The door of our hotel room slams shut, and Maria stands in front of me, her arms crossed.
"You told me nothing is going on between you two."
"I did," I say, not having the energy to hash it out with her right now.
She wasn't overly thrilled to find me sprawled out on Hero's bed in a simple sweater and my undergarments, especially at this hour.
I knew she had her suspicions about us, but there was no way I was filling her in on every detail.
"Josephine, I need you to promise me something." She says, moving closer to me and putting her hands on my shoulders. "I want you to promise me that nothing is going on between you and Hero."
"Okay." I shrug.
"No," Maria says, frantically shaking her head. "I want your word. We've worked too hard to get to where we are, just for you to throw it away for some boy."
"I'm not throwing anything away! And he's not some boy." I argue.
"Josephine, your career is too important for you to be sidetracked. What's going to happen if you two get caught up in some love affair, it's blasted out on every possible social media, then before long you break up and you put your working relationship at jeopardy. I won't be able to save you then."
"I don't need saving." I huff.
"Yes, you do." She says. "You're getting caught up in a game you don't want to be playing. I need your word. Nothing is going on between you and Hero, and nothing will be going on."
Giving her my word was so much harder than I thought it would be. It almost felt as though I had to convince myself and Maria that Hero and I weren't together, just to make her happy. But I had just gotten him back. I knew we could be professional and keep a relationship. We've been doing an alright job at it so far.
But to get Maria off my case, I give her a simple nod and choke out an "I promise."
"Good." She says. "I'm sorry, Jo. I'm just trying to do what's best for you."
What if what is best for me is Hero? I feel tempted to say but can't bring myself to.
Maria bids me goodnight before going into the bathroom to take a shower.
I'm just about to settle into bed when a knock comes from the door.
I smile when I see Hero, his eyes filled with concern.
"You forgot this." He tells me, handing me my laptop.
"Thanks." I say.
"I hate that she's like this." He huffs.
"She's just trying to look out for me."
"I can look out for you." Hero quietly says, causing me to laugh.
"I know." I say with a smile.
"Are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah," I shrug. "It's just Maria."
Hero laughs before resting his hand on my cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." I say before lifting myself onto the balls of my feet and giving him a kiss.
"Goodnight." He says, then walks back to his room.
I return back to my bed and fall asleep with a smile on my face, visions of beautiful green eyes looking into mine filling my dreams.
The next day
The conversation with Maria from last night keeps replaying over and over again as Tânia does my makeup for today's photo call.
I couldn't believe how irrational she was being, regardless of whether or not she felt that she was looking out for my best interests.
I was a grown woman, who was more than capable of looking out for my own best interests.
I know part of her job was to be there for me and guide me, giving me a sense of direction when I needed it.
But sometimes she went too far, and I hated the feeling of having to sneak around with Hero within the safety of our own privacy.
Even though sneaking around was something we were going to have to get used to, Maria was making this twice as hard for us.
I could only hope that she wouldn't continue to make things difficult as we were navigating our way through our relationship.
Aside from Maria, it seems as though the more often we're seen together, the more people talk about the possibility of us being in a relationship.
Even though I wasn't one for social media, I knew people were talking.
Whether it was from Anna telling me her notifications were blowing up with questions, fans tagging us in pictures from the tour that looked "suspicious", or even friends of ours asking us what was going on.
Hero's told me that a few friends of his had asked him, given that fans took the liberty of asking them what was going on between us.
If there was one thing that I knew was going to be a difficult situation when we decided to get into a relationship, it was having to hide it from everyone else.
It was the one thing we had already been worried about before even getting into one, and we were determined to hold on to our privacy, as we were in no condition to be telling everyone we were together.
I knew eventually that we would tell Anna and close friends and family, however the public could wait.
"Alright Jo, you look lovely." Tânia tells me after finishing with my eyeliner.
I had never really been much into eyeliner, but I admire the way it brings out the blue of my eyes when I look in the mirror she handed me.
After she pulls my hair up into a high ponytail and curling the ends, Tara helps me into the outfit she had picked out for me. She decided on a black body suit underneath a black and white blazer with matching pants. I wore another simple pair of black pumps, and I hoped that my feet wouldn't give out until the last few stops were over with.
Once I'm ready, Maria gathers her purse and planner before following me out of our room. We meet Anna and Hero downstairs before heading across the lobby to a conference room where they were holding the photo call and an interview.
As usual, we each took turns on the red carpet before posing with each other, then all together.
I try to act as natural as possible when taking pictures with Hero, but the simple touch of his hand on my waist sends images of last night coursing through my brain.
