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.
Chapter 97 - Arabella and Hunter
Arabella didn't sleep much, at all. Her mind was racing and her hands were shaking. As soon as Hunter had fallen asleep, Arabella let the tears that she had been holding back fall. Curled up to his side, she cried silently, not wanting to wake him up. She was nervous and scared but also excited and totally in love. After that, she fell asleep for about an hour before waking up again and falling back to sleep a little while later. Finally, when Arabella woke up at about seven in the morning, she didn't bother going back to sleep. Hunter's hand was still on her stomach and seeing it made her heart skip a beat. Not wanting to wake him up, Arabella slid away from him and stood up, walking up the stairs. As she poured herself a cup of coffee, Arabella thought of how she was going to tell Hunter when the time finally came. Hey, Hunter..look, I know you just started having sex after being an eternal virgin for 20 years, but guess what? I'm pregnant! With your child! Congrats! Arabella rolled her eyes at herself and bent down to look for milk in the fridge, her hand resting on her stomach without even meaning too.
Hunter curled up due to the sudden change in temperature. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought the worst possible thing. She left. He quickly rolled over and felt a stabbing pain in his back. He screamed and sat up, looking behind him. He had rolled over on his keys. He grabbed them and hurried up the stairs to see Arabella standing at the fridge. He smiled and sneaked behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It's cold downstairs without you." He said, putting his face next to hers. He looked down at the coffee in her hand. "Hey, don't drink that. That made you all moody yesterday." He said, placing a light kiss on her cheek.
Arabella jumped a little when he put his arms around her and she smiled softly. Everything he did, everything he said was putting images in her mind. She could see herself with a little baby bump and trying to get coffee but Hunter wouldn't let her because of the caffeine and she shouldn't be having caffeine when she's pregnant. Arabella closed the fridge door and looked down at the coffee in her hands. "Yeah, you're probably right" she said softly and she put the cup down on the counter. "How did you sleep?" she asked in the same soft voice.
"Pretty well." He said quietly. "I'm assuming the same can't be said for you considering you're going for the coffee already." He said, swaying gently. It was a cold morning and he wanted to just have his arms around her all day. "I told you that if you need anything, just say it. I'll make it happen." He said quietly.
Arabella looked up at him with big eyes and she nodded softly. She needed to tell him. Keeping it from him was driving her crazy. She turned around in his arms and she rested her forehead on Hunter's chest. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking slightly from the nerves. Arabella knew that Tyler was going to show up pretty soon and she wanted to tell Hunter the truth before her little brother showed up. Maybe it was like a band-aid. She just had to tell him quickly and get it over with. "Hunter.." she started softly. "I'm pre-"
Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door and Arabella pulled herself out of Hunter's arms to let who she assumed was Tyler inside. Sure enough, Tyler was at the door and he stepped inside, giving Arabella a questioning look, as if to ask her if she told Hunter yet and she shook her head. "Good morning, Bell" he then said and gave her a small hug. "Morning, Hunter"
"Hey, Tyler!" He said with a smile. He assumed that they could talk about whatever it was later. "How about I make some breakfast and we can get started after we eat? That sound good?" He said with a sigh.
"Sure. Dad doesn't really do breakfast." He said with a chuckle. Hunter nodded and started making bacon and eggs. "Do you guys want pancakes, too? Chocolate chip, maybe?" He said with a grin and a raised eyebrow.
"Not for me, thanks" Arabella said and she poured a big glass of water for herself. She drank the whole thing pretty quickly and let out a little sigh. "I'm going to go get dressed. Could you boil some water for me so I can have some herbal tea? I'm freezing" she said to Hunter and shivered a little. When Hunter nodded, looking a little concerned, Arabella kissed his cheek. "You're the best" she told him softly before climbing the stairs.
Tyler watched her walk away then he looked up at Hunter. "I'll eat whatever" he said with a nod. "Did you have a good night?" he asked.
"Yeah." He said as he stirred the pancake batter. "We kind of just fell asleep in the basement when she got home from dropping you off." He poured the batter into the pan and continued to cook. "How about you?"
"Well enough." Tyler said with a shrug. He looked at Hunter with a discerning look. There was a silence for a while until Hunter finished the bacon and the eggs.
"It'll be a few more minutes on the pancakes. The first one is always the worst, you know?" He said with a chuckle.
"Yeah.." Tyler said then shook his head. "Actually, no..we never made pancakes. Dad just got some from the fancy breakfast place around the corner" he said with a shrug and he forced himself to chuckle. He watched Hunter cook for a moment then let out a sigh and looked away.
Arabella looked into her closet and she eventually found a pair of sweat pants and her Camp Half Blood shirt. She didn't really have it in her to wear anything else. A small sigh escaped her lips and she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders before walking back downstairs. When she walked into the kitchen, a pot of water was almost boiled and Hunter and Tyler were sitting in an uncomfortable silence. She looked at them for a moment then poured the water into a mug with a peppermint tea bag and a spoonful of honey. "What are you two doing first?" she asked softly, trying to make conversation.
"Well, I'm going to eat." He said with a nod. "Your plate is on the table. Oh, and the pancakes are done." He plated the pancakes and handed some to Tyler who sat down and began eating. The three of them sat down and ate in relative silence. This wasn't the comfortable silence that he was used to with Arabella. There was something that he was missing. Maybe it was just the cold. "We'll probably set up the computer first, right? I won't have internet until next week, but that's not a huge deal." He said, biting into a piece of bacon. He glanced at Arabella and stood up. He grabbed his sweatshirt and put it around her shoulders. "Here. Don't bother with the blanket." He said before kissing her on the cheek.
Arabella looked up at Hunter and she gave him a small smile then looked down at her plate, picking at the eggs. Her stomach was a tangled mess of nerves and anxiety and eating didn't really seem to be on the agenda. She took a sip of her tea and looked at Tyler who gave her a meaningful look. Arabella sighed softly, giving him one back. He wanted her to tell Hunter, to talk to him. But she was too nervous to tell him. After Tyler had walked in on her telling Hunter, it kind of ruined it. She looked down at her plate and pulled his sweater tighter around her.
Hunter continued eating, glancing up at Tyler and Arabella on occasion. He was becoming frustrated. He didn't like being left out of the loop, and if it had to do with Arabella's well-being then he wanted to know. "So, how's your dad?" Hunter asked, trying to see if that was the reason.
Arabella flinched a little bit when Hunter said the word 'dad'. She had kind of zoned out and she thought that he was asking something about himself. Tyler looked at Arabella for a quick second then turned to Hunter. "Oh, he's doing good. Nothing really special going on" Tyler said with a shrug and he ate some more of his breakfast. Arabella glanced at Tyler then nodded in agreement and looked down at her plate.
Hunter sighed and let out a little grumble as he continued to eat. "Good. Good." He said quietly. He finished eating quickly and put his plate in the sink. "Well, I'm going to get started. Come down once you're done eating." He said, looking at Tyler. He looked at Arabella with hurt eyes, but she couldn't see because she was hiding her face. He sighed again and started toward the basement, his mind racing. Was she having second thoughts about being together? Hunter wasn't sure if he could handle her breaking up with him again. He felt a lump form in his throat and his heart ached. What was wrong?
"Bell, you have to tell him" Tyler said once Hunter had left the room. Arabella nodded and she took a sip of her tea but she pushed her plate of food away. She wasn't too hungry at that moment.
"I will, Ty. I'm just..working up to it" Arabella said softly and Tyler sighed, finishing up his breakfast.
"He knows that there's something wrong. He's not stupid and he's not blind. If you don't tell him soon, it'll just make it harder to tell him later on" Tyler said and Arabella nodded again.
"Let's just..get the basement set up, okay? I'll tell him later tonight" Arabella said and she took Tyler's plate over to the sink. Tyler looked at her for a moment before turning and walking down the stairs. Arabella grabbed her mug of tea and followed him down the stairs. As nervous as she was at that moment, she really didn't want to be alone.
Hunter was opening boxes when Arabella and Tyler came down. He didn't bother looking up. He didn't want to see Arabella's sadness and he was a little upset with Tyler for not telling him. He opened the computer and put it by the desk. He carried the monitor over and everything else, setting it messily on the desk. "There. You can start hooking that up, Tyler." He said quietly. He walked over to the boxes and started to open the TV. The silence made him hurt. He closed his eyes and sighed, stopping what he was doing. This was the loudest silence he had ever encountered.
Arabella watched as Tyler went to work on the computer, clearly in his element. With a sigh, she looked over at Hunter and the way that he was holding himself. She was hurting him, she could see it in his back and his arms and the way that he held his head. With a small sigh, Arabella walked over to him and she put her chin on his shoulder. "Hey" she said in a soft voice, almost a whisper.
Hunter glanced over and stood up straight, stopping her from putting her head on his shoulder. "Hi." He said quietly as he started to work on the TV again. She started to walk away again, but Hunter closed his eyes, sighed, and stopped her. "Ellie. Tyler." He said, opening his eyes. "I don't know if you guys think that I'm blind or just plain stupid, but I can tell something is going on." He said quietly, but firmly. He looked at Tyler who opened his mouth to speak, but Hunter put his hand up toward him in a sign of 'let me finish'. "I don't know your reasoning for not telling me. I don't know if this is something that I even need to know, but someone is going to tell me. Now." He said, finally putting his hand down and looking from Arabella to Tyler and back. They looked at each other. He knew that they weren't going to be telling him the truth. He shook his head. "Never mind. Good work today, Tyler." He said quietly before walking upstairs. He walked all the way to the bedroom and slammed the door behind him. He flopped down on his stomach with his face in the pillow, clenching his jaw in an effort to not cry.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away and she huffed, sitting down on the floor. She felt horrible about everything. It was a big mess and she didn't know what to do about it. Tyler looked around a little uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "Should I go home?" he asked and Arabella shook her head, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Finish setting up and I'll drive you home" Arabella said softly and she laid back on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. Not getting any sleep was really starting to bug her. She was tired and sore and felt very out of it. Maybe once she dropped Tyler off, she would pick up some food for supper and her and Hunter could talk it over. She could explain herself to him and hopfully he wouldn't be too mad.
"Alright, done" Tyler said and Arabella sat up, a little shocked. The time had gone by so fast, she didn't even realize that she had dozed off lightly. She nodded and stood up, grabbing her purse and her keys. They walked up the stairs and out of the house. Soon enough, they were parking infront of the apartment.
"Thanks for helping us set up, Ty" Arabella said softly and he looked at her.
"You're going to tell him, right?" Tyler asked and Arabella nodded lightly. Tyler smiled at her and hugged her before getting out of the car. Arabella quickly made a call to the Chinese take out place then drove towards it. She parked and got out of the car, walking towards the building. At this point, she felt like she was just going though the motions. Her nerves were taking over. When she walked into the restaurant, Arabella ordered an extra egg roll to eat on the way home. She was hungry from not eating anything for breakfast.
As she drove, she chewed on her egg roll. It tasted a little funny but she figured that it was just from the fact that she had jsut brushed her teeth and she still had a bit of mint taste in her mouth. Arabella was nervous about telling Hunter but she knew that once she got it out, they could talk about it and move forward. She hoped that Hunter was as happy as her about it. she was starting to really look forward to being a mom. Arabella parked the car and walked inside. "Hunter? I brought home some food!" She called to him and started walking upstairs with the bags under her arms. Her stomach was starting to feel a little queasy and she assumed it was from nerves. She popped her head into the bedroom and bit her lip. "You okay?"
