The sun was bright that morning but Arabella didn't want anything to do with it. She groaned, half asleep, and hid her face in Hunter's side. She wasn't ready to wake up. She just wanted to sleep and be in the bed forever. It was so warm and soft and comfortable. She could feel that the air in the room was cold. Arabella cuddled closer to Hunter, her arms wrapped around her stomach as she tried to remember what he had been dreaming about. She couldn't remember the dream, exactly, but she remembered that it was happy. With a shiver, Arabella placed her ice cold feet onto Hunter's warm leg.
Hunter woke up with a jolt at the feeling of Arabella's feet on his leg. He took a deep breath and looked over at Arabella. "One of us can't sleep, so neither can the other?" He said with a chuckle. He shook his head and grinned before poking her in the side. She flinched away, but Hunter put his other hand on her other side and pressed. He kept on tickling her for several minutes. She writhed on the bed in a flurry of laughing and tickling. Hunter finally stopped and took a deep breath before starting up again.
Arabella squealed when he started tickling her again and she rolled around in a fit of giggles, trying to get away from his hands. "Hunter!" she laughed and rolled so that she was laying on her stomach and taking deep breaths. As much as she hated being tickled, it was nice to wake up with Hunter like this. It was fun and light and simple. "Mercy!" she cried, wiggling around and Hunter's stopped tickling her. Arabella laid still for a moment, trying to catch her breath. "Good morning to you too"
Hunter sat up and looked at her. "Oh, finally. A good pillow." He said with a chuckle as he laid back down his shoulders and head on Arabella's back. She groaned a little under the weight which only made Hunter laugh. As much as it was just messing around, he loved being able to feel her breathing. The steadiness of her heartbeat. The way she moved. He rolled on his side just as she turned over. He looked up at her and smiled. "Good morning, beautiful." He said quietly.
"Good morning, you sexy beast" Arabella said with a smile and she stretched out her arms and her legs with a little groan. Her body relaxed and automatically curled up to him, putting her forehead on his chest. It was comforting to be in his arms like that. To cuddle up to him and feel him close to her. It kept her grounded. Arabella put her feet on his legs again and she giggled when he flinched, taking her feet away again. "It's Tyler's birthday, today" Arabella said in a happy voice.
"Oh....crap." He said with a sigh. "We're having it here. Did Tyler get the basement set up?" He asked quickly. She nodded. "Oh. Great. Then I just need to make food. And I'm thinking I should figure out a way to present his gift. A big bow or something." He looked over at Arabella. He pulled her in and kissed her, right on the lips. Why? Because he wanted to. After a few moments, he broke it and smiled. "Shall we start the day or shall we continue to play?" He asked with a chuckle.
Arabella giggled at him and she kissed him lightly. She was feeling much better than she was the previous day and it was all because of Hunter, really. He knew how to calm her down and make her happy in a way that no one else knew. Arabella pulled herself closer to him and kissed him again but then her stomach growled. "Can we get breakfast?" she whispered "I haven't eaten a full meal since supper two days ago" she added with a small shrug
"Oh, gods. Of course, miele." He said with a smile. "No walking though." He said, standing up out of bed. He looked at her and her quizzical expression. "No. Walking." He said before scooping her into his arms. "I shall carry you to safety, my dearest and only love." He said in a fake southern accent. He dramatically turned before walking toward the stairs with her in his arms.
"Oh, happy day! I don't know what I would do without you!" Arabella said in her best southern belle accent. She wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled before placing tender kisses on his cheek as he walked with her. She hoped that this day would be a good one. Without the stress and worry of the whole baby issue, Arabella was certainly feeling better and she was looking forward to seeing Tyler's face when he got the car.
Hunter smiled and set her down in a chair in the kitchen. "Alright. You stay here. I shall venture forth into the land of cuisine and fetch something to your liking." He said, kissing her on the forehead noisily before turning to the fridge. "So, what are you getting your brother?" He asked as he pulled out ingredients for chocolate chip strawberry pancakes.
