Love At First Lie | Herophine Fic

A Strange Admission

HERO

Shifting my head slowly to the left and then to the right, my eyes begin to blink open to the darkened room around me. Like yesterday and the day before, I've not moved a muscle. Neither of us has. We're still in the same position we fell asleep in last night. Just as we have done since she woke me up on our final night at The Corinthia.

As my eyes focus, they cast down to the girl laying on my chest. My arms are still draped around her too, holding her in place. It's a strange admission, I know, considering I only met her a few days ago but I enjoy her sleeping on me. It's comfortable and her warmth radiates through me just as I hope mine does with her. She's the first thing I see now when I wake up and the last thing I see before I fall asleep. And that's an odd comfort in itself.

Holding her, knowing it helps her sleep fills my chest with a pride of sorts. Silly, I know but it's the truth. A truth even after a few days that I can't ignore or deny. I enjoy sleeping with her. Literally sleeping. Nothing else of the sort. Sharing a bed with her puts me at ease, weirdly. But she's not questioning it so neither am I.

My body makes a conscious effort now too to make sure I'm awake before her. Like it wants to wake before her so I can have these few stolen moments to just watch and observe. Never in a million years did I think I'd want to watch a girl sleeping on my chest. Never mind one I met just days ago. Of course, I've brought girls back to mine after nights out but as soon as the morning comes, I'm eager to one, thank them for their time and two, send them on their way.

This is quite the opposite reaction to waking up in those instances. It has been since the time I first woke up and watched her sleep. But I can't help myself. It'd be futile to even try and stop myself. Because if my eyes wander anywhere else in the room, my mind quickly brings them back to the blonde on my chest. I find myself wanting to watch her sleep. To see the small faces she pulls for moments or seconds. To see how her full lips pout then rest and form a perfect little 'o'. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps. It's hard to remember sometimes that this is the quick-witted Australian girl I'm supposed to be lying with to those outside the door. There's always a feisty ember in her eyes when she's awake but here she's nothing short of peace.

My eyes stay glued on her. Watching her sleep. Carefully so I don't knock or disturb her, I bring my arm above and behind my head, offering some support so I can continue to watch. I don't know how long I stay here, I could stay for hours and have no idea about it. I'm almost certain of that without even putting it to the test.

After a while, I see her eyes softly begin to blink. Her long lashes stroke over my chest like feathers, telling me she's waking up. Her nose scrunches for a second as do her eyes before they blink open, focusing in the dark.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Jo tilts her head up to me and smiles softly. Somehow, she always wakes up happy and content.

"Hmm, good morning," her voice is always lower than normal in the morning but it doesn't hide the content within telling me she's slept well.

"Sleep well," nodding yes she lays her head back down onto my chest and sighs heavily.

"I did, yeah. Did you? How long have you been awake?" My heartbeat quickens ever so slightly at her question. So to disguise my worry, I mimic her heavy sigh before replying.

"I did, too. I've not been awake very long," I lie. Although I'm not entirely sure whether it is a lie or not. I don't know how long I've been awake watching her. Hours could have passed and I wouldn't have known. And I wouldn't have cared either.

Rather than move us, I decide to let us lay here for a while together. Allowing our body's to slowly wake up and prepare for whatever is on our plates for today. That's the thing at the moment, we wake up and are at the mercy of the producers and their plans that they assure us daily will make for good television. It's easy to forget we're being filmed, half of the time I'm too wrapped up in looking out for Jo. I have this... protectiveness inside me that comes out whenever she's around. It's instinctive, something that happens naturally and I can't stop.