Hunter had shifted into a sitting position. He had his feet on the ground, his elbows on his legs, and his face in his hands. He looked up when she walked in. "Yeah." He said with a sigh. He held his hand out to her and she reluctantly walked toward him. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Why?" He whispered. "I told you that you can tell me anything. Absolutely anything. Why can't you tell me this? Did I do something wrong?" He asked, putting his face into her shoulder. He rubbed her back and gently kissed her arm. "You can trust me."
"I know" Arabella said softly and she leaned into him. She felt so bad for the stress and the worry and the hurt that was clear in his voice. She just wanted everything to be so much easier and simple. Her arms wrapped around her stomach and she closed her eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong, you've been totally perfect and amazing. I just..maybe we could eat and then we'll talk, okay?" she said and opened her eyes to look at him. Suddenly, she felt a tug in her stomach and she flew off of Hunter's lap, faster than she ever thought she could move and ran towards the bathroom. Arabella just made it to the toilet in time for her to cough and start thowing up. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Arabella started crying as she knelt over the toilet. Was there something wrong with the baby?
Hunter hurried over to the bathroom and looked at her with wide eyes. "Oh, gods. Ellie." He said as he knelt down next to her. He put his hand on her back and pulled her hair out of her face. She coughed and sobbed again before throwing up again. "What's wrong?" He asked quietly. She just cried and threw up again. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he looked up again, she was limp and slumped over, her face in the toilet. "No! No! No!" Hunter shouted as he pulled her back against the wall. "Ellie, Ellie, Ellie. Wake up!" He shouted, lightly patting her face. He pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared at it in confusion before giving up. He slung her over his shoulder and hurried out to his car. He put her in the passenger seat and buckled her in. "Ellie! Come on!" He shouted. She was unconscious still. He backed out of the driveway and raced to the hospital. He messily parked outside and carried her in where he was met by a nurse.
"Sir, tell me what happened." She said calmly. Hunter set her on a bed and turned to the nurse, tears falling down his face.
"She...She...We were talking and-and-and uh...gods...She ran to the bathroom and she threw up. Then she passed out." He said, breathing heavily. She excused herself and walked to the nurse's desk where she got some more people to bring her to a room. Hunter followed close behind, feeling more helpless than he had in a long time.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Arabella could hear machines beeping and people walking around. In the distance, she could hear a few women chattering. Something about a vacation. The air felt stiff and clean and she didn't know where she was. A small moan escaped her lips when suddenly, everything came rushing back to her. She remembered thowing up. She remembered Hunter's voice and she remembered feeling afraid for the baby. The little life inside of her. Her eyes flew open and she looked around, wondering where she was and how she had gotten there. Her eyes focused on Hunter's worried face and her eyebrows knitted together "What's going on?" she whispered in a raspy voice.
"Ellie. Thank you, gods." He said, pressing her hand to his lips. "You threw up and you passed out." He said quietly. "They think it's food poisoning." He said with a nod. He rubbed his cheeks that had become red with tears. "No more take out for you, huh?" He said with a weak laugh. He stood up and peeked his head out of the hallway. He caught a nurse and told him to tell someone that Arabella Foster was awake. He sat back down and took her hand in his again, walking his fingers up her arm, unable to express how grateful he was that she was okay.
Arabella looked up as the nurse walked into the room and looked at a clipboard for a moment before giving Arabella a warm smile. "Looks like everything is fine. Just a bad case of food poisoning in a very squeamish person" she teased. "Once you feel up to it, you'll be able to go home" she said with a nod and turned to leave. That was it? What about the baby? Wouldn't they say anything about that? She turned her head away from Hunter to look at the nurse. She didn't know how Hunter would react but she had to ask.
"Wait. What about the..the.." Arabella said softly and looked at Hunter with nervous eyes before looking back at the nurse. "What about the baby?" she finished, her voice filled with fear.
"What baby?" Both Hunter and the nurse said with furrowed brows. Hunter looked at her and saw the pain in her eyes. "Oh gods...You...We?" He muttered in confusion. He turned to the nurse who looked at the clipboard.
"You're not pregnant." She said, shaking her head. "It doesn't even look like you've ever been pregnant." She said with a shrug. "Don't always trust home tests. To get an accurate reading, it's better to come to a doctor who try several tests over extended periods of time." She said with a nod. Hunter sat there, mouth open and eyes wide. He finally looked at Arabella, but couldn't find the right words to say. "As I said, you're good to go as soon as you feel up to it. Have a good day." She said before leaving the room. Have a good day. Hunter thought to himself. How can she drop something that large on two people and then leave like it was nothing?
"Uhh...I don't...Ellie, I'm..." He said confusedly, hoping that she would speak first.
Arabella couldn't look at Hunter. She could hardly breathe, let alone turn her head to look at him. She rested her arm on her face, covering her eyes and she started to cry. Everything that he had been dreaming about, everything that she had been thinking about..it was all gone. The baby names that she had been thinking of, the design for the baby's room, the books and the toys and the clothes she was going to buy...all gone. Arabella took a breath and hiccuped, sobs shaking her whole body. "I want to go home" she managed to whisper.
Hunter closed his mouth and blinked, shaking himself back to reality. He nodded and scooped her into his arms. He didn't care that he was carrying her in public. He didn't even know how to react still. Did he want to have a kid? Of course, he did, but did he want a kid right now? He wasn't ready. When he was ready, would he want children with Arabella? Absolutely, he would. He carried her out to his car and put her in the passenger seat. He got in the car and started toward the house. It felt like a long time, the drive. The only noise was Arabella's sobs shaking her entire body. Hunter felt a tear fall down his cheek, not even knowing why. "Ellie, I'm so sorry." He said, putting an arm around her.
Arabella let herself fall into Hunter and she buried her face in his side. She hiccuped lightly and tried to take a deep breath but it was nearly impossible. All Arabella wanted to do was go home, change into her pajamas and curl up on the couch with Hunter, her teddy bear and some tea. She felt empty and lost. The mothering instinct had hit her so fast and so hard, it was insane. She never thought that she would have kids but now, she wanted it with her whole heart. She felt like she had lost her baby. Even though there was no baby in the first place. "I-we-I just-" Arabella wanted to say something but she didn't know what. Her voice cut off when another sob rocked through her body and she tried desperately to take a deep breath.
"Shh..." He said quietly as he drove. He was still unsure of how he felt. She is upset that she didn't have a baby. His baby. Hunter was going to be a dad. Did he want that? He finally drove into the driveway and put it in park. He didn't want to feel like he was hurrying her out of the car. He looked at her and kissed her head. He loved her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. There was no doubt about it. He wanted to marry her. He wanted to start a family with her. He wanted to grow old with her.
Arabella curled up and she rested her head on her knees, working on taking slow, deep breaths. She needed to calm down. She didn't want to be a sobbing mess anymore. Arabella wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Hunter" Arabella whispered into her legs, not looking up at Hunter. She didn't really know what she was saying sorry for. For scaring him? For not telling him the truth sooner? For crying like this? She didn't know, but it felt like the right thing for her to say.
"Don't be sorry." He said, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong." He said, putting his head on hers and closing his eyes. At this point he wasn't sure if he preferred her to be pregnant or not. "Come on. Let's get you inside." He said as he shut off the car and got out. As he walked over to the other side it began to rain. He pulled open her door and scooped her up, closing the door with his foot. He brought her inside and up the stairs. "I'll be back up in a minute." He hurried down and heated up some water. He made tea and hurried back up to see Arabella in her pajamas. "I made you some tea." He said quietly as he handed her the mug. "Do you need anything else?" He asked, feeling a little too restless to sit just yet.
Arabella took a small sip of her tea before placing it on the table beside the bed. She was exhausted and worn out and rather upset over what had happened. Arabella picked her teddy bear off of the floor and hugged him to her chest as she leaned back on the pillows. "No..thanks for the tea" she whispered and looked up at him with wide eyes. She didn't know if he was going to stay with her or not. She hoped that he would because she didn't want to be alone. But she didn't have the energy to get out of bed and go anywhere with him.
Hunter looked down at her and bounced on his toes a minute. He finally slipped his shoes off and got into bed next to her. He didn't know what to say. He always knew what to say. The perfect thing to cheer someone up. He could always see things in a positive light, but now...He was clueless. "I..uh..I don't know what to say, Ellie. I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I wish I knew what to say, but..." He took a deep breath and let his voice trail off. "What were you going to do?" He said quietly. She looked at him with discouraged eyes. "I mean to say...What.." He rubbed his forehead briefly. "Boy or girl?" He asked.
Arabella looked down, blinking back more tears that threatened to spill over. Her arms wrapped around her teddy bear tighter and she took a little breath. "Girl" She whispered "I thought it would be a girl" she added, her voice breaking off. After a few moments of silence, during which, Arabella thought over his questions she gave a little sob and she looked back up at Hunter. "I wanted her so bad" she confessed, not sure how he would react to that. "I thought that I would tell you and you would hug me and we would start planning a wonderful life with the baby...our baby..." she whispered before her voice was cut off by another sob.
"Shh..." He said, putting an arm around her and rubbing her arm lightly. He was a little shocked. He didn't think that Arabella would be the kind of person to want a baby that badly. He wanted kids too, but he wanted them when they were settled down. They have a wedding to go to and they plan on driving. They've only been together a few weeks. He doesn't even have a job. He didn't want to talk about that right now though. He wanted to talk about their future daughter. "What's her name? What's our daughter's name?" He asked, kissing her temple.
"Audrey. Audrey Grace Reed" Arabella breathed and she sniffled lightly. She didn't really know how Hunter would have reacted if she was pregnant but it was comforting to have him by her side and asking her questions about the girl that Arabella missed. She had never even existed but Arabella missed her. Arabella nuzzled in, closer to Hunter and she took a breath. During the time that Arabella thought she was pregnant, Arabella had dreams about the baby. She imagined everything about her. "She was going to look like you. Beautiful brown hair and dark eyes" Arabella whispered, closing her eyes for a moment.
Hunter's heart skipped a beat when she heard his last name. He barely recognized it. "That's a beautiful name." He said with a nod. "Audrey will have your smile, though. Your beautiful smile." He said with sigh. He missed her smile. It had felt like months since he had seen her smile. Seeing her sad like this made him feel awful. He kissed her temple again and sighed. He wanted this, but he never expected having to face it so soon.
Arabella bit back another wave of tears and she hid her face in Hunter's side. She was shocked at herself, at the reaction she was having to this. She never thought that she was going to want kids. She remembered when her and her friends would start talking about having kids, Arabella always said that she was never going to have kids. She was going to be too busy going around the world with her clothing line. She didn't even think that she would fall in love the way that she has. But here she was, feeling so upset about finding out that she isn't pregnant. Like they had been trying to have a baby. "I'm sorry, Hunter. I should have told you sooner..I was just...I was afraid that you would be upset"
"Ellie," He said with a sigh. "I want whatever makes you happy." He said with a nod. "I don't think a kid is the best idea, right now, though. I don't have a job. We're not married. We've only been together a few weeks." He said, clearing his throat. "Ellie, even if you were pregnant, I would be here supporting you one hundred percent. When we...finally have kids, I will love on them more than I thought was possible, but right now, I'm not ready." Hunter pulled her face to look at him. He wiped her tears with her thumb and kissed her eyes, catching the tears that had built up on her lashes. "We are going to get married. We're going to raise a family. We're going to cry when they go to college. We'll grow old together. We'll play with grandkids. We'll do it all and never will I stop being in love with you." He said before placing a kiss on her forehead. "So, maybe we can wait on meeting Audrey for a while? It'll give you plenty of time to finalize the name." He said with a nod.
