FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

It had been five minutes already, but Hunter didn’t reply to her message yet. Hera sighed in disappointment. She noticed he had yet to see the message.

‘I miss you, asshole. Can you hurry up? What’s taking you so long to reach out?’

Hera inwardly cursed.

She was impatient and couldn’t wait to see him in person, but she knew he was angry, and it would take time for his stubborn thickhead to give in.

Pocketing her cell phone, Hera strolled aimlessly for a while longer. There was a joyful bounce to her steps as she was in a pleasant mood. Her feet halted near the prayer hall, and she peeked inside to find less than ten people praying with their hands folded and eyes closed.

Hera walked inside the prayer hall without disturbing the others and took her seat on the last-second bench. She appreciated the calm the silence brought along. Warmth filled her chest as a sense of belonging bloomed inside her heart. The place held so many memories she and Hunter created together, with each other. They had fought and made up in this very divine place countless times.

She remembered one of her most memorable birthday evenings spent in this very place. It was here where Hunter gifted her anklet and had asked her never to take it off unless she fell out of love with him. A smile blossomed across her lips as she recalled the sweetest memory. He had fastened the anklet around her foot with his own hands.

Hera was overwhelmed with immense joy. She couldn’t thank the universe enough for bestowing her with the best present, her Hunter. He had come to her life when no one was there to love her. She felt truly blessed to have earned his unconditional love for herself.

‘I love you so much, Hunter.’

Hera’s heart skipped a beat at the confession. It never failed to fill her heart with longing for Hunter. No one had hurt her as he did, yet no one loved her the way he did. Hurt or comfort, gloom or delight, hate or love, every emotion was there’s to mourn or treasure.

She would never let anyone affect their relationship from now on, and nothing could tear them apart, not anymore. Hera was determined to keep him safely locked inside her heart forever. Clara could go to hell because Hera didn’t need any more psychopaths in the name of friendship. She would be happy, safe and content for as long as Hunter stayed by her side.

She would never allow anyone to manipulate or misguide her after today. She would only follow her heart, so no more stupid assumptions and no cold wars between her and Hunter.

‘You’re still keeping a secret from him, though.’

Her subconscious mind reminded her.

Hera sighed. There still existed one problem.

She wouldn’t be going home with Hunter. She had decided already. Danny needed her the most now, and no way she would back off from helping her brother.

‘One last hurdle to face and get rid of.’

Hera decided.

Hunter would go to New York, and she would take care of Danny’s problem. After that, nothing would keep them away, and they would stay together forever. With that promise made, her shoulders loosened, the burden of guilt lessening.

Thanking God for everything, Hera walked out of the prayer hall with a grateful smile etched on her lips.

She sat on one of the wooden benches at the park for a while, enjoying the evening breeze wafted with the fresh fragrance of the flowers and plants. Out of nowhere, her stomach growled. Her heart was full of love, while her stomach begged her to fill it with food. She was starving and decided to visit Mrs Rosaline’s kitchen. She could persuade the woman to let her eat something before dinner.

Hera helped in the kitchen after treating her tummy with a light snack. Mrs Roger was pleased enough to grant the permission when Hera requested her to let her go out for half an hour because Hera wanted to buy something.

Time flew by, and it was soon dinner time.

Hera was disappointed upon not seeing Hunter in the dining hall, nor did she find any of his friends. Abigail was still avoiding her. Hera didn’t bother coaxing her cousin and chose to ignore her friends too. She sat far away from everyone and ate her food in comfortable silence. She quickly finished her dinner and rushed out of the dining hall. She needed to find Hunter before her mind went crazy. She missed him so much.

Hera searched everywhere, starting from the community hall, even though she knew Hunter scarcely visited the place. She wasn’t allowed to enter the boy’s wing, so Hunter’s dorm room was out of the question. She checked into the gym only to be disappointed.

‘Ah, why didn’t I think of the library first?’

