Hunter was kissing her. His lips were on hers and it wasn't all just a dream. It was really happening. Arabella could hear the movie but it sounded like it was coming from far away. She never wanted this moment to end. The way he kissed her...it was special. Arabella had her fair share of kisses. But this. This was something else. This blew her off her feet. She felt so special and the moment felt so perfect. When Hunter turned back to the movie, Arabella looked up at him, studying his face. The shape of his jaw, the look of his skin, the redness in his cheeks. Arabella moved closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder and her face in his neck. She closed her eyes and planted a small kiss on his neck. Arabella was crazy about Hunter. It was that simple. Arabella turned to look at the movie and smiled softly. It had been her favorite movie her entire life and watching it with Hunter made it even better "Thank you, Hunter. For everything you did today" she whispered and laced her fingers through his. Hunter looked down at her with a mix of emotions in his eyes. He looked nervous about all of this but at the same time, very happy. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. The feeling sent shock waves down Arabella's arm and she bit her lip
"Anything for the womenswear designer of the year" Hunter said to her softly and Arabella blushed deeply "Congratulations, by the way" he added and Arabella looked up at him. She wanted to kiss him again and again and again and never stop.
"You've said that three times already" Arabella reminded him in a bashful voice.
"I wanted to say it a fourth time" Hunter told her with a smile. Arabella couldn't stop herself anymore. She wondered how she had gone so long without kissing him. It was only two minutes, tops, but it felt like so much longer. Arabella put a hand on his chest and she placed her lips on his. It felt so perfect and wonderful. She moved her lips away from his, planting little butterfly kisses along his jaw. Kissing him like this made her truly realize just how long she had wanted to kiss him. Arabella thought that it was something that just sort of happened when they went to the beach house but now her heart ached with a desire that had been in there for much longer than that. Maybe it had been there ever since she met him, but she had just known that nothing could happen between them. She was with Brian and Hunter was under that stupid oath. Or maybe she was just so blind that she couldn't see what was right in front of her. Arabella kissed down his neck and she felt his arm tighten slightly around her, pulling her close. Arabella rested her head on his shoulder once more and closed her eyes. She was tired but she didn't want to fall asleep and this moment be over.
"Oh! Your chocolate antlers should be done now!" Arabella said and she climbed over Hunter and off the end of the couch. She heard him chuckle at her excitement and it made her smile. Her stomach was flying around and her heart was jumping. Arabella turned on the kettle and looked at the chocolate treats that Hunter had made. Her stomach was growling. For the first time in what felt like a long time, she was hungry again. Arabella took a bite out of one then quickly finished it off. Once the water was done boiling, Arabella poured it into two mugs with peppermint tea bags in them. She placed the antlers and the mugs onto a tray with honey for the tea and walked out to the living room with it. Arabella placed it on the coffee table before sitting on the couch again, slipping into Hunter's arms. Her body seemed to fit perfectly next to his, like two puzzle pieces. Carefully, Arabella picked up her tea and took a sip.
They sat together in a comfortable silence, watching the movie and munching on the treats that Hunter had made. They didn't need to talk. They didn't need to confess their feelings or any of that. It felt so right to just watch a movie together, stealing a kiss every once in a while. Arabella yawned and placed her empty tea mug on the coffee table before settling down with her head on Hunter's lap, drawing a circle on his knee with her finger. It wasn't long before she was drifting off into a gentle sleep.
Arabella was standing on a runway, completely naked. She couldn't see the people in the crown but she could hear their laughter. She saw nothing but cameras flashing everywhere she looked. The man with a video camera walked up to her and she could see his face. "I guess you were suicidal after all. How pathetic" he sneered at her and he reached out to grab her arm. Arabella yanked her arm away and with a shock she saw that both of her wrists had been slit and they were gushing blood. Arabella looked to the side of the runway and saw Hunter there. He was smiling at her and he was shirtless, wearing only a pair of shorts. Arabella turned to walk towards him but then she saw a pair of women's hands snake around his chest and her heart nearly stopped.
"Sorry, Arabella, but whatever we had is over..I've moved on. Why would I want to be with a depressed loser" Hunter said to her, but his voice was different..it was vacant and hollow. Arabella looked back at the crowd and she saw a face in the middle of it. Like the sun was making a spotlight on it. Chad's face broke into a smirk and then he started laughing at her. Arabella closed her eyes and she fell to the ground.
Arabella woke with a start, sitting up. She was shaking and her wrist was throbbing with a pain that she didn't think would ever go away. Arabella looked around her bedroom, wondering how she had gotten there. Her eyes landed on the clock. 2:34 AM. Arabella had only fallen asleep for a little while, no more than an hour. Hunter must have carried her to her bed once she had drifted off. Arabella laid back against her pillows and she closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep. But whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the blood gushing out of her and she would open her eyes again, trying to hold back tears.
Eventually, she slid out of her bed, tugging at the hem of her shorts and she padded down the hall, wondering where Hunter had fallen asleep. If he even was asleep. Quietly, Arabella pushed open the spare door and saw the shape of Hunter on the floor with a blanket pulled up to his waist. She couldn't tell if he was sleeping or if he was still awake. Arabella tip toed over to him and she laid down on the floor next to him. He groaned a little bit and Arabella could tell that he wasn't asleep. Maybe not 100% awake, but he wasn't asleep.
"Ellie?" Hunter whispered softly, opening his eyes. Arabella looked into his deep eyes and right away, she felt comforted. She turned her eyes down and took a shaky breath.
"I had a bad dream and I uhh.." Arabella whispered, not really sure what to say to him. Would he even want her to sleep next to him? Before she could worry about it too long, Hunter was lifting up the blanket and opening his arms for her.
"You don't even need to ask" Hunter whispered to her and Arabella moved into his arms quickly, burying her face in his chest. She felt his warm arms wrap around her and all of her anxiety seemed to melt away. Her shaky nearly stopped and her breaths were coming slowly and deeply. Hunter started rubbing her back and Arabella closed her eyes. She didn't see anything. She only felt Hunter. It wasn't long before she was falling into a peaceful sleep.
Arabella woke up in the morning and looked up at Hunter. He looked so content, sleeping soundly with his arms still around her. She craned her neck to look at the clock and let out a small sigh. Arabella knew that she was going to have to go into work. She had missed so much time while she had been gone and after last night, she knew that she was going to be busy. Arabella looked up at Hunter and she placed a gentle kiss on his lips before slipping out of his arms and down the hall, back to her bedroom. Arabella pulled on a skirt and a basic black shirt and grabbed everything that she would need. She quickly wrote a little note to Hunter, saying that she had gone to work and that she would be home later. She signed it Ellie and drew a little heart next to her name. Arabella put it beside the phone and quietly slipped out of her apartment, headed for work. For the first time in too long, her heart felt full of love but at the same time, she was as light as air.