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The beige stone and black glass of the corporate park are a speck of blandness against the beautiful day.
Big lemon sun.
Bright blue sky.
Six-foot-two water polo player leaning against his shiny silver luxury sedan.
I park next to Hero's Benz.
Let the last verse of Rebel Girl fill the car. I soak up every line. Try to find confidence in Kathleen Hanna's badass vocals.
Fail.
Hero is right there.
All tall and broad and tempting.
My pulse is already racing and there are two thousand pounds of aluminum between us.
How am I supposed to survive being close to him?
I turn the ignition off.
Drop my keys in my purse.
Step out of the car with careful steps.
A soft breeze blows over my arms.
It's a nice May day. Sunny. Warm. Gorgeous.
Hero pushes off his Benz. Nods hello.
He looks even better than he did yesterday. More awake. More alert.
More on fire.
He always had a fire in his soulful eyes.
Even at his lowest point, he always had this raw, pure determination.
He can do anything he puts his mind to.
Including cracking the safe that holds my secrets.
"You look good." I'm not sure what else to say.
I want to be his friend, but I don't know how to do that.
I don't know how I can hang out with Hero without falling in love with him.
He's just so...
Hero.
"You too." He gives me a long, slow once-over. His eyes fix on my hips, my chest, my wrist. The tattoo bearing his initials.
He stares the way he did after I got it.
Like it still thrills him.
Like it still screams I want to be with you forever.
Then he blinks, and his expression is normal.
Or maybe it was always normal.
Maybe I'm imagining things.
It's been two years.
I'm sure Hero's been with a lot of women since I left.
Maybe he found one he liked.
Maybe he's with someone now.
Maybe he's madly in love and totally over me.
Okay.
I'm not at all calm.
But with him this close, that's a lost cause.
"You ready?" His voice is sure. Even. Utterly free of any sort of implication.
We're taste testing hummus.
We're not prepping for our wedding.
Sure, this whole thing is close to everything that hurts.
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BROKEN (Herophine Fanfic)
ChickLitI lost her once. I won't lose her again. After my brother's death, I was drowning.She was my life raft. Josephine and I were opposites, the outspoken art student and the brooding athlete. She was passionate where I was apathetic, bright where I wa...
