shut it" She said with a playful smile. She ran her fingers through her hair, fixing it before she turned and started to walk upstairs. "Don't be too long, stud muffin" She called back to him, looking over her shoulder and giving him a wink before disappearing into the bedroom. Arabella cleared her throat and pulled out as much luggage as she could find and she started to pack.
Hunter packed up the dogs' things and put them in a little duffel bag. He figured that he could move them in the carriers but bring the cages. He put some food in and their food dishes, but left their water dishes in the mean time. He was really excited about the trip, but he was a little nervous about leaving the dogs. He knew that Daniel would do a great job, but he didn't want anything bad to happen. He finally climbed the stairs, leaving the dogs on the opposite sides of the couch. Ajax occasionally glanced at Jolie, but put his head down. It's like they were an old married couple. Hunter walked into the bedroom and smiled. "You should see the-You have so many bags..." He said with a chuckle.
"I don't want to forget anything!" Arabella said defensively and looked up at Hunter, her hair a little messy from walking around and getting all of her things together. She took a deep breath and put a folded up blanket into one of her bags. "The last thing I want is for our car to break down somewhere in the middle of the country, miles away from any sign of life and we don't have any supplies. That's the opening scene from a horror movie." Arabella said, gingerly putting her teddy bear into a bag. "How are the dogs?"
"Fighting, actually." He said with a sigh. "Not like actual fighting, but fighting like an old married couple." He gingerly grabbed his backpack and set it on the bed. He looked at it and sighed. "You know? There was a time where I could fit everything that I would ever need in this backpack." He said quietly. He reached into the closet and brought out a duffel bag. "That was a long time ago." He nodded as he pulled out a pair of jeans and set them on bed.
"Well...you can pack whatever you want into that backpack and I'll just pack the rest into one of my bags. We'll pretend that all of your stuff is in the backpack" Arabella giggled and she kissed him lightly. She looked up at him and took a deep breath. Sometimes, she forgot that he used to be a Hunter and that he never grew up in a household like this. He grew up in the woods. Arabella hoped that he was okay with it all. She took a deep breath and looked over at his backpack. "We should go visit camp sometime. Just to see how it is and how everyone is doing. I miss being around there"
"Me too." He said quietly. "I'm glad that I've seen something outside, though. I mean, I've been all over the United states on quests, but it was never for my enjoyment. I was always serving the 'great and all-powerful' gods." He said with a scoff. He still felt a little bitter against the gods. He assumed that if he were to leave camp, that he would be okay with the gods. Considering all that he had down for them, he thought it would all be okay for him. To find out that as soon as he left, they abandoned him... "I'm glad I had your mom watching out for me." He said as he pulled out a several pairs of boxers and set them messily on the bed.
Out of habit and her OCD tendencies, Arabella started to fold the boxers neatly and she nodded softly. She was proud to say that Aphrodite was her mom. Arabella felt like the rest of the gods just didn't care about their kids like Aphrodite did. "I always felt bad for a lot of the kids at camp. Even the ones that were claimed. I always knew that Mom loved me and that she was looking out for me. Even if she didn't say it. I could feel it. I never resented her or thought that she didn't care about me." Arabella explained and gingerly laid down a pair of boxers before picking up another pair and starting to fold them. "I think that she was always on your side. She has good taste" Arabella said with a smile.
"She was more of a mom than I ever knew." Hunter said with a shrug as he snatched the boxers out of her hand and threw them in his duffel bag. He grabbed the pile and threw them in before giving her a defiant smile. "Alright. How are we going to make packing more interesting? There has to be a game." He said as he stepped forward and put a hand on her hip. "Come on. You know this kind of stuff." He said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Like...strip packing or drinking packing or something." He said with a smile.
Arabella laughed. "Drinking packing? I don't know about that but I can go get some drinks if you'd like.." she teased and wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him tightly. She smiled against his lips before looking back at his duffel bag with a sigh. "You know what's fun about packing? Doing it neatly" She giggled and picked up one of his shirts. She looked at it for a second then pulled away from Hunter and she yanked off her sweater, pulling Hunter's shirt on over her tank top. "I like this one" She said with a nod.
"You can keep it." He said, pulling her close and kissing her again. "Don't expect anything for Christmas though." He said with a laugh as he pulled the shirt off of her, folding it neatly, and putting it in his duffel bag. He grabbed another shirt and folded it, putting it in his bag. Hunter looked over at her before grabbing his sweatshirt. It was a little big on Hunter, meaning it was enormous on her. He slipped it over her head and grabbed the sleeves. He pulled her in and kissed her before tying the sleeves together behind his back. "I think I like this idea." He said with a smile as he kissed her tightly on the lips, putting his hands on her hips.
Arabella giggled against his lips and she wiggled around, not being able to move to much. But she didn't mind. Arabella kissed his top lip before kissing his bottom lip, nibbling gently. Arabella brushed her lips away from his and along his jaw. "Mmm..I think I like this sweatshirt too. Maybe I'll steal it from you at some point" she giggled and pulled herself closer to him, gazing up into his eyes.
"You're welcome to it." He said, running his hands up inside the sweatshirt. He smiled and kissed her again. "It'll get cold in the car. It's possible we'll only have each other to keep us warm. There's plenty of room for the both of us in this sweatshirt." He said with a smile as he pressed his lips to hers. He slipped his fingers up her tanktop, dancing them up and down her sides. Hunter smiled against her lips and untied the sleeves, setting her free. He kissed her again and again, not wanting to stop kissing her. "I love you and I am more than excited for this trip. And after the trip and during the trip and right now and next year and twenty yeas from now." He laughed and kissed her tightly on the lips, pulling her closer with his hands on her hip.
Arabella smiled softly up at him and she slid her hands to his chest, holding onto his shirt lightly. She stretched on her toes, leaning into the kiss more. "Mmm..you are still going to be so sexy 20 years from now" She giggled and pulled away from him, but only so that she could take his hands in hers. Walking backwards, Arabella flopped down onto the bed and she pulled Hunter down beside her. She moved closer to him and pressed her lips against his collar bone. "I can't wait to see everyone from camp's faces when they see you, the eternal virgin, with a girlfriend" She said with a laugh and kissed his collar bone again.
Hunter laughed and ran his hands along her sides. "And especially one as beautiful and sexy as you." He said with a smile. Hunter rolled on top of her and kissed her again trailing kisses across her cheek and down her neck to her shoulder. He pulled the sweatshirt up over her head and kissed down her shoulder to her arm and across to her chest. He felt her squirm slightly and Hunter realized something. "Ellie?" He said as he pulled away slightly. "This isn't packing." He said with a chuckle as he stood back up.
Arabella let out a sigh and she pushed herself into a sitting position. "Damn packing" She said with a little smile and she pulled the blanket from the bed around her, wrapping up in a little ball so that only her head was visible. "I was thinking that we should leave as soon as possible tomorrow. I mean, I might be half asleep but I figured that if we can get on the road early we'll move along faster" she said with a small shrug, but it looked like the blanket was moving by itself.
"Sounds good." He said as he looked at Arabella in tiny little ball form. He smiled and pushed her onto her back. She held her legs tightly and was on her back, rolling from side to side slightly. She whined due to her current turtle-like status. Hunter ignored her and went back to packing. "We'll leave early assuming we're packed by tomorrow." He said with a teasing grin on his face.
Arabella squealed and she rolled around on the bed, trying to find a way to get up but she just couldn't manage it. "Maybe we would be packed if I could sit up" She said and rolled over so that she was on her stomach and she was able to get hands free enough to push herself into a sitting position. "You are so mean to be" Arabella said and squeaked when she lost her balance and fell back onto the bed.
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"It's this way, right?" Hunter asked as he turned left toward Daniel's apartment. In the back of the car he could hear Ajax and Jolie loudly barking and howling from their cages. "We're almost there, you guys." He said as he parked on the street. Hunter got out and ran around, opening Arabella's door. She got out and he closed it behind her. "You go talk to Danny. I'll start bringing stuff up." He said, before kissing her cheek and opening the door to grab the cages.
Arabella nodded and she slipped out of the car, shivering a little in the cold air. She pulled Hunter's sweater out of the car, wrapping it around her shoulders before walking to the apartment. Arabella pressed the buzzer multiple times until Daniel pressed the button to open the door. Arabella moved a door stop in front of the door so that Hunter could bring all of the stuff in and she climbed the stairs to Daniel's apartment. Arabella yawned as she knocked on the door.
"Oh yay! Th dogs!" Daniel said in a happy voice, opening up the door. He looked at her then looked around her. "Where are the dogs?" He asked
"Good to see you too, Danny" Arabella said sarcastically and she rolled her eyes. She stepped into his apartment and looked around. He had clearly set up for the dogs and spent a bit of money on dog supplies. A good part of his living room looked like a doggy heaven. "You are going to spoil them so much" She said with a giggle. From the back of the apartment, Arabella could hear the water shut off but she didn't think anything of it. She tugged on the sleeves of the sweater that we too long on her.
"Hey, Daniel? Do you know where I left my sweater?" A voice from the hallway said, coming closer. Arabella looked up and saw Tom with damp hair and only a pair of jeans on. "Oh! Uhm..hi" Tom said with red cheeks when he saw Arabella.
"Alright. Where should I put little miss Princess here?" Hunter said as he carried the very loud and very anxious Jolie into Daniel's apartment."Too late. She's licking my arm through the cage and it tickles." He said before quickly setting the crate down in the middle of the apartment. He looked up with a sigh and looked at Daniel before seeing Tom out of the corner of his eye. "Oh...." He said quietly. "Hey, Tom." Hunter said with a wave. "How's it going?"
"Hey, Hunter. I'm doing okay." He said with a laugh. Hunter nodded and clapped his hands together.
"I'm going to go get Ajax. I'll be back." He said before leaving the apartment again.
Arabella watched Hunter walk out of the apartment then she bent down, gingerly opening Jolie's cage. Jolie stumbled out of her crate and Arabella picked the small puppy up in her hands, holding her close to her chest.
"That is one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen" Daniel said in a soft voice and he stuck out his hand for Jolie to sniff him. Jolie looked up at him for a moment then she started to lick his hand happily. Arabella smiled and she passed her over to Daniel to hold.
"She's a bit of a diva. She also has the hots for Ajax so you're probably going to want to watch out for that. Make sure that she doesn't do anything to piss him off too much" Arabella said with a nod and she smiled at Tom. "Jolie plays hard to get. It's the funniest thing" She said with a giggle.
"Does she?" Tom laughed and Arabella nodded.
"Oh yeah...She'll flirt with him like it's her job and then as soon as he does something back to her, like give her half of his treat, she'll stick her nose in the air and walk away" Arabella said.
"She's going to give him a complex" Hunter said as he walked in the door, placing Ajax's crate on the ground beside Jolie's. "This poor dog already has trust issues. He doesn't need Jolie messing with him." He said as he opened Ajax's cage. Ajax barked a few times and stepped out to be lifted by Hunter. "Come here, Danny." He said as he grabbed Ajax's muzzle. Danny cautiously stuck a hand out and Ajax sniffed it and growled a little. "It's just because you're new. Come on. Pet his head." Hunter said with a nod, taking a step closer.
"No way. That dog is going to kill me!" Danny said, stepping away. Tom walked up behind him and patted Danny on the butt. Danny jumped a little before giggling. Hunter rolled his eyes and let go of Ajax's muzzle. He scratched behind his ear and Ajax closed his eyes, leaning into Hunter's hand.
"Come here, Ajax." Tom said as he approached Hunter. He took the opportunity of Ajax having his eyes closed and scratched under his chin. Ajax opened his eyes at the addition of a new hand and looked at Tom who pulled away a little. Hunter moved Ajax toward him and he happily licked Tom's hand. "What a big softie..." He said with a smile as he took Ajax from Hunter.
"Come here, Ajax." He said with a smile.