Arabella shrugged slightly and looked down at the table. "I honestly have no clue. It's hard enough to shop for a 16 year old boy. But it just so happens that this little boy has a major trust fund and a dad that will buy him anything he wants, whenever he wants it" She said and looked up at Hunter "I'll probably just take him out shopping or something like that. I'll get him a watch or something else that's supposed to be a 'oh, look, you're a man' type of gift"
"Nothing says 'Happy Birthday' like a blank check." Hunter said with a chuckle as he chopped strawberries. He added a few of them and the juice with some sugar to the pancake batter and stirred it. "You could get him a bow." Hunter said quietly. "I don't think you're dad will be too excited, but I'd like to give him some archery lessons. I think it would be fun." He said with a nod as he poured the first pancake. "And who knows? Maybe he'll meet a girl or something."
"Oh gods, maybe I can buy him a girlfriend" Arabella said and she ran her fingers through her hair before turning to look out of the window. "I think you should do the archery thing. Tyler would love that. Dad will be fine with it" Arabella told him then looked up at him. "Speaking of which, have you thought about jobs that you might want?" she asked him in a curious voice.
"I really think that I could get a job teaching archery." He said with a nod. "I mean, your dad said that no one wanted something like that, but he was full of it. I am positive I can find a job somewhere." He said with a sigh as he checked the bottom of the pancake. "I just hope I'm not too rusty. I haven't fired a bow in a long time. Not to mention the fact that I'm not used to the one I have." He shrugged. "I could teach you, too, you know. I never got around to it back at camp." He said, finally flipping the pancake.
"You've got your bow, right? I say we do some target practice later" Arabella said with a smile and she fluidly stood up from the chair, walking over to him, slipping her arms around his middle. She smiled up at him with fond eyes. "Maybe it's like riding a bike. You never really forget how to do it" she said with a nod and kissed his cheek lightly.
Hunter smiled and put his hand on hers. "I never learned how to ride a bike." He said with a chuckle. "It's not like Chiron could teach me, so...Never learned." He shrugged and checked the bottom side of the pancake. "Okay. Get a plate ready." He said with a smile. "This pancake is really big and that's why you're only getting one." He felt her move away from him and grab a plate. On his signal he flung the pancake behind him, hoping that she'd catch it on the plate.
Arabella squeaked and she resisted the urge to drop the plate and close her eyes. Maybe she would suddenly have wonderful refelxes. She took a deep breath and held the plate out, catching the pancake on it. She looked down at it in shock then giggled and bounced a little. "I caught it!" she said excitedly and quickly sat down to eat it. She took a bite then moaned softly "You are seriously the best cook. Ever"
Hunter smiled and put the dishes in the sink. "There's some more strawberries and more chocolate chips on the counter, if you want them. Actually, I'm going to melt the chocolate chips." He said with a smile. He melted them in the microwave and set the chocolatey goop on the table for Arabella to use on her pancake. She hungrily added it to her pancake and took a bite and Hunter couldn't help, but laugh. "Hey, there's uhh...There's a...I'll get it." He said leaning down and lightly kissing the glob of chocolate off of her nose, identical to their first kiss.
Arabella blushed and she looked up at him with big eyes. With a smirk on her face, she spread a little bit of chocolate on her cheek and when Hunter leaned down to kiss it off, she giggled. It was such a special and cute moment for them. It was a dream come true for her. Their first kiss was one of the best nights of her life and she still got butterflies when she thought about it. Arabella looked up at him and spread chocolate onto her lips but this time, when Hunter kissed it off, she pulled him closer to him, kissing him back and smiling at the taste of the chocolate.
Hunter smiled and kissed her tightly. It felt like they hadn't had a lip-lock like this in a while. He stood between her legs and ran his fingers up and down her thighs. "Mmm...did I miss a spot this time?" He asked with a smile. He finally cradled her face in his hand, pressing his lips to hers in a tenderly passionate kiss. He finally broke away and smiled at her, kissing her nose one last time before sitting next to her. "I want you to eat that whole pancake, Ellie." He said, taking a drink of water
Arabella looked down at the huge pancake on her plate then she looked up at Hunter with a small smile on her face. "You want me to be fat, don't you?" she asked in a teasing sort of tone and she looked down at the plate again, taking a small bite. She let out a sigh and she pulled her hair back, out of her face before eating some more of her pancake.
