herophine - Trouvaille

Chapter 15. Part II

Crosby, Liverpool - England, 2026

Josephine doesn't know what should be her next step. 

Last night, after watching for some minutes Hero's outline on the windows and trying to figure out through his movements what were they doing, she realized that a sane person wouldn't be doing that. Therefore, she went back to the hotel and straight to bed. But even in the comfy bed of her room hotel, she started tossing for almost two more hours. When she finally fell asleep, she had a restless and full of nightmares sleep.

That's why the coffee she is drinking right now, is much needed. At nine o'clock from that morning, she decided it was time to get out from bed, take a long-warm shower and have breakfast. She went down to the coffee bar at the hotel's lobby and started designing an action plan.

The cafein hasn't reached her brain yet and she almost spits the liquid out from her mouth, when she sees Hero Fiennes-Tiffin sitting on the table in front of hers.

They remain quiet on their sits for a few minutes, staring at each other. After all, it's been more than five years since the last time they saw one another. Jo doesn't know what to do with her hands, voice or heart.

Yesterday evening, Felix called Hero to tell him he might have seen his old costar at Premier Inn Liverpool North Hotel. Felix and Hero are basically brothers. They have been friends for so long now, that he is considered member of the Fiennes-Tiffin family. He is the only friend who knows about Sofía and he didn't doubt on requesting transfer from London to Liverpool, just to be near them. He works as a security guard at two hotels; one of them is the Premier Inn, and he casually was working when Josephine entered. She never got to meet him in person, so she didn't recognize him. However, Hero had showed pictures and had talked many times to Felix about the blonde girl, so he did recognize her. 

When Felix started describing Jo through the phone, Hero had little doubt that it was her. He then decided to take initiative, because waiting has never been a positive quality of him.

- Good morning, Josephine.

Josephine notices that his voice hasn't changed: his thick british accent mixed with a slight warm tone, the one he used to use only with her. Okay, maybe his tone isn't as warm as six years ago, but she wishes he had used the same tone voice.

- Good morning, Hero. - Her voice shakes, but they both pretend not to notice. - How... how did you know I was here?

So we are gonna start with that, Hero thinks. He makes a sign to the waitress to bring him a coffee and sits on the other chair. Josephine is more nervous than him and that gives him some advantage. Correction: Josephine camouflages it worst, because the truth is that Hero is a fucking gelatin.

- Crosby is not a big town. - He explains. - Outside people draw the attention.

"Outside people". Jo doesn't know if he said it to establish distance or to hurt her, but she decides to let it go.

- I was going... to stop by your house today. - It does not have to be a lie. - But I didn't know when was the right time...

The best moment would have been when your newborn daughter was crying out her lungs. Or when she had chickenpox two days before her first birthday and she was burning in fever. Or perhaps, when she wasn't invited three months ago to Gaby Woodbury's birthday party and she spent the whole afternoon crying. Nevertheless, Hero bites his tongue and doesn't talk of all those time in which Sofía would have needed her mom, because the fact is she had her dad and it was enough.

- What do you want, Josephine?

She hates hearing him call her that way: omitting her nickname and with that cold tone, as if she is a small kid caught doing something wrong.

Jo tries to remember Laura's advices. She tries to organize her motivations of being there: she wants him to forgive her, she wants to explain him why she acted that way, she wants to know them and be part of their lifes. But, it's better to start from the beginning. 

- I want to meet Sofía. - Her voice sound firm and she is proud of herself when the words leave her mouth. Hero doesn't change his gesture and it makes Josephine feel insecurity. - I mean, if you are okay with it...

Hero takes a sip of his coffee, letting some seconds pass by. If Josephine didn't know him, she would say that he is enjoying making her suffer and supposes she deserves it. Yet, Josephine doesn't know this Hero and she doesn't know that he is as terrified as her, but he has learned to hide it.

- It's your daughter. - He finally says. - I mean, you carried her inside for nine months.

Josephine does not overlook the cruelty in which he claims that motherhood is something that surpasses biology.

The naked truth. Something they were, one day, so good at in Bulgaria. Mostly, the naked part.