Paper Heart ✔️

Chapter 10 | losing my mind

I end the call.

I'm still crying but I've calmed down. I start up my car and make my way home. That's what I planned to do anyway but I take another way around in the silence of my car. I turn into one of the wealthy neighborhoods in my town and stop just outside a large gate that prevents me from going through.

I park my car and step out. I slip on a black zip up jacket and enter through a small side gate and follow down a gravel walkway to the front steps of the house. It's a lot bigger than my house with a single door twice the size of mine. I press the doorbell and wait for someone to answer. I'm just hoping Beverley isn't here, I'm completely out of my mind for coming here.

I'm not sure Hero even lives here anymore because there are no cars in the driveway. They could be in the garage. I turn around and decide to leave, just as I take a step the door swings open.

"Ella?" Hero stares at me like I'm growing horns out of my head. I notice his chest is completely bare and he's wearing black sweatpants. I've never seen him shirtless before, his abdomen is even more defined than I imagined and is so neatly carved I was convinced he did it all himself. I scan over the tattoo that comes into view. It's vertical on the left side of his ribs and it's a sentence in another language I can't comprehend.

"I was just around the neighborhood." I say. "You're the only person I could think of that possibly has a bottle on hand?"

Hero takes a step back to let me through.

"Come in."

I step inside and look around the house. I've never been in here before and the only reason I knew he lived here was because of Wyatt. I follow behind Hero who leads me up the staircase. We turn down a hallway and he opens up a door that leads to his bedroom.

I enter the room, it's definitely not an average sized bedroom. His bed could probably fit more than three people in it. I take a seat at the edge and watch as he walks across the room to pull a bottle out from his drawer. Hero also grabs a shirt and throws it on before he meets me at the edge of the bed and hands it over.

"Damn, you're a better pretender than I thought." Hero laughs lightly.

I roll my eyes and twist the cap off of the bottle. It reeks, but abusing my liver seemed like a good option, so I take it to my lips and drink up.

"How do you do it?" I ask looking over to him. "Wyatt died and you don't even seem phased by the thought of never seeing him again?"

Hero takes the bottle from my hands and takes a drink. "It's just easier for some people. Crying about it won't do anything, it just makes you feel and look more like shit."

"Well, it's a lot better than keeping it all inside." I say. "I called Wyatt and sent him a very long message about how horrible he's made me feel these last few days."

"Did he answer?"

I playfully hit Hero's arm. "That's not funny."

"It's a little funny." Hero says mocking me.

I take another drink. "Do you live alone?"

"Most of the time, my parents move around a lot because my... dad works in the fashion industry so he's usually in New York and Paris. My mother likes to follow him around like a puppy. She's probably just worried he'll find someone else in the meantime." Hero sighs.

"Can I ask why you met with Beverley after practice?"

My intrusive thoughts win this battle. I swore I wouldn't ask.

"Is that any of your business?" He growls.

"I was just curious." I shove the bottle into his chest. "I don't really like seeing her around you."