Hunter smiled and stood behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He bent down and kissed her on the side of the neck before starting to rub her shoulders. "Vous êtes magnifique, peu importe quoi tu ressembles." He said quietly. "I want you to be healthy. No more takeout. We saw what happened last time you had takeout." He said with a chuckle, placing a small kiss on the top of her head.
Arabella rolled her eyes with a little giggle and she looked up at Hunter. "You just want to tease me" Arabella giggled and she reached a hand behind her to pat Hunter's leg. She titled her head back to look at him and she pulled him down to kiss her lips. "You should have told me that you speak french sooner" she said softly, swinging her feet slightly.
"You never asked." He said with a smile. "Just so we're clear, I also speak Italian, Latin, German, and Greek. Both modern and ancient." He said with a nod. He bent down and kissed her again. "So, what should I make for you dad and Tyler? It's his birthday, after all. We'll have to run out and get a cake too. I can't bake worth merde." He said with a chuckle.
Arabella laughed a little and she nodded before hopping off of her chair. She took the last bite of her pancake and took the plate over to the sink with a hand on her stomach, groaning softly. "I don't know if I'll be able to eat whatever you make for supper. I don't think my stomach will be able to hold all of this food" she teased before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled him down to her and she kissed him. "So, we'll get a cake today and we'll go to the grocery store? Tyler's favorite food is tacos" she said with a nod.
"Perfect." He said, putting his hands on her hips and slipping a few fingers under her shirt. He smiled and tickled her sides, gently grazing his fingers along her skin. He kissed her chin and trailed kisses along her jawline to her neck. "We'll go in an hour." He said, kissing her shoulder. "That okay?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.
Arabella shivered a little and she nuzzled her face into his warm neck. "Mmhmm" She moaned softly and she closed her eyes. Being with him like this was just...simple and easy. Hunter hugging her was so innocent but it still got her heart racing and filled her stomach with butterflies. "What are we going to do until then?" she whispered with a smile.
Hunter smiled and held her tighter. "Well," He said with a raised eyebrow. "I have a few things in-" He stopped as his mind realized what had happened yesterday. She thought he was pregnant. With his child. He had never thought that using protection would ever fail. Did he really want to risk it again? "Ellie, we uh...We could watch a movie or something." He said with a shrug.
Arabella looked up at him with a confused look on her face. She thought that they were going to maybe go back to the bedroom. But now he was suggesting that they watch a movie? Did something go wrong? Arabella cleared her throat and nodded. "Yeah..sure..if you want" she said and pulled away from him to grab her sweater and she walked towards the living room.
"I mean, did you have something else in mind?" He asked, hurrying in front of her. He placed his hands on her sides and looked into her eyes. "We never got to finish Breakfast Club. I just thought that we'd finish it." He said with a nod. "If you want to do something else, we can do that. I was just tossing it out as an idea. We can do what you want though. I'm more than happy to do something else. I just didn't think there was something...I'll just stop talking, now." He said with red cheeks. "Your turn to say words." He said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.
Arabella looked up at him and a small smile spread across her lips. She placed her hands on his bright cheeks and she gave him a small kiss. "A movie sounds good" she said with a nod. Arabella kissed him again then took his hands, leading him towards the living room. She looked down at the TV and her eyebrows knitted together. "Maybe we should find somewhere to put the TV.." she said then shrugged and sat down on the floor.
Hunter sat down, his cheeks finally turning normal again. He sat down and put his arm around her, pulling her close. "I don't know." He said, placing a small kiss on her head. "I'm starting to like the TV on the ground there." He said with a smile. He squirmed a little bit before laying down, facing the TV and dragging Arabella down in front of him. He draped an arm around her torso, letting his hand rub her stomach a moment or two before pulling her in closer.
