Ever Since New York

Los Angeles.

Present day...

(Hero's POV)

I was sitting on the couch, flipping through the portfolio Josephine got me for my birthday to make sure I had a good number of headshots and photos to show Mr. Cunningham. I was being interviewed today by him, a scout for IMG Models after sending various messages and references out to different agencies. I was surprised that IMG got back to me, especially because they're one of the largest modeling agencies in the world, but Mr. Cunningham was impressed with my work and requested to meet with me as soon as possible.

I tried to look as professional as possible, with Jo's help of course. We decided on black pants, a white dress shirt, a black sweater, and black Chelsea boots. Mr. Cunningham had asked to meet outside of the office, to make it a more relaxed setting. He suggested a restaurant that wasn't too far from the apartment, but I still made an attempt to be ready two hours before I had to leave. My nerves were going through the roof.

"Hey." I hear a soft voice. I look up and smile when I see Jo. She had finally decided to cut her hair, letting it rest just above her shoulders. She looked beautiful, as always. Even in a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Hello beautiful."

"What time is your meeting?" She asks.

"Three." I say.

"Are you still not going to tell me who it's with?" She laughs.

"Nope." I smirk. "I don't want to jinx anything. I want to surprise you if all goes well."

"More surprises?" She rolls her eyes, but a smile still remains on her face.

"What can I say? I'm full of them." I shrug.

I look up when she doesn't say anything. Instead she stood there twiddling her thumbs.

"What's wrong?" I ask, placing my portfolio to the side.

"I was wondering if... well... I made an appointment for this afternoon to renew my shot and I was wondering if you could drop me off?"

"Sure, babe. What time is your appointment?"

"Two."

"How will you get back?" I ask.

"I'll call an Uber." She shrugs.

"I don't know, Jo..."

"Well, I don't want you to worry about having to come back and get me, but I also don't want to be sitting at a doctor's office until you're done."

I sigh. "Okay, fine. As long as you let me know when you're back here and safe."

"I will." She nods.

***

Jo was fairly quiet on the ride to her doctor's office, letting the music from the radio fill the car. I didn't mind though, sometimes just being next to her was comforting enough. Especially because of how nervous I was, and Jo knew it too. She reaches across the console and takes my hand, stroking her thumb back and forth on the top. "You're going to be fine, I promise. I'm already proud of you."

"Thanks." I smile, bringing her hand up to my lips before kissing it. I pull into the carpark of the Women's Health Center and park close to the entrance. "Do you want me to walk you in?"

"No." Jo shakes her head. "I'll be fine. Thank you."

"Are you sure?" I laugh.

"Yeah! I'm a big girl." She giggles, before resting her hand onto my cheek. I lean my head into her touch, taking in her warmth. "Good luck today. I love you."