Arabella smiled up at Tom and Ajax then looked over at Hunter. "Oh! Before I forget!" Arabella said and picked up a small bag that she had put with the dog stuff. "Danny, if it's cold outside when you take Jolie out, make sure that she has one of these coats on. She gets cold really easily" She said with a nod and held the bag up so that Daniel knew which one she was talking about.
"Does the little princess have a tiara too?" Daniel asked with a giggle and Arabella rolled her eyes. She took a breath and walked over to him, petting Jolie softly.
"Oh...I'm going to miss them" Arabella said and Daniel passed Jolie back to Arabella. She held her close and kissed the top of her head. "She likes carrots, by the way. She hates limes, too. She actually barks at them. I dropped a slice of lime today and she took a bite of it, spat it out and started barking at it. Also, she likes to crawl under the blankets so I like to make sure that she has her little blanket in her crate when she goes to bed and-"
"Hun..you sound like a mother. She will be fine" Daniel said, trying not to laugh at Arabella.
Hunter looked at Arabella and was curious about how she felt about being called motherly. He knew that she was going to make a fantastic mother and this only proved it. "Ajax is fine. Make sure he has food and water." Hunter said, patting Ajax's side. "A walk would be good for him, but it's not necessary." Hunter shrugged. "As long as Jolie doesn't toy with him too much you guys will be fine." Hunter said and he walked over to Arabella and slipped a hand around her waist. "Shall we go before you change your mind and we end up fitting Jolie into your luggage?" He asked before kissing her on the cheek. "It would probably have to be mine. There's no room in yours." He teased.
"She would fit!" Arabella gasped and looked up at him with wide eyes but the look he gave her made her remember that he was only joking and that the trip wouldn't be as fun with the dogs to worry about. She nodded and she gently put Jolie on the ground. With a small sigh, she watched for a second as Jolie jingled around the living room, sniffing everything. It felt odd to hear Daniel call her motherly. It also made her feel a little sad. She never thought of herself as a motherly type until she had that pregnancy scare. Then they got the dogs and Daniel had pointed out to her just how motherly she was. Arabella took a breath, shaking herself and she looked up at Hunter. "Okay, I'm ready" She said and gave Daniel a hug then hugged Tom.
"Have a great trip!" Daniel said and he hugged Hunter quickly. Tom shook Hunter's hand and Arabella looked down at Jolie.
"Oh! And make sure that she has her stuffed dog when she goes to bed or else-" Arabella started to say.
"Goodbye, Arabella!" Daniel said, cutting her off and waving them out of the door.
"Bye, you guys." Hunter said as he pushed Arabella out the door. "Danny, don't do anything I wouldn't do." He said with smile.
"Too late, Hunter!" He shouted in response as Hunter closed the door. Hunter looked at Arabella and placed his hands gingerly on her waist, giving her a slight hug. "You okay?" He asked quietly. "Danny and Tom are going to take great care of Jolie." Hunter said with a comforting smile. Hunter figured that Ajax and Arabella didn't have much of a connection, so her concern would be focused on Jolie. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. He kissed her lightly on the head before closing his eyes and swaying a little.
Arabella let out a big sigh and she nodded. "I know...Danny is going to treat her like a queen" She said and she leaned into Hunter. "I'm just going to miss those two" She said. Arabella stood with Hunter like that for a little while. His embrace was comforting and soon, her worries were ebbing away. She pulled away a little bit so that she could kiss him then smiled a little. "Let's go home" she said and together, they walked out to their car. Arabella held his hand the whole way, leaning into him slightly. "What time do you want to wake up tomorrow morning?" she asked Hunter, looking up at him.
"I was thinking 3 and then we'd be out by 4." He said with a nod. She looked at him like he was crazy. Hunter laughed and rolled his eyes. "I'm kidding. Let's wake up at 8 and I'll make you a really good breakfast and we'll be on the road by 9." He said as they reached the car again. Hunter kissed the back of her hand as they finally let go. Hunter opened her car door and closed it behind her before getting in on the driver's side. He started it and drove toward the house. "I'm really excited." He said quietly as he reached over and put a hand gently on her leg.
Arabella smiled softly, placing her hand on Hunter's. She flipped it over and she started to trace patterns in his palm with her fingers. "Me too" She said, her tone matching his. "I mean..it's going to be difficult to be stuck in a car with you for a few days but I guess I can deal with it" She teased in a sarcastic voice. Arabella looked back down at his hand and she spread his fingers apart before drawing a heart in his palm with her finger. "I feel like we're making up for lost time on this trip, you know? All of that time that we could have been together but we weren't because I was a wimp" Arabella said with a giggle.
"You were a wimp?" Hunter said, shuddering slightly at the feeling of her hand tickling his. "You weren't a wimp. That's nonsense." He took her hand and held it tight, running his thumb across the back. "You're a strong, beautiful, smart, kind, wonderful, amazing, sexy...Gorgeous...magnificent...Did I say beautiful?" He said with a chuckle. "I'm glad that everything has worked out this way. Was it tough? Absolutely, but look at us now." He kissed the back of her hand lightly. "Your mom told me something about 2 years ago. Back at camp. Did I mention how awesome your mom is? Anyway, she told me to never give up on love." He said with a nod. "It has a lot to offer, according to the goddess." He said with a smile. "It's a testament to your strength that you never gave up. Even after all these years, you still had hopes and that's what matters." He kissed her hand again and smiled. "I probably wouldn't have had the courage."
Arabella's cheeks were a bright pink and she didn't even know what to say to Hunter at this point. He was so wonderful to her and everything he said made her feel like incredible. Like she actually was all of those things. "Oh, Hunter...you're too kind ot me" She said softly and she slid over, so that she was sitting next to him. She pressed her lips against his cheek in a tender kiss and she trailed her lips down the side of his neck. "Not giving up on you isn't a testament to me strength, though. It's hard to forget about someone as incredible as you" She said softly with a smile. Arabella loved the fact that her mom was the way she was. So approving of Hunter and so kind to Hunter. She always believed in Hunter and it made Arabella happy to know that her mom did too.
Hunter parked the car in the driveway and looked over at Arabella. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled. "Come on. Let's get you in bed." He said as he adjust the sweatshirt around you. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "No...Not like that." He said with a chuckle before kissing her cheek. "That is one way of keeping warm though." He said before holding her close and getting out of the car. He closed the door and the two of them hurried into the house. Hunter didn't stop and didn't let her stop until they were in the bedroom where he wrapped his arms around her again. They were both shivering a little, but quickly enough they warmed up again. "You know making sure you have clothes on seems counter-productive." He said with a smile as he kissed on the lips.
Arabella laughed against his lips and she ran her hands down his sides. "I know...it's almost depressing to see you in so many layers of clothing" She teased and kissed him before walking towards the bed with him. Arabella wanted to be under the blankets, snuggled up to Hunter's side. She didn't care what they did or what they talked about, she just wanted to be warm and cozy with him. "Why does it have to be so damn cold?" Arabella pouted and she let go of Hunter. In what seemed like less than a second, Arabella threw herself into the bed, pulling the blankets up tightly. "We need to move to some place warm. We could buy a tropical island in the middle of the ocean and live there" She said with a nod.
"You could see if Circe's selling her place." Hunter said as he took off his sweatshirt. He changed all the way down to pajama pants and looked over at Arabella who was already changed and in bed again, giving him a 'come hither' look. Hunter raised an eyebrow and got in bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled herself closer to him. Hunter smiled for a moment before responding in kind. He loved being close to her. Just holding her in his arms and telling her that everything was going to be okay. That he was going to keep her safe and warm. He kissed her head and gave her a squeeze as he pulled the blankets up around them. He held onto her tightly before putting his head down and closing his eyes. "Mmm....I love you." He said quietly, his words slightly slurred from the rapid oncoming of fatigue.
Arabella looked up at him, smiling softly. She curled up to him, melting into his arms. She couldn't think of any other way to spend her nights. Arabella didn't need to go out with a bunch of people and get drunk. She didn't need to flirt with every guy that looked at her. Arabella just wanted to spend her nights with Hunter. She took a breath and closed her eyes, tracing a heart on his chest with her fingers. "I love you, Hunter" She whispered and slowly drifted off to a heavy, comfortable sleep.
Chapter 105 - Hunter and Arabella
Hunter woke up with a smile on his face. He cleared his throat quietly and sat up a little. He kissed Arabella's temple, burying his face in her hair, when he noticed a steady movement near his leg. He looked down to see Ajax curled up next to his leg. His brow furrowed as he wondered where Jolie was. There was no way that she didn't try and follow him. He carefully slipped away from Arabella, picking Ajax up and setting him next to her. He looked down and saw Jolie, curled up on a blanket that she had pulled off of the bed. He smiled softly and picked the small dog up, petting her gently. Hunter set her between Ajax and Arabella before slipping into bed again, resuming his embrace with Arabella as best he could with the new addition to the bed.
Arabella groaned softly, waking up just a little bit when Hunter got out of bed. In the back of her mind, she felt him slide back into the bed and she relaxed a little bit, holding herself closer to him. Arabella felt something squirming around beside her and she opened her eyes slightly, squinting down at Jolie, who was trying to curl up next to Ajax. "Silly love sick dog" She said in a raspy voice from not using it and she turned her eyes up to Hunter. "Morning"
"Hey." He said with a chuckle, kissing her lightly on the forehead. He looked down at Jolie who nuzzling into Ajax's side. Ajax, in response, stood up and crawled over Hunter's legs, jumping off the bed and walking out of the bed room. Jolie tried to follow, but was caught on Hunter's legs. He scoffed and rolled his eyes before picking Jolie up and setting her on the ground. The sound of her tag against her collar, a jingling noise, trailed down the hallway and down the stairs as Hunter turned to Arabella. He scooted toward her and kissed her tightly on the lips, resting his hand on her stomach. "Good morning." He said against her lips.
"That is one interesting dog I have..." Arabella said, her voice trailing off. She looked up at Hunter and smiled before rubbing her eyes. "How did you sleep?" She asked him and stretched her legs for a moment before relaxing her muscles. She had slept happily and she was glad that she didn't have any dreams. It was nice to get a decent sleep. Arabella looked over at the clock and moaned softly. "It's before noon. It's way to early to be awake" She said with a giggle.
"Blame the dogs." He said with a smile as he moved on top of her, kissing her lips. He stayed there for a few moments before leaving one lasting kiss on her lips. "Why don't you call Tyler and tell him to bring the car over here? I'll go for a run with Ajax." He said as he rolled out of bed. "I'll just run straight to the shower, giving you no chance to jump me." He teased with a chuckle. "Then Tyler and I will fix up the car while you go shopping. Then you can come home and I'll make you dinner. Then I'll give you a massage or something and we'll figure it out from there." He smiled and pulled off his shirt. He grabbed his sleeveless camp shirt and slipped it on. "How's that sound?" He asked with a smile.
Arabella moaned softly as she stretched, still laying down on the bed. She tugged at the hem of her shirt then smiled up at Hunter. "It sounds like a perfect day. Except for the part about me not being able to jump your sexy bones" She said and gave him a wink. She yawned before pulling the blanket up. "Okay..you go for a run, I'll call Tyler..sounds like a plan" Arabella mumbled, closing her eyes.
Hunter smiled and looked at her. "You're just going to fall asleep again." He said with a chuckle before seeing that her eyes were closed. He silently walked over and leaned over her. With a grin, he leaned down and kissed her tightly on the lips, putting a hand on the bed on either side of her. He felt her hands reach up, pulling him close and running her fingers through his hair. He finally broke away, standing back up. Hunter swallowed and took a deep breath. "Okay. Maybe I'll allow time after my run." He said with a smile before finally walking out of the bedroom. He walked down the stairs and found Ajax at his water dish, calmly taking a drink and being closely followed by Jolie. "Jo! Leave him alone. We're going for a run." He said as he put the harness on Ajax. He quickly walked out of the house and closed the door, making sure that Jolie didn't escape. "You're quite the ladykiller, Ajax." He said as he knelt down and scratched him behind the ear. "Let's go." He said before starting his run.
