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Chapter 40

*C H A R L O T T E*

I check on Lizzie to be sure she's okay but when I put my arms around her she starts crying even more so I quickly move back to my spot. Jack doesn't seem to be worried so... Poor Lizzie, she has to go through this for months! This looks horrible! Maybe we should just act normal and change the subject.

"Mmm this pizza is divine," I say to Jack.

"I know right! It's a new place just around the corner. The owner is Italian, born in Naples so that probably why it's so good!"

"I'm definitely having another one before I go."

"Deal! I crave one like every day," Lizzie says. "Sorry guys, I'm fine now."

We all laugh. Hormones seem like the worst!

"That's okay mama," Jack says.

"God, Liz, that seems terrible," I sigh.

"Oh well, anything makes me cry really so I'm pretty used to it. It does help sometimes. Like when we're queueing and it takes forever... That's enough to make me cry and when I cry people quickly let me take their place."

"Yeah, that's pretty awesome," Jack says.

"You're terrible!" I grin.

"Perks of being a scary pregnant lady," Lizzie shrugs.

"I'm taking you next time I have to queue somewhere," Killian says.

"Should we watch something on Netflix?" Hero suggests.

This sounds like a good idea to all of us. But as always, deciding on what to watch proves to be difficult. We keep scrolling through Netflix but there is so much choice we can't decide on a film.

"Definitely not," Lizzie says. "I'll start crying again. Let's watch something funny or really scary!"

"Oh, I know!" Jack says. "Let's watch In Bruges!"

I make a face.

"Must we?" I groan.

"Yes!" Hero says. "It'll be fun to watch now since I've actually visited Bruges."

"We've been planning to watch that for ages," Jack answers.

"Okay," I sigh.

It's not that I don't like the film, I do but it's always hard to see them make fun of the most beautiful city Belgium has to offer. I agree anyway, we've been searching for ages!

"I want to visit Bruges some time," Lizzie says. "It's so magical! I honestly think that every time I watch this."

"You should. It's definitely beautiful. They call it the Venice of the North, which is funny because that's Amsterdam's nickname as well. But being biased, I prefer Bruges."

"I love all those old buildings!"

"Yeah, the city center pretty much looks like that," Hero says. "I absolutely loved it!"

"It's really amazing during Christmas. They manage to make it even more magical!" I say.

Hero and Lizzie keep talking about Bruges and I remember our visit to the city. It was such a romantic day.

During the film I become aware of Hero's presence. It's suddenly very hard to concentrate on Colin Farrell. As always there is an electricity in the air around is, drawing us closer. I know Hero feels it too because he's shifting in his seat. It reminds me of our first Harry Potter marathon together. It was way back when Hero wasn't really one of us. We had planned a marathon and Hero just wandered in and asked if he could join. Hero and I weren't really friends back then but somehow during the marathon things changed between us. We had kissed before and I tried really hard to ignore my feelings but after that marathon everything changed. Hero and I stayed up all night watching the films and talking. I remember being confused afterwards. Obviously some part of me wanted him to kiss me again but the other part of me knew it was a bad idea. Anyway, Hero didn't kiss me but he kissed my forehead. It was such a sweet gesture and I was hooked completely. I still remember the tension building between us during all films. His arm around me, my head on his chest, him stroking my back.

"Last time I was on the floor watching a film was during the Harry Potter marathon," Hero whispers.

He's thinking about that moment too!

"Luckily this is only one film," I whisper back. "I'm getting too old for this!"

Hero just grins and scoots a little closer. Just a little, I'm sure Jack and Lizzie didn't notice, but I did. I know he won't try to touch me if I don't make it clear I'm okay with that. The tiny movement is a question. He wants to know if he can come closer. I don't know if it's wise to let him. I think about the wedding and his hands on my body. It felt so good. I don't know how I will ever survive this visit. I'm only human, how am I supposed to ignore this electricity? How am I supposed not to cave?

(Hi guys ! So sorry to have kept you waiting. As I announced on my page, my faithful doggie died last week and I really didn't feel like writing. I'll update some more later this week because I still have to finish the next few chapters. Thanks for understanding. Xoxo V.)