Arabella lifted her head up to look at him. He said that they were going to get married and grow old together and raise a family. He wanted all of the same things that Arabella wanted. She placed her chin on his chest a a small smile spread across her lips. Having Hunter in her life was huge and she didn't even want to think about where she would be if it wasn't for him. Well, the truth was that if it wasn't for him, she probably would have died years ago at camp. She stretched up and placed a small kiss against his lips then let her lips brush down his jaw and neck as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you" she whispered, not really sure what else there was to say. Arabella agreed with him. They weren't ready to have a baby. That was just crazy. She was still a little sad over all of it but her emotions were on such a high from the last couple of days, she didn't even know what she was feeling, really.
Hunter smiled, glad that she was coming out of this funk. Even if it was a gradual reemergence. "I love you too." He said quietly. The two of them sat there in relative silence. They were back to being in their comfortable silence. No long was it made awkward by hidden secrets and fearful confessions. "So, are we going to have any other kids?" He whispered with his eyes closed. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. "Auddie is going to want a younger sibling, right?" He whispered, leaning his head back against the wall.
"You and your nicknames.." Arabella said with a small giggle. She took a deep breath and she let it out in a yawn. The whole day had been exhausting. "Well, she's going to need a brother." she said, like it was obvious "But I'm thinking that two might be perfect. One day" she whispered and looked up at him. He was the most perfect man that she could ever ask for and she was looking forward to spending her life with him and growing old with him. "You are so good to me, Hunter. Thanks for...for being here" she whispered.
"I live here, remember?" He said with a smile. "You deserve it." He looked down at her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I was actually thinking 3 kids. One boy, one girl, and then let the fates decide the third." He said, pulling her closer. A smile broke across his face as he finally let his fatigue grab hold of his mind. "A nice happy family." He said quietly. With a sigh of happiness, he closed his eyes and breathed in everything that had just happened. She wanted to marry him. And have his children. "Good night, Ellie. I love you." He said quietly as he drifted to sleep, looking forward to the first day in a very bright future ahead of them.
Hunter curled up due to the sudden change in temperature. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought the worst possible thing. She left. He quickly rolled over and felt a stabbing pain in his back. He screamed and sat up, looking behind him. He had rolled over on his keys. He grabbed them and hurried up the stairs to see Arabella standing at the fridge. He smiled and sneaked behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It's cold downstairs without you." He said, putting his face next to hers. He looked down at the coffee in her hand. "Hey, don't drink that. That made you all moody yesterday." He said, placing a light kiss on her cheek.
Arabella jumped a little when he put his arms around her and she smiled softly. Everything he did, everything he said was putting images in her mind. She could see herself with a little baby bump and trying to get coffee but Hunter wouldn't let her because of the caffeine and she shouldn't be having caffeine when she's pregnant. Arabella closed the fridge door and looked down at the coffee in her hands. "Yeah, you're probably right" she said softly and she put the cup down on the counter. "How did you sleep?" she asked in the same soft voice.
"Pretty well." He said quietly. "I'm assuming the same can't be said for you considering you're going for the coffee already." He said, swaying gently. It was a cold morning and he wanted to just have his arms around her all day. "I told you that if you need anything, just say it. I'll make it happen." He said quietly.
Arabella looked up at him with big eyes and she nodded softly. She needed to tell him. Keeping it from him was driving her crazy. She turned around in his arms and she rested her forehead on Hunter's chest. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking slightly from the nerves. Arabella knew that Tyler was going to show up pretty soon and she wanted to tell Hunter the truth before her little brother showed up. Maybe it was like a band-aid. She just had to tell him quickly and get it over with. "Hunter.." she started softly. "I'm pre-"
Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door and Arabella pulled herself out of Hunter's arms to let who she assumed was Tyler inside. Sure enough, Tyler was at the door and he stepped inside, giving Arabella a questioning look, as if to ask her if she told Hunter yet and she shook her head. "Good morning, Bell" he then said and gave her a small hug. "Morning, Hunter"
"Hey, Tyler!" He said with a smile. He assumed that they could talk about whatever it was later. "How about I make some breakfast and we can get started after we eat? That sound good?" He said with a sigh.
"Sure. Dad doesn't really do breakfast." He said with a chuckle. Hunter nodded and started making bacon and eggs. "Do you guys want pancakes, too? Chocolate chip, maybe?" He said with a grin and a raised eyebrow.
"Not for me, thanks" Arabella said and she poured a big glass of water for herself. She drank the whole thing pretty quickly and let out a little sigh. "I'm going to go get dressed. Could you boil some water for me so I can have some herbal tea? I'm freezing" she said to Hunter and shivered a little. When Hunter nodded, looking a little concerned, Arabella kissed his cheek. "You're the best" she told him softly before climbing the stairs.
Tyler watched her walk away then he looked up at Hunter. "I'll eat whatever" he said with a nod. "Did you have a good night?" he asked.
"Yeah." He said as he stirred the pancake batter. "We kind of just fell asleep in the basement when she got home from dropping you off." He poured the batter into the pan and continued to cook. "How about you?"
"Well enough." Tyler said with a shrug. He looked at Hunter with a discerning look. There was a silence for a while until Hunter finished the bacon and the eggs.
"It'll be a few more minutes on the pancakes. The first one is always the worst, you know?" He said with a chuckle.
"Yeah.." Tyler said then shook his head. "Actually, no..we never made pancakes. Dad just got some from the fancy breakfast place around the corner" he said with a shrug and he forced himself to chuckle. He watched Hunter cook for a moment then let out a sigh and looked away.
Arabella looked into her closet and she eventually found a pair of sweat pants and her Camp Half Blood shirt. She didn't really have it in her to wear anything else. A small sigh escaped her lips and she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders before walking back downstairs. When she walked into the kitchen, a pot of water was almost boiled and Hunter and Tyler were sitting in an uncomfortable silence. She looked at them for a moment then poured the water into a mug with a peppermint tea bag and a spoonful of honey. "What are you two doing first?" she asked softly, trying to make conversation.
"Well, I'm going to eat." He said with a nod. "Your plate is on the table. Oh, and the pancakes are done." He plated the pancakes and handed some to Tyler who sat down and began eating. The three of them sat down and ate in relative silence. This wasn't the comfortable silence that he was used to with Arabella. There was something that he was missing. Maybe it was just the cold. "We'll probably set up the computer first, right? I won't have internet until next week, but that's not a huge deal." He said, biting into a piece of bacon. He glanced at Arabella and stood up. He grabbed his sweatshirt and put it around her shoulders. "Here. Don't bother with the blanket." He said before kissing her on the cheek.
Arabella looked up at Hunter and she gave him a small smile then looked down at her plate, picking at the eggs. Her stomach was a tangled mess of nerves and anxiety and eating didn't really seem to be on the agenda. She took a sip of her tea and looked at Tyler who gave her a meaningful look. Arabella sighed softly, giving him one back. He wanted her to tell Hunter, to talk to him. But she was too nervous to tell him. After Tyler had walked in on her telling Hunter, it kind of ruined it. She looked down at her plate and pulled his sweater tighter around her.
Hunter continued eating, glancing up at Tyler and Arabella on occasion. He was becoming frustrated. He didn't like being left out of the loop, and if it had to do with Arabella's well-being then he wanted to know. "So, how's your dad?" Hunter asked, trying to see if that was the reason.
Arabella flinched a little bit when Hunter said the word 'dad'. She had kind of zoned out and she thought that he was asking something about himself. Tyler looked at Arabella for a quick second then turned to Hunter. "Oh, he's doing good. Nothing really special going on" Tyler said with a shrug and he ate some more of his breakfast. Arabella glanced at Tyler then nodded in agreement and looked down at her plate.
Hunter sighed and let out a little grumble as he continued to eat. "Good. Good." He said quietly. He finished eating quickly and put his plate in the sink. "Well, I'm going to get started. Come down once you're done eating." He said, looking at Tyler. He looked at Arabella with hurt eyes, but she couldn't see because she was hiding her face. He sighed again and started toward the basement, his mind racing. Was she having second thoughts about being together? Hunter wasn't sure if he could handle her breaking up with him again. He felt a lump form in his throat and his heart ached. What was wrong?
"Bell, you have to tell him" Tyler said once Hunter had left the room. Arabella nodded and she took a sip of her tea but she pushed her plate of food away. She wasn't too hungry at that moment.
"I will, Ty. I'm just..working up to it" Arabella said softly and Tyler sighed, finishing up his breakfast.
"He knows that there's something wrong. He's not stupid and he's not blind. If you don't tell him soon, it'll just make it harder to tell him later on" Tyler said and Arabella nodded again.
"Let's just..get the basement set up, okay? I'll tell him later tonight" Arabella said and she took Tyler's plate over to the sink. Tyler looked at her for a moment before turning and walking down the stairs. Arabella grabbed her mug of tea and followed him down the stairs. As nervous as she was at that moment, she really didn't want to be alone.
Hunter was opening boxes when Arabella and Tyler came down. He didn't bother looking up. He didn't want to see Arabella's sadness and he was a little upset with Tyler for not telling him. He opened the computer and put it by the desk. He carried the monitor over and everything else, setting it messily on the desk. "There. You can start hooking that up, Tyler." He said quietly. He walked over to the boxes and started to open the TV. The silence made him hurt. He closed his eyes and sighed, stopping what he was doing. This was the loudest silence he had ever encountered.
Arabella watched as Tyler went to work on the computer, clearly in his element. With a sigh, she looked over at Hunter and the way that he was holding himself. She was hurting him, she could see it in his back and his arms and the way that he held his head. With a small sigh, Arabella walked over to him and she put her chin on his shoulder. "Hey" she said in a soft voice, almost a whisper.
Hunter glanced over and stood up straight, stopping her from putting her head on his shoulder. "Hi." He said quietly as he started to work on the TV again. She started to walk away again, but Hunter closed his eyes, sighed, and stopped her. "Ellie. Tyler." He said, opening his eyes. "I don't know if you guys think that I'm blind or just plain stupid, but I can tell something is going on." He said quietly, but firmly. He looked at Tyler who opened his mouth to speak, but Hunter put his hand up toward him in a sign of 'let me finish'. "I don't know your reasoning for not telling me. I don't know if this is something that I even need to know, but someone is going to tell me. Now." He said, finally putting his hand down and looking from Arabella to Tyler and back. They looked at each other. He knew that they weren't going to be telling him the truth. He shook his head. "Never mind. Good work today, Tyler." He said quietly before walking upstairs. He walked all the way to the bedroom and slammed the door behind him. He flopped down on his stomach with his face in the pillow, clenching his jaw in an effort to not cry.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away and she huffed, sitting down on the floor. She felt horrible about everything. It was a big mess and she didn't know what to do about it. Tyler looked around a little uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "Should I go home?" he asked and Arabella shook her head, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Finish setting up and I'll drive you home" Arabella said softly and she laid back on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. Not getting any sleep was really starting to bug her. She was tired and sore and felt very out of it. Maybe once she dropped Tyler off, she would pick up some food for supper and her and Hunter could talk it over. She could explain herself to him and hopfully he wouldn't be too mad.