Arabella stuck her hand out of the blankets and she grabbed her phone, pressing Tyler's name in her contacts list and starting to write a message to him. Hi Tyler, get your butt over here later. In a couple of hours. Hunter wants to work on your car today. Arabella tossed her phone onto the bedside table and groaned, rolling onto her stomach and pulling the blankets up. Just then, she heard a jingle and panting from the side of her bed. Arabella opened her eyes and saw Jolie on the ground beside her, looking up. "Oh...Jolie. How can I ignore that pretty face" She cooed and reached down, picking Jolie up with on hand and placing her on the bed next to her. Arabella watched as Jolie laid her head down and close her eyes. A smile spread across Arabella's lips and she closed her eyes, petting Jolie gently. It wasn't long before both of them were sleeping.
Hunter slowed to a stop in the driveway and got his breathing back to normal, looking at the opposite side of the street. "You know, Ajax? I can see all 7 houses from this spot." He said before looking down at his dog. "You know why that's important?" Ajax put his head down and started sniffing the ground. "You don't care. Never mind." He scoffed and picked up Ajax as he walked into the house. He half-expected Arabella to jump him as he walked in the door, but it was quiet. He walked up the stairs quietly and set Ajax down on the ground. He trotted over and hopped up onto the bed. Hunter smiled as he licked Arabella's face. Hunter laughed and walked into the bathroom for a shower before she woke up. He quickly stripped down and stepped into the shower.
Arabella scrunched up her nose as Ajax licked it. Soon enough, she felt Jolie scrambling to climb over Arabella's side so that she could be closer to Ajax. "Dooogs" Arabella moaned, shoving her face into the pillow. Maybe if she stayed perfectly still, the dogs would go away and let her get back to sleep. Arabella wasn't even aware of the fact that if Ajax was there, that meant that Hunter was home. She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. She figured that she could get at least another 30 minutes of sleep. Just then, however, She felt one dog lick her left ear and one dog lick her right ear. "Fine! I'll get up!" Arabella grumbled into the pillow and she pushed herself to sit up. Her eyes narrowed on Ajax and with a gasp, she realized that Hunter was home. She slid off of the bed and she walked over to the bathroom door, standing outside of it with a smirk on her face.
Hunter shut off the shower and shivered a little before grabbing a towel and drying off. He wrapped it around his waist and checked his reflection in the mirror before opening the door. "Oh!" He said, flinching a little at Arabella's appearance on the other side of the door. "I knew you were going to fall asleep again." He said as he kissed her forehead.
Arabella giggled and she took his hands, biting the inside of her lip a little bit. "I need my beauty sleep" She said in a playfully defensive tone. She leaned into him, kissing him lightly. Arabella was looking forward to the day. She was excited to go shopping and she was probably going to stop at a Starbucks too for a little treat. It was going to be a good day. Arabella kissed him tightly then felt something land on her feet and she looked down, seeing Hunter's towel on the ground. With a giggle and slightly pink cheeks, Arabella looked up at him with a smirk. "How many times is something like this going to happen to us?"
Hunter kissed her back, putting his hands on her hips. "What ar-Oh gods..." Hunter muttered, realizing his towel's position. Hunter blushed hard and scrambled to pick his towel up again. "It's to make up for all of the times that Daniel interrupted us." He said with a chuckle as he wrapped it around himself again. He kissed her cheek and walked to his dresser. "Did uh...Did you talk to Tyler?" He asked nervously as he grabbed a pair of boxers and walked into the closet to put them on.
"Yes, I talked to Tyler" Arabella said, still giggling from what had just happened. She flopped down on the bed and picked up Jolie, placing her on her stomach, where she started to pet her gently. Arabella yawned and looked towards the closet. ''I told him to come by later today. He'll probably be here soon-ish" She told Hunter and turned her gaze back to Jolie.
"Good. Good." Hunter said as he reemerged from the closet. He put the towel over his shoulder and laid down on the bed with his head on her stomach. He picked up Jolie and held her in the air for a moment before bringing her back down and letting her lick his face. He laughed and put her down on the ground where she jingled off to go find Ajax, no doubt. "Great. Thank you." Hunter said quietly as he closed his eyes.
Arabella ran her fingers through Hunter's hair tenderly and she smiled a little. she could have stayed in that bed forever. She would have been happy to not even get out of bed for the rest of the day. However, she knew that she needed to get shopping done and Hunter was planning on fixing up the car. Arabella huffed, blowing a piece of golden hair out of her face. "Is there anything you want me to pick up while I'm shopping? Anything you need for the trip?"
"I need a tux. Err...Suit. Something to wear to the ceremony." He said with a chuckle as he reached up and grazed her leg with his fingers. "Other than that...." He rolled a little and kissed her thigh. "You're all I need for the trip." He said with a smile as he pushed himself off the bed and walked over to his dresser. He slipped on a pair of jeans. "You should call Vera about her dress. You might be able to send her a picture or something." He said with a nod. "I know you're nervous, so maybe that'll help you calm your nerves." He shrugged as he turned around and pulled out a shirt.
Arabella nodded softly and she sat up, finally pulling herself out of bed and fixing the sheets. She walked over to him and kissed him lightly, placing a hand on his chest. "Mmm..you are so difficult to resist" Arabella giggled against his lips. She took a breath and walked over to her closet, trying to find some good shopping clothes. She finally pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and she tossed them onto the bed before tossing out a shirt, sweater and a pair of ballet flats. Arabella walked out of the closet and looked at Hunter. "Wait. I need to get a good look at you to remind myself of your measurements. It would suck to get to the store and not know what to get" She said to Hunter and walked over to him, eying him up and biting on her lip.
"Yeah. That's why you're currently ogling me." He said with a chuckle as he stepped forward and looped his shirt around her, pulling her close. "I 'get your measurements' all the time." He said with a smile as he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. He dropped his shirt and ran his hands up her thighs to her hips, kissing her cheek and trailing his lips to her neck. Ding dong! Knock knock knock. Bark bark bark! Arooo! Hunter laughed and put his forehead on her shoulder. "Aren't you glad we got dogs?" He said as he picked up his shirt.
"Oh...thrilled" Arabella said with a giggle and a small roll of her eyes. She kissed him lightly then turned back to her clothes. "I need to get dressed..." Arabella said and she looked back at her clothes on the bed. With a sigh, she walked over, peeling off the shirt that she had been wearing. Arabella didn't really care that Hunter was there, anyway. She pulled on her jeans and shirt then yanked her sweater over her head. With a small sigh, Arabella stretched and walked out of the bedroom with Hunter, towards the front door.
Hunter hurried down the stairs and quieted the dogs before peeking out the window to see Tyler waiting at the door. He laughed for a minute before stopping Arabella at the top step and kissing her tightly on the lips. He picked her up as she wrapped her legs around him and kissed him back. Hunter turned and pressed her up against the door, brushing his lips down her neck.
"Really, guys?" Tyler said from outside. "Take a break for air, will you?" Hunter laughed and set Arabella down before opening the door.
"Oh. Hey, Tyler." He said with a laugh. "I didn't know you were here." He lied.
Arabella giggled and she waved to Tyler. She grabbed her purse and kissed Hunter quickly but it was a lingering, teasing kiss. Arabella smiled at him then pulled away and walked towards the door. "I'll be back later. I have my phone if you need me" She said and waved to the guys once more before walking out and getting into her car.
Tyler watched her drive off then he turned to Hunter. "Well...what do we do first?" He asked, smiling slightly. He was excited about this but not jsut because he got to work on the car. He liked spending time with Hunter. It was like having an actual friend. Tyler bent down when Ajax trotted over to him and he pet him with a smile on his face. Jolie wasn't far behind Ajax and she started sniffing Tyler's ankle. "Cute dogs" He said with a chuckle.
"Ajax isn't cute. He's fearsome." Hunter said with a nod as Ajax growled a little at Tyler. "Hold on." He said as he picked Ajax up. "Ajax. This is Ellie's brother. Calm down." He held him out to Tyler and Ajax sniffed the air around Tyler. He barked once before sticking out his tongue as Tyler pet his head.
"Yeah. Real scary." Tyler said. Hunter put Ajax down and closed the door. "It's in the garage, right?" He asked as they walked out of the house. Hunter nodded and opened the garage door to reveal the blue Pontiac Firebird.
"I think all she needs is some transmission and hose work." Hunter said as he popped the hood. He stuck his head in. "So have you thought about what you're going to name it?" Tyler scoffed.
"Named it? It's a car." Tyler said with a raised eyebrow. "What did you name your car?"
"Cerberus." He said with a nod. "Arabella's is named Roxanne. You have to name your car." He said with a chuckle. Tyler sighed.
"Fine. Uh...Patronus." He said with a nod. "My car is name Patronus."
"You speak Latin?" Hunter said in disbelief. Tyler looked at him quizzically. "Patronus is Latin for protector or guardian." He said quietly.
"It's from...Harry...Potter--You've never read Harry Potter." He said in genuine shock.
"What did I offend you in some way?" Hunter said with a chuckle.
"Lesson one: Read Harry Potter." He said, patting Hunter on the shoulder. Hunter sighed and looked down at the car.
"How's Gwen?" Hunter asked with a grin. Tyler blushed.
"What are you talking about? Fine, I'm assuming. I haven't talked to her. She lives near here, right? Have you talked to her? Have you seen her?" He asked quickly.
"Whoa. Whoa. Calm yourself. I was just teasing." Hunter said with a grin. "We'll talk about it later. Now, can you get into that tool case and hand me a 3/4ths socket wrench?" He asked, looking into the car. Tyler nodded and went off looking for the wrench.
"Umm...Hunter?" Tyler said, clearing his throat. "What's a socket wrench?" He asked, sounding audibly embarrassed. Hunter laughed and walked toward him
"We'll start at square one, then." He said as he pulled out his tools and set them on the a blanket on the hood of the car. "Lesson one: Tools."
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Arabella pulled up to the house, close to supper time. Her entire car was loaded with bags from all kinds of different stores and she had a very happy smile on her face. She parked the red car and took a sip of her Skinny Vanilla Latte, appreciating the smooth vanilla mixed with the bold coffee and she let out a happy sigh. Arabella put the empty cup down, groaning softly when she got out of the car and started to take the bags out. She started to take all of the heavy bags up to the house in trips, figuring that once she got them all to the front door, she could just shove them all inside at once. Arabella wondered if Tyler was still there and if they had finished the car yet.
Hunter was cooking dinner when he heard Arabella groan as she put down a bag. He chuckled a little as he dropped a few pieces of pasta for the dogs to distract them before walking outside to help. "Hey, honey bunch." He said, lightly kissing her cheek as he grabbed a few bags. "Geez." He said with a groan. "Were anvils on sale or something?" He asked as he started toward the door, nearly tripping over the bags she had set there already.
Arabella laughed and once Hunter was inside, she started to nudge some bags in with her foot. "Well, stud muffin, I didn't want to forget anything. Plus..there might have been a sale on at Saks" Arabella said with a giggle. Finally, she had all of the bags in the doors and she put down the last couple of Walmart bags. She looked through the pile and pulled out a bag from Saks. Gingerly, she unzippered it and pulled out the Burberry suit. "What do you think?" Arabella asked him, biting her lip.
"It's perfect." He said with a smile. He took the suit and set it on the back of the couch. "I'm glad I put you in charge of my clothes." He put his hands on her hips and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'd probably be walking around naked otherwise and as much as you would enjoy that....I wouldn't, so..." He kissed her on the nose and put his forehead against hers. "Thank you. I-" He was interrupted by the sound of sizzling on the stove. "Yikes!" He said as he hurried back to making dinner, frantically moving pans and turning dials on the oven and stove.