Arabella looked down at his hands on her stomach for a moment and she let out a soft sigh. She knew that they weren't ready for kids. That was just logic. But there was a small twinge of sadness when she remembered how excited she was for the baby that she thought she had. Arabella snuggled into Hunter and she pressed play on the remote quickly before placing her hand on his arm and letting out a soft sigh. "I never thanked you for getting Tyler that car.." she said softly "That is seriously amazing. You're so good to him"
"It still needs some work, actually." He said quietly. "It's not like I need 30-plus cars. I'm happy to give away stuff that I don't need." He sighed and cleared his throat. "I just hope he likes it." He said with a nod. He swallowed and hesitated a moment before putting his hand on her stomach. He rubbed gently and kissed her head. "Ellie, I don't want to risk it." He said quietly. He felt bad for not giving an explanation earlier. "We're not ready for kids. I don't want to risk it. I'm really sorry, but I don't want to see you heartbroken again. I don't want to see you ever get hurt again." He whispered with a sigh.
Arabella turned around in his arms so that she was facing him, her eyebrows knitted together slightly. Was this what it was about? He was worried that she was going to have another pregnancy scare. Arabella let out a little sigh and she put her hands on his chest. "Hunter, it's not going to happen again. Besides, what are we going to do? Wait until we're ready to have kids to actually do anything?" Arabella said softly and she looked up at him with big eyes. ''I was thinking that I could go to the doctor and start on the pill" she told him with a nod.
"I just don't want to do this before we're ready." He said with a sigh, putting a hand on her hip. "Ellie, I just....I want to do this right." He said with a sigh. "I'm really sorry." He said, shifting to his back. "The pill isn't a guarantee. I just think that if we stop ourselves, now then...Won't it be so much more special once we're married? When we're actually trying for a kid?" He closed his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe, I'm being delusional..." He said with a sigh.
Arabella looked at him, stunned. She didn't even know what she thought of it. Waiting until they were actually trying for kids would be one thing like the wedding was..the next month or something. But they had only just started talking about how serious they were about each other. Who knew how long it would be until they were actually trying for kids. It could be ages from then. She resisted the urge to tell him that he was, in fact, being delusional and she let out a sigh. "Hunter..I...we...it's just.." she stumbled over her words, a little speechless. Arabella propped herself up on her elbow and she looked down at him "Nothing is a guarantee, Hunter. Anything could happen. Do you really, really want to wait?" she asked him, slightly nervous about his answer.
He took a deep breath. "No. I don't. I just...I don't know." He said, covering his face with his hands. "I don't know what I want. I'm just....I'm being unhelpful." He finally moved his hands away and looked up into her eyes. He ran his fingers along her cheek and into her hair. Pulling the tie out of it, smiled as the hair fell in waves around her face. He ran his fingers through her hair and cradled her face in his hand. "I'm sorry." He whispered, staring into her bright blue eyes through the tunnel of hair that he had just created. She was so beautiful and why she was putting up with his stupidity baffled him. "Why does someone as gorgeous as you put up with me?" He whispered, shaking his head. "You could probably have some handsome actor who makes girls swoon with even the slightest glance. Why me?"
"A handsome actor is just that. A handsome actor. You are wonderful and funny and strong and such a sexy beast" Arabella said, finishing with a slightly teasing tone. She leaned into him, kissing him lightly. "You make me feel safe and you make my happier than anything else in the whole world. You also don't give yourself enough credit" She told him and she and looked into his dark eyes, wondering the same thing that he was. Hunter has always been so amazing to her and he had always been someone who just seemed...out of reach. Not just because of the whole 'hunter' thing. But because he was handsome and funny and unbelievably kind. Arabella was never with guys like that. She was always with guys like Chad or guys like Brian or guys that she was with just for the heck of it, because she couldn't stand to be alone. Other than Hunter, she had only been with one guy that was nice to her and she was with him when she was 14. She nuzzled into him and placed a kiss on his neck. "Eh, who am I kidding. I just keep you around for your food and the sex" she said in a sarcastic voice and giggled against his skin.
Hunter sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn't find the right words to say to express how he was feeling. He needed more time. "Let's just go." He said with a sigh as he sat up. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen. He grabbed his keys and walked out to the car.
