Arabella stepped out of the cab and into the lobby of her apartment. As soon as she stepped foot on the clean floor, she took her Louboutins off. Tom gave her a small smile and nodded once. Arabella let out a sigh, happy to be home. It had been such a long, stressful day at work. She stepped into the elevator, thinking of what she was going to do once she got home. Maybe Hunter would be busy cooking supper and then they could watch a movie together. Arabella also planned on taking a long, hot shower. Arabella stepped into her apartment "Hunter?" Arabella called, pulling her hair out of the bun it was twisted in "Are you home?!"
Silence answered her and her stomach twisted up into knots. Where was he? Maybe he just went out for a walk or something. Just because he wasn't there, it didn't mean that he had left her for good..right? To calm her nerves, Arabella headed for the shower, grabbing a pair of shorts and a loose tee shirt along the way. She stepped into the hot water and closed her eyes. With a sigh, Arabella thought of last night. She had made a fool of herself in front of Hunter. But that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was knowing that Hunter had turned her down. He didn't want anything with her or from her. Was there something wrong with her? Arabella looked down at her stomach, running her hands over it and pinching at the skin. Arabella let out a little sigh, moving her hands to her thighs and pinching at the skin there too. There must be something wrong with her. After a little while, Arabella got out of the shower. She squeezed the extra water from her hair and wrapped a towel around herself. The more she thought about the previous night, the more she hated things about herself. She was nearly 100% sure that she had done something wrong, that there was something wrong with her. And that's why Hunter wouldn't go to her room with her. Arabella quickly pulled on her clothes, throwing her hair up into a bun. She looked into a mirror for a second before stepping out of the bathroom.
Right away, Arabella knew that something was off. There was someone else in the apartment, she could feel it. Arabella took a breath and walked down the hall, towards the front door and the living room. Her mind raced back, trying to remember if she locked the door when she had come home. She didn't. She left it open while she was in the shower. Nervously, she played with the bracelet on her wrist. What if it was a monster? It wasn't totally out of the question. Arabella could hear someone sitting down on her couch and her leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. She sent a silent prayer to her mom then turned around the corner. What she saw made her heart stop. It wasn't a monster, not really. But the sight of him nearly made her faint.
"What are you doing here Chad" Arabella asked in a quiet voice. He stood up from the couch and walked over to her. He looked her up and down, looking like he was undressing her with his eyes. He paused at her chest then looked up at her face. Arabella blushed but she didn't look away from him. She wasn't weak anymore. She wasn't going to let him frighten her.
"I'm here to see you, Arabella" Chad said, like it was obvious. He held up his cell phone "I got your message this morning and as soon as I could, I came over. Your door was unlocked so I thought I'd make myself at home" Arabella looked at his phone, confused. She couldn't remember leaving him a message. Then, it all came back to her in a blurry memory. Arabella shook her head and folded her arms across her chest.
"No..no, no, no, no.." She said, moving away from him "You need to go Chad, right now. Hunter is going to be back soon and he..." Arabella paused. She didn't know how Hunter would respond to seeing a post-shower Arabella with Chad. Chad gave her a little smirk and moved closer to her, placing a hand on her hip. Arabella felt like an electric shock went through her whole body when he did that.
"You don't want me to go" Chad said in a smooth voice. He moved closer to her, backing her into the wall "You and I are always going to have something, Arabella. We have a history and you loved me. I know you. I know that when you love someone, they never leave your heart. That's just who you are. I messed up Arabella. I messed up big time and I threw away the best thing about me. You" he said, looking her in the eyes. Arabella felt her cheeks turn pink and she turned her eyes away from him. Chad took a step back from her, but he took her hands in his. He looked at her body again, like she was just something to look at, something pretty that he had just bought "How could I ever hurt someone who is as damn fine as you are?" he said. Arabella couldn't help herself. A little smile slid onto her lips. He was being a pig but it felt nice to hear someone say something like that about her. Especially when she was feeling so low.
"I..I don't know Chad" Arabella said softly "You really hurt me last time and I already took you back once and you just hurt me again. How can I be sure that you're not going to do it for a third time?" Arabella asked him, looking up at him through her eyelashes. Chad moved closer to her, so he was standing right in front of her. He ran his fingers along her jawline and he looked in her eyes.
"You're just going to have to trust me" Chad whispered. He kissed her forehead and Arabella's stomach flipped around. She looked up at him and nodded softly, not really sure why she was doing that.
"Yeah, okay..I forgive you" Arabella whispered and the next second, Chad was kissing her. The kiss was urgent and forceful, but it nearly knocked Arabella off her feet. The more he kissed her, the prettier and prettier she felt. Hunter didn't want her. That was okay. Chad wanted her and even though she was settling for Mr. Right now, she didn't care. Arabella slipped her hands around his neck and she felt his hands slide down to her hips. Chad pulled her body close to his. She could feel every muscle in his body against hers and she loved the feeling. She felt like she was worth something. Chad's lips left her mouth, traveling down her jaw line to her neck then down to her collar bone. Arabella closed her eyes, leaning into him and running her hands down his back.
Chad's hands slid under her shirt and he started playing with the hooks of her bra. For a brief moment, Hunter's face flashed into Arabella's mind and she opened her eyes. She sighed softly and closed her eyes, wishing that it was Hunter that was about to take her back to her bedroom..not Chad.