Hero
Around us there is only blue.
Blue everywhere.
The light is soft and it seems unreal to be able to literally walk under the water.
Yet, the tanks in which so many fish are housed are truly above our heads and seem to be endless!
I have been to this type of place several times, but nothing has ever struck me so much.
It must be said that I had never been with Jo the last few times.
Ever since we entered the Georgia Aquarium, Jo has been speechless and wide-eyed every time a fish or even a shark passes in front of us.
She makes me smile and I love her enthusiasm for everything!
"Look at that over there! It's huge!" She points to the shark approaching.
"It's a whale shark! Did you know they can live for a hundred years? Incredible!" She lightly touches the glass of the tub with one hand as she walks in ecstasy.
I follow her, admiring her rather than the fish she describes.
I can't understand how she can be so amazing. I really mean it!
With this soft light, she seems even more beautiful to me.
I don't think it will be difficult to pretend to be in love! This was the only instruction they gave us, just before entering: behave as if you were engaged.
Pfff... The simplest thing in the world, since it apparently comes naturally to us.
I can't physically stay away from her, I feel attracted to her like I'm under some kind of love spell.
But do you hear what I'm saying?
Am I seriously going crazy? Is it serious?!?
I can't even confide in Felix because I already know what he would say and how much he would tease me. I've never been interested in making a serious commitment to a girl. This time I feel it's different. She is different. Probably at this point, I am too. I do not know. I don't know anything anymore.
I sigh as Jo turns around with a huge smile on her face.
"Hero come! Look at this!" The pool continues transforming into a sort of tunnel above our heads. I move closer to her, putting my arm behind her back, with my hand on her shoulder. I like holding her to me like this.
"That fish looks like you!" She jokes by pointing to a colorful fish that passes by us.
"Ah, look at that!" She points to a puffer fish "It's you when you grumble because something doesn't feel right. You get like this, swollen and full of thorns!" She chuckles.
I look at her shocked before bursting out laughing!
"Do you know that that fish eats up to ten times a day and then poops near the other fish, out of spite?" I'm serious. "And the bubbles you see the fish making, it's not just air. They're stinks!" I shamelessly make it all up.
She turns to me with wide eyes before bursting out laughing.
Her laughter resonates throughout the room and it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard in my entire life.
It turns out that I'm the really sappy and romantic one, you'll see, uh!
"Yeah, of course! Everyone knows," she chuckles, playing along. "Look, that just made a stink!" She points to the tub next to us and we both pretend to be surprised. I lean towards her, looking at the spot she points to. Air bubbles rise to the surface, right at that moment! We both burst out laughing.
A lady walks past us giggling. She probably just listened to our entire conversation.
I know, we're both crazy.
Two crazy people who are falling madly in love, I might add.
"Do you know what I was thinking?" She turns towards me, continuing to walk backwards. I listen to her attentively, "I can't imagine what you could have come up with now!" I roll my eyes just to annoy her.
She giggles and sticks her tongue out at me "I just wanted to say that I'm happy to do these scenes without dialogue, so I can speak normally and with my accent"
I nod "Actually, me too!"
She narrows her eyes at me, dumbfounded "Hardin is English, he speaks exactly like you!"
It's as if Jo were the After-police, she knows everything about the film and is interested in every aspect, even those that don't directly involve her.
It's fantastic!
But this time I need this aspect of hers to annoy her and play a bit.
"Except Hardin speaks central London English and I'm from the south, so it's not quite the same."
She raises her eyebrows in amusement "He's still English!" She snorts "I'll have to completely change my intonation to sound credible and even some of the words are different!" She plays with me and teases me and I love it.
"I'm curious to hear how you speak American then!"
"Guys, stop right there!" They shout at us from behind the cameras.
It's fun to act this way, with no lines or script to follow. We can be as stupid as we want, no one will record what we're saying anyway! I hope!!!
We both stop and take photos, they will probably put them in the "behind the scenes" material.
I'm always fascinated by seeing BTS from various films. You can really understand what the atmosphere was like during filming. Who knows what will be perceived in our bts!
"Okay, I'll try to look like a model, like you do!" Jo whispers, taking me by surprise.
"What?" I'm laughing.
"Don't laugh! We have to be serious!" She whispers, patting my arm.
"You're the one who makes me laugh!" I can't help but smile. I never can when I'm with her.