Arabella watched him run back to the kitchen and she organized the bags. Most of the stuff was for the trip, but some of it was for home too. Some of it was stuff that she had bought for herself and Hunter just because. Arabella dug around until she found the little bag that she was looking for. "I got something else for you. Well..it's for me too but I'm sure you'll enjoy it" She said and when Hunter turned to look at her with a slightly furrowed brow, she held out the pink bag from Victoria's Secret. With a giggle, Arabella started to walk out of the kitchen. "I'll just...put it away for now. Maybe I'll just save it for the trip" She said and gave him a wink.
Hunter swallowed and laughed nervously. "Yeah. Haha. Good." He said as he drained the pasta. "We're having macaroni and cheese with meatballs." He said with a nod. "It's not the gourmet you may be used to, but if it helps none of the cheeses are processed American." He said with a chuckle as he poured the melted cheeses and other ingredients into the pasta. He stirred it up as he poured in the meatballs and finally transferred it all into a bowl. "Oh and now the breadsticks are done." He said as he opened the oven and pulled them out. "And the asparagus is done." He said as he set all the food on the table. He let out a happy sigh as he shut off everything in the kitchen and opened a window. "Dinner is served."
Arabella put the bag down with all of the others and she walked over to Hunter, looking down at the food. "Oh, Hunter..this all looks so amazing" She said fondly and leaned up to kiss him lightly. "I don't care if it's gourmet or the best quality food out there..I'm just happy to be eating with you. Besides, I'm sure that it could be total crap ingredients and you would somehow make it amazing" She said with a teasingly playful roll of her eyes and she took a breadstick, biting into it.
"Oh, stop it." He said with a chuckle as he pulled out her chair for her. He sat down at the table as well, saying a silent prayer to Aphrodite before passing the food around the table. Ajax trotted up and put his paws on Hunter's leg, looking up at him and whimpering. "Fine." He said with a scoff as he broke off a piece of breadstick and tossing it on the ground. Ajax bit off part of the piece and chewed it as he looked around. His eyes finally landed on Jolie who was sitting at Arabella, expecting the same treatment that Hunter had given Ajax. Hunter raised an eyebrow as Ajax nosed the other half of the piece toward Jolie, finally bumping her foot. He let out a small woof and then yawned before walking off to his water bowl.
Arabella giggled down at Ajax and she turned her eyes to Jolie. She turned her big, dark eyes up to Arabella then looked down at the breadstick. In the next second, Jolie looked at Ajax then up at Arabella. She looked like she was really thinking it over. With her head, Jolie nudged Arabella's leg then let out what sounded like a huff and laid down, looking at the treat. Arabella looked over at Hunter with a slightly shocked look on her face. "My dog is playing hard to get" She said in a serious voice then burst into giggles.
Hunter shook his head. "And I thought Ajax was the heartbreaker in this group." He said with a chuckle. "My goodness, the one time he actually does something nice specifically for her and she doesn't want any." He turned back to his food, laughing quietly. "What is he supposed to do? Light some candles? Put on some music? Set a mood?" He said with a scoff. "Ajax has more dignity than that. Jolie, you're being fussy." He said, pointing his finger at the dog. She barked at him and then stood up. She picked up the piece of breadstick and walked over to Ajax's water bowl. She looked at him a second before dropping it. She barked a few times at him and walked off toward her crate. Ajax looked down into his water dish and then turned around, looking at Hunter. "Women are confusing, man. Tell me about it." He said with a wink at Arabella. Ajax growled and barked a few times as he walked off toward the crates as well. He walked into his crate and curled up on his blankets. Hunter turned to Arabella. "Do we even need a TV?" He asked as he ate his asparagus.
"Probably not" Arabella said and she took a couple bites of her supper and she shrugged. "We've got basically every soap and every drama show ever created over there" She added with a nod towards the dog cages and laughed a little bit. She smiled over at him and took another bite of her supper. "This is really amazing, Hunter. I would take this over a fancy meal cooked at Butter anytime" Arabella told him with a nod and she stretched lightly, tugging at her skinny jeans. "Do you have plans for tonight?" She asked him. "Anything you wanted to do before I change into comfortable clothes?"
"Nothing that didn't have you taking off clothes anyway." He said with a laugh before finishing his food. Hunter smiled and stood, bringing his plate over to the sink. "I was actually thinking of maybe doing something relaxing tonight. Like watching a movie or just sitting and talking. Playing with the dogs maybe." He said with a shrug, looking toward the crates. "If they're not too busy fighting to play. Did you have anything in mind?" He asked with a smile.
Arabella looked over at Hunter with a slightly dreamy look in her eyes. Hunter had just described her perfect night and she was hit with another wave of excitment when she remembered that her and Hunter were going to have many nights like that in their future. "Nope, nothing at all" She said happily and ate the rest over her food before taking it over to the sink. Her arms snaked around his waist and she nuzzled into his side, taking a deep breath. "It sounds like the best night ever" She said softly.
Hunter smiled and kissed her head. "You pick out a movie. Or sit down. Or just go sit down and be beautiful. I know how good you are at that." He gave her a hug and smiled. "While you do that, I'll put the dogs to bed and then make some popcorn and some tea and whatever I feel like at the moment then I'll join you." He said before turning and giving her a small kiss on the forehead. "Mmm....I love you." He said before breaking away and going to the cupboard. He pulled out the popcorn and put it in the microwave before pulling out the dog treats and putting one or two into their cages before closing them. He started a pot of hot water and did the dishes and as soon as he was done, so was everything else. He put the popcorn into a bowl and poured the water into two mugs, Arabella's a little bit bigger than his. He brought it all over and set it down on the coffee table before sitting down next to her with a sigh. "Here I am." He said with a chuckle.
Arabella smiled up at him and she leaned towards him, kissing him. "Mmm..I missed you" She teased, smiling against his lips. She had changed into a pair of short, cotton shorts with a pink-white-brown plaid pattern on them. Arabella tugged on her white tee shirt, fixing it a little bit before taking Hunter's hand and leaning back slightly, stretching out her legs. Relaxing with Hunter was all that she wanted to do. Just sit with him, talk a little bit, some kissing. They didn't need to be serious. They didn't need to be dealing with drama and issues. They could just..talk. "I still can't believe that my dog is playing hard to get" Arabella said with a giggle and she looked over at Hunter.
"Jolie is so mean to Ajax." He said with a chuckle. "She's practically jumping all over him all the time, but the one time he responds in kind she's too good for him." He wrapped his arms around Arabella and kissed her cheek. "I'm really glad that you weren't like that." He said, kissing her cheek again. He turned and put his back against the armrest before turning her and having her sit between his legs. "Tyler and I got the car completely fixed up today." He said as he rubbed her shoulders and neck. "It runs like new as far as I can tell. I'm no mechanic though." He shrugged and placed a kiss on the back of her neck.
Arabella closed her eyes as he rubbed her shoulders and neck and she tilted her head forward slightly in response. Having him rub her shoulders like that made her so happy because he was amazing at it, for one. It was also Hunter doing it. It wasn't like there was some stranger behind her, rubbing her back for money. Hunter was doing it because he wanted to and because it made her feel good. "That's good" She said softly and bit her lip for a second. "I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for Tyler. He's come out of his shell so much already and it's because of you" Arabella said in a soft voice and she placed her hands on his legs.
"He's a cool kid." He said with a shrug as he moved moved his hands down to her back. "He just needs a good male role model. Not to say anything negative about your father, but I can imagine that he didn't have much time for him with his job and everything." Hunter moved his hands down to the middle of her back and sighed. "I think he has a thing for that Gwen girl we met on Halloween." He said with a laugh. "When I brought her up he kind of got all flustered. I'll have to see what I can do when I start working there." He said as he swept her hair over her shoulder.
Arabella laughed and she twisted the hair that Hunter had put over her shoulder in her fingers. She yawned a little bit and reached over to the coffee table, picking up her tea. "I hope that Gwen is a good girl for him. She seems really nice" Arabella said with a nod and took a sip of her tea. "Once you start working there, you'll have to tell me how it goes.You know that I can't help but meddle" Arabella giggled.
"I'm feeling compelled to meddle too." He said, moving his hands to her sides and massaging them. "I feel like you're being a bad influence on me." He said as he put his chin on her shoulder, placing a small kiss on her neck. "Can I tell you how excited I am to start working there?" He said, brushing his lips to her cheek.
Arabella giggled, shivering when he brushed his lips along her skin. She placed her tea mug down on the coffee table again before placing her hands back on his legs. As he massaged her sides, a soft moan escaped her lips. "You are going to do so well at that job. All of those kids are going to be very lucky to have you as their teacher" Arabella said in a matter-of-fact type of voice.
"Thanks." He said, sitting back again and moving his hands to her shoulders again. "I'm nervous, but I'm excited. I haven't fired a bow in too long, so I hope I'm not rusty or anything. Maybe I'll have Tyler join my class." He said with a chuckle. "He might want to join Gwen's though."
"I'm sure that you will be wonderful" Arabella said and she turned around un his arms so that she was facing him, still sitting in between his legs. She placed her hands on his chest, leaning a bit closer to him and she smiled in what she hoped was a comforting sort of voice. "You were amazing with that bow of yours and I'm sure that you'll still be amazing. Maybe we can practice before you start work. I can be your student" Arabella said with a giggle and she kissed him lightly.
Hunter smiled against her lips, putting a hand on her back. "No. That's no good." he said, kissing her again. "You'll be too busy ogling the teacher." he said with a wink. "Same reason knife fighting lessons didn't work." he grazed his fingers to her hip and pulled her closer. She was so wonderful. She always knew how to make Hunter feel fantastic.
"Or maybe the teather will be too busy ogling me..you never know what could happen" Arabella teased and she slid her hands to his arms, holding onto his biceps. She loved to sit with him like this. She loved to feel his arms around her and his hands on her back. He made her feel safe and protected. Arabella looked up into his eyes and her stomach started fluttering with butterflies. "You are going to be such a stunner in that suit I got for you" She said and wiggled her eyebrows.
Arabella groaned softly, waking up just a little bit when Hunter got out of bed. In the back of her mind, she felt him slide back into the bed and she relaxed a little bit, holding herself closer to him. Arabella felt something squirming around beside her and she opened her eyes slightly, squinting down at Jolie, who was trying to curl up next to Ajax. "Silly love sick dog" She said in a raspy voice from not using it and she turned her eyes up to Hunter. "Morning"
"Hey." He said with a chuckle, kissing her lightly on the forehead. He looked down at Jolie who nuzzling into Ajax's side. Ajax, in response, stood up and crawled over Hunter's legs, jumping off the bed and walking out of the bed room. Jolie tried to follow, but was caught on Hunter's legs. He scoffed and rolled his eyes before picking Jolie up and setting her on the ground. The sound of her tag against her collar, a jingling noise, trailed down the hallway and down the stairs as Hunter turned to Arabella. He scooted toward her and kissed her tightly on the lips, resting his hand on her stomach. "Good morning." He said against her lips.
"That is one interesting dog I have..." Arabella said, her voice trailing off. She looked up at Hunter and smiled before rubbing her eyes. "How did you sleep?" She asked him and stretched her legs for a moment before relaxing her muscles. She had slept happily and she was glad that she didn't have any dreams. It was nice to get a decent sleep. Arabella looked over at the clock and moaned softly. "It's before noon. It's way to early to be awake" She said with a giggle.
"Blame the dogs." He said with a smile as he moved on top of her, kissing her lips. He stayed there for a few moments before leaving one lasting kiss on her lips. "Why don't you call Tyler and tell him to bring the car over here? I'll go for a run with Ajax." He said as he rolled out of bed. "I'll just run straight to the shower, giving you no chance to jump me." He teased with a chuckle. "Then Tyler and I will fix up the car while you go shopping. Then you can come home and I'll make you dinner. Then I'll give you a massage or something and we'll figure it out from there." He smiled and pulled off his shirt. He grabbed his sleeveless camp shirt and slipped it on. "How's that sound?" He asked with a smile.
