The Hookup

Eighty nine

"Destination is on your right.."

I hear the faint voice speak from the dash of our ride. The one that picked us up from the airport twenty five minutes ago. When we landed back in New York.

The ride has been quiet. I swear I can hear the snowflakes hitting the windshield as soon as they land. The driver quickly cut the idea of small talk after only asking how our day was going. To be honest, it started out great. The ache between my thighs from not once but the two times Hero fucked me on the way home is a constant reminder. But then as we started to descend back into home territory, reality came crashing down. And I realized that I may not have a job to return to. And my parents most likely thought I was dead.

Fuck.

I'd give anything to be anywhere but here right now. Back in London for another whole week. But I need to face this. We need to face this. It's not fair to Hero to keep him a secret.

"Do you guys need help?" The driver who doesn't look a day over twenty one asks from the front. Most likely praying he doesn't have to get out and into the snow.

"No thanks," Hero says as he slides his hand from mine and holds out a fifty for the kid to take. His tip for driving in such shitty conditions no doubt.

I hear him thank Hero for the money just as I shut the door on my side. Not long after, Hero's slamming the trunk closed with our bags in each hand, as he makes his way to me up on the curb. Shivering, I look up at our apartment building. Noticing how sad it looks compared to what we just stayed in while we were away.

Hero's used to fancy buildings and finer things. How he ever felt comfortable stepping foot in this shit hole is a mystery to me. Before I get the chance to dive too far down the rabbit hole of why he deserves much better than me, I feel his fingers grip my chin and turn my face towards his as he towers over me.

"Hey," he says so softly, I feel my heart clench in my chest. "It's going to be okay."

Sure. He says that now. But what about when I have no job to go to come tomorrow? When I look like a failure and am ridiculed by my family for up and leaving the country with a man they've never met? All I can do is look at him, the wind blowing my hair around my face. My cheeks a shade of pink. Wringing my hands together in front of me at what I know is yet to come.

"This was all my fault," he says with such finality, I flinch at his harsh tone. "I am the one who pulled you from work. I am the one who took you away. The one who didn't think about the consequences."

"No—" I start to speak but his grip tightens on my face, forcing my eyes back to his.

"I don't regret a single thing from the moment we stepped into that airplane last week to the very second we are in right now. But I'm sorry for not having better judgement and for not thinking about how just up and leaving the country would cost you all of this. But I need you to know something.." he says with a look that makes my stomach flip. "I don't give a fuck what happens. I'm not going anywhere. And after we do whatever we have to do to make things right with your parents and your job, I will give you whatever you need from me. Whether that be a shoulder to cry on or a person to be angry at. I don't give a shit. Nothing will make me leave. You hear me?" He asks, his breath clouding the space between us as his chest moves up and down.

All I can do is nod. I can't take my eyes away from him. He's so serious, but there's a softness there that's so comforting, I can't help but smile.

He's not going anywhere. He never has been.