I could feel my cheeks turning red as I remember how good he made me feel, and I quickly move off the carpet to let him get a few more pictures by himself.
"Are you okay?" Anna quietly asks. "You look flustered."
"Yeah, it's just hot in here." I say, tugging on the collar of my blazer.
After the photo call wraps up, the three of us go into a connecting room where we are interviewed for different magazines.
Hero and I sneak lingering glances here and there during the interview, and I find myself thankful that Anna was sitting in between us, or I knew we wouldn't be able to control anything we said or did.
After the interviews, Anna tells us we have a few hours until the premiere before retreating upstairs to her room for some "much needed sleep".
I search the lobby for Maria, and I assumed she had gone back up to the hotel room given that we never left the hotel in the first place.
"That's a first." I say to myself.
Hero and I make our way upstairs, stopping in front of his room.
"Do you um... want to go out? Like on a date, with me?"
A small smile spreads onto my lips. "Now?"
"Yeah, I mean we have time. If you want."
"Aren't you worried someone will see us?" I ask.
"Don't worry, I've got it all worked out."
"Did you plan this?" I say with a laugh.
"Yep." He nods triumphantly.
"How did you know I would say yes." I challenge.
"Oh please." Hero scoffs. "I knew."
"What am I going to tell Maria?" I say, lowering my voice.
Hero shrugs. "Tell her we're going to lunch with Anna downstairs and there's no reason for her to come. I don't know. Make something up. I trust you."
"It's not that easy." I tell him. "She almost caught us last night."
"I mean, if you don't want-"
"Give me twenty." I quickly say before heading towards my room, the sounds of his laughter echoing through the hallway.
Maria looks up at me from her computer. "How was it?"
"Good." I say before rummaging through my suitcase.
"What're you doing?" She asks.
Figuring that Hero's excuse was worth a shot, I turn to her with a smile. "Anna, Hero, and I are going to get lunch downstairs."
I watch as she moves to get off the bed, but I stop her. "What are you doing?"
"Coming with you."
"There's no reason to." I say adamantly. "I can go to lunch with Anna and Hero."
"Where downstairs?" She asks.
"I don't know." I shrug.
"I'll ask Anna then."
"No, you won't." I snap, causing her to raise a brow at me. "You don't need to know about every little thing that I'm doing. If I'm telling you I'm going downstairs to get something to eat with Anna and Hero, then that's what I'm doing."
She opens her mouth to say something, but thankfully doesn't and returns to whatever she was doing before.
I can tell I've put her in a mood, but I couldn't care less. She needed to stop treating me like a child.
I pull my outfit out of my suitcase before heading into the bathroom to change. I leave my hair and makeup, liking the way it paired with the dress I put on. It was a sleeveless black pencil dress with red and white roses scattered across the fabric, a layer of lace covering the skirt.
After slipping into a pair of black strapped heels, I come out of the bathroom and tell Maria I'm leaving, not receiving a response back however.
Hero is waiting for me by his door. I smile when I notice he's wearing the same dark gray sweater he wore when we were filming promo for the movie, bringing back memories of the time we spent together.
Memories of that night...
"You look beautiful." He tells me with a smile.
"So do you." I say with a wink, causing him to laugh.
He holds his hand out and I happily take it as we walk down the hallway towards the elevator.
I lean against him as the elevator takes us down to the lobby, finally living out every idea I've had about the two of us, holding hands, going out on a date, finally feeling like a couple.
But unfortunately, reality strikes as always and when we step out of the elevator, we can just make out a group of paparazzi standing out front of the hotel.
"Shit." Hero groans, letting go of my hand.
"What are we going to do?" I ask.
"I'm thinking." He tells me as he looks around the lobby. He starts walking towards the front desk, and I quickly follow behind.
"Excuse me, sir." Hero politely says.
"How may I help you sir?" The man behind the desk says.
"Um, is there another exit in the hotel?"
The man looks at Hero with a confused expression for a moment before pointing to the section opposite the front doors. "There's a back entrance, however it's mainly used by the kitchen staff."
"Can we go out that way?" Hero asks, gesturing towards the front doors that were blocked by paparazzi.
The man looks over the desk, his eyes widening when he sees the amount of people with cameras out front before nodding his head.
Hero quickly thanks him before pulling out his phone and punching in a number.
"I'm surprised that worked." I say with a laugh, trying to keep up with Hero's large strides.
"Me too." He laughs before putting his phone against his hear. "Hello, are you out front? Yeah, we won't be able to get through that way so do you mind coming around back? I think there's a side street you can take that will wrap you around. Alright, thanks."