"Alright, done" Tyler said and Arabella sat up, a little shocked. The time had gone by so fast, she didn't even realize that she had dozed off lightly. She nodded and stood up, grabbing her purse and her keys. They walked up the stairs and out of the house. Soon enough, they were parking infront of the apartment.
"Thanks for helping us set up, Ty" Arabella said softly and he looked at her.
"You're going to tell him, right?" Tyler asked and Arabella nodded lightly. Tyler smiled at her and hugged her before getting out of the car. Arabella quickly made a call to the Chinese take out place then drove towards it. She parked and got out of the car, walking towards the building. At this point, she felt like she was just going though the motions. Her nerves were taking over. When she walked into the restaurant, Arabella ordered an extra egg roll to eat on the way home. She was hungry from not eating anything for breakfast.
As she drove, she chewed on her egg roll. It tasted a little funny but she figured that it was just from the fact that she had jsut brushed her teeth and she still had a bit of mint taste in her mouth. Arabella was nervous about telling Hunter but she knew that once she got it out, they could talk about it and move forward. She hoped that Hunter was as happy as her about it. she was starting to really look forward to being a mom. Arabella parked the car and walked inside. "Hunter? I brought home some food!" She called to him and started walking upstairs with the bags under her arms. Her stomach was starting to feel a little queasy and she assumed it was from nerves. She popped her head into the bedroom and bit her lip. "You okay?"
Hunter had shifted into a sitting position. He had his feet on the ground, his elbows on his legs, and his face in his hands. He looked up when she walked in. "Yeah." He said with a sigh. He held his hand out to her and she reluctantly walked toward him. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Why?" He whispered. "I told you that you can tell me anything. Absolutely anything. Why can't you tell me this? Did I do something wrong?" He asked, putting his face into her shoulder. He rubbed her back and gently kissed her arm. "You can trust me."
"I know" Arabella said softly and she leaned into him. She felt so bad for the stress and the worry and the hurt that was clear in his voice. She just wanted everything to be so much easier and simple. Her arms wrapped around her stomach and she closed her eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong, you've been totally perfect and amazing. I just..maybe we could eat and then we'll talk, okay?" she said and opened her eyes to look at him. Suddenly, she felt a tug in her stomach and she flew off of Hunter's lap, faster than she ever thought she could move and ran towards the bathroom. Arabella just made it to the toilet in time for her to cough and start thowing up. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Arabella started crying as she knelt over the toilet. Was there something wrong with the baby?
Hunter hurried over to the bathroom and looked at her with wide eyes. "Oh, gods. Ellie." He said as he knelt down next to her. He put his hand on her back and pulled her hair out of her face. She coughed and sobbed again before throwing up again. "What's wrong?" He asked quietly. She just cried and threw up again. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he looked up again, she was limp and slumped over, her face in the toilet. "No! No! No!" Hunter shouted as he pulled her back against the wall. "Ellie, Ellie, Ellie. Wake up!" He shouted, lightly patting her face. He pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared at it in confusion before giving up. He slung her over his shoulder and hurried out to his car. He put her in the passenger seat and buckled her in. "Ellie! Come on!" He shouted. She was unconscious still. He backed out of the driveway and raced to the hospital. He messily parked outside and carried her in where he was met by a nurse.
"Sir, tell me what happened." She said calmly. Hunter set her on a bed and turned to the nurse, tears falling down his face.
"She...She...We were talking and-and-and uh...gods...She ran to the bathroom and she threw up. Then she passed out." He said, breathing heavily. She excused herself and walked to the nurse's desk where she got some more people to bring her to a room. Hunter followed close behind, feeling more helpless than he had in a long time.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Arabella could hear machines beeping and people walking around. In the distance, she could hear a few women chattering. Something about a vacation. The air felt stiff and clean and she didn't know where she was. A small moan escaped her lips when suddenly, everything came rushing back to her. She remembered thowing up. She remembered Hunter's voice and she remembered feeling afraid for the baby. The little life inside of her. Her eyes flew open and she looked around, wondering where she was and how she had gotten there. Her eyes focused on Hunter's worried face and her eyebrows knitted together "What's going on?" she whispered in a raspy voice.
"Ellie. Thank you, gods." He said, pressing her hand to his lips. "You threw up and you passed out." He said quietly. "They think it's food poisoning." He said with a nod. He rubbed his cheeks that had become red with tears. "No more take out for you, huh?" He said with a weak laugh. He stood up and peeked his head out of the hallway. He caught a nurse and told him to tell someone that Arabella Foster was awake. He sat back down and took her hand in his again, walking his fingers up her arm, unable to express how grateful he was that she was okay.
Arabella looked up as the nurse walked into the room and looked at a clipboard for a moment before giving Arabella a warm smile. "Looks like everything is fine. Just a bad case of food poisoning in a very squeamish person" she teased. "Once you feel up to it, you'll be able to go home" she said with a nod and turned to leave. That was it? What about the baby? Wouldn't they say anything about that? She turned her head away from Hunter to look at the nurse. She didn't know how Hunter would react but she had to ask.
"Wait. What about the..the.." Arabella said softly and looked at Hunter with nervous eyes before looking back at the nurse. "What about the baby?" she finished, her voice filled with fear.
"What baby?" Both Hunter and the nurse said with furrowed brows. Hunter looked at her and saw the pain in her eyes. "Oh gods...You...We?" He muttered in confusion. He turned to the nurse who looked at the clipboard.
"You're not pregnant." She said, shaking her head. "It doesn't even look like you've ever been pregnant." She said with a shrug. "Don't always trust home tests. To get an accurate reading, it's better to come to a doctor who try several tests over extended periods of time." She said with a nod. Hunter sat there, mouth open and eyes wide. He finally looked at Arabella, but couldn't find the right words to say. "As I said, you're good to go as soon as you feel up to it. Have a good day." She said before leaving the room. Have a good day. Hunter thought to himself. How can she drop something that large on two people and then leave like it was nothing?
"Uhh...I don't...Ellie, I'm..." He said confusedly, hoping that she would speak first.
Arabella couldn't look at Hunter. She could hardly breathe, let alone turn her head to look at him. She rested her arm on her face, covering her eyes and she started to cry. Everything that he had been dreaming about, everything that she had been thinking about..it was all gone. The baby names that she had been thinking of, the design for the baby's room, the books and the toys and the clothes she was going to buy...all gone. Arabella took a breath and hiccuped, sobs shaking her whole body. "I want to go home" she managed to whisper.
Hunter closed his mouth and blinked, shaking himself back to reality. He nodded and scooped her into his arms. He didn't care that he was carrying her in public. He didn't even know how to react still. Did he want to have a kid? Of course, he did, but did he want a kid right now? He wasn't ready. When he was ready, would he want children with Arabella? Absolutely, he would. He carried her out to his car and put her in the passenger seat. He got in the car and started toward the house. It felt like a long time, the drive. The only noise was Arabella's sobs shaking her entire body. Hunter felt a tear fall down his cheek, not even knowing why. "Ellie, I'm so sorry." He said, putting an arm around her.
Arabella let herself fall into Hunter and she buried her face in his side. She hiccuped lightly and tried to take a deep breath but it was nearly impossible. All Arabella wanted to do was go home, change into her pajamas and curl up on the couch with Hunter, her teddy bear and some tea. She felt empty and lost. The mothering instinct had hit her so fast and so hard, it was insane. She never thought that she would have kids but now, she wanted it with her whole heart. She felt like she had lost her baby. Even though there was no baby in the first place. "I-we-I just-" Arabella wanted to say something but she didn't know what. Her voice cut off when another sob rocked through her body and she tried desperately to take a deep breath.
"Shh..." He said quietly as he drove. He was still unsure of how he felt. She is upset that she didn't have a baby. His baby. Hunter was going to be a dad. Did he want that? He finally drove into the driveway and put it in park. He didn't want to feel like he was hurrying her out of the car. He looked at her and kissed her head. He loved her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. There was no doubt about it. He wanted to marry her. He wanted to start a family with her. He wanted to grow old with her.
Arabella curled up and she rested her head on her knees, working on taking slow, deep breaths. She needed to calm down. She didn't want to be a sobbing mess anymore. Arabella wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Hunter" Arabella whispered into her legs, not looking up at Hunter. She didn't really know what she was saying sorry for. For scaring him? For not telling him the truth sooner? For crying like this? She didn't know, but it felt like the right thing for her to say.
"Don't be sorry." He said, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong." He said, putting his head on hers and closing his eyes. At this point he wasn't sure if he preferred her to be pregnant or not. "Come on. Let's get you inside." He said as he shut off the car and got out. As he walked over to the other side it began to rain. He pulled open her door and scooped her up, closing the door with his foot. He brought her inside and up the stairs. "I'll be back up in a minute." He hurried down and heated up some water. He made tea and hurried back up to see Arabella in her pajamas. "I made you some tea." He said quietly as he handed her the mug. "Do you need anything else?" He asked, feeling a little too restless to sit just yet.
Arabella took a small sip of her tea before placing it on the table beside the bed. She was exhausted and worn out and rather upset over what had happened. Arabella picked her teddy bear off of the floor and hugged him to her chest as she leaned back on the pillows. "No..thanks for the tea" she whispered and looked up at him with wide eyes. She didn't know if he was going to stay with her or not. She hoped that he would because she didn't want to be alone. But she didn't have the energy to get out of bed and go anywhere with him.
Hunter looked down at her and bounced on his toes a minute. He finally slipped his shoes off and got into bed next to her. He didn't know what to say. He always knew what to say. The perfect thing to cheer someone up. He could always see things in a positive light, but now...He was clueless. "I..uh..I don't know what to say, Ellie. I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I wish I knew what to say, but..." He took a deep breath and let his voice trail off. "What were you going to do?" He said quietly. She looked at him with discouraged eyes. "I mean to say...What.." He rubbed his forehead briefly. "Boy or girl?" He asked.
Arabella looked down, blinking back more tears that threatened to spill over. Her arms wrapped around her teddy bear tighter and she took a little breath. "Girl" She whispered "I thought it would be a girl" she added, her voice breaking off. After a few moments of silence, during which, Arabella thought over his questions she gave a little sob and she looked back up at Hunter. "I wanted her so bad" she confessed, not sure how he would react to that. "I thought that I would tell you and you would hug me and we would start planning a wonderful life with the baby...our baby..." she whispered before her voice was cut off by another sob.
"Shh..." He said, putting an arm around her and rubbing her arm lightly. He was a little shocked. He didn't think that Arabella would be the kind of person to want a baby that badly. He wanted kids too, but he wanted them when they were settled down. They have a wedding to go to and they plan on driving. They've only been together a few weeks. He doesn't even have a job. He didn't want to talk about that right now though. He wanted to talk about their future daughter. "What's her name? What's our daughter's name?" He asked, kissing her temple.
"Audrey. Audrey Grace Reed" Arabella breathed and she sniffled lightly. She didn't really know how Hunter would have reacted if she was pregnant but it was comforting to have him by her side and asking her questions about the girl that Arabella missed. She had never even existed but Arabella missed her. Arabella nuzzled in, closer to Hunter and she took a breath. During the time that Arabella thought she was pregnant, Arabella had dreams about the baby. She imagined everything about her. "She was going to look like you. Beautiful brown hair and dark eyes" Arabella whispered, closing her eyes for a moment.
