Herophine: Second Chances

Chapter 6

Hero's POV:

I knew from the second I stepped into that bar and saw Jo that I needed to be alone with her. The way her shirt was unbuttoned enough for her skin to catch my eye, and her shorter hair made her look more mature in a subtle way. I didn't want to make my offer to leave too early, as when I glanced over at her more times than I can count tonight, she looked like she was having fun, but the more I drank, the more I didn't really care about that. I just wanted her to myself.

Sure, it was nice to see everyone and let loose a little, but her and i are like magnets to each other. It's been a while since we've talked or texted each other even, but I can't help the way I feel when I see her.

As I leave the bar after saying a brief goodbye to everyone within earshot, I can feel the fresh air hit me as soon as I step out onto the sidewalk. I look around and see a bench about halfway down the block in the opposite direction of our hotel, so I decide against it and instead lean up against the exposed brick of the bar.

I pull a cigarette out of my pack and place the rest into the breast pocket of my jacket. As I'm lighting up, I hear the door open and see Jo as she looks down the sidewalk towards me. I exhale and she begins to walk towards me, her heels clicking along the way.

"Hey," she hastily says as she approaches, gripping her bag underneath her arm.

"Hey, you ready?" I ask. She nods and we begin walking down the block, her two steps for every one of mine.

"When did you take that up?" She asks, motioning towards the cigarette between my lips.

"A few months ago," I say, careful not to blow the spoke in her direction.

We walk in silence for the most part back to the hotel, cars passing us in both directions and the noises of the city fading in and out. When we get to the lobby of the hotel, I press the button for the fifth floor. Jo doesn't tell me to press otherwise, which could mean she either is on this floor as well or doesn't care where she ends up tonight.

As the elevator dings and we step out, Jo walks in front of me, opening her bag as she stumbles a bit. I've never seen her drink this much before. And the site of her trying to be as elegant in heels as she normally is when she's sober is somewhat funny to me.

I continue to follow her lead and when we reach the end of the hallway, she stops in front of 501.

"This is my room," she says. I can't tell if her statement is meant to be a hint towards me leaving after she goes inside or if she just wants me to know that for any future endeavors that may occur between us.

Jo slides the key into the door and it takes a few tries before it works.  We both make our way inside. Her room seems to be as big as an apartment I lived in back home long ago. I notice her luggage in the center of the room, pieces of clothing here and there on the floor and an empty wine glass sitting on the counter in the small kitchen.

"I guess they gave me a suite. I don't know what I'm going to do with all this space," she turns in a circle, her arms raised at her sides, as if to introduce me to the room.

"Well, that's very nice of them," I laugh and watch her as she sets her things down on the kitchen counter. She turns to face me, her palms behind her, resting on the granite counter top, somewhat holding her in place. She begins to take her heels off and kick them to the side as I approach her slowly, removing my jacket in the process.

I feel my stomach begin to turn into knots. I want to kiss her so badly. I want to feel her skin touch mine. It's been too long, and I feel like a drug addict who was just re-introduced to his drug of choice again.

"Why did you want to leave early?" Jo quietly asks, still standing in the kitchen. When I get close enough, I grab her waist with both hands and set her on top of the counter. We are at eye level now, and I can feel her blue eyes studying me, wondering what my answer will be to the question she just asked.

"I wanted to be alone with you." I say quietly, tucking her hair behind her left ear.

A second of silence passes and I'm somewhat startled at Jo's hands gripping both sides of my face, drawing my lips to hers.