Arabella moaned softly as she stretched, still laying down on the bed. She tugged at the hem of her shirt then smiled up at Hunter. "It sounds like a perfect day. Except for the part about me not being able to jump your sexy bones" She said and gave him a wink. She yawned before pulling the blanket up. "Okay..you go for a run, I'll call Tyler..sounds like a plan" Arabella mumbled, closing her eyes.
Hunter smiled and looked at her. "You're just going to fall asleep again." He said with a chuckle before seeing that her eyes were closed. He silently walked over and leaned over her. With a grin, he leaned down and kissed her tightly on the lips, putting a hand on the bed on either side of her. He felt her hands reach up, pulling him close and running her fingers through his hair. He finally broke away, standing back up. Hunter swallowed and took a deep breath. "Okay. Maybe I'll allow time after my run." He said with a smile before finally walking out of the bedroom. He walked down the stairs and found Ajax at his water dish, calmly taking a drink and being closely followed by Jolie. "Jo! Leave him alone. We're going for a run." He said as he put the harness on Ajax. He quickly walked out of the house and closed the door, making sure that Jolie didn't escape. "You're quite the ladykiller, Ajax." He said as he knelt down and scratched him behind the ear. "Let's go." He said before starting his run.
Arabella stuck her hand out of the blankets and she grabbed her phone, pressing Tyler's name in her contacts list and starting to write a message to him. Hi Tyler, get your butt over here later. In a couple of hours. Hunter wants to work on your car today. Arabella tossed her phone onto the bedside table and groaned, rolling onto her stomach and pulling the blankets up. Just then, she heard a jingle and panting from the side of her bed. Arabella opened her eyes and saw Jolie on the ground beside her, looking up. "Oh...Jolie. How can I ignore that pretty face" She cooed and reached down, picking Jolie up with on hand and placing her on the bed next to her. Arabella watched as Jolie laid her head down and close her eyes. A smile spread across Arabella's lips and she closed her eyes, petting Jolie gently. It wasn't long before both of them were sleeping.
Hunter slowed to a stop in the driveway and got his breathing back to normal, looking at the opposite side of the street. "You know, Ajax? I can see all 7 houses from this spot." He said before looking down at his dog. "You know why that's important?" Ajax put his head down and started sniffing the ground. "You don't care. Never mind." He scoffed and picked up Ajax as he walked into the house. He half-expected Arabella to jump him as he walked in the door, but it was quiet. He walked up the stairs quietly and set Ajax down on the ground. He trotted over and hopped up onto the bed. Hunter smiled as he licked Arabella's face. Hunter laughed and walked into the bathroom for a shower before she woke up. He quickly stripped down and stepped into the shower.
Arabella scrunched up her nose as Ajax licked it. Soon enough, she felt Jolie scrambling to climb over Arabella's side so that she could be closer to Ajax. "Dooogs" Arabella moaned, shoving her face into the pillow. Maybe if she stayed perfectly still, the dogs would go away and let her get back to sleep. Arabella wasn't even aware of the fact that if Ajax was there, that meant that Hunter was home. She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. She figured that she could get at least another 30 minutes of sleep. Just then, however, She felt one dog lick her left ear and one dog lick her right ear. "Fine! I'll get up!" Arabella grumbled into the pillow and she pushed herself to sit up. Her eyes narrowed on Ajax and with a gasp, she realized that Hunter was home. She slid off of the bed and she walked over to the bathroom door, standing outside of it with a smirk on her face.
Hunter shut off the shower and shivered a little before grabbing a towel and drying off. He wrapped it around his waist and checked his reflection in the mirror before opening the door. "Oh!" He said, flinching a little at Arabella's appearance on the other side of the door. "I knew you were going to fall asleep again." He said as he kissed her forehead.
Arabella giggled and she took his hands, biting the inside of her lip a little bit. "I need my beauty sleep" She said in a playfully defensive tone. She leaned into him, kissing him lightly. Arabella was looking forward to the day. She was excited to go shopping and she was probably going to stop at a Starbucks too for a little treat. It was going to be a good day. Arabella kissed him tightly then felt something land on her feet and she looked down, seeing Hunter's towel on the ground. With a giggle and slightly pink cheeks, Arabella looked up at him with a smirk. "How many times is something like this going to happen to us?"
Hunter kissed her back, putting his hands on her hips. "What ar-Oh gods..." Hunter muttered, realizing his towel's position. Hunter blushed hard and scrambled to pick his towel up again. "It's to make up for all of the times that Daniel interrupted us." He said with a chuckle as he wrapped it around himself again. He kissed her cheek and walked to his dresser. "Did uh...Did you talk to Tyler?" He asked nervously as he grabbed a pair of boxers and walked into the closet to put them on.
"Yes, I talked to Tyler" Arabella said, still giggling from what had just happened. She flopped down on the bed and picked up Jolie, placing her on her stomach, where she started to pet her gently. Arabella yawned and looked towards the closet. ''I told him to come by later today. He'll probably be here soon-ish" She told Hunter and turned her gaze back to Jolie.
"Good. Good." Hunter said as he reemerged from the closet. He put the towel over his shoulder and laid down on the bed with his head on her stomach. He picked up Jolie and held her in the air for a moment before bringing her back down and letting her lick his face. He laughed and put her down on the ground where she jingled off to go find Ajax, no doubt. "Great. Thank you." Hunter said quietly as he closed his eyes.
Arabella ran her fingers through Hunter's hair tenderly and she smiled a little. she could have stayed in that bed forever. She would have been happy to not even get out of bed for the rest of the day. However, she knew that she needed to get shopping done and Hunter was planning on fixing up the car. Arabella huffed, blowing a piece of golden hair out of her face. "Is there anything you want me to pick up while I'm shopping? Anything you need for the trip?"
"I need a tux. Err...Suit. Something to wear to the ceremony." He said with a chuckle as he reached up and grazed her leg with his fingers. "Other than that...." He rolled a little and kissed her thigh. "You're all I need for the trip." He said with a smile as he pushed himself off the bed and walked over to his dresser. He slipped on a pair of jeans. "You should call Vera about her dress. You might be able to send her a picture or something." He said with a nod. "I know you're nervous, so maybe that'll help you calm your nerves." He shrugged as he turned around and pulled out a shirt.
Arabella nodded softly and she sat up, finally pulling herself out of bed and fixing the sheets. She walked over to him and kissed him lightly, placing a hand on his chest. "Mmm..you are so difficult to resist" Arabella giggled against his lips. She took a breath and walked over to her closet, trying to find some good shopping clothes. She finally pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and she tossed them onto the bed before tossing out a shirt, sweater and a pair of ballet flats. Arabella walked out of the closet and looked at Hunter. "Wait. I need to get a good look at you to remind myself of your measurements. It would suck to get to the store and not know what to get" She said to Hunter and walked over to him, eying him up and biting on her lip.
"Yeah. That's why you're currently ogling me." He said with a chuckle as he stepped forward and looped his shirt around her, pulling her close. "I 'get your measurements' all the time." He said with a smile as he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. He dropped his shirt and ran his hands up her thighs to her hips, kissing her cheek and trailing his lips to her neck. Ding dong! Knock knock knock. Bark bark bark! Arooo! Hunter laughed and put his forehead on her shoulder. "Aren't you glad we got dogs?" He said as he picked up his shirt.
"Oh...thrilled" Arabella said with a giggle and a small roll of her eyes. She kissed him lightly then turned back to her clothes. "I need to get dressed..." Arabella said and she looked back at her clothes on the bed. With a sigh, she walked over, peeling off the shirt that she had been wearing. Arabella didn't really care that Hunter was there, anyway. She pulled on her jeans and shirt then yanked her sweater over her head. With a small sigh, Arabella stretched and walked out of the bedroom with Hunter, towards the front door.
Hunter hurried down the stairs and quieted the dogs before peeking out the window to see Tyler waiting at the door. He laughed for a minute before stopping Arabella at the top step and kissing her tightly on the lips. He picked her up as she wrapped her legs around him and kissed him back. Hunter turned and pressed her up against the door, brushing his lips down her neck.
"Really, guys?" Tyler said from outside. "Take a break for air, will you?" Hunter laughed and set Arabella down before opening the door.
"Oh. Hey, Tyler." He said with a laugh. "I didn't know you were here." He lied.
Arabella giggled and she waved to Tyler. She grabbed her purse and kissed Hunter quickly but it was a lingering, teasing kiss. Arabella smiled at him then pulled away and walked towards the door. "I'll be back later. I have my phone if you need me" She said and waved to the guys once more before walking out and getting into her car.
Tyler watched her drive off then he turned to Hunter. "Well...what do we do first?" He asked, smiling slightly. He was excited about this but not jsut because he got to work on the car. He liked spending time with Hunter. It was like having an actual friend. Tyler bent down when Ajax trotted over to him and he pet him with a smile on his face. Jolie wasn't far behind Ajax and she started sniffing Tyler's ankle. "Cute dogs" He said with a chuckle.
"Ajax isn't cute. He's fearsome." Hunter said with a nod as Ajax growled a little at Tyler. "Hold on." He said as he picked Ajax up. "Ajax. This is Ellie's brother. Calm down." He held him out to Tyler and Ajax sniffed the air around Tyler. He barked once before sticking out his tongue as Tyler pet his head.
"Yeah. Real scary." Tyler said. Hunter put Ajax down and closed the door. "It's in the garage, right?" He asked as they walked out of the house. Hunter nodded and opened the garage door to reveal the blue Pontiac Firebird.
"I think all she needs is some transmission and hose work." Hunter said as he popped the hood. He stuck his head in. "So have you thought about what you're going to name it?" Tyler scoffed.
"Named it? It's a car." Tyler said with a raised eyebrow. "What did you name your car?"
"Cerberus." He said with a nod. "Arabella's is named Roxanne. You have to name your car." He said with a chuckle. Tyler sighed.
"Fine. Uh...Patronus." He said with a nod. "My car is name Patronus."
"You speak Latin?" Hunter said in disbelief. Tyler looked at him quizzically. "Patronus is Latin for protector or guardian." He said quietly.
"It's from...Harry...Potter--You've never read Harry Potter." He said in genuine shock.
"What did I offend you in some way?" Hunter said with a chuckle.
"Lesson one: Read Harry Potter." He said, patting Hunter on the shoulder. Hunter sighed and looked down at the car.
"How's Gwen?" Hunter asked with a grin. Tyler blushed.
"What are you talking about? Fine, I'm assuming. I haven't talked to her. She lives near here, right? Have you talked to her? Have you seen her?" He asked quickly.
"Whoa. Whoa. Calm yourself. I was just teasing." Hunter said with a grin. "We'll talk about it later. Now, can you get into that tool case and hand me a 3/4ths socket wrench?" He asked, looking into the car. Tyler nodded and went off looking for the wrench.
"Umm...Hunter?" Tyler said, clearing his throat. "What's a socket wrench?" He asked, sounding audibly embarrassed. Hunter laughed and walked toward him
"We'll start at square one, then." He said as he pulled out his tools and set them on the a blanket on the hood of the car. "Lesson one: Tools."
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Arabella pulled up to the house, close to supper time. Her entire car was loaded with bags from all kinds of different stores and she had a very happy smile on her face. She parked the red car and took a sip of her Skinny Vanilla Latte, appreciating the smooth vanilla mixed with the bold coffee and she let out a happy sigh. Arabella put the empty cup down, groaning softly when she got out of the car and started to take the bags out. She started to take all of the heavy bags up to the house in trips, figuring that once she got them all to the front door, she could just shove them all inside at once. Arabella wondered if Tyler was still there and if they had finished the car yet.
