Behind The Scenes

107. Hero

Holy God. I really don't want to settle my suitcase. I'd like to stay in this place for a week and visit the city with Jo, but no, tomorrow we go to Mexico, at four in the morning we will have to be ready and it's already half past two. And where the fuck is the way to the elevators?

I finally found the right corridor and now I'm opening the door of my room. When I enter I find Jo asleep, with the face of an angel. She's so cute too when she sleeps after getting drunk with wine. I can't help but giggle at this thought. I don't want to wake her up for water but she has to take at least one sip.

I sit on the side of her bed and place the bottle on her bedside table. I brush her hair off her face and tuck it behind her ear. "You don't know how much I love you," I tell her in a whisper, even though I know she doesn't hear me. "Hey, I brought you water," I shake her gently from her shoulder. I call her several times until she slowly opens those beautiful eyes of hers.

"What?" she asks sleepily and confused looking around her.

I point to the water and she sits up with her back on the headboard of the bed. I open the bottle for her and then she takes a sip slowly. "Thank you."

I smile at her. "No problem. You still have some time to rest, sleep."

She gets back under the covers and falls asleep again in less than two minutes.

In the meantime, I'll settle my suitcase so I can help Jo with her later. I don't mind sleeping only half an hour, it wouldn't change anything. I'll be able to sleep on the plane and occupy the time like that. Even though I'm very tired, I start folding all the clothes I've used and put them in my suitcase. After I'm done with this, I decide to take a quick shower. The shower makes me feel better and better. I simply dry my hair with a towel, put on the deodorant, brush my teeth and then pack these things in my suitcase. I get dressed, I wear a tracksuit with a white sweatshirt to be more comfortable and the Nike that I use every day. I'm ready, and when I close the suitcase it's exactly three o'clock, time to wake Jo up.

"Baby... It's three o'clock, you need to wake up." Fuck, I feel like a father waking up his little girl. Oh God.

She makes a few moans and reluctantly opens her eyes. "Already?" she says in a voice thick with sleep.

I nod. "You have to get up; you have to settle all your things, get dressed, etc. It's getting late, get up."

She takes off the covers and in that moment we both realize that she has no clothes here except the one from last night.

"What a drag. I don't want to put that thing on just to go to my room," she snorts.

Well, maybe I could lend her my...

"Can you lend me something of yours? Like your sweatshirt?" she asks me, reading my thoughts.

"Oh, right. Yeah, wait a moment." I go to open my suitcase and take one of the first sweatshirts I find. When I pass it to her she looks at me with a quizzical look. "What's up? It's the first one I've found."

She shakes her head and gets up to put it on. "Have you done everything already?" she asks me.

"Yeah... even the shower for that matter," and I chuckle.

"You didn't sleep?" she says with a worried expression.

"Um, no. But I'm fine, really. I'll sleep on the plane," I shrug.

She sighs and nods. She takes her phone and the other things and we leave the room together.

We are in front of the door of her room and she is trying to open it to no avail. "You do it, please," she says, rolling her eyes and stepping aside.

"Give it to me." I take the key and manage to open the door immediately.

"Fuck you," she jokingly nudges me and chuckles.

She goes to the wardrobe and puts the clothes on the bed quickly. She tells me to help her fold them right. She is nervous and I sense that she is anxious to be late.

"Hey, take it easy, there's no rush," I tell her trying to calm her down.

"It's already late." She sits on the bed and closes her eyes as she swallows, gripping the mattress with her hands.

I walk over and sit next to her. "Everything okay? We still have time."

She shakes her head. "No, Hero." She pauses and swallows again. "It's just... I think I have to throw up," and she looks at me worried.

I imagined. I sigh and put my hand on hers. If she throws up that would be great, she would expel some of the alcohol. "Let's go to the bathroom?"

"Mh-hm."

I help her up and we head to the bathroom together. Jo kneels in front of the toilet, but nothing.

"I have to throw up but I can't," she tells me.

Here comes my time now, shit time. "Do you need help?"

She nods. "Yes please." She looks at me and then she says, "I'm sorry you have to do it but—"

I interrupt her, "Don't worry, I've done it a few times for my friends, it's nothing new for me." I smile to reassure her.

"Okay, let's hurry."

I tie her hair with the elastic on my wrist and hold her head up by holding her tail. "Ready?" I ask her.

"Yeah, go."

She closes her eyes and I start putting two fingers in her mouth. She looks at me worried when I am about to reach the bottom of the throat. "Almost..." I touch the uvula and she begins to cough, but it's not enough to make her throw up. I go a little deeper... and that's it. I turn away as she throws it all down — otherwise I might throw up too — while always holding her head by the tail.

After a few last coughs she is done. I make her stand up carefully and she rinses her mouth. "Thank you," she tells me, smiling. "And I'm sorry for—"

I hold her in a hug. "It's okay. You feel better?"

"Much better than a few minutes ago," and she chuckles to play down.

I kiss her forehead. "Brush your teeth and put sweatpants underneath; you can keep my sweatshirt. I'll take care of your clothes in the meantime."

She hugs me again and she looks up at me with her chin resting on my chest and those sweet doe eyes — that's a cute comparison. "I love you, I swear. You are my salvation."