"Shhh!!! Tiffin, focus!" I hear her giggling. "If the photo turns out to be crap, it will be your fault!"
She's crazy and I love her!
We both hold back a smile, or at least we try.
She puts her arm around my waist and I do the same thing, moving the camera they gave me to the side.
They told me I could use it freely and I took lots of photos, of Jo of course!
I feel her fingers playing with my shirt on my back, before sliding towards my side.
I like having her hands on me, she's so delicate but firm at the same time.
Of course, if you asked me if there's something I don't like about her, I wouldn't know what to say. I literally like everything!
"Great, let's continue into the other room. That's good guys! You're doing great!" Jenny appears from behind a camera and smiles happily at us.
It's nice to know that we're doing a good job, it gives you the right energy to continue.
Jo takes my hand and walks ahead of me, exactly like she did when we went to the park. She likes to be in front of me and lead the game.
Who knows if even between the sheets it's...
Oh God no. I can't think these things!!!
No, no no!
I look up and focus on the fish. Concentrated. Hero, stay focused!
I fix the collar of my shirt. It's hot in here, isn't it?
Plus, as if my thoughts weren't already enough to upset my hormones, the straps of the top that Jo is wearing now continually slide off her shoulders and it seems like the sexiest thing I've ever seen.
I told you I'm losing my mind, right? I wasn't joking!!!
Walking behind her then doesn't help at all to concentrate on anything other than her bare legs and her butt, covered only by a paltry layer of fabric from her denim skirt.
The costume designer is probably mad at me. Do you think she's doing it to me on purpose?
"How come you're so silent?" Jo turns to me smiling. She leans slightly against the glass of the tank with the jellyfish and what does that damn shoulder pad do? It falls again and my heart hurts. I can slightly glimpse the beginnings of her breasts peeking out from her dress and my heart beats wildly in my chest.
I swallow, trying to look away but I can't, my gaze is drawn towards her. Impossible to do anything else.
She smiles calmly and enraptured by what surrounds us, completely unaware of the turmoil that is revolutionizing me inside!
I would like to tell her that her shoulder strap slipped, since she doesn't seem to have noticed, but I can't find the words.
And then, to be honest, I like what I'm seeing!
She's not inappropriate and she's not naked in front of a lot of people.
It's just a shoulder pad that has fallen slightly lower than where it's supposed to stay. No one would see anything wrong with that. I'm the one who keeps imagining her naked in front of me!!!
"Don't you think it's beautiful?" She smiles as she touches a jellyfish from the glass of the tank. "It's funny because when I swim in the sea, I'm terrified of it." She chuckles shaking her head "But I have to admit they are beautiful!" She sighs enchanted.
"You are truly beautiful!" It's a hoarse whisper that comes out like this, totally out of context.
She turns and looks at me questioningly.
"What?"
I keep looking at the fallen strap and feeling like some kind of maniac who wants to rip her clothes off.
Oh God, I have to recover!
"Well guys, come closer to the shark tank and stay there hugging each other!" Jenny intervenes, making the situation worse, rather than better.
Hugged? The beginning of the end.
It's an obvious epilogue at this point.
I will shoot the next scenes with a huge erection between my legs. Perfect! It was exactly what I wanted. I didn't expect anything else.
"Hero, are you okay?" Jo approaches worriedly.
I nod quickly while clearing my throat "Yes, yes, of course. Why not? Of course!"
I'm not improving the situation either.
"Are you sure? You suddenly turned white!" She passes a hand over my forehead.
I close my eyes as her scent invades my nostrils.
"I'm fine, really. Shall we go?" I take her hand and she, still hesitant, follows me towards the point they indicated to us.
"Jo, wait!" I close my eyes sighing. My voice is as shocked as I am, as it comes out as a sigh so low it is. I take her shoulder pad and fix it myself, unable to think of anything other than her bare skin.
It's absurd to be like this for a miserable bare shoulder!!!
"Oh my God! Thanks!" She exclaims as I try to breathe again.
My hands move slowly and would like to stay on her skin a little longer, but this is not the time for these things.
But as soon as we're alone, it'll be the first thing I'll do: make those damn straps of her dress completely fall off!!!
I hug her as she rests her head on my shoulder. I look at the profile of her face from above, she closes her eyes and sighs.