Hunter was cooking dinner when he heard Arabella groan as she put down a bag. He chuckled a little as he dropped a few pieces of pasta for the dogs to distract them before walking outside to help. "Hey, honey bunch." He said, lightly kissing her cheek as he grabbed a few bags. "Geez." He said with a groan. "Were anvils on sale or something?" He asked as he started toward the door, nearly tripping over the bags she had set there already.
Arabella laughed and once Hunter was inside, she started to nudge some bags in with her foot. "Well, stud muffin, I didn't want to forget anything. Plus..there might have been a sale on at Saks" Arabella said with a giggle. Finally, she had all of the bags in the doors and she put down the last couple of Walmart bags. She looked through the pile and pulled out a bag from Saks. Gingerly, she unzippered it and pulled out the Burberry suit. "What do you think?" Arabella asked him, biting her lip.
"It's perfect." He said with a smile. He took the suit and set it on the back of the couch. "I'm glad I put you in charge of my clothes." He put his hands on her hips and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'd probably be walking around naked otherwise and as much as you would enjoy that....I wouldn't, so..." He kissed her on the nose and put his forehead against hers. "Thank you. I-" He was interrupted by the sound of sizzling on the stove. "Yikes!" He said as he hurried back to making dinner, frantically moving pans and turning dials on the oven and stove.
Arabella watched him run back to the kitchen and she organized the bags. Most of the stuff was for the trip, but some of it was for home too. Some of it was stuff that she had bought for herself and Hunter just because. Arabella dug around until she found the little bag that she was looking for. "I got something else for you. Well..it's for me too but I'm sure you'll enjoy it" She said and when Hunter turned to look at her with a slightly furrowed brow, she held out the pink bag from Victoria's Secret. With a giggle, Arabella started to walk out of the kitchen. "I'll just...put it away for now. Maybe I'll just save it for the trip" She said and gave him a wink.
Hunter swallowed and laughed nervously. "Yeah. Haha. Good." He said as he drained the pasta. "We're having macaroni and cheese with meatballs." He said with a nod. "It's not the gourmet you may be used to, but if it helps none of the cheeses are processed American." He said with a chuckle as he poured the melted cheeses and other ingredients into the pasta. He stirred it up as he poured in the meatballs and finally transferred it all into a bowl. "Oh and now the breadsticks are done." He said as he opened the oven and pulled them out. "And the asparagus is done." He said as he set all the food on the table. He let out a happy sigh as he shut off everything in the kitchen and opened a window. "Dinner is served."
Arabella put the bag down with all of the others and she walked over to Hunter, looking down at the food. "Oh, Hunter..this all looks so amazing" She said fondly and leaned up to kiss him lightly. "I don't care if it's gourmet or the best quality food out there..I'm just happy to be eating with you. Besides, I'm sure that it could be total crap ingredients and you would somehow make it amazing" She said with a teasingly playful roll of her eyes and she took a breadstick, biting into it.
"Oh, stop it." He said with a chuckle as he pulled out her chair for her. He sat down at the table as well, saying a silent prayer to Aphrodite before passing the food around the table. Ajax trotted up and put his paws on Hunter's leg, looking up at him and whimpering. "Fine." He said with a scoff as he broke off a piece of breadstick and tossing it on the ground. Ajax bit off part of the piece and chewed it as he looked around. His eyes finally landed on Jolie who was sitting at Arabella, expecting the same treatment that Hunter had given Ajax. Hunter raised an eyebrow as Ajax nosed the other half of the piece toward Jolie, finally bumping her foot. He let out a small woof and then yawned before walking off to his water bowl.
Arabella giggled down at Ajax and she turned her eyes to Jolie. She turned her big, dark eyes up to Arabella then looked down at the breadstick. In the next second, Jolie looked at Ajax then up at Arabella. She looked like she was really thinking it over. With her head, Jolie nudged Arabella's leg then let out what sounded like a huff and laid down, looking at the treat. Arabella looked over at Hunter with a slightly shocked look on her face. "My dog is playing hard to get" She said in a serious voice then burst into giggles.
Hunter shook his head. "And I thought Ajax was the heartbreaker in this group." He said with a chuckle. "My goodness, the one time he actually does something nice specifically for her and she doesn't want any." He turned back to his food, laughing quietly. "What is he supposed to do? Light some candles? Put on some music? Set a mood?" He said with a scoff. "Ajax has more dignity than that. Jolie, you're being fussy." He said, pointing his finger at the dog. She barked at him and then stood up. She picked up the piece of breadstick and walked over to Ajax's water bowl. She looked at him a second before dropping it. She barked a few times at him and walked off toward her crate. Ajax looked down into his water dish and then turned around, looking at Hunter. "Women are confusing, man. Tell me about it." He said with a wink at Arabella. Ajax growled and barked a few times as he walked off toward the crates as well. He walked into his crate and curled up on his blankets. Hunter turned to Arabella. "Do we even need a TV?" He asked as he ate his asparagus.
"Probably not" Arabella said and she took a couple bites of her supper and she shrugged. "We've got basically every soap and every drama show ever created over there" She added with a nod towards the dog cages and laughed a little bit. She smiled over at him and took another bite of her supper. "This is really amazing, Hunter. I would take this over a fancy meal cooked at Butter anytime" Arabella told him with a nod and she stretched lightly, tugging at her skinny jeans. "Do you have plans for tonight?" She asked him. "Anything you wanted to do before I change into comfortable clothes?"
"Nothing that didn't have you taking off clothes anyway." He said with a laugh before finishing his food. Hunter smiled and stood, bringing his plate over to the sink. "I was actually thinking of maybe doing something relaxing tonight. Like watching a movie or just sitting and talking. Playing with the dogs maybe." He said with a shrug, looking toward the crates. "If they're not too busy fighting to play. Did you have anything in mind?" He asked with a smile.
Arabella looked over at Hunter with a slightly dreamy look in her eyes. Hunter had just described her perfect night and she was hit with another wave of excitment when she remembered that her and Hunter were going to have many nights like that in their future. "Nope, nothing at all" She said happily and ate the rest over her food before taking it over to the sink. Her arms snaked around his waist and she nuzzled into his side, taking a deep breath. "It sounds like the best night ever" She said softly.
Hunter smiled and kissed her head. "You pick out a movie. Or sit down. Or just go sit down and be beautiful. I know how good you are at that." He gave her a hug and smiled. "While you do that, I'll put the dogs to bed and then make some popcorn and some tea and whatever I feel like at the moment then I'll join you." He said before turning and giving her a small kiss on the forehead. "Mmm....I love you." He said before breaking away and going to the cupboard. He pulled out the popcorn and put it in the microwave before pulling out the dog treats and putting one or two into their cages before closing them. He started a pot of hot water and did the dishes and as soon as he was done, so was everything else. He put the popcorn into a bowl and poured the water into two mugs, Arabella's a little bit bigger than his. He brought it all over and set it down on the coffee table before sitting down next to her with a sigh. "Here I am." He said with a chuckle.
Arabella smiled up at him and she leaned towards him, kissing him. "Mmm..I missed you" She teased, smiling against his lips. She had changed into a pair of short, cotton shorts with a pink-white-brown plaid pattern on them. Arabella tugged on her white tee shirt, fixing it a little bit before taking Hunter's hand and leaning back slightly, stretching out her legs. Relaxing with Hunter was all that she wanted to do. Just sit with him, talk a little bit, some kissing. They didn't need to be serious. They didn't need to be dealing with drama and issues. They could just..talk. "I still can't believe that my dog is playing hard to get" Arabella said with a giggle and she looked over at Hunter.
"Jolie is so mean to Ajax." He said with a chuckle. "She's practically jumping all over him all the time, but the one time he responds in kind she's too good for him." He wrapped his arms around Arabella and kissed her cheek. "I'm really glad that you weren't like that." He said, kissing her cheek again. He turned and put his back against the armrest before turning her and having her sit between his legs. "Tyler and I got the car completely fixed up today." He said as he rubbed her shoulders and neck. "It runs like new as far as I can tell. I'm no mechanic though." He shrugged and placed a kiss on the back of her neck.
Arabella closed her eyes as he rubbed her shoulders and neck and she tilted her head forward slightly in response. Having him rub her shoulders like that made her so happy because he was amazing at it, for one. It was also Hunter doing it. It wasn't like there was some stranger behind her, rubbing her back for money. Hunter was doing it because he wanted to and because it made her feel good. "That's good" She said softly and bit her lip for a second. "I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for Tyler. He's come out of his shell so much already and it's because of you" Arabella said in a soft voice and she placed her hands on his legs.
"He's a cool kid." He said with a shrug as he moved moved his hands down to her back. "He just needs a good male role model. Not to say anything negative about your father, but I can imagine that he didn't have much time for him with his job and everything." Hunter moved his hands down to the middle of her back and sighed. "I think he has a thing for that Gwen girl we met on Halloween." He said with a laugh. "When I brought her up he kind of got all flustered. I'll have to see what I can do when I start working there." He said as he swept her hair over her shoulder.
Arabella laughed and she twisted the hair that Hunter had put over her shoulder in her fingers. She yawned a little bit and reached over to the coffee table, picking up her tea. "I hope that Gwen is a good girl for him. She seems really nice" Arabella said with a nod and took a sip of her tea. "Once you start working there, you'll have to tell me how it goes.You know that I can't help but meddle" Arabella giggled.
"I'm feeling compelled to meddle too." He said, moving his hands to her sides and massaging them. "I feel like you're being a bad influence on me." He said as he put his chin on her shoulder, placing a small kiss on her neck. "Can I tell you how excited I am to start working there?" He said, brushing his lips to her cheek.
Arabella giggled, shivering when he brushed his lips along her skin. She placed her tea mug down on the coffee table again before placing her hands back on his legs. As he massaged her sides, a soft moan escaped her lips. "You are going to do so well at that job. All of those kids are going to be very lucky to have you as their teacher" Arabella said in a matter-of-fact type of voice.
"Thanks." He said, sitting back again and moving his hands to her shoulders again. "I'm nervous, but I'm excited. I haven't fired a bow in too long, so I hope I'm not rusty or anything. Maybe I'll have Tyler join my class." He said with a chuckle. "He might want to join Gwen's though."
"I'm sure that you will be wonderful" Arabella said and she turned around un his arms so that she was facing him, still sitting in between his legs. She placed her hands on his chest, leaning a bit closer to him and she smiled in what she hoped was a comforting sort of voice. "You were amazing with that bow of yours and I'm sure that you'll still be amazing. Maybe we can practice before you start work. I can be your student" Arabella said with a giggle and she kissed him lightly.
Hunter smiled against her lips, putting a hand on her back. "No. That's no good." he said, kissing her again. "You'll be too busy ogling the teacher." he said with a wink. "Same reason knife fighting lessons didn't work." he grazed his fingers to her hip and pulled her closer. She was so wonderful. She always knew how to make Hunter feel fantastic.
"Or maybe the teather will be too busy ogling me..you never know what could happen" Arabella teased and she slid her hands to his arms, holding onto his biceps. She loved to sit with him like this. She loved to feel his arms around her and his hands on her back. He made her feel safe and protected. Arabella looked up into his eyes and her stomach started fluttering with butterflies. "You are going to be such a stunner in that suit I got for you" She said and wiggled her eyebrows.
"You're going to be a stunner in that dress you got. And right now. And everyday all the time." Hunter said with a nod, pressing his lips to hers. He moved his hand up her arm, grazing her smooth skin with his fingers before placing a hand on her cheek and brushing hair from her face. "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." he kissed her lightly on the lips and smiled. "You want me to rub your shoulders again?" he asked, kissing her nose.