Hera rolled her eyes, annoyed at herself. She should know her nerd of a boyfriend’s favourite place, shouldn’t she? If he wasn’t kicking the soccer ball in the playground, then for sure, he would be in the library, lost in his books, absorbed in storing his brain with new knowledge.

‘What if he is out with his friends? That could be the reason why none of them came to dinner.’

Hera scowled and hoped she would find him in the library.

She almost reached the library when suddenly someone grabbed her hand from behind. Displeased, Hera scowled because of the unwanted interruption and half-turned to look at the person who stopped her. Anger rushed into her eyes as she saw who held her wrist captive. Clenching her teeth in utter fury, she yanked her hand out of Noel’s hold.

“Hey, easy there, girl. Are you okay?” Noel asked, holding his hands up in surrender as he noticed the blazing displeasure in her glare. Hera pulled her lower lip between her teeth, assaulting it. Her chest rose and fell while she breathed, anger radiating from every fibre of her being. Noel wasn’t expecting it, so he didn’t have the time to move away before Hera lifted her palm only to bring it down hard on his cheek.

The harsh sound of the slap echoed in the silent hallway across from the library. It didn’t do anything to calm Hera’s anger, though. If anything, it only provoked it further. Hera was never a violent person, but right now, it was so satisfying to watch the imprints her slender fingers left on the douche’s cheek.

Now, by fair means, Hera could relate to Hunter’s angry, impulsive, violent behaviour. It was hard to digest the injustice, especially if the victim was your loved one.

“You filthy asshole, I told you to stop with your dirty games. How dare you hurt my friend?” Hera seethed, gritting her teeth. Eyes wide with shock, Noel stared at her in stunned silence. Hera couldn’t care less. “I’ll never forgive you for what you did to Evelyn,” she declared, her large eyes shooting daggers at the culprit.

Meanwhile, Clara, Adelaide, and other students watched with their jaws dropped in disbelief. Who would’ve thought the quiet, innocent, harmless, kind soul like Hera could resort to an abusive approach?

“Don’t ever show me your disgusting face. If you do, then I won’t be there to shield you against my boyfriend’s wrath anymore,” Hera warned, emphasizing the word boyfriend, her harsh tone loud and stern.

She turned around to walk away, and that was when she noticed the witnesses to her outrage. Bianca was standing a few feet away from Hera, with her legs parted, hands resting on her hips, like the showstopper on the stage, demanding attention. As soon as their eyes met, Bianca applauded, nodding in appreciation while a proud smile played on her lips. Hera smiled shyly, blushing under the sudden attention.

A whistle made Hera shift her eyes away from Bianca, and she looked at the golden-blond boy with cerulean blue eyes still whistling. Michael shot her a wink, and Hera sighed in relief. She knew everything was fine between them because the sweet smile Michael gifted her resolved all the bitterness.

Hera looked at Samantha, who stood next to Bianca. Her face showed indifference, unbothered as if nothing mattered to her. Hera ignored Samantha’s petty sight as the gorgeous girl behind Samantha stole her attention.

Evelyn stood with her legs crossed at the ankles and hands wrapped across her middle, always elegant and graceful like everybody’s favourite princess that she was. A pleased wide grin adorned her gorgeous face while she looked at Hera, her glassy eyes shining brightly with pride and gratitude. Beside Evelyn, Eric chuckled, showing the thumbs-up sign before applauding.

“I’m sorry,” Hera mouthed. Eric shook his head and smiled so wide before coming to hug her. “I’m so proud of you, Pixie,” said Eric, crushing her to his chest. Hera basked in the brotherly affection Eric showered on her. She peeked over his shoulder and found her brother Danny fondly smiling at her. Hera returned the smile before her eyes landed on the one boy she was desperate to see.

She pulled away from the hug and looked directly into her favourite purple eyes.

With one leg bent against the wall and the other supporting his weight, Hunter stood with his hands shoved in the pockets of his sweatpants.

Hera’s breath hitched at the sight of her boyfriend. Deprived of his handsome face for too long, she couldn’t tame her heartbeats from going wild. It was racing to the moon while her pulse rushed in haste to accompany.