Chapter 48 - Hunter

Hunter woke up that morning really early. For the first few hours, he looked at her. He just looked at her. She had dark circles under her eyes and her face was pale. He long flowing blonde hair was a tangled mess and it seemed darker, less like gold. She had lost a good amount of weight and looked absolutely ill. He imagined this is how he looked when he showed up at her office, what felt like months ago. He rubbed her arm gently as she slept and quietly hummed a lullaby he had learned some time ago. "Ύπνε μου, επάρε μού το κι άμε το στα περβόλια και την ποδιά του γέμισε τριαντάφυλλα και ρόδα." He sang quietly. He didn't remember when he had heard it, but it had been with him since he could remember. It translated into something with roses and gardens, but he didn't like it for its lyrics. She let out a soft moan as she rolled to her other side and sleeping soundly. Hunter gently moved his arm out from under her and cautiously got out of bed. He quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He figured that she would be awake soon and she needed breakfast.

"Let's get going." He said quietly to himself as he walked into the kitchen. He sighed at the appearance of the room. He felt his chest ache at the anxiety of the feeling that she was dead. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before putting the kitchen back in order. After that was sorted, he started on breakfast. He cut up some fruit and put it in a a tupperware container. He sprinkled on sugar and shook it up. He walked out of the kitchen and neared the bathroom. It needed to be cleaned. This needed to never happen. He walked in and drained the tub before taking some towels and soaking up as much water as he could he dropped the wet towels into a hamper and grabbed a mop and a bucket. He cleaned the bathroom as best he could and by the end it looked good enough. You couldn't tell anything happened unless, you already knew.

He walked back into the kitchen and took out the eggs and some other breakfast food items. He quickly cooked it and put it on a tray with a cup of coffee and the fruit he prepared. He heard some quiet movement from inside her room and smiled softly. He picked up the tray and walked in. "I hope I put enough sugar in the coffee." He said with a smile. She looked at him like she had seen a ghost. He walked over and set the tray down on her bed before sitting down next to her. "How'd you sleep?" He asked her with a small smile.

"Best sleep  I've gotten in a while." She said, taking another sip of coffee and picking at the fruit. Hunter honestly felt the same. He didn't sleep much when he was with Philippa or when he was on the street again. It felt good to finally sleep again. Especially next to her. He watched her pick through her breakfast before her eyes landed on her calendar. They widened and a sense of panic entered her face.

"What is it, Ellie? Are you okay?" Hunter asked quietly. She stood up with weak legs that looked like they would buckle under her. Hunter sat on the edge of the bed just in case she fell.

"Oh...no. No, no, no, no, no." She said with her head in the closet. She finally stepped out and put her forehead against the wall. "Dammit!" Hunter stood up and walked toward her. He was tempted to wrap his arms around her and put her back in bed.

"Ellie, what's wrong?" He said awkwardly shifting from one foot to another. He grabbed his hand behind his back and looked up at her. She turned around and looked at him against the wall. She took a deep breath.

"Tonight is the CFDA awards. It's like the Oscars of the fashion world and I'm supposed to go because I'm nominated for Womanswear Designer of the Year." She said with a sigh. Hunter smiled at her.

"That's fantastic, Ellie." He said, tempted to hug her, but resisting the urge. "What's the problem?"

"I have nothing to wear! I need to have a red carpet dress and I need my hair and make up to be just right and I'm not ready for it at all. I totally forgot about it." She let a groan. She tries to commit suicide one minute and it seems like not having something to wear is the bigger crisis. He smiled gently and put his hand over his mouth. She smacked his arm and turned to her closet. She proceeded to scoop everything that she owned out into a pile in the middle of the room. Including underwear. Hunter blushed slightly and looked away.