Hero puts his phone back into his pocket and we continue making our way towards the back entrance. We end up walking through part of a kitchen, earning some strange looks from the staff, but thankfully they don't say anything.
A man is waiting for us outside, standing by a black car. Hero extends his hand to him before the man extends his hand out to me.
"Sorry if it was too much trouble." Hero says sincerely, opening the door for me.
"It was no trouble at all." The man tells him before getting into the car.
Hero sits next to me in the back before leaning over and showing the driver his phone screen.
"Oh, I love that place." The driver says with a laugh before starting the car.
I watch as Hero leans back in his seat before looking at me with a smile. "You really have thought of everything, huh?"
He smiles triumphantly before putting his arm around me. "Of course I have."
At the restaurant
The driver brings us to a restaurant called Ramses Madrid, and I can already tell just from its appearance outside that it was going to be a fancy place.
The appearance inside was just as impressive as outside, with white paneled walls, brass tables covered in silk drapes, gold plated chairs, and a beautiful chandelier in the center of the ceiling. Through small speakers in different corners of the room, a violin medley was playing.
The hostess shows us to our table, and we're seated in the back corner of the room, next to a beautiful painting of a lake.
"That looks familiar." Hero says with a laugh as we sit down.
"I miss Atlanta." I admit, feeling as though some of the best memories I have in life were made there.
"I'm sure we'll be back soon."
"I hope so, but I don't want to jinx anything." I say with a sigh.
"You're worried?" He asks.
"Aren't you?" I counter.
"No. I have faith in the job we did, and I know Anna does too."
"But what if the fans don't?" I ask.
Hero tilts his head, his smile widening. "Did you not see that crowd in front of the bookstore yesterday? I think we'll be okay."
I give him a smile in return before looking at the menu, my eyes widening at the prices. "Oh god."
"Don't worry about the prices." Hero tells me, not even bothering to look up from his menu to know that I was referring to the prices.
"This is why I hate fancy restaurants." I huff.
"What?" Hero says, looking up at me.
"I mean, the amount they charge for the amount they give. It's stupid! I could go down the street and get a burger or something for a cheaper price and be more satisfied."
Hero opens his mouth to say something but laughs instead. "So, you mean to tell me you saw a burger joint down the street?"
"No, I'm just saying..." I laugh.
"Well, I'm sorry if you're disappointed." Hero says wholeheartedly.
"I'm not at all." I say, reaching across the table and taking his hand. "It's just, you didn't have to do this."
"But I wanted to." He shrugs.
The waitress comes by and takes our orders before bringing us back a bottle of wine that Hero had asked for.
Hero pours us both a drink before lifting his glass. "To us?"
I smile as I lift my glass and tap it against his. "To us."
After Hero takes a sip of his drink, he shakes his head. "Now I'm hungry for a good burger."
"Me too." I admit.
"That place we had gone to in Atlanta was really good." Hero points out.
"Oh yeah!" I gasp. "What was it called? Flips or something like that?"
"Flip Burger Boutique." He says.
"Our waitress was awful, but the burger made up for it." I say. "When I was little, my dad would take me to this place called Juicy Buns after swim practice. Best burger I've ever had."
"I don't know, Honest Burgers makes a mean one." Hero points out. "Maybe I can take you there if you ever find yourself in London one day."
I look at him for a moment, my smile fading.
"What's wrong?" He asks.
"Hero, what are we going to do after the tour ends?" I ask, my voice lowering.
I can tell Hero knew he hadn't realized he said, and he becomes flustered. "I mean, I guess we just do what we're doing now. Take things day by day."
I tilt my head to the side. "And what exactly does that mean? How long are we going to be taking things day by day for? I thought this was just until we figured everything out, and from the looks of it everything is pretty figured out."
"I don't know, Jo." Hero huffs, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know what happens next. We're both going to go off and do other things, and I'll be in one place, you'll be in another."
"So are you saying this whole thing is only temporary? What happens on the tour stays on the tour?"
"No!" He quickly says. "No, Jo. I just mean, we will figure it all out when the time comes. For now, can we just enjoy... now?"
I nod my head slowly. "Yeah... I'm sorry."
"Me too." Hero says. "I promise, we will figure it all out. Whether we come out publicly with our relationship, so we don't have to live in secret, or keep things on the downlow so people don't bombard us every five seconds. We will figure it out."
I wanted so desperately to believe him, but a small part of me couldn't help but worry about what came next. Taking things one day at a time could only work for so long, before reality caught up with us like it always did.
Back at the hotel
"I'm surprised Maria hasn't called me yet." I sigh as Hero and I walk hand in hand down the hallway.
