Hunter felt…odd, loosening up. He was numbed by countless times of finding seeming happiness. He was finally opening himself up and becoming attached. He found himself having no desire to leave. Hunter ran a hand through his wet hair and sighed as they drove back to the beach house. Today was not an easy day for him to stay dry. “So, I figure we can do the floorboards on the stairs tonight. Then tomorrow, you can start on the painting while I sand the floors. And then on Saturday, I’ll finish the floors and then we can both go to painting and be done before Sunday.” He said with a nod and a satisfied look on his face. She glanced at him uneasily, but he didn’t notice. “That would be if we started early each morning and worked until late afternoon. It’s going to look a lot better when we’re done, though.” He said finally glancing over at her.
"Hunter, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but let's just not do anything today." She said with a smile. Hunter looked at her smile. It seemed like she was smiling for no reason at all. He wished a little that he could feel the same. "Let's just go back and relax. I'll get some sun and read for a while. You can make dinner. It'll be a good night." She said giving him a little mischievous grin.
"Yeah, that's fine. We can just relax today. Sorry." He said quietly, letting his head hang slightly.
"There's no need to apologize, Hunter. I just..." Her voice trailed off. She looked at him like she had hurt him. Hunter glanced at her after a couple brief moments of awkward silence.
"I'm not making dinner, by the way." He said shaking his head, finally breaking the quiet. She looked at him with a furrowed brow. Hunter let a faint smile spread across his face. "That is, unless you help. Chicken wrapped in bacon with Parmesan asparagus spears and fresh fruit." He said with a nod. He looked at Arabella who looked from the road to him back to the road then to him and back to the road, mouth open the whole time.
"I can't do that!" She said with a smile. "What can I do? Chop my hand off? Bleed on the fruit? I barely even know what asparagus is." She said quietly. Hunter let out a quiet chuckle. The light from the, just now starting to set, sun made her hair glow like gold. Hunter didn't realize he was staring. She glanced at him. "What are you looking at?" She said with a chuckle. "Are you just amazed at my stupidity?"
"Your hair. It's..." He muttered quietly before shaking his head. "Sorry." He turned and looked out the window. "I'll show you what to do. It'll be good." He said plainly. He could see her in the reflection on the window. She glanced at him with a look. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was worried about what it could be. The rest of the drive was relatively quiet, save the sound of the tires on the road and a brief moment when the windows were open.
When they arrived back at the beach house, Arabella backed up to the front of the house just as a roll of thunder sounded right above them. Hunter rolled his eyes. "Can't I just be dry?" He said quietly. Rain started to pour hard on top of them. Hunter took a deep breath before swinging open the car door and sprinting out. He stood by the trunk and and jogged in place as he waited for Arabella, who was still sitting in the car, to open the trunk. She looked at him in the rearview mirror and leisurely pulled the lever to open the trunk. As soon he heard the ka-chunk of the trunk release, he shoved it open and started grabbing stuff. He pulled out the boards first and brought them into the house and leaned them on the stairs. He hurried back out to see Arabella still sitting in the car. "What is she doing?" He said to himself as he grabbed more stuff and brought it into the house. After a couple more trips, he watched from under the porch roof as she sat in the car. Finally he took a deep breath and ran toward the car. He got in and looked at her. "What are you doing?" She looked at him with a smile.
"Can you get my umbrella?" She said calmly. "I just got dry and I don't want to get wet again." Hunter stared at her mouth agape. He pulled on his shirt which stuck to his skin due to the water which was streaming from his clothes. "Please, can you get me my umbrella? It's in the trunk." She said with big eyes before biting her bottom lip. Hunter looked at her puppy dog face and her oceanic blue eyes. He sighed and ran a hand through his soaked hair before rolling his eyes and nodding. She smiled at him and giggled. He took a deep breath and swung open the car door again. He ran to the back of the car and quickly grabbed the umbrella before slamming the trunk closed. As he walked to her door, he opened the umbrella and held it up. Just as he got to her door she opened it and got under the umbrella. Hunter reflexively put an arm around her shoulder and the two of them hurried into the house. As soon as they entered the house he dropped the umbrella by the door and started toward the stairs. "Hunter?" She said quietly.
"What?" He said with a sigh. "Do I need to stand out in the rain again?" He said a little indignantly. She studied the ground.
"I just wanted to say thank you." She said as she walked toward him. She placed a hand lightly on his chest and stood on her tiptoes as she placed a small kiss on his cheek. Immediately, Hunter's cheeks got hot and turned red.
"You're welcome." He said quietly before excusing himself and walking up the stairs. His entire body tingled from the small kiss. He walked toward his room and closed the door. He peeled off his wet clothes and walked toward the bags of clothes he hadn't put away, yet. He pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. He grabbed a towel and dried himself off a little before pulling on his new clothes. He walked out and climbed back down the stairs. "Arabella? Hello?" He said as he wandered around the house. "Arabella?" He said in a mildly sing-songy voice. "Ellie?" He said as he stumbled upon her building a fire. She turned around and smiled at him.