"You know, it's beautiful here but this place also makes me a little sad."
"Why? You were enthusiastic about it until recently. What has changed?" I whisper into her hair.
They taste like vanilla, mixed with her perfume.
"All these animals could be free in the sea but instead they find themselves living here, in a tank. However big it may be, it will never be big enough for those who were born free!" She always surprises me with speeches like that. She is a really intelligent and deep girl, she doesn't stop at appearances and has thoughts on all kinds of things.
"You're right, you know? I hadn't thought of that. They deserve to be free, like everyone else" I nod looking at the huge whale shark swimming in front of us.
We are enchanted by looking at it "It's a spectacle of nature" she whispers "I once swam with dolphins, you know?"
"The way you started your speech, I thought you swam with sharks!" I joke.
"I had thought about it and even booked several times to go to the shark cages, but I always backed out in the end. They scare me too much!" She bites her lip as she continues to watch the fish swimming in front of us. "Kat once booked a dive with sharks that were supposed to be harmless, but I wasn't up for it!"
"I would say dolphins are the best choice," I agree. I'm not thrilled with the idea of entering a cage and observing sharks. This could be the start of a horror movie!
"Definitely! They are so sweet and cuddly!" She smiles at the memory "They have smooth skin and when you touch it it really feels strange to the touch, as if it were velvet. I can't even explain it in words"
"I would love to swim with dolphins!" I admit.
She smiles, looking at me intently before telling me what's on her mind. She always does this when she wants to tell me something important and I have learned to respect her time.
"Then you should...come to Perth sometime" She says it all in one breath and it really seems like an invitation to join her at her house.
I look at her without saying anything and she swallows, avoiding meeting my eyes.
I don't know if she regrets what she said or if she doesn't know what I will respond to this veiled invitation of hers.
"I would really like it!" I smile at her, hugging her tighter.
She lets out a breath and finally smiles. She looks at me with her eyes shining and I seriously can't wait to find out where this spectacular girl has lived so far.
"You know you should know my parents, in that case?" she chuckles "That's a big deal!"
"Then we'll see about doing it when the time comes." I leave a kiss on her head while she continues to look at me in surprise.
"Seriously?" She whispers.
"Seriously." I nod decisively. The idea of meeting her parents scares me a little, but if this feeling between us continues to grow as it is doing, it will be inevitable at some point that our respective families will introduce themselves.
My parents would love Jo, not to mention Mercy! Titan is more reserved but could not help but capitulate in the face of this Australian force of nature.
I'm probably getting ahead of myself, but who decides when something should be done or not? There is no manual with rules to follow.
There are those who stay together for a lifetime and then break up, and those who get married after a month and stay together forever. It's all relative.
With her I have the feeling of having found what I was missing.
I didn't even know what I was looking for, but now that she's in my life I know for sure that there can be something special between us, if we only want it.
And I want it.
I definitely want it to be!
Josephine
I look at him, lying on the bed shirtless, with only a pair of jeans on and I think only one thing: I'm happy.
I am happy in a way I have never experienced before. It's something irrational, illogical and totally out of control that I feel.
I'm incredibly scared of getting hurt when our experience here in Atlanta ends. I'm a realist and nothing lasts forever without a little work.
In an unreal world, I would say with certainty that the two of us could be together forever and be happy.
In reality, without a lot of effort to make things work, we won't get anywhere.
If we add the fact that our lives are miles away, things get complicated. It's not enough to love each other to be together forever.
But then I look at him, while he writes something in the black-covered notebook in his hand, and I think it will be worth it. Even if it only lasts these two months between us, it will have been worth it.
Of course, there will be difficult times. I imagine sleepless nights, arguments that cannot be calmed by a kiss because they are physically too far away, caresses that are missed and are felt. But I also imagine how nice it will be to meet up and be together, even if our days are numbered.
There's something inside me that insistently whispers, "It might work this time," and I've decided I don't want to be afraid. Not this time!
A camera with a telescopic arm is activated by positioning itself above us. Hero and I stand still, waiting for instructions.
We have been here for some time, totally relaxing on the bed in this room set up on set number two.
I'm so relaxing that I've actually started reading the book in my hand, even if I opened a random page at the beginning. Absurd, right?
We were running here and there all morning: first to the park and then to the aquarium. We needed a little relaxation!
If we weren't working, I would even close my eyes for a while.