"Maybe she's asleep. We've still got time before the premiere." Hero says.
Before I can respond, he pulls me against him and presses a kiss to my lips.
I gently push on his chest and our lips part. "Not here."
I watch the devilish grin appear on Hero's face, his green eyes pooling with seduction as he pulls me towards the door to his room.
He pulls the key out of his pocket before sliding it into the lock.
Once the door opens, I'm practically on him within seconds, my lips frantically on his as my foot kicks the door closed.
"You look so sexy in this dress." He tells me, his finger hooking into the strap of my dress.
Hero was truly hypnotizing. Every worry or concern I'd ever have could be washed away by the simple touch of his lips.
I gasp when his hands pull me closer to him, our bodies pressed together as his lips begin a gentle assault against my neck.
His fingers move to the zipper on the back of my dress before pulling it down. Once the dress is removed, I'm standing in front of Hero in a simple black bra and matching underwear, my heart racing.
Hero pulls me back against him, his hands roaming all across my body.
My head tilts back in pleasure when I feel his fingers brush against my clothed center, granting his lips more access to my neck.
"I can feel how wet you are for me." Hero moans into my neck, causing moans to come out of my own mouth as he rubs me.
"Hero, please." I plead. My hands just barely reach the hem of his sweater to pull it off, before we're broken apart by knocking on the door.
Hero lets out a groan and I sigh before kissing him one more time. "To be continued."
"Don't tempt me." He says with a smirk. "Who is it?"
I quickly put my dress back on, hoping that whoever was behind that door didn't have any intention of coming through it.
"Hero? It's Anna. It's time to start getting ready for the premiere." She calls through the door.
"Okay!" He calls back to her.
My eyes widen and I quickly walk towards the door.
"What's wrong?" Hero asks.
"I don't want Anna to get to Maria first." I gush. "I'll see you soon."
Anna turns around and gives me a quizzical look when she sees me coming out of Hero's room, dressed the way I was.
"Hey." I nonchalantly say.
"Hi." She slowly says, trying to hide a smile. "What's up?"
"Nothing... what's up with you?" I shrug.
"Jo..." Anna begins, but she's interrupted by Maria opening the door to our room.
"Oh, there you are. I was just about to come down and get you guys."
"Come down and get us?" Anna asks.
"Nope, no need. We're here." I quickly say before maneuvering into my room.
I mentally facepalm, knowing that I would have to end up explaining myself to Anna.
But it was Anna, and I knew if there was anyone I should tell, it was her.
(Hero)
"Are you ready?" Michael asks excitedly as Trace finishes up with my hair.
I nod my head and watch as he pulls a suit out of a black garment back, my eyes widening. "Woah."
"Nice, isn't it?" He asks. "It was custom made. For you."
I reach my hand out, running my fingers over the black and white paint splattered looking fabric. "It's brilliant."
I'm dressed in a simple black button-down shirt before putting the custom suit over it. Then I put on a black pair of dress shoes before zipping the pantlegs down just above my ankle.
Michael quickly adjusts the suit to his liking, making sure any wrinkles or pieces of lint weren't visible before we head out into the hallway.
"Let me just check on Anna really quick." Trace says before heading over to her room.
I stand with Michael as we wait, attempting to listen for any movement in Jo's room.
I couldn't help but feel bad about what I said to her at lunch today. Even though I meant it in an inviting manner, I hadn't realized how bad it would sound until I said it.
Truth is, I had no idea what was going to happen after the tour.
What were the expectations of our relationship?
Were we supposed to become magnets and go wherever the other went? Or did we see each other whenever we could and keep up with the casual hookups?
Jo was more to me than a casual hookup.
She was so much more.
I couldn't bear the thought of losing her, what we've fought so hard to have.
When I hear a door open, I quickly look up, but it's just Anna and Trace.
"You look lovely." I tell Anna.
She laughs before doing a little twirl in her long, lilac dress.
"So," Anna says, moving to stand next to me. "Is there something I should know about?"
I close my eyes, realizing that she probably put two and two together. I look over my shoulder and see that Michael and Trace were talking about my suit, paying no mind to us.
"I was going to tell you." I whisper.
"How long has this been going on for?" She asks, but before I can answer, the door to Jo's room opens and she quickly comes out, Maria and the others in tow.
"Sorry guys." She gushes.
I can feel my heart nearly exploding as I absorb her absolute beauty in the dress she wore.
It was a simple black dress with a layer of lace covering it, adorned in pink and orange sequins.
The darkness of her eyeshadow brought out the blue of her eyes, and they looked into mine with an equal amount of admiration.
