Hunter stood there in the middle of the room and stared at the door. She had hugged him which, in itself, is not odd, but there was something different about it. There was a lot of blushing that night and for the most part Hunter didn’t notice any of it. He had come to not notice human expression as much. Subtle things flew right by him. Living on his own had dulled him from a lot of purposeful human interaction. He didn’t have it for so long and it felt odd to have it again. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He bent over and pulled off his shoes and set them under the nightstand. Standing up again, he unbuttoned his cardigan and tossed it in a ball onto a chair in the corner. He finally looked at the bed before lying down over the covers and closing his eyes.
After an hour of rolling from side to side and punching the pillow in an effort to get into a comfortable position, he sighed and got up again. He looked down at the bed with tired eyes and finally grabbed his shoes and slipped them on again. He walked out of the room and stood in the hallway. He turned and glanced at her door for a few moments. A few long moments. He finally shook his head and walked down the hallway back to the living room. He sorted through all of the clothes from Wal-Mart and designated what she had gotten for him. He held up a pastel blue polo shirt and shook his head. “This isn’t me.” He said with a sigh. He glanced over at a mirror that hung on the wall and saw what he was wearing. He looked at the gel in his hair and the perfectly trimmed bit of stubble that they had given him. He took a step closer and the movement made the shirt press up against his stomach and just as he passed a window he saw what the moonlight illuminated. He blinked a few times before lifting up his shirt. He ran a few fingers along his ribs, which protruded slightly from his skin. He took a deep breath and lowered his shirt before walking back to the clothes. He picked them all up and bagged them except for a plaid shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. He took off what he changed into those and put what he was wearing in the bag with the other clothes. He grabbed the bags and glanced down the hallway to look at her door for one more moment before walking out of her apartment. He climbed down all ten flights of stairs, bags in hand, before exiting the building. He gave Tom the doorman a quick nod before walking off down the street. He made it all the way to a little goodwill store that he had become friends with the owner of. He rang the doorbell and in a few moments the owner who lived above the store came down and let him in.
“What’s going on, Hunter?” Mike said with tired eyes.
“I’ve got some clothes, Mike. I was wondering if I could do an exchange.” He said, offering the bags of clothes to him. He eyed him carefully.
“Where’d you get these?” He said quietly. “You didn’t steal them, did you? You know I don’t take hot items.”
“A uh…friend of mine bought them. For me, actually.” He said, feeling a little bad at turning away Arabella’s gift. “You mind if I take a few things?” He said nervously. Mike looked at him with a raised eyebrow. What if Arabella woke up and found him gone? How would she react? Mike set the clothes out on the counter and examined them.
“No. Go ahead, man. You know the drill.” He said gesturing toward the clothing racks and turning back to the clothes. Hunter thanked him and walked over. He grabbed a few plain t-shirts and a pair of jeans and shoved them into a bag. He walked around until he saw an AC/DC shirt hanging on the wall. He blinked at it a few times. It was exactly like one he used to own. He walked over and grabbed it off the wall and put it into the bag, as well. After grabbing another pair of jeans, he walked over to the counter.
“All of this okay?” He said as he placed the bag on the counter. Mike glanced at it and nodded.
“Yeah. It’s fine.” He said quietly. “These clothes that you gave me are really nice, man. I feel like I should be thanking you.” He said with a chuckle. Hunter shrugged.
“I’m not the one to thank.” He said quietly. He shook his head. “Thanks, Mike.” He said as he turned to walk out.
“Hey, Hunter.” He said, looking at him. Hunter turned and caught his glance. “Take care of yourself. I’ve seen nicer guys get hurt and you’re as nice as they come.” He said quietly with concerned eyes. Hunter blinked a few times and nodded at him.
“Thanks, Mike.” He said quietly before excusing himself and walking out the door. He stood outside for a second and listened to the sound of the door lock behind him. He took a deep breath before turning and walking back to Arabella’s apartment building. He gave Tom a nod and walked back up the stairs to her apartment. He opened the door which he had left unlocked and quietly walked in. He shut the door with a small click and set down the bags. He tiptoed into the apartment and glanced at the door and exhaled in relief as it remained closed. He slipped off his shoes and sat down on the couch. He sat there for a moment before lying down and closing his eyes. It was only a matter of moments before he drifted off to sleep.
“Wake up!” Arabella shouted as Hunter’s eyes blinked open. “Good morning, Hunter.” She said with a grin.
“Ugh…hmm? Eh…” He grumbled as he turned to his side and sat up.
“What? Was the bed too good for you?” She asked with a giggle. Hunter blinked a few times.
“No, I’m used to sleeping on the ground. I’m working up to the bed.” He said plainly.
“Oh…Well, we’re just going to have to work on that, won’t we?” She said. “Well, get up. We need to get on the road, if we want to get there in time for you to make me lunch.” She said with a chuckle. Hunter sighed and got up from the couch. He took a quick shower and in about 20 minutes they were out of the apartment and in Arabella’s white Volkswagen Jetta. Hunter packed their bags in the trunk and in a few more minutes they were on the road.
Hunter stared out the window. They had been driving for an hour and it was beginning to get monotonous. “Hey, Hunter.” Arabella said quietly.
“Hmm? You need something?” He said with a sigh. She looked at him with a smile.
“We’re on pretty much open road, right now and I’m getting a little tired.” She said calmly. “You want to drive?” Hunter blinked a few times.
“I don’t know how. I was raised in camp, remember?” He said in his normal quiet tone.
“I can teach you.” She said with a chuckle as she pulled over to the shoulder. “Come on. It’ll be fun.” She said giving him a grin. Hunter sighed.
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” He said quietly. She shook her head. “Fine.” He said with a sigh. They quickly changed places. Hunter buckled his seatbelt and adjusted the seat.
“Okay. The one on the right is the gas. The one on the left is the brake.” She said leaning over and glancing at his feet. “Let’s start off slow. Press down on the brake and move the shifter from P to D.”
“Like this?” He said as he shifted down to drive and turned to look at her. He noticed how close her face was to hers and blushed slightly. He swallowed and turned back toward the road.
“Now, just ease off the brake and turn the wheel slightly until we’re back on the road.” She said quietly, her face still close to his. Hunter followed instructions and after a few minor mistakes, Hunter was driving at a steady pace.