Hunter's eyes widened and his cheeks turned bright red. "I uh...That...ohmygods..." He stammered uncomfortably. Arabella laughed out loud. He suddenly remembered back to all of the flirting they had done a long time ago. Or what felt like a long time ago. Hunter was more confident then. That was why he was embarrassed, right? Arabella stopped laughing long enough to pat him on the shoulder.
"I'm just joking." She said with a grin. Hunter sighed in relief and took a sip of water. "Maybe." She said deviously, as she took a sip of wine. Hunter nearly choked on his water. He hacked and coughed with his arm in front of his face as Arabella laughed so hard tears started to stream down her face. Hunter finally stopped coughing and looked at her with heavy breaths.
"Why do you torment me like that?" He said, shaking his head. She giggled again as she took a bite of garlic bread. That reminded Hunter he had food sitting in front of him. If he kept having meals like this, he was going to be back to his camp weight in no time. He moved the Greek salad around on his plate before glancing up at Arabella for a second, who was off in a world of her own. He swallowed his nerves and stabbed some lettuce, a chunk of feta cheese, and a slice of cucumber. He took a deep breath and shoved the salad into his mouth. He chewed slowly with very low expectations. He swallowed it down and looked at Arabella in astonishment. "Ellie..." He said quietly. She shook her head and looked at him.
"Hmm? Oh, what? Is it awful? Did I mess it up?" She said, studying her plate.
"Ellie, this is..." He said looking at her and then at his plate and then back to her. Arabella huffed.
"Just say it! I can take it." She said taking a gulp of wine. Hunter shook his head.
"Sorry. I'm just so surprised. This is so..." He said quietly. "This is AMAZING, Ellie." He said taking another bite. Arabella chuckled. She looked at him with a smile. Hunter looked at her as her cheeks turned pink.
"Oh...well...gods...Thanks, I guess." She said, her cheeks still pink as she studied her plate. "This uh...bread is delicious." She said taking another sip of wine. Hunter shrugged and took another bite of salad.
"I'm serious, Ellie. This is delicious." He said taking another bite. "Ugh...Will you marry me, so that you can cook this for me all the time?" He said without thinking. He froze in place at the realization of what he had just said. He finished chewing and swallowed before looking up at her, cheeks red. She blinked at him a few times before laughing.
"Sounds like a plan." She said with a laugh and a sip of wine. "We get married, you make the pasta and I'll make the salad." She said with a grin. Hunter chuckled nervously, before blinking and going back to his plate. He finished eating and stood up. Arabella was already done eating considering Hunter's second serving of salad. He grabbed her plate and his and brought them into the kitchen. He set them in the sink and quickly washed them. When he left he saw an empty wine glass and an empty chair. He glanced around and shrugged. He walked to the staircase and picked up where he left off on sanding them.
"What are you doing?" Hunter looked up to see Arabella looking down at him from the top step. Hunter swallowed at the sight of her in blue striped bikini. He gasped quietly before shaking his head and returning to his work. "Why aren't you in your swim trunks?" She asked going down a few steps and sitting down. Hunter glanced at her for a second before blushing like crazy.
"I uh...didn't feel like swimming. Tonight." He said, trying to make an excuse. "I'll swim tomorrow." Is what he said. I don't want to go, because I don't want to get attached and hurt you when I leave because I'm ashamed of who I am. is what he should have said.
"Come on. Have fun with me!" She said with big eyes and a smile. Hunter looked at her and cleared his throat.
"Uh...No thanks, Ellie. You can go ahead and go without me." He said in a quiet voice. "Maybe, I'll finish up before you're done and join you." He said with a shrug before continuing to sand. Arabella grabbed his arm.
"Come on. You can finish tomorrow." She said as she pulled on his arm. Hunter pulled his arm away, his skin still tingling from her touch. He went back to sanding. "Why don't you want to come swimming with me?" She said in a quiet tone. She took a few steps down and touched his back. Hunter stood up quickly, dropping everything. He walked down the stairs and stood with his back to her. "Hunter? Is something wrong?" She said taking a step forward and extending a hand.
"YES!" He said, turning around, causing her to flinch slightly. "I need to finish this! I need to finish this so that I can finish this house so that I can pay you back so that we can be even so that I can move on with my life!" He said much sharper than he intended. He immediately regretted speaking those words. She looked at him with sad and broken eyes and cheeks already soaked with tears. Hunter sighed. "Ellie, I didn't mean-" He started.
"Fine." She said backing away from him. "After you finish sanding the stairs, you can clean up the kitchen. I'd like a menu for the rest of the weekend written out and placed on the fridge. After that, I want you to finish painting the wall I started. After that, you may sleep. And that's Ms. Foster." She said coldly before wiping a tear. She turned and rushed up the stairs. Hunter watched as she walked into her room and slammed the door. Hunter felt his heart drop and tears rolled down his face. He quickly wiped them away and checked his watch. He took a deep breath and went back to sanding. He silently and sadly finished and then went to work in the kitchen. After straightening everything up, he found a piece of paper and a pen and outlined the rest of the weekend's menu. He stuck it to the fridge with a magnet before walking out of the house with a bucket of paint.
It was just around 3 in the morning when he finished painting that wall. His face was sore from cry puffy from crying and his hands were coated in paint. He walked into the house and set the painting equipment by the door. He walked to the sink and after washing his hands he splashed water on his face. He dried off and walked up to his room. He changed into a pair of athletic shorts and laid down in his spot on the ground. After a few more tears, he fell asleep.