Okay, I don't want to pretend that the image of Hero half naked isn't somehow unsettling me. I would be lying if I told you that I often look at the pages of the book but I'm actually looking at his pecs. And the tattoos? Do we want to talk about how good tattoos look on him?
He's not the classic guy I'm used to seeing on the beaches in Perth: all muscles, super inflated as if they had a valve somewhere on their body to which they attach a compressor every morning, so they can swell until they almost burst.
A hole to attach a compressor to?
Oh God! I burst out laughing all by myself at the idea that someone could stick a compressor up their butt!!! Ahahahaha Oh my God!!!
Hero looks at me questioningly with a smirk on his lips.
How beautiful is he when he smiles?
I close my eyes embarrassed: I was laughing alone!!!
"What makes you laugh?"
"The muscles!" I giggle "I thought something really stupid!"
"Like what?"
"Oh no, it's really that stupid!" I shake my head "I won't say it out loud!"
Not even for a thought!
"Come on, Jo!" It tickles my feet and I twitch, still laughing. "Tell me!"
"No, absolutely no!" I shake my head again and try to escape his tickling.
"Come on!" He starts drumming his fingers on my ankle and slowly moves up towards my thigh.
I smile in amusement but what started out as tickling is causing me other sensations!
I cover my mouth with the book in my hand and watch his movements.
"Don't make me ask you! Come on, I'm curious, you know!" He whispers in an almost hoarse voice.
My breathing stops for a moment and I bite my lips smiling.
If we were alone, in our room, I don't know what would happen.
His pecs are there on full display and every time he moves his fingers, his arm muscles are highlighted.
Is there anything sexier? It gives me the impression of being strong, powerful.
I know, it's the hormones that are talking for me. I am fully aware of this.
The more I'm with him, the more I have an animalistic need to explore our relationship from a physical point of view, not just a mental one.
"Hero..." I whisper. My voice is also hoarse and I try to clear it without showing it too much.
He moves his hands back as soon as he reaches the edge of my shorts and I only now realize how much I want him to continue exploring under the fabric too.
"You really don't want to tell me?" He whispers.
"I was thinking about your muscles!" I whisper, chuckling. "Actually not yours, I mean yes at first... Then I thought about the boys I saw on the beach and..." I burst out laughing again.
He narrows his eyes in surprise "Were you comparing me to some of your exes, by any chance?"
"No ex, of course!" I snort shaking my head "I was wondering how they got their muscles so swollen!"
Hero looks down at his pecs and appears to have a big question mark on his face.
"My muscles aren't swollen!"
"Oh, no! Of course not!" I hurry to exclaim and I immediately realize that my statements almost seem like a mockery of him. "Your muscles are great... They're great... Beautiful... Really, there's nothing wrong with them!"
"The more you talk, the more I think you mean exactly the opposite!" He bursts out laughing "Don't worry, I know I'm not super sculpted or muscular!"
He doesn't seem to mind but I still don't like the direction the conversation has taken.
I sit up and look at him as seriously as I can.
"I was laughing because I imagined these guys inflating their muscles with the compressor... Putting it in their butts!"
Oh my God how embarrassing to say that out loud!!! I burst out laughing while he looks at me dumbfounded.
Well, now he'll think I'm seriously crazy.
Instead, against all expectations, he bursts out laughing too.
"I don't know how you do it, but you have such absurd ideas that they actually make me laugh!" He shakes his head as the two dimples at the corners of his mouth show themselves in all their glory.
"Think about it, this could seriously be the case! There's no way they look like balloons ready to explode!" I continue by increasing the dose of absurdity of my thoughts.
"They definitely do!" He jokes, keeping me in the game "Haven't you thought that maybe they'll stick the compressor in their mouth? Is the butt the only hole you can think of?"
How nice is it to hear him laugh? Especially when I know for a fact that he never laughs unless he's genuinely amused by something.
"Right..." I observe before starting to laugh again "I hadn't thought of that!"
"Okay, let's put this on the list of crazy things Josephine Langford said too!" He writes something in the notebook he has in his hand.
"Is this what you're writing?" I raise my eyebrows in surprise and amusement at the same time.
"Yes, but just one notebook will never be enough for me. I'll have to ask production for at least a lifetime supply of notebooks and pens, at this rate!" He chuckles as he actually writes something down.
