The Hookup

Eighty seven

It's only six minutes until I hear the door to the small bedroom in the back of the jet open. I can see Hero's shadow as he ducks into the room. My eyes are trained on the far side wall, I'm curled into a ball on my side, my back facing him. It's how I've been since I stormed off in the middle of us talking.. leaving Hero out there sitting there alone.

I hear a faint 'click' of the door as he shuts it behind him, muffled by the sound of us flying. I feel terrible for having told him the truth; that I haven't even told my parents about us. On top of that, I hate fighting with him. Something we rarely ever do. The first and only time being when I woke up next to him after our very first night together and accused him of cheating on someone back home. And then, I made a break for it, just like I did now.

He doesn't speak, only makes his way towards the open side of the bed behind me. I feel the mattress sink as he must be sitting down. I want so badly to throw my arms around him and say I'm sorry for probably hurting his feelings with my confession, but I can't find it within myself to turn around. My eyes are no doubt red and puffy from the crying I've done since before I came in here.

We're silent for a few minutes. Neither one of us willing to speak. I don't feel anger radiating off of him like I did back in the main cabin of the plane. Just his presence and even then, it brings me a sort of peace.

"I can't find it within myself to be upset with you," he says quietly, being the first one to speak. "And the only reason why is because I know there's some sort of reason why you would have done the thing you did."

I close my eyes tightly together as I listen to him speak. Taking a deep breath in and releasing it silently, feeling like I don't deserve his kindness, especially right now.

"I know that everything between us since the first night we met has been fast," he says. "And maybe it was too soon for me to move to New York when I did." I can feel my eyes becoming moist again at his words. A sick feeling settling in my stomach that maybe this is it. Maybe I've finally gone and done it this time and he's starting to realize I'm not the one. That my insecurity that I've kept pushed down for the majority of our relationship will yet again be my undoing and this will be the second man in my life to leave me behind.

"But I don't regret a single thing when it comes to us and how it's come to be. I refuse to Jo."

A quiet sob breaks free when I hear his words. Soon after, I feel his hand gentle on my back. Without hesitation, I turn over to face him, wiping underneath my nose with my sleeve. Although there are no tears in his eyes, the sadness is there. Like he can't bear to watch me cry.

"Why are you crying, baby?" He whispers, his hand finding a place on the side of my face, his thumb gently wiping my tears away.

"I'm sorry." I say as I move to sit up, fully facing him now. My legs crossed underneath me. My hands in my lap. "For hurting you and not being honest about us with my family."

Hero's lips tip up to one side in a sad smile. And right now, I wish it were the real thing. The one with his dimple peeking through that makes my heart stop in my chest at the sight of it.

And without a second thought, I start telling him the truth.

"My parents had just been in town for my birthday when I turned twenty one. I was still in college. They wanted to take me out for dinner and be there when I had my first legal drink.. or so they thought," I huff out a teary laugh and sniffle again, smiling down at the memory.

"Marvin and I had been dating a little over a year at that point and he was there too. They hadn't met before, only through FaceTime and stuff like that because of the distance and us being tied up in school and such meant we couldn't just fly there when we had so much to do."