Arabella shook her head, her cheeks still pink from his compliments. She slid off of the couch and looked down at him "Move over. I'm going to rub your back" She said and cracked her knuckles. Hunter looked up at her for a moment and she looked back at him, motioning for him to move. Finally, he slid down the couch a little bit and Arabella was able to sit down behind him, putting her legs on either side of him. With gentle fingers at first, Arabella started to rub between his shoulder blades, biting her lip a little bit. "I can't wait to go to Vegas" She teased.
"Mmm...sounds good." Hunter said with a quiet laugh. Hunter took a deep breath and smiled as she kept massaging his back. "This is amazing." he said quietly. He let out a soft grumble as he hung his head. "You're amazing." he said as he danced his fingers along her leg. "This is amazing. Our trip is going to be amazing." he smiled as he rolled his head backward to look at her. "Wonderful."
"Everything is going to be amazing" Arabella agreed with a nod and she kissed him lightly, keeping her hands on his back. She smiled down at him, pulling away from the kiss a little bit. "I bet no one from camp expected us to have such an amazing life together" She said with a giggle and her hands slid down to the small of his back. Gingerly, she ran them up his back again but under his shirt. She stopped around the middle of his back and massaged there, working on a knot.
Hunter grumbled quietly as she massaged his back, shivering slightly. "Did you expect--mmmmm...." He muttered as he closed his eyes and lolled his head forward. "...us to have such an amazing life together?" He said finally. "I didn't. I mean, before I was a hunter you were out my league and then once I took the oath....well, it wouldn't have happened." He sighed and grabbed her legs, wrapping them around his waist before starting to massage them. "You're pretty." He said with a smile as he rubbed her feet.
Arabella giggled as he rubbed her feet. After a few seconds, she got used to it though and it stopped tickling. She leaned forward, kissing the nape of his neck gently. "You're rather handsome, yourself" She said in a happy tone. Arabella pulled away slightly so that she could go back to rubbing out his knots and kinks. "No. I didn't think that we were ever going to happen. And please, if anything, you were out of my league. You were the good looking, talented, funny, nice guy that was old than me. Then you were a hunter, so..." She said and cleared her throat.
"I'm genuinely curious..." He said as he moved to her ankles. "Where we would be now, if I hadn't taken the oath." He asked before tickling her foot a little. "Would we be together? Would we still be at camp? Would we even be friends?" Hunter asked as he started to massage her calf with his thumbs. He stopped and gently ran his fingers up and down her legs, lightly grazing her skin. Hunter was curious about these things, but he honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Sure it could have been easier, but he was glad that he experienced what he did.
Arabella shivered as his fingers danced over her skin. It felt amazing. Arabella slipped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his back. Her eyes closed in happiness and she shrugged lightly. "I think that we would at least be friends. I think that if you didn't take the oath, there would be tons of girls throwing themselves at you" Arabella teased and she pressed her lips against his shoulder blade. "I like to think that if you didn't take the oath, I would have worked up the courage to just..kiss you"
Hunter turned his head and pulled her in for a kiss. "I probably wouldn't have had the courage." He said with a smile as he turned around. "I would have really liked kissing you. I do like kissing you." He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "Kissing you is my favorite." He said quietly as he leaned back into the armrest to look at her. He pulled her back so that she was lying him and he gently stroked her hair. "If I hadn't kissed you that night..." He said quietly as he kissed her hair. "How long would you have gone before kissing me?" He asked with a smile.
"Mmm..probably not much longer. You were kind of driving me crazy" Arabella teased and she kissed his lips lightly. She wished that she had kissed him sooner, but she knew that if she had kissed him while they were at camp, things might have ended differently. Arabella was happy and content where she was and how their relationship was. "I was worried that you weren't interested in me for the longest time. I kept trying to hint to you that I had feelings for you but I don't think you picked up on them" she teased.
"Oh. Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure." He said with a scoff. "I remember a certain recipe. Ingredients read: One drunken phone call from the schnook. One bottle of schnapps. Directions: Combine until Arabella is wasted. Makes one frisky Arabella." He said with a laugh. "The only way I couldn't have missed them more is if you tattooed it onto my forehead." He smiled and brought her up for a light kiss. "It wouldn't have felt right if I hadn't kissed you first."
Arabella giggled and she nodded in agreement. Everything with Hunter felt like the first time for her. Their first hug, their first kiss, their first touch, their first time. It was like she didn't have a romantic past at all. It was like none of her ex boyfriends existed. Arabella ran her fingers down his arms and she smirked. "Maybe I should have tattooed it on your forehead. It would have made this very entertaining" She giggled and kissed his forehead.
"Nope. No tattoos for me." He said with a defiant smile. It was strange what memories Hunter remembered. A fair amount of his time at camp had long since been forgotten, but there were some memories that stuck out. Usually it was the first time he held a bow. His first arrow. His first victory in a sparring match. His first game of capture the flag. They were clips. Hunter remembered every single second of his time with Arabella. "You did look very pretty in that cardigan that you had put on over your pajamas. Right before you asked me to go skinny dipping." He said with a chuckle before pressing his lips to hers.
Arabella pulled away from his kiss slightly, looking up at him with big eyes. "You remember that? You remember what cardigan I had on?" She breathed in an astonished voice. Arabella never thought that he or anyone else for that matter would remember something like that. It made her heart melt and she felt beyond amazing. Arabella pulled herself closer to him again and she kissed him. "You're the best guy that I could ever ask for"
"One of us should have remembered it." He said, kissing her again. "And based on the empty bottle, odds were that you weren't going to." He laughed and pulled her tighter. "How much of that night do you remember?" Hunter asked a little cautiously. Do you remember tonguing my neck? Do you remember me saying that you were essentially perfect? Do you remember me cleaning you up and putting you in bed after you threw up everything from the previous two days? He wanted to ask. He figured he'd test the waters first. "It was an interesting one, to say the least."
Arabella thought back to that night and her stomach clenched a little bit. She could honestly remember most of it now. Just a few bits and pieces were missing. "I remember a lot from that night, actually" She said and cleared her throat, looking down. That night wasn't something she was proud of, not at all. Mostly because it was with Hunter, though. She knew that if she had been with any other guy, she wouldn't have cared as much. But she didn't want Hunter to have seen her like that. "I certainly remember putting the moves on you" She said with a small giggle.
"And what moves they were." He said with a laugh before kissing her hair. "So you don't remember throwing up or...Anything around then?" He asked quietly. A lot of that night was painful for him. He felt stupid. He felt lonely. He felt unwelcome. When he held her in his arms as she sobbed, he felt connected to her. He had taken care of her before then, but never in such a personal way. It hurt him to see her in pain and all he wanted to do was hold her and take care of her. That meant a lot to him. He didn't want to tell her, but part of him wanted her to know what he had done for her. He wanted her to know that even though they weren't together he still cared deeply for her.
Arabella knitted her eyebrows together in concentration. That part of the night was the haziest for Arabella. "I don't really remember anything once I got to the house. Calling Chad and running to the bathroom is all blacked out but I remember your voice and I remember being able to hear your heartbeat when I fell asleep" Arabella told him softly and turned her eyes to look up at him. "I remember feeling safer, knowing that you were there. Even if I was upset"
Hunter smiled softly. "You threw up and then passed out. I heard it from my room and I came in to check on you." He took a deep breath. "I held your hair, cleaned you up, and then we fell asleep against the bathroom wall." He nodded and looked away from her slightly. "Then the next morning, I carried you to your bed and that's where you start remembering again." He shrugged and closed his eyes a moment, running his fingers through her hair.
Arabella looked up at him, not sure what to say. How could she thank him? How could she show him or tell him that what he had done for her meant a lot to her? Arabella cleared her throat and she stretched up, kissing Hunter tightly, pouring all of her thanks and love into that kiss. She wanted him to know that she loved him and that she was always going to love him. She wanted him to know that just knowing that Hunter took care of her like that made her feel pretty safe. "What did I ever do to deserve you, Hunter?" She said softly, running her hands down his arms.
Hunter smiled and kissed her back, pulling her closer and closer. "You were a friend when I needed one. You were there for me when you didn't want to be. You gave up everything for me." He said quietly. "If anything, I don't deserve you." He said quietly as he ran his fingers up and down her spine. Hunter smiled. He wasn't sure what he did that allowed him to live such a happy life all of a sudden, but he had a good feeling about the future. "I love you." He said quietly
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella whispered and a smile slowly started to spread, taking over her entire face. Hearing him tell her that he loved her was an unexplainable feeling. It made her heart glow and her hands flutter slightly. "Everything that I gave up..the company, the fame..all of that. It was nothing. I did it because I wasn't happy there and I realized that I was happiest with you. You make me the happiest, Hunter" She said softly and kissed him tightly.
Hunter smiled, kissing her back. The feeling of her lips touching his made him feel happy. He felt normal. He felt in love. He pulled her closer and trailed kisses down to her shoulder. "Ellie, I can't believe how lucky I am." He said with a nod. "I have a beautiful woman lying near me. I have a house that I live in. Oh, and did I mention that I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with the most beautiful girl in the world." He smiled
"You keep saying that" Arabella giggled, her cheeks pink. She planted little kisses along his jaw, her hands were holding onto his arms. Her lips slowly trailed along his jaw until she kissed his lips then she sat up a bit, her eyes gazing into his with a dreamy, happy look in them. "After everything that you've been through and everything you've given up, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have everything that you want, Hunter."
Hunter brushed her hair back and cradled her cheek. "I do have everything that I want." He said with a smile as he pressed his lips to hers. He felt his heart speed up and his stomach clench. Hunter had never been happier with a single person than at this moment. He broke the kiss and put his forehead against hers, looking into her vibrant blue eyes. He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Do you want to go to bed?" He asked with a small yawn. "Or should we just stay here?" He breathed as he ran his hands to her sides.
"Mmm..bed sounds good. At least that way, if I fall asleep, you won't have to carry me upstairs..again" Arabella said with a giggle and she yawned, rolling off of Hunter and the couch. She stood up and stretched before tugging on the hem of her shorts. Arabella smiled at Hunter. A blissful, happy smile that didn't seem to want to go away. From the dog's crates, Arabella could hear a small snoring sound and she giggled. "Jolie snores, apparently" She said and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Always keeping Ajax awake, no doubt." Hunter said as he stood up from the couch, putting his hands on her hips. He kissed her lightly on the lips before taking her hand and walking toward the stairs. "What do you want to do tomorrow? Our last day before we leave?" He asked as they climbed the stairs. He closed the bedroom door behind him and smiled, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Other than pack, of course." He said with a chuckle as he walked over to his dresser to change clothes.
Arabella flopped down on the bed, curling up a little. She pulled the blanket up and rested her head on the pillow. "I don't know. Who needs plans?" Arabella said with a giggle and she stretched. "I'm sure that it will take us a little while to pack and we both know that I'm probably going to sleep pretty late" Arabella laughed and she closed her eyes. "We'll figure it out in the morning"
Hunter nodded as he slipped his shirt off and a pair of pajama pants on. He climbed in bed and snuggled up behind her, draping an arm over her waist. "Sounds like a plan." He said as he kissed her cheek. "Good night, beautiful. I love you." He said quietly, lightly kissing her neck.
"Mmm...good night, handsome" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes, snuggling into him. The feel of his lips on her neck and the warmth of his bdoy against hers felt like heaven. Arabella yawned softly and she placed her hand on his. "I love you too" She managed to breathe before she fell asleep.
"Such a gross city." Hunter said, leaning into her hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I had to go there for a quest back at camp. I met your mom there. And almost got married by an Elvis." he said with a chuckle, his voice quiet and relaxed. He remembered back to that time. "I remember Marina saying that she was never going to marry Kyle." he said with a laugh. "Oh how things have changed...mmm" he said as his muscles relaxed at her touch.
