I Swear It: Herophine

Chapter 10

            I'm walking through the front door of my apartment when I see I'm getting a Facetime call from Hero. Answering, I see that he's at a sports bar, probably watching the football game Jason went to today and he seems a little drunk. His eyes a bit glazed over and his cheeks flush, he has a huge smile on his face.

"Hi."

"Hello there beautiful," he says with a wink and I blush at the compliment. We are quickly interrupted by his friends calling to him asking whom he's talking to.

"You must be the hot nurse Hero won't shut up about! I gotta say when I had surgery on my knee two years ago my nurse certainly didn't look like you" someone says and Hero quickly pushes them out of frame while I laugh.

"Sorry about him, Jack doesn't know when to shut the fuck up obviously."

"That's okay, I think I can handle it. I've dealt with worse." He laughs, catching on and shakes his head.

"Can I call you later? It's hard to hear you, I just wanted to see you." I nod and smile and before he hangs up I hear him call to Jack that he owes Hero a drink.

I wash off my makeup and get into something more comfortable and busy myself so I'm not thinking about when Hero will call me. I work tomorrow so I meal prep and clean up the kitchen, answering some texts from my friends about my date. Hero calls me as I'm putting on a charcoal facemask. Classic.

I answer and before I can say hello he bursts into laughter, just as I'm about to hang up he apologizes for laughing and promises not to say a word about it. We chat for a while and after 20 minutes I go to rinse off the mask. After I've dried my face off I take my phone into my bedroom to continue our conversation and Hero is just smiling at me.

"What?"

"I just don't know how it's possible for someone to look so beautiful all the time."

"Someone's still drunk I see," I laugh.

"No I'm not, I'm just being honest with you. Anyway, unfortunately I have to go, work in the morning but I'll text you yeah?"

I smile and nod, telling him I work tomorrow night so if I don't answer it's probably because I'm sleeping. We hang up and I go to take a shower, unable to fight a smile.

We text throughout the week, Facetiming when we can and he tells me Mercy and Felix wanted to go out with us. Apparently Hero's mom has been bugging Mercy to let her watch the baby for a night and Mercy has a ton of pictures of the baby to show me, making it very easy for me to say yes. I tell him I work Saturday and Sunday but Friday would work for me and he tells me he'll set it up with Mercy.

Come Friday I feel like I shouldn't be this nervous. I mean, I've met Mercy and Felix before, I helped deliver their child for goodness sake but this feels different. I'm seeing them as Hero's... friend? Girlfriend? Flavor of the week? I don't know what to call it but Hero must sense my nervous and grabs my hand as we walk into the restaurant we're meeting them at.

"Don't be nervous, I'm the one who should be nervous. I'm the one fight for the number one spot as favorite sibling."

I laugh and relax into him a bit, bumping him with my shoulder and he kisses the top of my head. Mercy squeals when she sees me and pulls me in next to her, whipping out her phone to show me pictures of Joshua. Hero and Felix go to grab us drinks and after they're gone Mercy looks and me and smiles.

"He was so nervous for tonight. I had to remind him that I'm the one leaving my newborn baby at home. It took a lot of convincing for him to finally ask you if you wanted to come," she laughs and goes back into showing me pictures, my favorite is the one of Hero grimacing with baby vomit all over him, holding Joshua against his chest. I'm still laughing when the boys return and Hero slides in next to me.

It's so easy being out with them. I feel so comfortable between Mercy and Hero, laughing with Felix, and I think Hero feels it too. He was his arm casually around my shoulders, his drink in his other hand, and every time he laughs he turns is head into my hair, smiling against me. Mercy keeps looking at us whenever he does this but keeps her comments to herself.

Eventually the new parents say its time for their bedtime and tell us we'll have to do this again soon and I happily agree. Hero gets up to give them both a hug, as do I and then he pulls me into his arms.

"What would you like to do Ms. Langford? Another drink? A dance?"

"Hmm dancing sounds like fun."

"As you wish love."

We make our way to the dance floor and fall into rhythm with those around us. Hero keeps me close to him, hands on my waist as mine find his shoulders. We sway to the song, our bodies inching closer and closer together until we are chest to chest. One of his hands inches down to my lower back as the other one plays with the ends of my hair. My hands move from his shoulders to around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

I move into him first, kissing behind his ear, earning me a soft hum that I feel rather than hear, moving my lips down his neck. He uses the hand behind my back to bring me impossibly closer and the one that was once playing in my hair to my head, gently bringing my face to his in a searing kiss.

Just as good as I remember it. His lips are soft against mine and his tongue playful. I try not to think of how he got so good at this and instead suck his bottom lip into my mouth, moving my hands over his body as we sway together still. He pulls away, catching his breath and turning me around so my back is flush against his front, hands gripping firmly at my waist. I feel him against me, hard chest, hard abs, and hard... well. I squirm against him playfully and he chuckles in my ear before devouring my neck. I bring one hand to rest on one of his around my waist and the other back into his hair, tugging at the roots. He growls and I moan, moving my hips against him.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" He says against my ear, kissing me there before going back to my neck.

I don't answer him, just pull away from him, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind me.