Hunter's heart skipped a beat when she heard his last name. He barely recognized it. "That's a beautiful name." He said with a nod. "Audrey will have your smile, though. Your beautiful smile." He said with sigh. He missed her smile. It had felt like months since he had seen her smile. Seeing her sad like this made him feel awful. He kissed her temple again and sighed. He wanted this, but he never expected having to face it so soon.
Arabella bit back another wave of tears and she hid her face in Hunter's side. She was shocked at herself, at the reaction she was having to this. She never thought that she was going to want kids. She remembered when her and her friends would start talking about having kids, Arabella always said that she was never going to have kids. She was going to be too busy going around the world with her clothing line. She didn't even think that she would fall in love the way that she has. But here she was, feeling so upset about finding out that she isn't pregnant. Like they had been trying to have a baby. "I'm sorry, Hunter. I should have told you sooner..I was just...I was afraid that you would be upset"
"Ellie," He said with a sigh. "I want whatever makes you happy." He said with a nod. "I don't think a kid is the best idea, right now, though. I don't have a job. We're not married. We've only been together a few weeks." He said, clearing his throat. "Ellie, even if you were pregnant, I would be here supporting you one hundred percent. When we...finally have kids, I will love on them more than I thought was possible, but right now, I'm not ready." Hunter pulled her face to look at him. He wiped her tears with her thumb and kissed her eyes, catching the tears that had built up on her lashes. "We are going to get married. We're going to raise a family. We're going to cry when they go to college. We'll grow old together. We'll play with grandkids. We'll do it all and never will I stop being in love with you." He said before placing a kiss on her forehead. "So, maybe we can wait on meeting Audrey for a while? It'll give you plenty of time to finalize the name." He said with a nod.
Arabella lifted her head up to look at him. He said that they were going to get married and grow old together and raise a family. He wanted all of the same things that Arabella wanted. She placed her chin on his chest a a small smile spread across her lips. Having Hunter in her life was huge and she didn't even want to think about where she would be if it wasn't for him. Well, the truth was that if it wasn't for him, she probably would have died years ago at camp. She stretched up and placed a small kiss against his lips then let her lips brush down his jaw and neck as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you" she whispered, not really sure what else there was to say. Arabella agreed with him. They weren't ready to have a baby. That was just crazy. She was still a little sad over all of it but her emotions were on such a high from the last couple of days, she didn't even know what she was feeling, really.
Hunter smiled, glad that she was coming out of this funk. Even if it was a gradual reemergence. "I love you too." He said quietly. The two of them sat there in relative silence. They were back to being in their comfortable silence. No long was it made awkward by hidden secrets and fearful confessions. "So, are we going to have any other kids?" He whispered with his eyes closed. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. "Auddie is going to want a younger sibling, right?" He whispered, leaning his head back against the wall.
"You and your nicknames.." Arabella said with a small giggle. She took a deep breath and she let it out in a yawn. The whole day had been exhausting. "Well, she's going to need a brother." she said, like it was obvious "But I'm thinking that two might be perfect. One day" she whispered and looked up at him. He was the most perfect man that she could ever ask for and she was looking forward to spending her life with him and growing old with him. "You are so good to me, Hunter. Thanks for...for being here" she whispered.
"I live here, remember?" He said with a smile. "You deserve it." He looked down at her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I was actually thinking 3 kids. One boy, one girl, and then let the fates decide the third." He said, pulling her closer. A smile broke across his face as he finally let his fatigue grab hold of his mind. "A nice happy family." He said quietly. With a sigh of happiness, he closed his eyes and breathed in everything that had just happened. She wanted to marry him. And have his children. "Good night, Ellie. I love you." He said quietly as he drifted to sleep, looking forward to the first day in a very bright future ahead of them.
Chapter 96 - Hunter and Arabella
Hunter let out a grumble as he woke up. The sun was shining in his face and there was warmth all around him. He sat his head up a little and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. When his vision finally focused again he saw his extra source of heat. Arabella was snuggled next to him with a soft smile across her face. Hunter stared for a few moments, looking at the way she pursed her lips together with every inhale and flared her nostrils with every exhale. Her eyes moved rapidly under her eyelids. Hunter was hoping that she was having happy dreams. He smiled softly and put his head back down, not wanting to wake her. He ever-so-lightly kissed her hair and closed his eyes as he ran fingers through her hair and grazed his fingers up and down her arm. "Non, je ne regrette rien..." He sang in not even a whisper.
Arabella was dreaming that she was sitting in Hunter's car. Then sun was warm but the air was cold and when she looked out of the window, she saw that they were no longer in New York. She had her feet on the dash and a magazine across her lap. With a small sigh, Arabella flipped the page of the magazine, wondering where Hunter was. The door opened and Hunter slipped into the car. Arabella smiled at him but saw that he was holding a huge cup of coffee for her, about as big as his head. As she looked at him, she saw as he turned into a big slice of pizza that started singing to her in french.
Arabella woke up, her stomach growling. Hunter was beside her and he wasn't a piece of pizza, but he was singing to her in french. A smile grew bigger on her lips and she stretched her legs out a little bit. She moaned softly and snuggled into him a bit tighter. "Good morning" she whispered.
"Non, rien de rien." He continued a little louder before smiling at her. "Good morning, mon doux." He said quietly, leaning forward to kiss her lips lightly. Her stomach grumbled again which made him laugh. "Someone's hungry." He said, lightly putting a hand on her back. "You want me to go make some food for you, mon amie?" He asked as he grazed her skin with his fingers.
"Mmm..not yet" Arabella said softly and she stretched up a little bit so that she could place little kisses along his jaw. The night before had been amazing and she wasn't ready for Hunter or herself to get out of bed just yet. She smiled against his skin then nuzzled her face into his neck. "How did you sleep?"
"Fantastiquement." He said with a smile. He had spoken more French last night than he had in years. His mind was still a little used to it. He didn't mind the reaction Arabella was giving him though either. "You were great last night, by the way. I'm still tired." He said with a chuckle as he pushed her up toward him, placing kisses on her cheeks.
"You're one to talk" Arabella giggled and she ran a hand down his arm a little bit. She didn't want that moment to end. She didn't want to get out of the bed and go back to reality. Arabella yawned gently and she looked up at him with a tired smile and her stomach growled again. "Ugh..this is so ruining the moment" she groaned and put her face into his neck.
Hunter pulled her up on top of him and pressed his lips to hers. "Just ignore it." He brushed his lips to her ear and kissed it gently. "Ma belle." He whispered, letting his lips lightly graze her lobe. "Think of something else." He said quietly as she clutched his face and pressed his lips tightly to hers. Hunter ran his hands up and down her back when he heard her stomach growl once again. He turned his face away and sighed. "Stay here. I'll get you something." He said, sliding out of bed. He hurried downstairs and into the kitchen where he pulled out a pan, some butter, a few pieces of bread, two slices of cheese, and the iron. He turned the stove on as high as it would go and turned on the iron. He quickly built the sandwiches and waited for things to heat up.
Arabella laid back on the bed, catching her breath. The night before had just been so perfect, making her feel so connected to Hunter in a way that she could never being to explain. Then she woke up and Hunter started speaking french, getting her all worked up again. The room felt empty without Hunter there. With a sigh, she pushed herself out of the bed and walked towards the closet. She smiled softly at the neatly folded clothes and she ran her hands along the fabrics. With a smirk, she pulled on a small silk robe, tying it loosely around her waist. Arabella walked out of the room and down the stairs. She saw Hunter and she looked at his back for a moment, admiring the shape of his muscles. She shook herself then padded over to Hunter, wrapping her arms around his middle and placing little kisses between his shoulder blades.
Hunter smiled and put his arm on hers as he used his free hand to press the iron on the sandwiches. "Ellie, I told you to stay there." He said with a sigh. He turned around and gasped at the robe she was wearing. "My goodness." He said quietly as he put his hands on her hips. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers. "You're pretty." He said with a chuckle. He brushed his lips to her ear and whispered. "Tu es incroyable."
Arabella let out a sigh and she slipped an arm around his neck, shivering at his voice. She didn't even know that she got so excited by a man speaking french to her, since the only guys she knew that she could speak french with were her brothers. Arabella pulled him closer to her and she ran her hands down his back, digging her nails into his skin lightly. "What are the plans for today?" she breathed, trying to calm herself down a little bit.
"I'm probably going to take Tyler to the...store. For the stuff for the basement." He said quietly, placing small kisses on her neck and shoulder. He nibbled on her skin and moved the collar of the robe aside a little. "If we buy it today, then we can set it up tomorrow. Then it'll be ready for his birthday the next day." He said, grazing her skin with his lips.
"Sounds like a good day" Arabella whispered and she dug her nails into his skin a little bit tighter. She pulled away a little bit when her stomach growled again, like it was reminding her that she was hungry and that she couldn't jump Hunter's bones everytime he spoke french to her. "We should...breakfast" she breathed but she pulled him closer and bit her lip.
"Oh!" Hunter turned back around quickly and looked at the sandwiches. They were a little crispier than Hunter intended, but they were still good. He slid them onto a plate and shut off the stove and the iron before putting turning around to Arabella. "Breakfast." He said before pressing his lips tightly to hers almost trying to fit all of the day's passion into this one kiss. There would be time to be with her later in the day.
Arabella knew what everyone was talking about it all of those romantic movies in that moment. She was swooning, he was sweeping her off of her feet, he was making her heart race. Before she did anything to get herself too swept up in the moment, Arabella pulled away slightly, kissing him lightly. "Later" she whispered and ran a finger down his chest then turned to her breakfast. "This looks so good, Hunter. Thanks"
Hunter nodded and put the plate on the table. "Let's eat." He said with a smile. He sat down and said a silent prayer to Aphrodite before beginning to eat. "After we eat, do you want to take a shower first or should I?" He asked, biting into his sandwich.
Arabella took a bite out of her sandwich and she shrugged. She chewed for a moment and swallowed before answering him. "You can go first. I'll probably take longer, so you can get dressed and stuff while I shower" she said in a teasing sort of tone. She got up and walked over to pour herself a cup of coffee before sitting down again. "Tyler thinks you're pretty amazing, by the way" she said with a smile.
"Well, I think he's pretty cool too." Hunter said with a chuckle. "I can't express how much he reminds me of me." He said with a sigh. "It's a shame that he doesn't have more people to hang out with." He finished his sandwich and put his plate in the sink. "Why is he homeschooled? I mean, is it just your dad or is it something with him?"
"He was getting bullied a lot at school and the school wasn't doing anything about it. Dad kept taking him out of schools when he started to get harassed and putting him into new schools but it would just start all over again. So Tyler eventually asked to just be home schooled" Arabella said and took a small sip of her coffee. Arabella had been teased when she was in school but she had Camp Half Blood to escape to. "He was always the skinny, nerdy kid and I guess the other kids saw him as an easy target. Then his mom had a total meltdown and everyone on the Upper East Side heard about it and the teasing just got worse"
"That's awful." Hunter said, shaking his head. "I hate bullies. How did he deal with it?" Hunter asked. "I mean, did he fight back? Did he tell someone? I guess you can't challenge them to a sparring match like I did at camp..." He sighed and looked back at Arabella. "Is there anything I can do to help him? I don't know what I could do, in the first place..."