Arabella laughed and she lowered her hands a bit, adding a little more pressure to her touch. She kept her eyes on his back and a smile on her face. "Vegas will be fun. I promise. I'll make sure that we have a good time. Besides, I plan on getting us a good hotel room while we're there" She said softly in his ear and kissed the spot just below his ear before going back to the massage she was working on. "Kyle and Marina are perfect together. It doesn't shock me too much that they got married." Arabella said with a nod. "Since you were an immortal virgin for life at the time and now you are clearly not...I guess anything can happen"
Arabella laughed and she lowered her hands a bit, adding a little more pressure to her touch. She kept her eyes on his back and a smile on her face. "Vegas will be fun. I promise. I'll make sure that we have a good time. Besides, I plan on getting us a good hotel room while we're there" She said softly in his ear and kissed the spot just below his ear before going back to the massage she was working on. "Kyle and Marina are perfect together. It doesn't shock me too much that they got married." Arabella said with a nod. "Since you were an immortal virgin for life at the time and now you are clearly not...I guess anything can happen"
"Mmm...sounds good." Hunter said with a quiet laugh. Hunter took a deep breath and smiled as she kept massaging his back. "This is amazing." he said quietly. He let out a soft grumble as he hung his head. "You're amazing." he said as he danced his fingers along her leg. "This is amazing. Our trip is going to be amazing." he smiled as he rolled his head backward to look at her. "Wonderful."
"Everything is going to be amazing" Arabella agreed with a nod and she kissed him lightly, keeping her hands on his back. She smiled down at him, pulling away from the kiss a little bit. "I bet no one from camp expected us to have such an amazing life together" She said with a giggle and her hands slid down to the small of his back. Gingerly, she ran them up his back again but under his shirt. She stopped around the middle of his back and massaged there, working on a knot.
Hunter grumbled quietly as she massaged his back, shivering slightly. "Did you expect--mmmmm...." He muttered as he closed his eyes and lolled his head forward. "...us to have such an amazing life together?" He said finally. "I didn't. I mean, before I was a hunter you were out my league and then once I took the oath....well, it wouldn't have happened." He sighed and grabbed her legs, wrapping them around his waist before starting to massage them. "You're pretty." He said with a smile as he rubbed her feet.
Arabella giggled as he rubbed her feet. After a few seconds, she got used to it though and it stopped tickling. She leaned forward, kissing the nape of his neck gently. "You're rather handsome, yourself" She said in a happy tone. Arabella pulled away slightly so that she could go back to rubbing out his knots and kinks. "No. I didn't think that we were ever going to happen. And please, if anything, you were out of my league. You were the good looking, talented, funny, nice guy that was old than me. Then you were a hunter, so..." She said and cleared her throat.
"I'm genuinely curious..." He said as he moved to her ankles. "Where we would be now, if I hadn't taken the oath." He asked before tickling her foot a little. "Would we be together? Would we still be at camp? Would we even be friends?" Hunter asked as he started to massage her calf with his thumbs. He stopped and gently ran his fingers up and down her legs, lightly grazing her skin. Hunter was curious about these things, but he honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Sure it could have been easier, but he was glad that he experienced what he did.
Arabella shivered as his fingers danced over her skin. It felt amazing. Arabella slipped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his back. Her eyes closed in happiness and she shrugged lightly. "I think that we would at least be friends. I think that if you didn't take the oath, there would be tons of girls throwing themselves at you" Arabella teased and she pressed her lips against his shoulder blade. "I like to think that if you didn't take the oath, I would have worked up the courage to just..kiss you"
Hunter turned his head and pulled her in for a kiss. "I probably wouldn't have had the courage." He said with a smile as he turned around. "I would have really liked kissing you. I do like kissing you." He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "Kissing you is my favorite." He said quietly as he leaned back into the armrest to look at her. He pulled her back so that she was lying him and he gently stroked her hair. "If I hadn't kissed you that night..." He said quietly as he kissed her hair. "How long would you have gone before kissing me?" He asked with a smile.
"Mmm..probably not much longer. You were kind of driving me crazy" Arabella teased and she kissed his lips lightly. She wished that she had kissed him sooner, but she knew that if she had kissed him while they were at camp, things might have ended differently. Arabella was happy and content where she was and how their relationship was. "I was worried that you weren't interested in me for the longest time. I kept trying to hint to you that I had feelings for you but I don't think you picked up on them" she teased.
"Oh. Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure." He said with a scoff. "I remember a certain recipe. Ingredients read: One drunken phone call from the schnook. One bottle of schnapps. Directions: Combine until Arabella is wasted. Makes one frisky Arabella." He said with a laugh. "The only way I couldn't have missed them more is if you tattooed it onto my forehead." He smiled and brought her up for a light kiss. "It wouldn't have felt right if I hadn't kissed you first."
Arabella giggled and she nodded in agreement. Everything with Hunter felt like the first time for her. Their first hug, their first kiss, their first touch, their first time. It was like she didn't have a romantic past at all. It was like none of her ex boyfriends existed. Arabella ran her fingers down his arms and she smirked. "Maybe I should have tattooed it on your forehead. It would have made this very entertaining" She giggled and kissed his forehead.
"Nope. No tattoos for me." He said with a defiant smile. It was strange what memories Hunter remembered. A fair amount of his time at camp had long since been forgotten, but there were some memories that stuck out. Usually it was the first time he held a bow. His first arrow. His first victory in a sparring match. His first game of capture the flag. They were clips. Hunter remembered every single second of his time with Arabella. "You did look very pretty in that cardigan that you had put on over your pajamas. Right before you asked me to go skinny dipping." He said with a chuckle before pressing his lips to hers.
Arabella pulled away from his kiss slightly, looking up at him with big eyes. "You remember that? You remember what cardigan I had on?" She breathed in an astonished voice. Arabella never thought that he or anyone else for that matter would remember something like that. It made her heart melt and she felt beyond amazing. Arabella pulled herself closer to him again and she kissed him. "You're the best guy that I could ever ask for"
"One of us should have remembered it." He said, kissing her again. "And based on the empty bottle, odds were that you weren't going to." He laughed and pulled her tighter. "How much of that night do you remember?" Hunter asked a little cautiously. Do you remember tonguing my neck? Do you remember me saying that you were essentially perfect? Do you remember me cleaning you up and putting you in bed after you threw up everything from the previous two days? He wanted to ask. He figured he'd test the waters first. "It was an interesting one, to say the least."
Arabella thought back to that night and her stomach clenched a little bit. She could honestly remember most of it now. Just a few bits and pieces were missing. "I remember a lot from that night, actually" She said and cleared her throat, looking down. That night wasn't something she was proud of, not at all. Mostly because it was with Hunter, though. She knew that if she had been with any other guy, she wouldn't have cared as much. But she didn't want Hunter to have seen her like that. "I certainly remember putting the moves on you" She said with a small giggle.
"And what moves they were." He said with a laugh before kissing her hair. "So you don't remember throwing up or...Anything around then?" He asked quietly. A lot of that night was painful for him. He felt stupid. He felt lonely. He felt unwelcome. When he held her in his arms as she sobbed, he felt connected to her. He had taken care of her before then, but never in such a personal way. It hurt him to see her in pain and all he wanted to do was hold her and take care of her. That meant a lot to him. He didn't want to tell her, but part of him wanted her to know what he had done for her. He wanted her to know that even though they weren't together he still cared deeply for her.
Arabella knitted her eyebrows together in concentration. That part of the night was the haziest for Arabella. "I don't really remember anything once I got to the house. Calling Chad and running to the bathroom is all blacked out but I remember your voice and I remember being able to hear your heartbeat when I fell asleep" Arabella told him softly and turned her eyes to look up at him. "I remember feeling safer, knowing that you were there. Even if I was upset"
Hunter smiled softly. "You threw up and then passed out. I heard it from my room and I came in to check on you." He took a deep breath. "I held your hair, cleaned you up, and then we fell asleep against the bathroom wall." He nodded and looked away from her slightly. "Then the next morning, I carried you to your bed and that's where you start remembering again." He shrugged and closed his eyes a moment, running his fingers through her hair.
Arabella looked up at him, not sure what to say. How could she thank him? How could she show him or tell him that what he had done for her meant a lot to her? Arabella cleared her throat and she stretched up, kissing Hunter tightly, pouring all of her thanks and love into that kiss. She wanted him to know that she loved him and that she was always going to love him. She wanted him to know that just knowing that Hunter took care of her like that made her feel pretty safe. "What did I ever do to deserve you, Hunter?" She said softly, running her hands down his arms.
Hunter smiled and kissed her back, pulling her closer and closer. "You were a friend when I needed one. You were there for me when you didn't want to be. You gave up everything for me." He said quietly. "If anything, I don't deserve you." He said quietly as he ran his fingers up and down her spine. Hunter smiled. He wasn't sure what he did that allowed him to live such a happy life all of a sudden, but he had a good feeling about the future. "I love you." He said quietly
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella whispered and a smile slowly started to spread, taking over her entire face. Hearing him tell her that he loved her was an unexplainable feeling. It made her heart glow and her hands flutter slightly. "Everything that I gave up..the company, the fame..all of that. It was nothing. I did it because I wasn't happy there and I realized that I was happiest with you. You make me the happiest, Hunter" She said softly and kissed him tightly.
Hunter smiled, kissing her back. The feeling of her lips touching his made him feel happy. He felt normal. He felt in love. He pulled her closer and trailed kisses down to her shoulder. "Ellie, I can't believe how lucky I am." He said with a nod. "I have a beautiful woman lying near me. I have a house that I live in. Oh, and did I mention that I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with the most beautiful girl in the world." He smiled
"You keep saying that" Arabella giggled, her cheeks pink. She planted little kisses along his jaw, her hands were holding onto his arms. Her lips slowly trailed along his jaw until she kissed his lips then she sat up a bit, her eyes gazing into his with a dreamy, happy look in them. "After everything that you've been through and everything you've given up, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have everything that you want, Hunter."
Hunter brushed her hair back and cradled her cheek. "I do have everything that I want." He said with a smile as he pressed his lips to hers. He felt his heart speed up and his stomach clench. Hunter had never been happier with a single person than at this moment. He broke the kiss and put his forehead against hers, looking into her vibrant blue eyes. He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Do you want to go to bed?" He asked with a small yawn. "Or should we just stay here?" He breathed as he ran his hands to her sides.
"Mmm..bed sounds good. At least that way, if I fall asleep, you won't have to carry me upstairs..again" Arabella said with a giggle and she yawned, rolling off of Hunter and the couch. She stood up and stretched before tugging on the hem of her shorts. Arabella smiled at Hunter. A blissful, happy smile that didn't seem to want to go away. From the dog's crates, Arabella could hear a small snoring sound and she giggled. "Jolie snores, apparently" She said and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Always keeping Ajax awake, no doubt." Hunter said as he stood up from the couch, putting his hands on her hips. He kissed her lightly on the lips before taking her hand and walking toward the stairs. "What do you want to do tomorrow? Our last day before we leave?" He asked as they climbed the stairs. He closed the bedroom door behind him and smiled, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Other than pack, of course." He said with a chuckle as he walked over to his dresser to change clothes.
Arabella flopped down on the bed, curling up a little. She pulled the blanket up and rested her head on the pillow. "I don't know. Who needs plans?" Arabella said with a giggle and she stretched. "I'm sure that it will take us a little while to pack and we both know that I'm probably going to sleep pretty late" Arabella laughed and she closed her eyes. "We'll figure it out in the morning"
Hunter nodded as he slipped his shirt off and a pair of pajama pants on. He climbed in bed and snuggled up behind her, draping an arm over her waist. "Sounds like a plan." He said as he kissed her cheek. "Good night, beautiful. I love you." He said quietly, lightly kissing her neck.
"Mmm...good night, handsome" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes, snuggling into him. The feel of his lips on her neck and the warmth of his bdoy against hers felt like heaven. Arabella yawned softly and she placed her hand on his. "I love you too" She managed to breathe before she fell asleep.
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