Arabella let out a soft sigh and she grabbed her purse before walking out and following him to the car. Was it something that she said wrong? Did she do something wrong? Arabella hoped that he didn't want to wait to have sex. In all honesty, she was probably going to go crazy if they didn't do anything until they got married, which she was sure was going to be a long time from then. Hunter had only just mentioned it. Which was a good thing. At least he was thinking of it. But there was still the whole thing to plan and he hadn't even asked her yet. With a sigh, Arabella got into the car and looked out of the window.
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Hunter put the food out on the table. "They should be here soon, right?" He asked as he put places out. He stood in the middle of the kitchen, running through all of the preparations. He never thought that he would be so busy with this. He never thought about it until he had already volunteered his home. Knock knock knock. Ding dong ding dong. He looked up and reentered reality. "Oh, never mind." He said with a chuckle as he walked to the door. "Hello, hello. Happy Birthday!" He said, swinging the door open.
Arabella pushed herself out of the chair and she walked over to hug Tyler tightly. "Happy birthday!" she said excitedly and a big smile spread across her face.
"Bell..I can't breathe" Tyler gasped and Arabella let go of him quickly. She grinned up at him for a moment before going over to hug her dad. This was nice. Having her dad over and not having to deal with the tension between him and Hunter.
Tyler grinned at Hunter. "Thanks for letting me have my birthday here. It's really great" he said with a nod.
"No problem, Tyler." Hunter said with a chuckle as he shook Tyler's hand and patted him on the arm. He looked up at Matthew and smiled. "Mr. Foster, how's it going, sir?" He asked putting his hand out. He took it and did the same thing that Hunter did to Tyler less than a minute ago. It was a little weird not getting the evil glare from Arabella's father, that he was used to. He finally broke the handshake and turned to Tyler. "Well, I hope everyone's hungry because I made a lot of tacos." He said with a nod.
"Mmmm...tacos" Arabella said and she started to walk to the kitchen. Tyler hurried to catch up with her and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Arabella looked at him with a confused look on her face then shook her head before nodding towards their dad, meaning that she would talk to him later when her protective father wasn't sitting around. Arabella walked into the kitchen and Tyler looked around.
''The decorations are amazing" Tyler said, putting his hands in his pockets.
"I know. Oh..wait..I'm supposed to be humble. Thank you, Ty" Arabella said, grinning back at him.
"Alright, birthday boy. Should we do food, then cake, then gifts or-"
"Gifts!" He blurted out. "Umm...Gifts, first. That would be cool. The food looks a little hot anyway, we'll give it time to cool." He said, clearing his throat.
"Well, save mine for last. Someone else, go. I'll go get mine. It's uh...It's in my car." He said with a nod before winking at Arabella. He casually walked into the garage and then rushed over to the car.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away and she smiled lightly then turned back to Tyler. "I'll get your gift" she said and ran up to her room quickly. Arabella grabbed the bag then ran back downstairs. She saw Tyler sitting there, looking anxious and excited. She grinned and walked over to him, holding out the big gift bag. He looked up at her with big eyes then took the bag, opening it with excitement. "I hope you like it.." Arabella said nervously. Tyler pulled out a few things that were in the bag. A couple books, a watch, a gift card for Think Geek, a new iPod, a shot glass from LA and a few papers that were stapled together. Tyler thanked her for everything else then looked up at her with confused eyes when he looked at the papers.
"What are these?" Tyler asked and Arabella giggled.
"Read what they say. They're certificates for an archery lesson with Hunter" Arabella said and smiled at the big grin on Tyler's face. "I haven't told him about it. But I'm sure he'll be okay with it."
Tyler looked over at Matthew, who looked like he was conflicted about the archery thing but he shook himself quickly and he leaned towards Tyler, pulling out his wallet. He looked at Tyler for a moment then pulled out a card. "Happy birthday, Tyler. I never know what to get for you so your sister might have helped me out a little bit" Arabella cleared her throat. "Okay, she might have helped me out a lot."