"Just keep doing what you're doing, Hunter. It really means a lot to all of us that you're spending time with Tyler and setting the basement up for him. He looks really happy" Arabella said with a small smile and she finished off her sandwich. "He told Dad and Dad talked to the school but they never really made sure that it stopped. They would talk to the guys that were bullying him once and then forget about it. All of the private schools in the Upper East Side don't really care about anything like that. They just want your money and alot of their students to go to ivy league universities"
Hunter sighed. He shook his head. "I feel like I should teach him something. How to defend himself or something." He said quietly. "I don't know. Okay. I'm going to go take a shower." He said finally before kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Give me 15 minutes before coming in after me." He said with a wink before walking toward the stairs.
Arabella laughed and she quickly finished her coffee then walked over to do the dishes. Once those were done, she walked up the stairs and into their bedroom to find something to wear for the day. She didn't really feel like getting to dressed up or wearing anything too special. So she pulled out a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a white shirt with 3/4 sleeves. Arabella laid it out on the bed and walked around, getting everything that she needed for her shower. With a sigh, she flopped down on the bed, trying to resist the urge to go into the bathroom with Hunter. She thought about it for a moment then shrugged, picked up her stuff and walked into the bathroom. "Has it been 15 minutes, yet?"
When Arabella came in, Hunter was just shutting the shower off. "16 actually." He said with a laugh. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before stepping out of the shower. "If you'll excuse me..." He said, scooting past her. He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Pardonnez-moi." He said with a wink before stepping out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
"Oh sweet Jesus" Arabella whispered when he closed the door. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. With a little smile, she opened the door a crack. "You are so mean to me!" she called after him then closed the door, peeled off her clothes and stepped into the shower.
"Love you!" He shouted back as he slipped a t-shirt over his head. He pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a pair of socks and his green converse. He sat on the bed for a little while just thinking about Tyler and everything he's gone through. That's when Arabella walked out of the shower.
Arabella stepped into the room, holding a towel around her body loosely and she gave Hunter a small smile. "What a great shower" she said and walked into her closet, making sure to wiggle her hips just a little bit more than usual. Hunter wasn't going to get away with teasing her like that so easily. Arabella opened up a drawer and started to look through it for certain bra with a smirk on her face.
Hunter looked away at her with red cheeks. He sighed and looked at the closet. "Uhh...Well, I'm going to go." He said, standing up from the bed. He slowly walked over and leaned his back on the wall next to the doorway to the closet. "Did you want to come along to the store with us? Maybe there's a game you want to buy or something." He asked quietly.
Arabella found what he was looking for and quickly pulled it on. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'm always up for a shopping trip" she giggled and stuck her hand out of the closet. "Pass me my clothes on the bed, would you?" she asked and waited for Hunter to pick up her shirt and jeans and put them in her hand. She said and quick thanks and pulled on her jeans then stepped out of the closet with her shirt in her hands. "What time are we leaving? Right away?"
Hunter glanced over and blushed again. "Oui." He said, looking away from her as she slipped her shirt on over her head. He suddenly had the realization that she was getting back at him for teasing her. This had become a contest of who would give up first. He smiled and put his hands on her waist. "Vous regardez plus belle à chaque moment qui passe de la journée, mon amie." He whispered before pressing his lips to hers. "Laissez-moi baiser tes lèvres et murmure des mots doux à votre oreille. Nous allons tomber en amour tout recommencer." He continued against her lips. He felt her pull him closer and that's when Hunter smiled and pulled away. "Well, best not keep Tyler waiting." He said with a chuckle. He winked at her and turned toward the door.
Arabella watched him walk away and she had to catch her breath. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and she quickly pushed on her bracelets and looked back at him. The look on her face was definitely a game face. This was a challenge and Arabella wasn't going to lose it. She walked past him and as she did, she smacked his butt lightly. "Game on, buddy" she said with a wink and walked down the stairs.
Hunter laughed and shook his head. "20 years, Ellie. That's how long I've gone without." He said as he followed her down the stairs. "You don't think I can last a couple more days without it?" He swung himself in front of her and put his hands on her hips. "That as long as you'll last." He whispered, leaning forward enough to breath gently on her ear. "Miele grappolo." He breathed in Italian. He snickered to himself and walked out the door, toward the car.
Arabella watched Hunter walk towards the car and she took a breath, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. She was determined to win this. She was going to win this. Hunter wasn't making it very easy though. With a huff, she followed Hunter towards the car and she slid into the passenger side seat. "Do you know what stores we're going to?" she asked him, looking over at him when he sat down.
"I haven't a clue." Hunter said with a sigh. He backed out of the driveway and turned toward Arabella's dad's apartment in New York City. They drove for a few minutes when Arabella opened her window and turned on the radio. She put her feet on the dash with nails that were painted bright red. She sang along and danced to the music with her hair flapping in the wind. He thought she looked incredibly cute. He shook out of it and focused on the road. The road. The road. Driving. He thought to himself, trying to keep himself focused. He glanced over to see her pulling down the mirror and opening makeup. "What are you doing?" He asked, stupidly. "I mean, why are you doing that? You look beautiful without makeup." He said quietly.
Arabella looked at Hunter for a moment, a little bit startled by his question. She wasn't really expecting it. "I don't know..habit, I guess. I feel better with makeup on" she said with a shrug and she looked over at Hunter with a small smile on her face and her cheeks were a little pink. She looked at him for a moment, wondering what he was thinking and feeling. He had so much to look forward to in his life and she knew that he was going to make a big impact on the world, even if he didn't know it yet. Her hand fluttered down to her stomach and she leaned back against the seat. "Thanks, though. You look pretty studly without makeup too" she said with a wink.
"Thanks. I try to go for a natural look." He said with a chuckle, looking over at Arabella. Even looking past all the sex, the kissing, the turmoil, she was his best friend. Everyone in camp had almost given up on him, but as soon as she saw him she was there for him. "I'll have to try that shade of red on my toenails, though. I always feel more powerful with a strong shade of red." He nodded like it was a fact. They finally arrived at the apartment building and Hunter parked. "Do you want to call him and he can come down or should we go up?" He asked with a shrug. It was at times like these when a phone of his own seemed like a good idea, but they never really appealed to Hunter. He never found it necessary.
"Maybe you should get your own phone" Arabella teased and she took her phone out of her purse, her fingers flew over the screen as she wrote a quick text to Tyler, telling him to get his butt downstairs then she slipped her phone away. She looked down at her toe nails before turning to look at Hunter again. "Red would be a wonderful color for you" she said with a nod. One of her hands rested on her stomach again and she snuck her other hand over to rest on his thigh, waiting for Tyler to come down the stairs.
"It really does wonders for my eye color." He said with a shrug. "Or something like that." He smiled over at her and put a hand on her hand, giving it a light squeeze. He glanced down at her hand on her stomach and raised an eyebrow. "Still hungry or are we going to see the sandwich again?" He asked, feeling a little concerned.
"Hmmm?" Arabella said and she looked down at her stomach. She hadn't even realized that she had put her hand there. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine" she said in a slightly nervous voice, her cheeks were suddenly pink. Hunter opened his mouth to say something but at that moment, Tyler walked outside and he got into the car with a happy look on his face.
"Hi, guys!" Tyler said excitedly, not noticing Arabella's pink cheeks or slightly tense atmosphere in the car.
"Hi, Tyler" Arabella said softly, looking away from Hunter.
Hunter blinked at Arabella. Something was amiss, but he was sure there would be time for that later. "Hey, Tyler." He said, putting his happy face back on. "How's things?" He asked with a smile.
"Boring, really." Tyler responded with a shrug. "So, where are we going?" He asked with a sigh.
"I have no idea. Point the way." Hunter said, shifting into drive. Tyler gave the directions and Hunter drove toward their destination.
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Arabella opened the door to the house and she walked inside, carrying hardly anything. Just a few bags that had some games in them. She placed them on the counter and turned around to see Tyler and Hunter walking into the house with boxes in both of their arms.
"Why do you get to carry the bags and we have to carry the heavy boxes?" Tyler huffed and he placed the boxes down on the floor for a moment.
"What's this 'we' stuff?" Hunter asked as he stepped inside, carrying the TV. "I'm carrying the heavy box. You're carrying boxes." He looked Arabella up and down. "You're only sort of doing work in the first place." He said with a chuckle as he pushed past and started down the stairs. He finally set it down and sighed. "I'm...pooped." He said with a sigh. "What say we pick this up tomorrow?" He asked quietly.
Tyler nodded in agreement and he yawned, leaning against the wall. "Tomorrow sounds good" he said and he pushed himself off of the wall. He didn't really know how he was getting home but he was looking forward to going home. Arabella seemed to be a little bit out of it and lost in her own little world.
"I'll drive you" Arabella said suddenly and she grabbed her car keys. She was nervous about being around Hunter a little bit because of all the things going on in her mind. So she figured that a drive to drop off Tyler would help her clear her mind. Arabella kissed Hunter's cheek lightly before walking out of the house with Tyler.
Once they were on the road, Tyler looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's up with you? You've been acting weird all day" he said and Arabella looked at him briefly then shrugged, but her hands on the steering wheel tightened.
"Nothing. I'm fine" Arabella said softly and Tyler scoffed.
"You are many things Arabella but you are not a good liar. Tell me what's wrong" Tyler said and Arabella looked at him before pulling up to the apartment, parking the car. Could she tell him? Maybe he would know what to do. Maybe she would be able to tell him and he wouldn't start giving her tons of advice that just made it even more confusing. Arabella took a deep breath and she looked down at her stomach.
"I think I might be pregnant" Arabella whispered, not looking at Tyler's face. "I took a test and it came up as positive, so I took another and it was positive too"
"Bell...just go to the doctor" Tyler said in a soft voice and Arabella still didn't look at his face. "These tests are often wrong. Don't freak out just yet" he added and Arabella nodded a little bit, trying to calm down. Tyler sighed and he gave her a small hug. "You would be an awesome mom" he told her before sliding out of the car.
"I love you, Ty" Arabella said, looking up at him for the first time. Tyler gave her a small smile, looking a little bit worried about her.
"I love you too, Bell" Tyler said and Arabella pulled away, driving back towards the house. Maybe Tyler was right. She would just have to make an appointment with the doctor sometime. When she got to the house, Arabella walked down to the basement, wondering if Hunter and left yet. She saw him laying down on the ground and looking up at the ceiling. With a small smile on her face, Arabella sat down beside him. "Hey, Stud Muffin"
"Miele grappolo!" He said with a tired smile. For some reason, he had reached that level of fatigue that he was incredibly fun. "You have returned to our castle on the shore." He said as he sat up and put a hand on her back. "Tyler get home okay?" He asked quickly. She nodded. "Did he seem...happy?" He asked, putting his forehead on her shoulder. He could feel her nod. "Okay. My final question: Are you okay? You seem...odd." He asked, looking up and rubbing her back. "The whole stomach thing. Do I need to take you to the hospital or something?" He asked, putting his chin on her shoulder and looking at her.
Arabella froze for a second, a little unsure of what to say to him. She didn't want to talk about it. She wasn't ready to tell him. Arabella was nervous about telling him because she was nervous about how he would react. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of having a baby with Hunter. Maybe a little girl. She could imagine waking up in the morning and playing with their daughter for a little while before kissing Hunter goodbye as he went to work. Then when he came home, they would sit in the living room and play together. Then they would kiss their little girl goodnight and fall asleep in each other's arms. It would be a perfect life and Arabella wanted it. Without thinking, she put her hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. Would Hunter feel the same way? Would be be happy and excited or would he be mad and try to talk her out of having the baby?