"I'll, uh, I'll get you some more coffee." He said with a nod before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. He refilled her cup and set it down as he sat on the counter. There was a small chirp from the other room. He raised an eyebrow ad walked into the living room. He looked at the source on the table. Her phone. It chirped again and he picked it up. He examined it for a moment before sliding his finger across the screen and pressing the answer button. He held it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hel- Who is this?! Is this Chad?! I will go over there and I will-" A familiar voice shouted loudly into the phone. So loudly he had to pull away.

"No. NO! This is Hunter. Who's this?" Hunter said into the phone. He heard a gasp and a flurry of giggles. The voice returned and Hunter heard him clear his throat. Hunter finally realized who it was. "D-"

"Hunter! Hunter, this is Daniel." Daniel said with an audible grin. Hunter sighed and rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb. "I was wondering if Arabella was available." Hunter took a deep breath and looked toward her room and shook his head.

"I don't think so. She's a little tied up in her room at the moment." Hunter said, clearing his throat before realizing what he had said. "No, not lik-" He was interrupted by a flurry of giggles. Hunter facepalmed.

"I had no idea she was into that." Daniel said with a giggle. There was a pause where in Hunter rubbed his face and felt the short stubble on his face. Something occurred to him. "Well, I'll let-"

"Uh..Hold on, Dan-Daniel." Hunter said quietly. He had a feeling that he was going to regret this. "Can you do me a favor?" He asked reluctantly. Daniel let out a small gasp.

"Anything, Hunty."

"Okay, TWO favors. One, stop calling me that. Two, there's this award show tonight. I'm sure you know of it."  He said clearing his throat. "I was wondering, El-Ahem. Arabella has...had a lot on her mind lately. Sadly, she's a little unprepared. Would you mind coming over with an army of designers, makeup...people, hair stylist people, anything that you can imagine? I really want this to go well for her." He said quietly. There was a small pause. "I'll really owe you one." He said, immediately regretting it. There was a gasp and a few more giggles.

"We'll be there in about 25 minutes." He said with a slight excitement in his voice. "Hunter, I'm glad to see you back." Hunter chuckled quietly. "I'll see you soon, Hunty! Okay, that was the last time. Bye!" Daniel said before hanging up. Hunter, not knowing what to do, set the phone back on the table. He sat down on the couch and ran a hand through his hair.

"Wow...This is great!" He said with a grin before sitting back on the couch. He sat there staring at the ground for a few minutes. "I should tell her. It would be so nice to see her get a surprise. She should know though. Yeah...I'll have to tell her....I'll tell her." He said with a smile before standing up and walking toward her door. He took a quick glance back at the phone just as he heard the door open.

"Hey, Hunter? How does this one look?" She said, walking out the door. He turned back without stopping walking and saw her pulling at the hem of her dress. He bumped into her and his hands landed on her hips. She looked up at him as her knees buckled a little. Hunter wrapped an arm around her and helped her stand up again. He immediately blushed as he walked her over to the couch and helped her sit on the couch. He finally took a few steps back and looked at her. Even with the dirty hair, the slightly bloodstained skin, the shabby clothes, and the shallow eyes, she looked beautiful.

"Wow...You look great, Ellie." He said with a grin.  He sat down on the couch across from her and looked at her. She picked at her dress again and looked at it before shaking her head.

"No. It's not good enough." She said with a sigh. She went to stand up and Hunter sprung up and stopped her. She looked up at him oddly.

"Uh..Just calm down a little. You've got plenty of time before the show. It'll be taken care of. You'll look great." He said with a nervous smile. "Looks like I'm going with the surprise tactic." He said under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just uh...relax." He said sitting down next to her.

"Hunter, I still have to find a dress, do my makeup, do my hair, find a pair of shoes!" She said in a stressed-out voice. Just then there was a knock on the door. Hunter laughed a little and stood up. He made his way to the door.

"Ellie, it's okay. I've taken care of it." He said with a grin before opening the door. Daniel walked in and looked at her.

"Arabella! Broken free from the ties that bind, I see." He said with a giggle.