"You're not serious!" I lean towards him to peek but he closes the notebook, looking at me with a huge smile on his face.
"Of course I am. In the end I'll make a film about all these absurd ideas! It'll be a masterpiece! I'll call it: 'It's madness!'" he makes fun of me, especially when he says the exclamation that I like to repeat, when something seems totally absurd! It sounds good and gets the idea across every time I say it out loud. Madness!
"This is crazy number 45! A good number considering we've only known each other for a little over a week!" He keeps laughing. "Look!" He shows me the notebook and I mentally read what he wrote:
Tessa is here in front of me, nibbling on her pen and reading a book concentrated as usual.
Who knows what she's thinking. I ask myself this every time I see her laugh like that, for no reason.
She's breathtakingly beautiful and I'm the fucking lucky one who can observe her, lying on a bed with me, in shorts so short that they reveal all her legs.
Her legs are my weak point, along with other parts of her body.
The brain is certainly one of these.
Her intelligence is disarming and her way of thinking fascinates me.
Here, I take it all back: she's crazy!
She laughs at some compressor-inflated guys muscles from their butt.
The crazy thing is that I laugh with her!
I'm fucking smitten by my Tessa.
I look at him speechlessly. "My Tessa," I whisper, watching as he has emphasized the word "my" several times.
The smile is now tattooed on my face and I like this feeling.
He's writing thoughts that Hardin would have right now and they're really realistic, so much so that they seem like his own. I don't know what will happen to this notebook, but I would really like to have it when filming is over.
"Hero..." I whisper looking into his eyes. He's looking at me with a disarming intensity and I sigh, moving a little closer to him.
I don't want others to know what's actually going on between us, although I'm grateful that Hardin and Tessa are so in love that they're the perfect cover for us in these moments.
I take his hand and shake it.
"Hardin, I didn't think you were a softie underneath!" I joke by making fun of him.
"It's for Tessa, not for you who are all crazy!!!" He shakes his head while remaining serious, even if the shadow of a smile is always present.
I put my book on his head "You're all crazy!" I exclaim "But I like you" I whisper so softly that I'm not sure he actually heard me.
He bites her lip and folds his arms over his stomach, letting go of the notebook.
We stay like this and just look at each other, without saying a word, when in reality we also talk without saying anything to each other. It's a strange relationship that has developed between us. There's an absurd connection that I don't think I've ever had with anyone, not even with Mia who I've known for practically my whole life!
It's nice! Frighteningly beautiful. But I am convinced that everything that goes in some way beyond our expectations, for better or for worse, always scares us a little. So I welcome this emotion and let go of the fear that it is too big for us.
Nothing is too big for us.
Nothing ever will be.
"What are you thinking about?" He whispers.
"I don't know" I look down. I don't know how to tell him how I feel, just using words.
He smiles and caresses my hand.
We both sigh as we continue to look at each other.
"I think I feel the same," he whispers.
His words reach straight to my heart and I gasp when Jenny calls us to order. This time I had seriously forgotten that we are on a set! I no longer perceived any movement around us and everyone seemed to have gone away!
I turn towards the voice that is speaking and there are at least ten people very busy behind the cameras, the white panel for the lights and the various monitors.
Yet for me we were alone. Absurd.
"Hero, you can get dressed. Jo, let's make a change of clothes for you!" Jenny directs me to the costume designer who I now know well.
I jump out of bed as Hero sits up. The muscles flex and I necessarily have to move away from here.
Tonight I might ask him to replicate this scene. It was interesting! I giggle to myself again but this time I try not to make myself stand out too much. It would be even more embarrassing to confess now what I'm thinking.
"Hey, Annie!" I smile at the girl who is waiting for me with a yellow t-shirt in her hand.
Only with a yellow shirt, to be precise.
I keep it interrogative.
"Don't look at me like that, this time I had no say in the matter. They told me you only have to wear this one" she hands me the shirt and I look at it carefully.
It's a simple t-shirt, definitely large for my size.
I look at Annie questioningly.
"It's mine!" Hero's voice surprises me from behind and I turn to him.
He's still shirtless, totally comfortable.
"Yours?" I frown. I don't think I understood.
"They asked me for a colored t-shirt a few days ago. I didn't know why. Now I understand!" He smiles, running a hand over the back of his neck.
