Don't let me go | HEROPHINE

Chapter 3

Josephine's pov:
'Hero Fiennes Tiffin if you aren't ready soon it'll be dark outside before we leave!' I shout out with a laugh.
'Using my full name are we, Josephine?' He replies from the bathroom.
'We're gonna be going swimming, why did you need to have a shower?' I giggle, trying not to grow impatient. 'Have you seen the state of my fucking hair?' He retorts, keeping the tone light at the same time. We both laugh from separate rooms before he returns to the bedroom.

Hero's Pov:
My eyes nearly pop out of my head at the sight of her sitting on the bed. She's got on this solid black bikini top that I've never seen before, and high waisted baby pink cotton shorts. Her hair is pulled in a low messy bun behind her head with two loose strands at the front. Her face is clear of makeup, not that she needs any. She looks like utter perfection. 'Staring much?' She asks, mocking my usual question when she looks at me. Her cheeks flush pale pink from the attention I'm giving her and I reach out a hand to pull her up off the bed and stand in front of me.
'You are pure fire Mrs Fiennes Tiffin.'
Once again she blushes. We exchange I love yous and gather up our things, before exiting the room and locking up behind us. After just a few minutes of walking we find a nice part of the beach with virtually no one around. It's very private and just super relaxing. We lay out blankets and sit down, my arm around her waist. She rests her head on my shoulder and says, 'this is so perfect.'
'I know, baby.' I reply with a wide smile as she turns my face gently to kiss me.
'You wanna swim?' I ask, eagerly. The water is so much warmer than I expected. The waves are calm and soothing as they splash against the sand. 'Yeah okay.' She agrees and stands up, putting her hand out for me to hold. I rise to my feet and lead her towards the big, blue ocean. This is the kind of thing I thought I'd only ever dream of. But I have it, right here and right now.
When the water is just above our ankles, I pick her up and she squeals, kicking her legs about to try and free herself.
'My wife doesn't trust me?' I tease her, and she relaxes slightly but grips my neck tight as to stay put. As if I'd drop her anyway.
I wade further into the sea until the water is just below my neck, so my full body is submerged up to my shoulders. I adjust Josephine to be in front of me, and hold her tight under her thighs as her legs wrap around me. I know she can't stand flat on the floor at this depth. I love our height difference though, I'm not sure why. 'This isn't exactly swimming.' She remarks, but I know she's pleased to be in this position, as am I.
'Oh I'm sorry, do you want me to leave you out here?' I question with a fake stern expression, loosening my grip on her upper thighs.
She begins to slip downward and almost strangles me squeezing her hands around my neck to keep herself afloat. 'No!' She squeals, the panic clear in her eyes.
'I'm sorry baby, I'm kidding.' I soothe her, lifting her further up to put her at ease. I'd never leave her in water this deep, alone. She knows that.
She sighs and I know I've upset her at least a little. 'Jo, I'm sorry okay, I was just kidding around.'
'Yeah.. i know.' She says, flatly.
'Come on, where's that smile?' I tickle her sides like she's a young child having a tantrum and she eventually starts to giggle, that heavenly sound that I always love to hear. The smile remains on her face as she leans in and kisses my mouth, playing with my hair and gently rocking herself against me under the water. I hold her hips and slip my tongue inside her mouth, until we eventually pull apart.
'There's something I want to talk about.' She says, catching me off guard.
'Is everything okay?' I ask. My mind flashes back to her nightmares and our talk about that. After the huge argument we had, we promised to always talk to each other about any issue, no matter what. I start to worry that this is something even worse than before. Have the nightmares come back? Is something else going on?
'Hero!' She exclaims, snapping me out of my anxious thoughts. 'Yeah, sorry.' I mumble.
'What is it, baby?'
'Well. I was thinking. I love you so much and—'
'I love you too.' I chip in. She laughs softly.
'I know. And now we're married and I almost have everything I want. Almost.'
'Almost?' I interrogate, a little confused.
'Yeah, don't freak out okay.' She says, and I brace myself for what I'm about to hear..