Tyler opened the card and a thick ring fell out. He held the ring then pulled out the card that had an Amazon gift card inside. "What's the ring from?" He asked and looked up at Matthew.
"It was your grandfather's class ring from when he graduated from Harvard. I've been holding onto it for you" Matthew told him and Tyler smiled wide at him.
"Thanks, Dad" Tyler said softly and Arabella squeaked, pulling them both in for a group hug.
He silently opened the garage door and put it in neutral before slowly pushing it out into the driveway where he parked it again. He made sure it looked good and then hurried back in.
Arabella looked up when Hunter came in and she raised and eyebrow, a small smile was still on her face. "How is everything, Hunter?"
"Pretty good." He said with a chuckle. "Alright. Tyler." He said looking at him. Hunter reached into his pocket and clenched the keys to the 1969 Pontiac GTO Firebird that was out in the driveway. "I want you to close your eyes and hold out your hand." He said, raising an eyebrow. Tyler narrowed his eyes and thought for a second before complying. Hunter laughed and placed the keys in the 16-year-old's hands. The fingers immediately grasped around the new object and Tyler's eyes shot open. "It's outside and it's all yours." Hunter said with a grin.
"Oh, no way." He gasped as he pushed past Hunter and ran outside, followed close by his father. Hunter looked at Arabella and smiled, taking a second to wrap his arms around her.
"Did I do okay?" He asked, putting his forehead on hers.
Arabella smiled up at Hunter and she kissed him lightly, placing her hands on his chest. "You just made my present look like a pile of crap" She teased and kissed him again before grabbing another small bag and walking outside, towards Tyler, who was sitting in the car. He looked like he was about to cry.
"Hunter..I...this is just...you.." Tyler stumbled over his words, not really sure what to say. He was speechless and beyond happy. Arabella smiled and passed him another bag.
"To go with the car" She told him and Tyler pulled out a pair of fuzzy dice. ''You'll be beating the girls off with a stick"
Matthew turned to look at Hunter. "This is a really incredible gift, Hunter" he said in a low voice.
"Well, I don't need three cars." He said quietly. "We'll see what happens on your birthday, eh?" He said with a chuckle before patting Matthew lightly on the back. He walked over to Tyler. "Now, Tyler. This will be all yours on 1 condition. I need you to help me fix it up." He said, walking over to the car and popping the hood. "This needs to be tightened. This needs to be replaced. There are some other things that need to be done." He said in an obvious voice before glancing around and leaning in toward Tyler. "Girls really like it when you know how to fix up a car." He whispered with a smile and a nod toward Arabella. "Happy birthday, man." He said, closing the hood. "So, are these terms acceptable?" Hunter asked with a chuckle.
"Yes! Of course!" Tyler said and he looked at Hunter with a look on his face that was filled with gratitude and respect and awe. He couldn't believe that Hunter would give him this car let alone want to spend time with him, fixing it up. "This is just..wow..thanks, Hunter" Tyler said, at a loss for words. Tyler hung up the dice and got out of the car.
"Let's go eat tacos. I'm starving!" Arabella moaned and she stood in between Hunter and Tyler, linking her arms with their and she marched them back to the house, her stomach was growling. Matthew chuckled a little bit and he looked back at the car before following them into the house.
Hunter kissed Arabella on the cheek and wiggled his arm out of hers. He walked into the kitchen and made sure all the food was on the table before sitting down at the table himself. "Alright, Tyler. I was told this was your favorite food, so I hope you like it. Dig in." He said with a chuckle before passing the food to Arabella who was sitting next to him. He had made the tacos and then fried them so the tortillas were all crispy. There was no way that it was good for them, but it was a party. Who cares?
-------
Arabella waved as Tyler and Matthew drove off, away from the house. She was tired but she was looking forward to spending the night with Hunter. Maybe she could get the crazy 'no sex' idea out of his brain. Arabella turned and smiled at Hunter before running her fingers through her hair and walking over to him. She put her hands on his chest and stretched up to kiss him. "Thanks for everything, tonight" she said softly and placed a few kisses along his jaw.
