Behind The Scenes

85. Jo

Now that it's March it seems like a century has passed since we last slept together. Hero and I have seen each other casually a few more times in recent months, of course, because he came to meet Asher at Anna's house or he came to dinner, or I went to our apartment to do the laundry and slowly take my things. The stolen glances and heartfelt eyes were not lacking, but nothing shocking or too important happened between us.
This week the promo tour of the film begins, we will be touring most of the world. This also means a long period of living together with Hero and Anna.
I have just finished brushing my teeth, I can permanently close the suitcase, which is very full. We will start in New York, then in Mexico and in many other cities. We will not stop for several days, it will become unbearable but I am happy to meet our supporters.
"Jo!" Anna calls me from downstairs. "Are you ready? The taxi is already here."
"Yes, I'm ready, but I need a hand..."
Jordan goes upstairs and helps me down the large suitcase and carry-on luggage from the stairs.
As soon as we get down I thank him.
Ash is standing in the doorway looking a little sadly at the scene in front of him.
"Oh, honey, Mom will be back in a few weeks, okay?" Anna says, taking his chubby face in her hands and kissing his forehead.
He hugs his mom tightly and a tear falls on his cheek, but despite this he doesn't make a fuss, because he's a mature enough child to understand that mom has to go away.
I hug him too and greet him reluctantly.
We get into this minivan with tinted windows and a huge trunk. The driver greets us and then Anna tells him Hero's address. "Call him and ask him if he's down already," she tells me.
I pick up the phone and make it ring at his number. He answers after a few seconds.
"Hi tell me."
"Um... are you down already? We are arriving ." Talking to him on the phone makes me more uncomfortable than talking to him in person, I don't know why.
"Yeah, yes. I'm already here, okay."
I close the call and tell Anna that Hero is already down.
"He's so precise, you can see he's British," she says suddenly and we laugh together.
When the driver stops, Hero sports a beautiful bright smile.
"My God, I'm not psychologically ready," he says, sitting next to me.
"Me neighter."
"New York..." he sighs. "How much time do we have to get around the city?" he asks.
"One day, more or less," Anna tells him.
"Fuck, it's very little," he pauses. Then he says, "Well, I'll go alone as soon as I get the chance," and turns to look at me.
We once talked about taking a trip to New York just the two of us, it means he remembers it. If what has happened hadn't happened, he would have been delighted to go there in November of this year with me... But fate always seems to get in our way.
He puts his hand on my thigh, probably without thinking, and gently strokes it on the gray sweatpants.
I look at his hand, then I look at his face. He is watching the road, concentrated. I'm still motionless, his light caresses have paralyzed me, I hope he doesn't notice.
He suddenly turns his head and prints a kiss on my cheek.
I open my eyes in surprise, and the butterflies fly into my stomach. The effect he still has on me is incredible... like the first time.
He bites his lip and laughs at my shocked face. "You get surprised with little, huh?"
I give him a little nudge on the shoulder. "You know well that's not true."
Anna turns to look at us and smiles, with a certain pride in her gaze.
We smile at her in turn and then she looks back in front of her.
Who knows what she thinks of this whole story... She knows a lot more than I know about Hero, sometimes he tells her everything, I know.