Herophine: All Good Things

Chapter 9

Jo's POV:
As I climb the stairs to my apartment, shopping bags in hand, I let out a sigh of relief. Don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy spending the afternoon with Kath doing something semi-normal again, but my feet are killing me. The amount of miles we put in walking from store to store is probably way more than I planned on doing today, and converse definitely weren't the right shoes for the occasion.

I don't bother trying to unlock the door because I know Hero is inside and hasn't bothered to lock up, so I set a few bags down before reaching for the handle. As I open the door, a savory aroma hits me. Has he been cooking?

"Hey! I'm home!" I say over the faint sound of music playing from deeper inside the apartment. Once I've slung my armload of bags inside the entry way and lock the door behind me, I kick my shoes off and pad through the apartment.

"Hey, love," Hero says over his shoulder as I enter the kitchen. He's leaning down, taking something out of the oven.

"What's...all this?" I ask, the words coming out in a slightly confused tone.

"I made us dinner," he proudly says, now facing me. He picks up a glass with what I assume to be whiskey inside and brings it to his lips that hold a sultry smile.

Hero made us dinner. Obviously. My question was meant as more of a 'why', i laugh to myself. As i continue to stand in the threshold leading into the kitchen, I can't help but notice what all has changed since I left only a few hours ago.

The apartment is dimly lit, the only light coming from above the stove and a few small lamps in the living room. There is a candle burning in the center of the small kitchen island that flickers and dances as well. The small dining table has been set for two and a small gorgeous flower arrangement in the middle made up of white carnations and babies breath. An unopened bottle of red wine sits next to two crystal wine glasses also on the table. It smells like heaven in here and I can practically feel my mouth starting to water.

"You did all this?" I turn my eyes in his direction, my feet still planted on the floor. I don't mean to look like I've just seen a ghost, but this is just so...unexpected.

"I figured we could have a little date night. Since we can't really go out anywhere, why not stay in?" Hero places his glass down on the kitchen counter with a clinking sound, his eyes trained on me, as he begins to slowly walk towards me. He's dressed in a black long sleeve button down dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up just beneath his elbows and light grey slacks that hit just above his ankle. He's barefoot and I notice his chains swaying against his slightly exposed chest with every step he takes. Fuck, if he doesn't look more appetizing than whatever he's prepared.

"This is so nice, Hero. I love it," I say just above a whisper as his arms snake their way around my waist. I glance around the apartment once again before I feel his breath against my neck. His lips gently press onto my skin and my eyes flutter closed at the softness of his actions.

I raise my eyes to his that are full of amusement and raise myself onto my tiptoes before connecting his lips with mine. Our kiss is quick but full of love, and before one thing leads to another, I pull away.

"I'll be right back," I say as he loosens his grip around me. Before he can argue, I turn on my heels and make my way to the bedroom, closing the door quickly behind me. I turn on the light inside the walk-in closet and shuffle through the various materials hanging before me. He mentioned this was a 'date' in a sort of way, and he definitely put some thought into what he chose to wear. At this point, I can't even remember the last time I had a reason to dress up for an occasion and the thought of it excites me.

I quickly change out of my skinny jeans and v-neck t-shirt I spent the day in, and slip into a navy blue satin dress that hits around the mid part of my thighs. The straps are very thin and it's almost impossible to wear any sort of bra without it showing, so I make the decision to go without. I'm in the comfort of my own home with my boyfriend who's seen WAY more of my body than anyone ever has, and the look I'm sure to receive from Hero once he sees me almost makes me blush.

After pulling my hair from the loose high pony it was in, I touch up the light layer of mascara already on my lashes and run a small amount of tinted lip balm onto my lips. I glance at myself once more in the bathroom mirror before taking a deep breath and tousling my hair behind me. My heart rate has increased just in the short amount of time I've been getting ready. Why do I feel like my heart is going to leap out of my chest? I laugh to myself.

Instead of giving it another thought, I flick off the light in the bathroom and my bare feet carry me across the floor of the bedroom until I reach the door handle. I can hear Hero as he opens the bottle of wine, the cork making a popping sound before the clink of a wine glass follows.

I open the door and see his eyes glance up at me from across the living room. He's still pouring the red liquor into a glass and nearly overfills it while his eyes have become fixated on me. Realizing what he's done, he sets both the bottle and the glass back on the table and gives me a sultry smile as I pad towards him once again.

"You look...fucking beautiful," I hear him say as his shoulders visably loosen. I can't help but take my bottom lip in between my teeth, smiling like I haven't heard those words from him more times than I can count.

"I couldn't let you be the only one dressed up," I giggle as I approach the table. The soft sound of music continues to play throughout the apartment, and I can't help but notice the food now sitting on the table. He's made pasta and again, my mouth starts to water.

"For you, my love," Hero grins as he pulls a chair away from the table, granting me a place to sit down. I return his smile as I circle the table and sit. He places his hands on top of my shoulders as I scoot closer to the table, and once I'm comfortable, he kisses the top of my head so gently, causing my stomach to be consumed with butterflies. I bring my very full wine glass to my lips and relish in the taste of the sweet liquid as it runs down my throat. Hero takes his own seat across from me and leans back as he gazes at me. His eyes are bright and almost shining, looking at me with nothing but pure love and I imagine mine aren't too different.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
As promised, here's part of the update before the weekend ends! Fun fact: my wedding flowers were white carnations and babies breath so I had to throw it in the story 🥰 I have the next chapter almost complete and decided to split what I had been working on today into two parts because it was getting extremely long.
Next chapter will be in Hero's POV and I have a feeling things are about to get hot&heavy... 🙃