Hunter sighed and smiled as he put his hands on her waist. "I hope he likes the car." He said with a smile as he found her lips and kissed them lightly. "I should really think before I volunteer to host a birthday party. What did you end up getting him, by the way? A gift card or something?" He asked, pulling her a little bit closer and wrapping his arms around her.
"Mmm, a few things. I think he was most excited about the tickets for archery lessons though. I hear the teacher is amazing. His name is Hunter Reed" Arabella said with a nod and smiled up at him. She loved that he had a last name. It made everything seem so much more real. Like something that was actually happening. Not just something that she was dreaming about at camp. "Apparently, this Hunter guy has some of the most epic archery skills around, so.."
"I feel so used." He said with a chuckle as he placed kisses down her neck to her shoulder. "I can't imagine your dad was thrilled about that." He said, brushing his lips back up to her ear. He kissed her side of her face and grazed his hands up and down her sides. He sighed and on the inhale was struck by the pungent smell of tacos. He pulled away and smelled himself before wincing at how strong the smell was coming off of him. "I smell like tacos and not in a good way, so I'm going to take a shower." He said with a sigh before stepping forward and grabbing her butt. He pulled her closer and held her as he pressed his lips tightly to hers almost as if he was making up for the time in which he'll be gone. After a moment, he broke away, leaving light kisses on her lips, and ran up the stairs. He grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom.
As Hunter walked away, Arabella was left swaying slightly. She opened her eyes and took a breath, trying to calm herself down. That kiss, his hands on her butt, the feel of his arms on either side of her..it was all too much for her. Arabella wondered if he did that on purpose or if he had no idea that it would send her heart into hyper-speed. How could they wait? How could he say that he wanted to wait to sleep with her again and then kiss her like that? Arabella looked down at herself and she ran her hands over her jeans, smoothing out the tight fabric before walking upstairs. She heard the shower running and her imagination ran wild. Arabella closed her eyes and she shook herself before walking to the bedroom, undoing her jeans along the way. She pulled her jeans off and slipped into a pair of black shorts from Victoria's Secret and a loose tank top. Arabella pulled on one of Hunter's sweaters. It was so long on her, it almost covered her shorts completely. Mind you, her shorts weren't that long.
Hunter turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. After he dried off, he slipped on a pair of boxers and a pair of shorts before putting the towel around his neck. He opened the door to see Arabella standing in front of him. "Were you listening to me shower?" He asked with a raised eyebrow before sneaking past her to his dresser. He pulled out a sleeveless shirt and slipped it on before turning to Arabella. "What do you want to do tonight?" He asked as he stepped toward her and put his hands on her waist.
Arabella leaned into him, resisting the urge to say something like 'you'. She placed small kisses along his neck before grazing her lips up to his ear. "I've got a few things in mind" Arabella whispered and she placed her hands on his arms, digging her fingers into his muscles lightly. She kissed around his ear before nibbling on his ear lobe lightly. "Mmm..what did you want to do tonight?" she whispered.
Hunter swallowed and cleared his throat. "Umm...Well, I have a lot of movies to watch. Who was it? John Hughes." He said, pulling away from her slightly. "I'll go make popcorn and you can pick the movie, okay?" He said with a smile before kissing her on the forehead. He let his hands slide off her body before turning around and walking toward the stairs.
Oh no, Arabella was not letting him go that easy. He had gotten her all worked up and she was not going to just sit around all night and watch movies. "Hunter. I'm not watching a movie tonight. Let's do..something else" She said and Hunter turned around to look at her. Arabella took a breath and she fixed her sweater before running at him, tackling him and pressing her lips against his tightly. She didn't care or think about anything other than taking Hunter back to the bedroom.
Hunter caught her and stumbled backward. "Ellie, I don't-Whoa!" He felt his foot slide off the top of the first step. He panicked and threw her off of him before falling backward down the stairs. He rolled and flipped eventually landing on his arm, his head hitting the ground with a loud whack. "You okay, Ellie?" He asked up the stairs, his voice slightly muffled by the carpet. He took as deep a breath and winced at a pain in his ribs. His breathing was shallow as he rolled onto his back.