I swear, I'm convinced he doesn't do it on purpose because he doesn't even realize the effect it has on other people. Even just his presence is destabilizing, let alone if he is half naked!
When he flexes his arm, the muscles seem even more prominent and my breath catches. I stare at him as if in a trance, but it's when I hear a sound that sounds like a squeak mixed with a scream that I suddenly wake up from my thoughts.
Annie's face is totally burgundy, her eyes are wide and her glasses hang down on her nose all crooked, giving her a truly funny expression.
She remained motionless, with her gaze on Hero and clearly the beginning of a heart attack in progress.
I laugh because I know exactly the reason for his apparent discomfort, while Hero is visibly worried.
"Oh God! Annie? Are you okay?" He takes her by the shoulders and I think an electric shock would have hurt less.
She laughs, smiles, even squeaks and makes little noises as if he had given her the best orgasm of her life.
It's a scene I'd like to remember forever, especially since Hero is totally unaware of why Annie is feeling sick. However, I don't want to embarrass her by revealing the reason for her shock.
"Everything under control!" I intervene "I'll change and be right there, right Annie?"
She blinks quickly while remaining focused on Hero.
Okay, that didn't work much as a diversion.
"Really?" Hero looks at me worried "Is it time to call someone? A doctor?"
"Don't worry, I'll see you soon!" I nod decisively, motioning for him to go.
He doesn't seem to be very convinced but finally leaves her arms and walks away, wearing the t-shirt they give him in the meantime.
"Annie, breathe!" This time I take her by the shoulders and shake her slightly. "Take a nice deep breath!"
She immediately does as I tell her and seems to slowly come back to her senses.
"O-oh god!" She stammers "Oh. My. God!" She can't say anything else.
"Can I leave you alone for a second? I'll change and come back to see how you're doing, okay?" I show her the dressing rooms. Jenny from afar beckons me to hurry up and I can't waste time.
Annie nods, still literally in a trance. She looks at me and then at the point where Hero disappeared behind the cameras.
She's really going to have a heart attack at this rate! I make a mental note to mention this huge crush to Hero so he can act accordingly. At least he will avoid giving her an accident every time he is within 1 meter!
I change quickly, even though I'm basically just wearing a t-shirt that reaches mid-thigh. It's huge and smells like freshly done laundry. I've never seen it on Hero but it's likely that it's his, given how big it fits me.
I have to say I like the feeling of wearing something of his. I like it a lot, but isn't that something couples usually do?
We have no idea what we are.
Every now and then I ask myself this and I can't give myself an answer.
Going slowly means this too, I presume.
I come out of the dressing room and find Annie typing something on her tablet.
"Good, Jo. This was the last change of clothes for today. I think they'll take a break after this. It's almost lunchtime, after all." She smiles at me still a little shaken by the close encounter with her colossal crush.
"How do you feel?" I smile at her.
"G-good? I assume good!" She looks down "Sorry, you'll think I'm out of my mind! I don't know what comes over me every time and... Nothing, let's forget about it!" She tucks her hair behind her ears and takes a deep breath.
I nod "No problem!" I wink at her and am about to go back to Hero, when she asks me.
"How do you do?" She's genuinely curious and I don't know if I understand exactly what, or rather who, she's referring to.
I look at her questioningly and she continues "How can you be around him without panicking? I feel so stupid reacting this way!" She says it all in one breath.
"We're actors, we're just working" It's partly true, partly that beautiful British boy who is looking at me from afar confuses me a lot too.
"You and him... You don't... Since you do these romantic scenes, I thought that... I don't know!" She blathers rambling sentences without finishing a speech, but I think I understand what she means.
I don't want to say too much, so I answer vaguely.
"We have chemistry, it's true. They did a really good casting!" I smile and walk away, without having really answered her.
I have to write these sentences down somewhere so I can ask them again when they ask us the same questions during interviews.
Even when I wasn't yet doing this job, I always wondered how actors managed not to fall in love on set.
Now I think I know.
No matter how romantic you may be, if the other person is just a colleague to you, nothing will ever happen.
If you have a visceral attraction though, that's a whole different story and acting has nothing to do with it.
I would have liked Hero even if we hadn't ended up working together.
We probably would never have met, but that's another story.
"Ah!" Hero looks me up and down as I move closer to him, sitting on the bed.
"Ah?" I chuckle "What kind of exclamation would that be?"
