Behind The Scenes

75. Jo

I love him.
That letter is just... perfect. He used perfect words to describe us, he couldn't have used better.
Honestly? I didn't expect. I didn't expect a letter, I didn't think it was his thing, but I liked it a lot. The cool thing is that he wrote it on the first two blank pages of the book, so it will stay there forever. When I start reading, those words will be there. He's right, he and Hardin are alike, and not only in their physical appearance, but also in something else.
Sometimes I feel a bit Tessa, I must say. Shit, when I found out about those audios, I felt... betrayed, made fun of. I felt Tessa. But I feel Tessa even when Hero says he loves me, and I know it's the same for him, he feels like Hardin and he's my Hardin. I like this comparison, because it reflects us so much.
I'm dying to start reading, but now is not the time.
We are all in the garden and Hero and my father are roasting the meat. It makes me smile to see them together. It was supposed to be just a kiss and now he's cooking at my house with my dad. It's strange what life can hold for you.
I spread a towel on the grass and sat cross-legged on it. The table is already set and Kathrine comes to sit next to me.
"You're happy, aren't you?" she tells me in a low voice smiling.
I smile in turn and nod.
"I've never seen you so happy and carefree. I'm glad you are."
"It's strange, isn't it?" I say, lost in my thoughts.
She turns to look at me, confused. "Mhm? What?"
"This," I point to Hero and Dad laughing at something together.
"Yeah," she laughs. "You never told me how it happened between you two."
"I'm just telling you that... at first it was supposed to be just a kiss and then a friendly dinner, and now look where we've ended up."
"Friendly?" she asks curiously.
"Yes. One day we promised to be just friends — after the first kiss —, we tried for a while, but then... it degenerated," I tell her.
"Tell me the truth..." she begins, "how many times has it degenerated?"
"Several, but we're still here."
Hero turns to look at me and smiles at me.
"He loves you," Kathrine says, "you can see it in his eyes when he looks at you."
"I guess that's true," I say with a half smile on my face.
Kathrine gets up and goes to fill a glass of water.
Hero comes towards me with a bowl in his hand. He kisses me and sits next to me. "Here are the chips," and he puts one in my mouth, and chuckles.
"You wanted to say 'french fries', I guess."
He looks at me confused. "No... I call them chips."
"Why?"
"Because I'm a Brit, Jo. Don't you call them 'chips' here too?" he asks.
"Yeah, but I prefer 'french fries' 'cause they're fried," I explain him.
"Oh well," and sits down next to me.
"You and my father team up, huh?" I tell him.
"Yeah, we're a great team, but I'll always call him Mr. Langford, no matter how many times he scolds me for it."
We laugh together.
"Do you want to read the book with me?" I ask him.
"You know I don't like to read, but if you read it to me, even in a low voice in bed, I'll listen to you and we'll comment together, you in?" he proposes.
"I'll be satisfied," I give him a kiss on the nose and then we get up to sit at the table.
We start eating the appetizers lovingly prepared by my two favorite men.
"You are two cooks!" mum comments, turning to Hero and dad.
"We get by."
"Hero, Jo, but..." my father starts to say "how did it start between you?"
Hero and I look at each other hesitantly. "It's complicated," we say in chorus, and we all burst out laughing.
"So much that you can't tell anything?" my mom does.
"Well... no, but the story is long," I chuckle embarrassed.
"It started the same day we met," Hero shoots.
"Yes? Who took the first step? " Kathrine asks.
"Your sister."
My mother raises her eyebrows, obviously surprised. "Really?"
Hero looks at me and I nod, chewing, to avoid having to speak.
"And what happened?" now dad intervenes.
"I went to her to apologize for a nonsense—"
"It wasn't nonsense," I interrupt him.
"Anyway," he continues, "I started talking fast and she stopped me with..." he hesitates.
I continue for him, so much by now... "With a kiss, yup."
"Wow, I never expected that from you!" my mother exclaims. "Usually you are a little more rational..."
"I know," I say simply.
I want to change the subject immediately. "What are we going to do on New Year's Eve?"
They look at me like I'm an alien.
"What?"
Kathrine opens her mouth several times to say something. "Our friends are throwing a party at one of them. If you want to come, that's fine."
"Do you want to go there?" Hero asks me.
"I think it could be an alternative, right?"
"Yeah, I think so," he shrugs.
We continue to eat quietly, talking about this and that. Hero and I also share some funny anecdotes about the shooting period.
"We were..." I start laughing, "we were shooting this scene— sorry, I can't," I can't breathe with laughter, "where Hardin and Tessa were in the coffee shop and suddenly I forgot all the lines, and there he was" I point to Hero "waving a hand in front of my eyes and said to me, "Jo, are you there? Everything okay?" and I was like, "Yeah! Yes, sorry, let's do it again""and we all laugh together.
Then Hero begins to tell another one, "Do you remember during the lake scene when that snake was there?"
"A snake?" Kath opens her eyes wide.
"Yes, there was a snake, and at that point I took Jo in my arms and pretended nothing happened, I didn't want her to get scared but in the end she found out and said to me very seriously, "I'm not afraid of snakes"."
We burst out laughing and then my mother comments, "She has never been afraid of animals."
"I'm Australian, can you see?" I say jokingly showing off a smile.
They nod.
"I imagine the scene: Hero who did everything not to scare her and Jo, "I'm not afraid of snakes"" she says imitating me.
"Is this me?"
"Oh yeah," and she giggles.
I pat her on the shoulder.
After a few hours we finished eating and we stretched out on some sheets to sunbathe.
"Do you think I can take off my shirt or...?" Hero tells me softly.
"No, go ahead, I think I'll take it off too, it's terribly hot." On the other hand, I put the top of the bikini on purpose.
"Why are you undressing?" Kath asks confused.
"It's hot, you should do it too," I tell her.
"You're right," and she pulls her shirt off over her, remaining with the top of a bikini as well.
I lie on my stomach and ask Hero if he spreads a little tanning oil on me.
He starts doing it and complains about the costume tie.
"Undo it," I tell him.
"Oh, okay."
Once done, he continues to spread the oil all over my back giving me a light massage. His hands are huge.
"Thank you."
Time passes and I think I fell asleep under the sun. I hope I didn't get burned. I open my eyes and Hero is next to me.
"Hey, you woke up."
When I start turning on my stomach, he stops me. "Wait," he tells me, and he fastens the string of my bikini.
"Ah, right," I giggle. I feel a bit dizzy.
"Let's go inside, what do you say? It's too hot here."
I nod and get up. Shit, my head spins. I disband and Hero supports me.
"Yes, it's definitely too hot," he comments.
When we get upstairs the first thing I do is throw myself on the bed, exhausted. "I'm tired."
He approaches. "Yes me too." He lies down next to me.
We close our eyes and fall asleep embraced.
I am fire in his arms and under these sheets. I could set the room on fire.