"Hunter!" Arabella squeaked. She was fine, thanks to Hunter. However, he didn't look half as good as her. As quickly as she could, Arabella scrambled down the stairs and she knelt down on the ground beside him. "Oh my gods, Hunter..are you okay?" she gasped and her hands sort of fluttered over his body, not sure where she would be able to touch him without hurting him. Arabella couldn't believe what had just happened. Her stomach was knotted up with worry and guilt. He had to be okay. He just..had to be.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." He said quietly. He already knew that his arm was broken. He used his other arm and pulled himself into a sitting position onto the bottom step. "I'm okay." He said, holding his ribs. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to throw you. I just didn't want you to fall down the stairs with me." He said with a chuckle and cringing with the pain in his ribs.
Arabella looked at him with wide eyes and she shook her head. "You are not fine, Hunter" she said, not even acknowleding the fact that he was asking her if she was alright. She didn't care about herself in that moment, she only cared about Hunter. The way he was holding his arm looked painful and the way he was cringing was clearly because of his ribs. She had broken her ribs once and she knew the difference between a regular cringe and a cringe from a broken rib. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital" she said in a soft and frightened voice. Arabella looked at him, trying to figure out how she was going to get him to the car. With a deep breath, she slipped his good arm around her shoulders and she slowly helped him stand, squeaking out a little 'sorry' when he cringed again at the pain.
"Don't worry about it." He said, standing up straight with a quiet groan. "I'm okay." He shifted in front of her and looked into her eyes. "Ellie, I'm fine. Look at me, I am fine." He said, kissing her forehead. "I need you focused right now, though, okay? Now, do you want to drive or do you want me to drive?" He asked, looking into her eyes, with slightly blurry vision. He blinked hard and shook his head, his eyes focusing again. He knew he had a concussion, but he wasn't going to tell her that.
Arabella looked up at him with wide eyes and she nodded. She knew that she had to be okay. She had to focus. Hunter was right. "I'm good" She breathed and with shaking hands, she grabbed her car keys. "I'll drive" she told him and bit her lips. How could this have happened? Was there something wrong with them? Were they every going to be able to do anything together without something happening? Arabella looked up at him and she placed a hand on his cheek "I'm so sorry" she said in a small voice.
"Don't be." He said quietly. "I've had worse." He took her hand weakly and kissed it. "Now, let's go." He said with a sigh as he took her hand and walked out to the car. He cringed as he shifted into the passenger seat. "Ow..." He said under his breath. "Broken arm." He said as she backed out of the driveway. He pressed his ribs and counted. "3...rib...ribs either cracked or broken." He said, his words slurred slightly. That concussion was starting to catch up to him.
Arabella looked at him with wide eyes and she drove a little faster, her hands still shaking. She looked back at the road and chewed on the inside of her cheek. She felt so guilty about all of this. It was her fault. It was her fault that he was in pain and his speech was now more slurred then she was after a bottle of rum. She looked over at him and she took his hand, squeezing it lightly. "Hunter..stay with me, okay? Don't fall asleep. Stay awake" she said and nervously looked back at the road.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." Hunter said, shaking his head again. He opened his eyes widely, but his eyelids felt like they weighed thousands of pounds. He took deep breaths or as deep as he could and stared at the road, hoping that they would get there soon. "Ellie, don't beat yourself up, okay?" He said, squeezing her hand. He needed to say it. He knew that he was going to pass out before they got to the hospital. He knew that if he passed out with a concussion, it's very possible that he would never wake up again. He looked over at her and swallowed back a small lump forming in his throat. He blinked slowly and shook his head again. "Ellie...I..." He licked his lips and breathed heavily. "I love you. I really do." He said as she parked outside of the hospital. The bright lights and the siren of a passing ambulance woke him up enough, so that he could slide out of the car. "I need a bed!" He shouted to a paramedic. He hurried over with a gurney.
"What's wrong?" He asked quickly as he helped Hunter onto the bed.
"Arm...ribs...conc...concuss-" He managed to slur out before everything going dark.