"Ellie?" She said raising an eyebrow. "You gave me a nickname." She said softly. Hunter chuckled.
"Come on. Let's start dinner." He said nodding toward the kitchen. The two of them walked into the kitchen. Arabella poured herself a glass of wine and leaned on the edge of the counter as Hunter pulled everything for dinner out of the fridge. "Okay. Can you handle the asparagus?" He said with a raised eyebrow. She looked at him blankly before taking a sip of wine. "Well either way, get ready to." He said with a chuckle. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Okay. Put a pot of water onto boil and then wash and cut the asparagus." He said handing her the bag of asparagus, a knife, and a pot. "I'll handle the chicken and then we can both do the fruit. Sound good?" He said looking into her eyes. She shrugged and set down her glass as she started to work. Hunter stood next to her at the counter and started to trim the chicken. He set his knife down as he turned on the pot of water that Arabella had sat on the stove without turning on the heat. He put a pan on the stove in prep of cooking the bacon and the chicken. When he returned to the chicken he glanced over at Arabella who was cutting the tips off the asparagus. "Uh..Ellie?" He said quietly. She set down the knife and looked at him.
"What? Did I mess everything up?" She said a touch of worry in her voice. Hunter chuckled and picked up a spear of asparagus.
"Here's a trick." He said as he grabbed the stalk on both ends. "To see where to cut it, you take one and..." He bent it until it snapped. "There it is. Throw away the short end and handed her back the stalk. "Now you line this piece up with the rest of the stalks and you cut it right there." He said as he watched her follow his instructions. "Perfect." He said with a nod. She looked at him and smiled. "Alright, now just run some water over them and then wait for the water to boil. In the meantime, you can cut some fruit." He said handing her some bananas and a bunch of grapes. She went to work and Hunter watched her for a second before turning back to his chicken.
About 20 minutes later, the bacon was half-cooked and was wrapped around the bacon. Hunter set the chicken in the pan with a loud sizzle. "You can probably take the asparagus out of the water." He said, focusing on the chicken. Arabella who had been zoned out against the counter shook back to reality and walked to the pot. She pulled the asparagus out of the pot and put it in a bowl. "Okay. Sprinkle on some olive oil, then add Parmesan cheese and garlic salt to your liking." He said as he slid her the remaining ingredients.
About 30 minutes later, dinner was ready. Hunter and Arabella sat the table and sat down for their meal. "Bon appetit." Hunter said before taking a serving of asparagus. He immediately took a bite. "Perfect." He said with a nod.
"Come on. Let's start dinner." He said nodding toward the kitchen. The two of them walked into the kitchen. Arabella poured herself a glass of wine and leaned on the edge of the counter as Hunter pulled everything for dinner out of the fridge. "Okay. Can you handle the asparagus?" He said with a raised eyebrow. She looked at him blankly before taking a sip of wine. "Well either way, get ready to." He said with a chuckle. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Okay. Put a pot of water onto boil and then wash and cut the asparagus." He said handing her the bag of asparagus, a knife, and a pot. "I'll handle the chicken and then we can both do the fruit. Sound good?" He said looking into her eyes. She shrugged and set down her glass as she started to work. Hunter stood next to her at the counter and started to trim the chicken. He set his knife down as he turned on the pot of water that Arabella had sat on the stove without turning on the heat. He put a pan on the stove in prep of cooking the bacon and the chicken. When he returned to the chicken he glanced over at Arabella who was cutting the tips off the asparagus. "Uh..Ellie?" He said quietly. She set down the knife and looked at him.
"What? Did I mess everything up?" She said a touch of worry in her voice. Hunter chuckled and picked up a spear of asparagus.
"Here's a trick." He said as he grabbed the stalk on both ends. "To see where to cut it, you take one and..." He bent it until it snapped. "There it is. Throw away the short end and handed her back the stalk. "Now you line this piece up with the rest of the stalks and you cut it right there." He said as he watched her follow his instructions. "Perfect." He said with a nod. She looked at him and smiled. "Alright, now just run some water over them and then wait for the water to boil. In the meantime, you can cut some fruit." He said handing her some bananas and a bunch of grapes. She went to work and Hunter watched her for a second before turning back to his chicken.
About 20 minutes later, the bacon was half-cooked and was wrapped around the bacon. Hunter set the chicken in the pan with a loud sizzle. "You can probably take the asparagus out of the water." He said, focusing on the chicken. Arabella who had been zoned out against the counter shook back to reality and walked to the pot. She pulled the asparagus out of the pot and put it in a bowl. "Okay. Sprinkle on some olive oil, then add Parmesan cheese and garlic salt to your liking." He said as he slid her the remaining ingredients.
About 30 minutes later, dinner was ready. Hunter and Arabella sat the table and sat down for their meal. "Bon appetit." Hunter said before taking a serving of asparagus. He immediately took a bite. "Perfect." He said with a nod.