"I'm fine, Hunter. No need to worry. I just feel a little off today. Too much coffee, maybe" Arabella said softly.
Hunter blinked at her a few times. "You sure?" He asked quietly. "Is it because I keep teasing you? I'll do whatever you want, Ellie." He said, kissing her cheek lightly. "My woman gets what my woman wants." He said quietly with a small chuckle. He really just wanted to cheer her up. She looked down and that broke Hunter's heart. "Come on. Let's go to sleep." He said, pressing his lips to her cheek again. He leaned her back and laid next to her. He pulled her into his shoulder a little and kissed her temple. "Let's not wake up with a loud tummy tomorrow, okay?" He asked before placing a hand on her stomach.
Arabella looked down at his hand on her stomach and even though he was only teasing her, Arabella felt like crying. This moment..his hand on her stomach, her laying in his arms, his baby just under his hand..it was all so perfect. Arabella nodded softly and she buried her face into his side, trying not to show what she was feeling. She could imagine herself at eight months pregnant, with Hunter holding her in his arms with a hand on her stomach, waiting to see if the baby kicked. With a small sigh, Arabella closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Hunter" she mumbled into his side.
"Good night, Ellie." Hunter said with a smile. He rubbed her stomach and closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but unable. "Wait. I forgot something." He said sticking his head up. Hunter heard a muffled, 'What?' from Arabella. He kissed her head. He looked at her and at every waking moment he knew that she was the only one that he ever wanted to be with. She was his soulmate if there ever was a thing. "You're the love of my life, sweetie. I love you." He said before putting his head back down and rubbing her stomach. He wasn't sure if there was any greater feeling in his entire life than what he was feeling right now.
His hand on her stomach, his words echoing in her ears and his warm body against her was almost too much for her. She was going to tell him tomorrow. She would tell him that she was pregnant and he would hug her and tell her that he loves her and they would spend the night looking at baby names and shopping online for baby things. It would be perfect. They would work on clearing out a spare room so that they could turn it into the baby's room and they would plan their lives together. It would be perfect. "I love you too" she whispered in a small voice and she squeezed her eyelids shut when tears started to prickle at her eyes.
Arabella was dreaming that she was sitting in Hunter's car. Then sun was warm but the air was cold and when she looked out of the window, she saw that they were no longer in New York. She had her feet on the dash and a magazine across her lap. With a small sigh, Arabella flipped the page of the magazine, wondering where Hunter was. The door opened and Hunter slipped into the car. Arabella smiled at him but saw that he was holding a huge cup of coffee for her, about as big as his head. As she looked at him, she saw as he turned into a big slice of pizza that started singing to her in french.
Arabella woke up, her stomach growling. Hunter was beside her and he wasn't a piece of pizza, but he was singing to her in french. A smile grew bigger on her lips and she stretched her legs out a little bit. She moaned softly and snuggled into him a bit tighter. "Good morning" she whispered.
"Non, rien de rien." He continued a little louder before smiling at her. "Good morning, mon doux." He said quietly, leaning forward to kiss her lips lightly. Her stomach grumbled again which made him laugh. "Someone's hungry." He said, lightly putting a hand on her back. "You want me to go make some food for you, mon amie?" He asked as he grazed her skin with his fingers.
"Mmm..not yet" Arabella said softly and she stretched up a little bit so that she could place little kisses along his jaw. The night before had been amazing and she wasn't ready for Hunter or herself to get out of bed just yet. She smiled against his skin then nuzzled her face into his neck. "How did you sleep?"
"Fantastiquement." He said with a smile. He had spoken more French last night than he had in years. His mind was still a little used to it. He didn't mind the reaction Arabella was giving him though either. "You were great last night, by the way. I'm still tired." He said with a chuckle as he pushed her up toward him, placing kisses on her cheeks.
"You're one to talk" Arabella giggled and she ran a hand down his arm a little bit. She didn't want that moment to end. She didn't want to get out of the bed and go back to reality. Arabella yawned gently and she looked up at him with a tired smile and her stomach growled again. "Ugh..this is so ruining the moment" she groaned and put her face into his neck.
Hunter pulled her up on top of him and pressed his lips to hers. "Just ignore it." He brushed his lips to her ear and kissed it gently. "Ma belle." He whispered, letting his lips lightly graze her lobe. "Think of something else." He said quietly as she clutched his face and pressed his lips tightly to hers. Hunter ran his hands up and down her back when he heard her stomach growl once again. He turned his face away and sighed. "Stay here. I'll get you something." He said, sliding out of bed. He hurried downstairs and into the kitchen where he pulled out a pan, some butter, a few pieces of bread, two slices of cheese, and the iron. He turned the stove on as high as it would go and turned on the iron. He quickly built the sandwiches and waited for things to heat up.
Arabella laid back on the bed, catching her breath. The night before had just been so perfect, making her feel so connected to Hunter in a way that she could never being to explain. Then she woke up and Hunter started speaking french, getting her all worked up again. The room felt empty without Hunter there. With a sigh, she pushed herself out of the bed and walked towards the closet. She smiled softly at the neatly folded clothes and she ran her hands along the fabrics. With a smirk, she pulled on a small silk robe, tying it loosely around her waist. Arabella walked out of the room and down the stairs. She saw Hunter and she looked at his back for a moment, admiring the shape of his muscles. She shook herself then padded over to Hunter, wrapping her arms around his middle and placing little kisses between his shoulder blades.
Hunter smiled and put his arm on hers as he used his free hand to press the iron on the sandwiches. "Ellie, I told you to stay there." He said with a sigh. He turned around and gasped at the robe she was wearing. "My goodness." He said quietly as he put his hands on her hips. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers. "You're pretty." He said with a chuckle. He brushed his lips to her ear and whispered. "Tu es incroyable."
Arabella let out a sigh and she slipped an arm around his neck, shivering at his voice. She didn't even know that she got so excited by a man speaking french to her, since the only guys she knew that she could speak french with were her brothers. Arabella pulled him closer to her and she ran her hands down his back, digging her nails into his skin lightly. "What are the plans for today?" she breathed, trying to calm herself down a little bit.
"I'm probably going to take Tyler to the...store. For the stuff for the basement." He said quietly, placing small kisses on her neck and shoulder. He nibbled on her skin and moved the collar of the robe aside a little. "If we buy it today, then we can set it up tomorrow. Then it'll be ready for his birthday the next day." He said, grazing her skin with his lips.
"Sounds like a good day" Arabella whispered and she dug her nails into his skin a little bit tighter. She pulled away a little bit when her stomach growled again, like it was reminding her that she was hungry and that she couldn't jump Hunter's bones everytime he spoke french to her. "We should...breakfast" she breathed but she pulled him closer and bit her lip.
"Oh!" Hunter turned back around quickly and looked at the sandwiches. They were a little crispier than Hunter intended, but they were still good. He slid them onto a plate and shut off the stove and the iron before putting turning around to Arabella. "Breakfast." He said before pressing his lips tightly to hers almost trying to fit all of the day's passion into this one kiss. There would be time to be with her later in the day.
Arabella knew what everyone was talking about it all of those romantic movies in that moment. She was swooning, he was sweeping her off of her feet, he was making her heart race. Before she did anything to get herself too swept up in the moment, Arabella pulled away slightly, kissing him lightly. "Later" she whispered and ran a finger down his chest then turned to her breakfast. "This looks so good, Hunter. Thanks"
Hunter nodded and put the plate on the table. "Let's eat." He said with a smile. He sat down and said a silent prayer to Aphrodite before beginning to eat. "After we eat, do you want to take a shower first or should I?" He asked, biting into his sandwich.
Arabella took a bite out of her sandwich and she shrugged. She chewed for a moment and swallowed before answering him. "You can go first. I'll probably take longer, so you can get dressed and stuff while I shower" she said in a teasing sort of tone. She got up and walked over to pour herself a cup of coffee before sitting down again. "Tyler thinks you're pretty amazing, by the way" she said with a smile.
"Well, I think he's pretty cool too." Hunter said with a chuckle. "I can't express how much he reminds me of me." He said with a sigh. "It's a shame that he doesn't have more people to hang out with." He finished his sandwich and put his plate in the sink. "Why is he homeschooled? I mean, is it just your dad or is it something with him?"
"He was getting bullied a lot at school and the school wasn't doing anything about it. Dad kept taking him out of schools when he started to get harassed and putting him into new schools but it would just start all over again. So Tyler eventually asked to just be home schooled" Arabella said and took a small sip of her coffee. Arabella had been teased when she was in school but she had Camp Half Blood to escape to. "He was always the skinny, nerdy kid and I guess the other kids saw him as an easy target. Then his mom had a total meltdown and everyone on the Upper East Side heard about it and the teasing just got worse"
"That's awful." Hunter said, shaking his head. "I hate bullies. How did he deal with it?" Hunter asked. "I mean, did he fight back? Did he tell someone? I guess you can't challenge them to a sparring match like I did at camp..." He sighed and looked back at Arabella. "Is there anything I can do to help him? I don't know what I could do, in the first place..."
"Just keep doing what you're doing, Hunter. It really means a lot to all of us that you're spending time with Tyler and setting the basement up for him. He looks really happy" Arabella said with a small smile and she finished off her sandwich. "He told Dad and Dad talked to the school but they never really made sure that it stopped. They would talk to the guys that were bullying him once and then forget about it. All of the private schools in the Upper East Side don't really care about anything like that. They just want your money and alot of their students to go to ivy league universities"
Hunter sighed. He shook his head. "I feel like I should teach him something. How to defend himself or something." He said quietly. "I don't know. Okay. I'm going to go take a shower." He said finally before kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Give me 15 minutes before coming in after me." He said with a wink before walking toward the stairs.
Arabella laughed and she quickly finished her coffee then walked over to do the dishes. Once those were done, she walked up the stairs and into their bedroom to find something to wear for the day. She didn't really feel like getting to dressed up or wearing anything too special. So she pulled out a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a white shirt with 3/4 sleeves. Arabella laid it out on the bed and walked around, getting everything that she needed for her shower. With a sigh, she flopped down on the bed, trying to resist the urge to go into the bathroom with Hunter. She thought about it for a moment then shrugged, picked up her stuff and walked into the bathroom. "Has it been 15 minutes, yet?"
When Arabella came in, Hunter was just shutting the shower off. "16 actually." He said with a laugh. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before stepping out of the shower. "If you'll excuse me..." He said, scooting past her. He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Pardonnez-moi." He said with a wink before stepping out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
"Oh sweet Jesus" Arabella whispered when he closed the door. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. With a little smile, she opened the door a crack. "You are so mean to me!" she called after him then closed the door, peeled off her clothes and stepped into the shower.
"Love you!" He shouted back as he slipped a t-shirt over his head. He pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a pair of socks and his green converse. He sat on the bed for a little while just thinking about Tyler and everything he's gone through. That's when Arabella walked out of the shower.
Arabella stepped into the room, holding a towel around her body loosely and she gave Hunter a small smile. "What a great shower" she said and walked into her closet, making sure to wiggle her hips just a little bit more than usual. Hunter wasn't going to get away with teasing her like that so easily. Arabella opened up a drawer and started to look through it for certain bra with a smirk on her face.