He rubs the back of his neck trying to say something but no sound comes out.
"Are you lost for words?" I tease him as he continues to look at me as if he is now seeing me for the first time in his life.
"You... I mean... This t-shirt really suits you!" Swallows "My t-shirt"
I look at him questioningly and only earn another smile from him.
His reaction amuses me.
I continue laughing as I sit next to him.
"Guys, if you're hungry, we got you these!" They hand us cartons of Chinese food. Optimal! I love oriental cuisine!
"I bet you like it!" He smiles, looking for chopsticks to eat. He only finds a couple and opens the various containers.
"To get mad!" I peek to see the contents and notice that he is struggling to hold the chopsticks properly in his hand.
"Do you want me to show you how to do it?" I hold out my hand and he looks at me questioningly.
"I know how to do it!" He snorts. He tries to place them better on his hand but they fall onto the bed almost immediately.
I hold back a laugh and he glares at me before bursting out laughing.
"Okay, okay. Show me how it's done!"
I take the chopsticks and show him the angle he needs to hold to make them balance on his hand "There, like this!" I easily take a meatball out of the box of Chinese food and hand it to him.
He opens his mouth exaggeratedly, making me laugh and almost chokes while eating the meatball.
"Now it's my turn!" I hand him the chopsticks and he immediately manages to grab the food from the box. He looks at me victorious and I'm exaggeratedly proud of him, for something so insignificant.
Everything he does makes me proud of him actually. It's truly a strange feeling!
"Here!" He hands me the chopstick and as I'm about to take the meatball, he pulls his hand back, chuckling.
"Hero!" I widen my eyes in amusement. "I am hungry!"
"Okay, okay." He hands me the wand again and this time I make a quick dash to catch it.
I chew with satisfaction and with very little grace but this makes us both laugh.
"Now I'll feed you!" I get the chopsticks again. We're playing tag and it's weirdly fun, I have to admit.
He opens his mouth and waits.
When I'm 10cm away from him, he stops my wrist, pulling me towards him.
In an instant, his lips are a breath away from mine. I look at him almost breathlessly and then move closer, kissing him seriously.
I feel him smile on my lips, while I do the same thing.
I like playing with him, I really like how he plays with me.
We continue to giggle as we put away the now empty food carton.
"We have these left" he shows me two fortune cookies.
Of course, as a lunch it's not really that great but I hope that afterwards they will leave us free to eat seriously.
My stomach starts growling with hunger!
He hands me one and I open it, very curious to know what's inside.
I'm not passionate about horoscopes, superstitions or anything like that but I must admit that all this fascinates me.
I open my biscuit "Listen to this: 'The heart has its reasons that reason does not know. Blaise Pascal' Nice! I like it!"
I look at him waiting for him to read his out loud to me, but he shakes his head.
"Listen to your heart. It knows all things. Paulo Coelho" He smiles at me "Do you know that he wrote my favorite book?"
"Really? What a coincidence that you got that cookie then! Which book do you like?" I eat the whole biscuit in one bite, certain that it will never satisfy my hunger.
"The Alchemist. Have you ever read it? It's beautiful and every time I read it, I get different meanings based on that particular period of my life!" He sighs.
"I didn't think you loved books," I muse aloud.
Hero chuckles running a hand through his hair "Actually, no, but this is one of the few books I read and reread when I have time!"
I nod looking at him.
How handsome is this guy? Is it possible that the more I look at it, the more beautiful it seems to me?
"Guys, let's take a break now. We'll start again later!"
I breathe a sigh of relief.
"Would you like some pizza?" Hero turns to me, as soon as he gets out of bed.
I nod decisively "I'm fine with everything!" I sigh as I go closer to him.
"Well, let's go little one!" He leaves a kiss on my hair as he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. "It's on me!"
We go out like this, hugging each other and laughing at stupid things we keep telling each other.
If I could, I would stop time right now, in this exact moment when everything is perfect!
I have a feeling it won't last.
And I'm hardly wrong!
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Author's notes
Hi everyone! How are you?
First of all, thank you for reading the story I'm writing! You are fantastic!
If you like, leave a 🌟 so I can understand if you particularly liked a chapter! 😄
See you soon with new updates.
I wonder if Jo is right. Will anything change soon?
We'll see... 😎
A hug
Vanessa