If there was one thing I knew, I'd never wish to see the light of day again if I didn't have the pleasure of looking into those eyes again.
"Okay, well let's get moving, shall we?" Anna says before turning on her heel and walking towards the elevators.
The premiere
We stood by the entrance to the theater, watching as Anna stood on the red carpet just outside for her photo call.
Before we had come out for the photo call, we got the chance to meet with some fans. I was more than satisfied with the amount of football jerseys I had received, given that fans had started giving me some back in Brazil.
I found it amusing that Jo wanted a jersey now as well, given that I had introduced her to some of my favorite teams during our downtime together.
In return however, I ended up having to sit through several hours of Eurovision.
But it was worth it, especially getting to see how excited Jo gets while watching it.
I know Maria was onto us though.
The amount of times we've nearly been caught together is overwhelming, and I hated that for some reason it hasn't become a problem until now.
Anytime I asked Jo, she wouldn't really go into great detail about what Maria has said. Just that she wants us to stay professional and not do anything stupid.
As far as I was concerned, we've been doing a pretty good job. Although I have to admit, I do get a bit ahead of myself when I'm near her.
I can't help myself.
It was like she's casted some sort of spell on me.
I can't escape her, nor do I want to.
When Anna and Jo switch places, a smile spreads onto my lips as I watch Jo stand in front of the cameras, the center of everyone's attention.
She was so beautiful, unlike any girl I've ever seen before.
It truly felt as though fate had brought us together, and even though I've fucked up countless times when it came to this girl, I knew that somehow and someway that we were brought back together for a reason.
Since the first time we met, I knew this girl was going to be special.
She meant the world to me and so much more, and I've found myself completely and utterly in love with her.
Jo walks back towards the doors to switch places with me, her eyes meeting mine in a lingering glance as she passes me.
In a strange way, I can feel my heart aching as I walk away from her, the cameras flashing and people screaming my name.
I wish it could be so much easier for us.
God how I wished it could be so much easier.
I wish I could hug her, touch her, hold her, kiss her without the fear of being caught.
The idea of Maria on our case, of the world finding out. Even Anna knowing was nerve-wracking.
It was moments like these when I wish we weren't Hero and Jo.
Hardin and Tessa.
And whoever else the world wanted us to be.
But we were us for a reason, and we were given these lives for a reason. Put in each other's for a reason.
We were going to get through this.
I smile when I hear the screams increase, indicating that they've brought Jo back out so we could take pictures together.
My suspicions are confirmed when I see her walking towards me, a soft smile spread onto her lips.
I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her against me, moving over slightly so the cameras could get better angles.
Before we can take any pictures however, a woman who I assumed was working the event has us move back.
Jo and I laugh as we move back over together, all while never letting go of each other.
"Just face at an angle and turn." The woman tells us before moving out of the way.
"I thought that's what we were doing." I gush.
"We're so bad at this." Jo laughs.
Before we head back inside, Anna comes back out so we can all get a picture together.
Just like the previous premieres, we're introduced to a theater full of fans. We thank them all for their support and what not before being ushered back out of the theater.
To be doing the same things over and over, interview after photo call after interview after premiere was exhausting, but it was all worth it.
If I would've known I would end up here after months, no, years of hard work, I wouldn't have changed a thing.
(Jo)
Back at the hotel
Maria is abnormally quiet when we get back to the room, and I know this means she has something to say.
But before I can ask, she turns around and looks me dead in the eyes. "I'm not trying to be the bad guy here, Josephine."
"I know." I quietly say.
"I'm just trying to look out for your best interests."
"I know." I repeat. "But I can assure you. We've agreed to keep things professional. There's nothing to worry about."
"That's not what it looked like when you two were all cozied up in his room the other night."
"Maria, Hero and I used to hang out all the time without any problem! Why now all of a sudden have things changed?"
"I've seen the way he looks at you."
I blink several times. "W-What?"
"I know he's in love with you. I'm not stupid."
I'm taken aback by this.
Was Maria really going as far to say that Hero was... in love with me?
It seemed a bit soon to have those feelings, especially since we were still in the process of figuring out a lot of those feelings.
But the idea of him being in love with me added a whole new list of feelings.
He had been so adamant about taking things one day at a time. How could he now all of a sudden feel something like this?
However, there was something about the way he looked at me.
And looks had a tendency to say everything.
"You don't believe me?" She asks.
"It doesn't matter." I shake my head. "Hero and I are keeping things professional for the sake of our careers and that's all that matters."
"I hope for your sake that's true, Jo. I really do."