Herophine: All Good Things

Chapter 10

Hero's POV:
"What's the occasion?" Jo playfully asks me once she withdraws her wine glass from her lips. She looks so beautiful, I almost don't hear her question as her wide eyes stare deeply into mine from across the table. She's wearing only a bit of makeup, like she normally does, but the color of the dress she's in causes her eyes to be a deeper shade of blue. Her dress. Fuck. The second she stepped out of the bedroom, my jaw about hit the damn floor. Her lightly tan and toned legs were completely on display, her collar bones very defined underneath the barely there straps on her shoulders and is it even a question whether or not i one hundred percent noticed she was no longer wearing a bra?

"We just haven't been on a date in a while," I cheekily smile while reaching for the bowl of Cesar salad i tossed together while she was getting ready.

"This looks and smells so good, Hero. I'm starving," she beams, glancing around the table.

"I figured that would be the case. Worked up an appetite with all that shopping, yeah?" I laugh, handing her the bowl.

"An appetite and sore feet," she giggles.

We fill our plates and I watch as she takes the first bite of her pasta, her eyes instinctively closing as she chews. It's almost like she's concentrating on how it tastes and I take a sip from my own glass of wine I've switched over to and patiently wait for her review.

"You made this? You didn't order this and are trying to trick me, are you?" She asks as she points her fork down at her plate. Her question makes me chuckle and I set my glass down while shaking my head.

"It depends, how good is it?"

"Hero, it's delicious," she takes another bite and wipes her lips with the napkin that's been sitting on her lap.

"I made it. It wasn't actually too hard," I grin while chewing.

"Just so you know, I'll be expecting you to make dinner once a week now. Maybe two, who knows," she shrugs her shoulders and laughs.

"Deal. I'm just glad you like it," I smile. Whew... okay. This is going better than I expected. I didn't royally screw up and make something inedible; i mentally pat myself on the back.

We spend the entirety of dinner laughing as she shares how her afternoon went and can't seem to wrap her head around the fact that I planned and prepared such a random night for the two of us. It's funny to me really. After everything we've been through in our short relationship thus far, that she would be surprised by something as small as this.

As we both take our last bites of our meal, I notice how Jo's cheeks have begun to flush and her eyes are dancing. It's been months since either of us have been out to have drinks and I'm starting to realize that she's become tipsy the faster she talks and more she giggles. I, too have a slight buzz and pour myself another glass of whiskey after taking our plates into the kitchen and discarding them into the sink.

Jo follows behind with what's left of the food and sets it on top of the counter next to the stove, all the while humming to the faint sound of an Ellie Goulding song playing now. I bring my glass to my lips, watching her from over the rim as she rinses off our plates in the sink. The dim lighting in the kitchen illuminates her blonde waves that rest down her back and over her shoulders. While drying her hands, she notices me staring quietly at her and she flashes me a smile while her head dips to one side.

"What?" She playfully asks.

"You look happy," I say smiling. Her eyes are so soft and looking directly into mine.

"I am happy," she whispers, closing the small gap between us. Her fingers graze either side of my waist and I gently set my glass back to where it was before on the counter. I move her hair off of her shoulders so that it's all hanging behind her, giving me a perfect view of her neck and chest. Her eyes are wide and she's looking up at me almost adoringly.