Hunter looked away at her with red cheeks. He sighed and looked at the closet. "Uhh...Well, I'm going to go." He said, standing up from the bed. He slowly walked over and leaned his back on the wall next to the doorway to the closet. "Did you want to come along to the store with us? Maybe there's a game you want to buy or something." He asked quietly.
Arabella found what he was looking for and quickly pulled it on. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'm always up for a shopping trip" she giggled and stuck her hand out of the closet. "Pass me my clothes on the bed, would you?" she asked and waited for Hunter to pick up her shirt and jeans and put them in her hand. She said and quick thanks and pulled on her jeans then stepped out of the closet with her shirt in her hands. "What time are we leaving? Right away?"
Hunter glanced over and blushed again. "Oui." He said, looking away from her as she slipped her shirt on over her head. He suddenly had the realization that she was getting back at him for teasing her. This had become a contest of who would give up first. He smiled and put his hands on her waist. "Vous regardez plus belle à chaque moment qui passe de la journée, mon amie." He whispered before pressing his lips to hers. "Laissez-moi baiser tes lèvres et murmure des mots doux à votre oreille. Nous allons tomber en amour tout recommencer." He continued against her lips. He felt her pull him closer and that's when Hunter smiled and pulled away. "Well, best not keep Tyler waiting." He said with a chuckle. He winked at her and turned toward the door.
Arabella watched him walk away and she had to catch her breath. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and she quickly pushed on her bracelets and looked back at him. The look on her face was definitely a game face. This was a challenge and Arabella wasn't going to lose it. She walked past him and as she did, she smacked his butt lightly. "Game on, buddy" she said with a wink and walked down the stairs.
Hunter laughed and shook his head. "20 years, Ellie. That's how long I've gone without." He said as he followed her down the stairs. "You don't think I can last a couple more days without it?" He swung himself in front of her and put his hands on her hips. "That as long as you'll last." He whispered, leaning forward enough to breath gently on her ear. "Miele grappolo." He breathed in Italian. He snickered to himself and walked out the door, toward the car.
Arabella watched Hunter walk towards the car and she took a breath, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. She was determined to win this. She was going to win this. Hunter wasn't making it very easy though. With a huff, she followed Hunter towards the car and she slid into the passenger side seat. "Do you know what stores we're going to?" she asked him, looking over at him when he sat down.
"I haven't a clue." Hunter said with a sigh. He backed out of the driveway and turned toward Arabella's dad's apartment in New York City. They drove for a few minutes when Arabella opened her window and turned on the radio. She put her feet on the dash with nails that were painted bright red. She sang along and danced to the music with her hair flapping in the wind. He thought she looked incredibly cute. He shook out of it and focused on the road. The road. The road. Driving. He thought to himself, trying to keep himself focused. He glanced over to see her pulling down the mirror and opening makeup. "What are you doing?" He asked, stupidly. "I mean, why are you doing that? You look beautiful without makeup." He said quietly.
Arabella looked at Hunter for a moment, a little bit startled by his question. She wasn't really expecting it. "I don't know..habit, I guess. I feel better with makeup on" she said with a shrug and she looked over at Hunter with a small smile on her face and her cheeks were a little pink. She looked at him for a moment, wondering what he was thinking and feeling. He had so much to look forward to in his life and she knew that he was going to make a big impact on the world, even if he didn't know it yet. Her hand fluttered down to her stomach and she leaned back against the seat. "Thanks, though. You look pretty studly without makeup too" she said with a wink.
"Thanks. I try to go for a natural look." He said with a chuckle, looking over at Arabella. Even looking past all the sex, the kissing, the turmoil, she was his best friend. Everyone in camp had almost given up on him, but as soon as she saw him she was there for him. "I'll have to try that shade of red on my toenails, though. I always feel more powerful with a strong shade of red." He nodded like it was a fact. They finally arrived at the apartment building and Hunter parked. "Do you want to call him and he can come down or should we go up?" He asked with a shrug. It was at times like these when a phone of his own seemed like a good idea, but they never really appealed to Hunter. He never found it necessary.
"Maybe you should get your own phone" Arabella teased and she took her phone out of her purse, her fingers flew over the screen as she wrote a quick text to Tyler, telling him to get his butt downstairs then she slipped her phone away. She looked down at her toe nails before turning to look at Hunter again. "Red would be a wonderful color for you" she said with a nod. One of her hands rested on her stomach again and she snuck her other hand over to rest on his thigh, waiting for Tyler to come down the stairs.
"It really does wonders for my eye color." He said with a shrug. "Or something like that." He smiled over at her and put a hand on her hand, giving it a light squeeze. He glanced down at her hand on her stomach and raised an eyebrow. "Still hungry or are we going to see the sandwich again?" He asked, feeling a little concerned.
"Hmmm?" Arabella said and she looked down at her stomach. She hadn't even realized that she had put her hand there. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine" she said in a slightly nervous voice, her cheeks were suddenly pink. Hunter opened his mouth to say something but at that moment, Tyler walked outside and he got into the car with a happy look on his face.
"Hi, guys!" Tyler said excitedly, not noticing Arabella's pink cheeks or slightly tense atmosphere in the car.
"Hi, Tyler" Arabella said softly, looking away from Hunter.
Hunter blinked at Arabella. Something was amiss, but he was sure there would be time for that later. "Hey, Tyler." He said, putting his happy face back on. "How's things?" He asked with a smile.
"Boring, really." Tyler responded with a shrug. "So, where are we going?" He asked with a sigh.
"I have no idea. Point the way." Hunter said, shifting into drive. Tyler gave the directions and Hunter drove toward their destination.
--------
Arabella opened the door to the house and she walked inside, carrying hardly anything. Just a few bags that had some games in them. She placed them on the counter and turned around to see Tyler and Hunter walking into the house with boxes in both of their arms.
"Why do you get to carry the bags and we have to carry the heavy boxes?" Tyler huffed and he placed the boxes down on the floor for a moment.
"What's this 'we' stuff?" Hunter asked as he stepped inside, carrying the TV. "I'm carrying the heavy box. You're carrying boxes." He looked Arabella up and down. "You're only sort of doing work in the first place." He said with a chuckle as he pushed past and started down the stairs. He finally set it down and sighed. "I'm...pooped." He said with a sigh. "What say we pick this up tomorrow?" He asked quietly.
Tyler nodded in agreement and he yawned, leaning against the wall. "Tomorrow sounds good" he said and he pushed himself off of the wall. He didn't really know how he was getting home but he was looking forward to going home. Arabella seemed to be a little bit out of it and lost in her own little world.
"I'll drive you" Arabella said suddenly and she grabbed her car keys. She was nervous about being around Hunter a little bit because of all the things going on in her mind. So she figured that a drive to drop off Tyler would help her clear her mind. Arabella kissed Hunter's cheek lightly before walking out of the house with Tyler.
Once they were on the road, Tyler looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's up with you? You've been acting weird all day" he said and Arabella looked at him briefly then shrugged, but her hands on the steering wheel tightened.
"Nothing. I'm fine" Arabella said softly and Tyler scoffed.
"You are many things Arabella but you are not a good liar. Tell me what's wrong" Tyler said and Arabella looked at him before pulling up to the apartment, parking the car. Could she tell him? Maybe he would know what to do. Maybe she would be able to tell him and he wouldn't start giving her tons of advice that just made it even more confusing. Arabella took a deep breath and she looked down at her stomach.
"I think I might be pregnant" Arabella whispered, not looking at Tyler's face. "I took a test and it came up as positive, so I took another and it was positive too"
"Bell...just go to the doctor" Tyler said in a soft voice and Arabella still didn't look at his face. "These tests are often wrong. Don't freak out just yet" he added and Arabella nodded a little bit, trying to calm down. Tyler sighed and he gave her a small hug. "You would be an awesome mom" he told her before sliding out of the car.
"I love you, Ty" Arabella said, looking up at him for the first time. Tyler gave her a small smile, looking a little bit worried about her.
"I love you too, Bell" Tyler said and Arabella pulled away, driving back towards the house. Maybe Tyler was right. She would just have to make an appointment with the doctor sometime. When she got to the house, Arabella walked down to the basement, wondering if Hunter and left yet. She saw him laying down on the ground and looking up at the ceiling. With a small smile on her face, Arabella sat down beside him. "Hey, Stud Muffin"
"Miele grappolo!" He said with a tired smile. For some reason, he had reached that level of fatigue that he was incredibly fun. "You have returned to our castle on the shore." He said as he sat up and put a hand on her back. "Tyler get home okay?" He asked quickly. She nodded. "Did he seem...happy?" He asked, putting his forehead on her shoulder. He could feel her nod. "Okay. My final question: Are you okay? You seem...odd." He asked, looking up and rubbing her back. "The whole stomach thing. Do I need to take you to the hospital or something?" He asked, putting his chin on her shoulder and looking at her.
Arabella froze for a second, a little unsure of what to say to him. She didn't want to talk about it. She wasn't ready to tell him. Arabella was nervous about telling him because she was nervous about how he would react. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of having a baby with Hunter. Maybe a little girl. She could imagine waking up in the morning and playing with their daughter for a little while before kissing Hunter goodbye as he went to work. Then when he came home, they would sit in the living room and play together. Then they would kiss their little girl goodnight and fall asleep in each other's arms. It would be a perfect life and Arabella wanted it. Without thinking, she put her hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. Would Hunter feel the same way? Would be be happy and excited or would he be mad and try to talk her out of having the baby?
"I'm fine, Hunter. No need to worry. I just feel a little off today. Too much coffee, maybe" Arabella said softly.
Hunter blinked at her a few times. "You sure?" He asked quietly. "Is it because I keep teasing you? I'll do whatever you want, Ellie." He said, kissing her cheek lightly. "My woman gets what my woman wants." He said quietly with a small chuckle. He really just wanted to cheer her up. She looked down and that broke Hunter's heart. "Come on. Let's go to sleep." He said, pressing his lips to her cheek again. He leaned her back and laid next to her. He pulled her into his shoulder a little and kissed her temple. "Let's not wake up with a loud tummy tomorrow, okay?" He asked before placing a hand on her stomach.
Arabella looked down at his hand on her stomach and even though he was only teasing her, Arabella felt like crying. This moment..his hand on her stomach, her laying in his arms, his baby just under his hand..it was all so perfect. Arabella nodded softly and she buried her face into his side, trying not to show what she was feeling. She could imagine herself at eight months pregnant, with Hunter holding her in his arms with a hand on her stomach, waiting to see if the baby kicked. With a small sigh, Arabella closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Hunter" she mumbled into his side.
"Good night, Ellie." Hunter said with a smile. He rubbed her stomach and closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but unable. "Wait. I forgot something." He said sticking his head up. Hunter heard a muffled, 'What?' from Arabella. He kissed her head. He looked at her and at every waking moment he knew that she was the only one that he ever wanted to be with. She was his soulmate if there ever was a thing. "You're the love of my life, sweetie. I love you." He said before putting his head back down and rubbing her stomach. He wasn't sure if there was any greater feeling in his entire life than what he was feeling right now.
His hand on her stomach, his words echoing in her ears and his warm body against her was almost too much for her. She was going to tell him tomorrow. She would tell him that she was pregnant and he would hug her and tell her that he loves her and they would spend the night looking at baby names and shopping online for baby things. It would be perfect. They would work on clearing out a spare room so that they could turn it into the baby's room and they would plan their lives together. It would be perfect. "I love you too" she whispered in a small voice and she squeezed her eyelids shut when tears started to prickle at her eyes.
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