FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

Hunter scowled, mocking an offended look. "I was trying to help you get on my back to give you a piggyback ride. You're barefoot, Goddess Hera," he said, scolding her. Hera lowered her gaze to look at her feet and then sheepishly smiled when she locked eyes with him. 

Hunter smiled at her with so much fondness in his eyes. Hera's heart filled with warmth. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his beautiful smile. His handsomeness was beyond heavenly. 

'Is there any other synonym to describe a heavenly beauty?'

Hera wondered. 

"Yes. Celestial or ethereal.. Why do you ask, though?" Hunter asked, frowning a little. Hera's eyes widened, and her mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape as she realised she'd voiced out her thoughts. "I know another synonym that you could easily remember," Hunter said, and Hera looked at him expectantly.

"Hera," he said, and smirked when Hera took a few seconds more to understand what he actually meant. Hiding her blush behind a mock scowl, Hera clicked her tongue, "How cheesy," she said, sounding disinterested. Inside, her heart did a flip, multiple times. 

It started drizzling outside, and the cold intensified, all the more warning for Hunter to quicken his pace. Hera was perched on his back, hugging him like a koala bear, arms and legs wrapped around his torso. 

"You're actually quite dumb for someone who's school's topper, you know?" Hera opinionated and Hunter scoffed in return. "Huh, look who's speaking about dumbness!" He said in mock exclamation. "Goddess, you literally cried a while ago because you're going to fail your tests," he stated, his tone was taunting, and he sounded bitter. Hera knew why he seemed upset. Because he knew that the reason she provided was just that, another reason she used to cover up the original one. 

"Don't you think it's a bit ironic for you to call me dumb?" He asked, still sounding annoyed. Hera removed one of her hands from his neck and tugged at his hair, a bit harshly, and Hunter winced, groaning right after. She didn't let go until he threatened to drop her. 

"Mr Hunter, accept it, you are dumb. If not, why would you wear shorts in this harsh weather? When not dressed in your sophisticated fashion crazed rich boy style, you're always in shorts. We live in London for God's sake, and it's definitely not summer," Hera said in a duh tone. Hunter rolled his eyes, though she wouldn't see it. 

"It's simple, you said it yourself. When I don't need to dress in formals or fashionably, I prefer to wear shorts because they're comfortable. And besides, you love it when I'm less clothed. Admit it, Goddess, your perverted mind and your not so innocent eyes enjoy ogling this hot, sexy body," he said, waving a hand at him, travelling the length of his body. 

Hera pinched the side of his neck before she tightened her arm around his neck, in a mock attempt of strangling him. "Do you want to die today, Mr Hunter?" She asked. "Who'll give you a piggyback ride then?" Came Hunter's snarky reply. 

"Hmm, fair enough," she muttered. Giggling, Hera tried to kick him when he pretended to drop her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she hugged him tightly, and they covered the remaining journey to her room in comfortable silence.

Once they reached, carefully setting her down, Hunter cupped her face in his palm and dropped a lingering kiss on her forehead before calling it a night. Smiling, Hera leaned against the door, waving her hand in goodbye. 

When she walked into her room, inside, her friends were busy preparing for the test. They'd joined the two tables to sit together for their combined study, Clara and Adelaide included. 

Hera whined dramatically, eyeing her books as she remembered she'd to study for tomorrow. Brittany asked her to join them, and Hera hesitated, looking at Clara, who chose to bury her head in her book and ignored Hera. It's alright, though. Hera felt at ease and joined them, sitting next to Brittney. Adelaide shifted, changing her place, and Hera didn't miss the scowl on her face. 

Hera didn't feel bad as she wasn't that attached to her anyway. She decided she wouldn't be able to maintain a close friendship with her anymore. That comfortable warmth a friend would make one feel, Hera no longer felt that around Adelaide. 

The wind outside chose to change the stance, and the raindrops started pouring in from the window, wetting the floor. Celine muttered a curse as she shivered in the intense cold before shutting the windows. Hands safely tucked inside the pockets, Hera appreciated the warmth the jacket provided. 

Hera noticed how Clara kept stealing glances at her. 

'What? Does she have a crush on me now?'

Hera thought sarcastically and chose to roll her eyes in her mind to add the dramatic effect. 

She remembered how she and Clara used to study together during tests and exams. But they hardly read whenever they were together, and the combined study never proved useful for them. Talking, giggling, gossiping, teasing each other, they would do anything and everything but study. 

Hera sighed, assuming maybe Clara remembered it too. 

Setting aside the memories for later, Hera tried to concentrate while Brittany explained 'Clockwise and anticlockwise moment of force'. Somehow, physics made more sense when her friends taught her than it did when the teacher taught. Hera hoped she would remember everything in the morning. 

When they settled on their respective beds muttering a tired Goodnight, and the lights went off, Hera took out her little flashlight from the drawer, along with her purple diary. Completely hiding under the blanket, she switched on the flashlight. Hera brought the messenger note out from the jacket that she decided to wear to bed, not caring an ounce about the crease or wrinkle she would cause ruining the expensive fancy thing. 

She never forgot the note. It was there, tucked inside the whole time and she waited patiently, till she found the privacy to read it. Smiling, she held the note under the light and silently read it. 

Goddess Hera, 

I love you so much that hurts me more than it hurts you when you're hurt. 

Please don't be sad because it clouds the light and brings darkness to my world whenever you're unhappy. 

Your tears are more precious than any treasure in the entire universe. Please don't ever shed them away, wasting it. 

PS. Your smile means the world to me, and I would gladly die or kill to bring you every happiness in the world. 

A dampened smile stretched on her lips, and the dampness had nothing to do with the rain pouring outside. 

'Idiot, how can I be happy if you're dead?'

Hera giggled quietly eyeing the handwriting. He'd scribbled the words using such a tiny font to adjust everything in that small piece of paper. 

Andrew, Samantha, Clara, no one and nothing mattered at that time. Hera would face all their hatred combined together and would still smile if Hunter stood beside her. 

Even with that assertive thought blanketing her mind, it still went ahead on the journey, back to the past Andrew had mentioned, a memory before their breakup. 

Two years ago: 

Hera sighed, restless and a little panicked. The boy sitting next to her in the empty room smiled at her reassuringly. He held her hands in his and Hera reluctantly looked into his eyes. "Nate, I don't think it's a good idea. I'm not feeling that comfortable. What if someone walks in and catches us? We'll be in trouble, and I'm scared of Danny. I don't know how he'll react if he gets to know," Hera said, unsure. The worry, the fear it was evident in her voice. 

She lied. She wasn't afraid of Danny as much as she was of Hunter. She was frightened inside but didn't admit that to Nathan. 

Nathan squeezed her hands in a comforting gesture. His brown eyes smiled along with his thin, wide lips, and Hera studied his face sucking in a nervous breath. He looked confident, his posture at ease, and he was looking at her so fondly. He was a good looking boy with a boyish smile, curly hair, standard height with an athletic physique. 

He was one of Hunter's classmates and played in a soccer team with him. He wasn't friends with Hunter, but he was with Hera. 

They were in the old chemistry laboratory, alone inside the closed door. It didn't have the proper lock, broken long back, but Nathan was sure no one would come here at this hour. They both had skipped the class. 

Cupping her face, he leaned forward, their lips mere inches away. He would kiss her in any second now. Her heart was threatening to leap out of her chest, not with excitement or anticipation. She was scared because the guilt started to make itself known slowly. She was about to kiss someone that's not her Hunter. 

Taking a deep breath, Hera closed her eyes and felt Nathan aligning their lips together.