Reticent | Herophine Fic

You Wouldn't Do That

JOSEPHINE

To no surprise of my own, I've barely slept a wink again. I've tossed and turned in bed all night, curled around the pillow Hero used when he last stayed here. His scent is wearing off, I'm getting too used to it and this saddens me. I won't be able to have any tangible memories of him once the scent's gone. He'll likely never sleep in my bed again and once I've washed the sheets that's it. His heavenly, usually calming scent will be gone.

I've weirdly been woken up by a constant buzzing noise, not my alarm. Coming from the direction of my phone, I turn my head towards it and see Mia's name attached to an incoming call. This is early for her. Reaching over, I accept the call and wait for her to speak.

"Hey, Jo, how you feeling today?" Like she has to ask. She already knows the answer.

"Shit, no different. This is very early, Mi. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm so sorry but the showcase meeting has been moved to today at 9:30am. I'm so sorry. I'll meet you outside the office," fuck, I've got to not only face Hero for the first time since the events of the weekend but I've also got to face our CEO, Dom and let him know how we're getting on. I haven't done any prep or anything. Shit, fuck, bollocks.

"It's fine, Mi. I'll get ready now and I'll meet you outside the office," she doesn't need to ask whether I've not slept, the answer is too obvious in my gravelly voice.

"Will do, see you in a bit," the line goes dead and I pull the duvet off me, a slight hint of his citrus hitting me as I slide out of bed and trudge over to my wardrobe. I'm making zero effort today with how I look. I'm past caring, already I want the day to be over with.

Setting off much earlier than I normally would does have its benefits. Paddington station isn't busy at all. It's not empty but it's emptier than usual which makes the first part of my commute to Lost & Bound much more pleasant than usual. Even the platform for the popular brown Bakerloo line isn't half as full as I'm used to. I even manage to get a seat on the train which never usually happens. Although I will admit, I'm missing my bed. I'd just be getting out of it now but instead, I'm traipsing to the office early because the progress update has been moved. This will be because of Dom and his love of adhoc plans and sports. It wouldn't surprise me if he was flinging himself out of a plane over the coast of southern Spain where he lives. He's dived with sharks too, the man is crazy and somehow the CEO of the company I work for.

Making my way through the tube network, I transfer onto the blue Piccadilly line and head on the home straight to Holborn station. Alighting here, I make my way up the steep escalator, feeling my foot tap nervously, showing my eagerness to already get today over with. Even Holborn station isn't as busy as I'd expect it to be. Usually, it's a flood of people and you have to swim for the exit, weaving in and out of them. But today, given the earliness of the day, I can walk straight out onto the street and go straight to Lost & Bound despite wanting to crawl back home and bury myself in the duvet.

As promised, Mia is standing outside the entrance to Lost & Bound. She watches me approach and opens her arms for me to walk into. I wrap mine around hers, holding onto her for dear life. I've no idea why I need her as my buoyancy aid right now, but I feel myself sinking emotionally and that never happens. She's the one keeping me afloat.

"Everything will be fine, Jo. I promise," I pull away as does she and smile as best I can at her. I can't play avoidance forever, I've got to face the music and that includes facing Hero. As nervous and as worried as I am I still can't help but wonder why I'm feeling so affected just by a friends with benefits agreement.