Chapter 25: Beside Still Water

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Jo's POV

I don't know what to do.

What the fuck do I do?

This can't be happening, this can't actually be happening. Thank god his pulse is there.

It's barely there, but that's something.

He has to live, he doesn't have any other choice. I can't lose the person I love while also gaining several massive targets on my back. Quickly, I force myself to snap out of my thoughts and figure out what the fuck I need to do.

  "Help me!" I scream up to Felix as I hold Hero's body in my hands.

  This is not what was supposed to happen today, or any day. But I guess we just keep getting hit with a bad luck stick. "Felix, he's dying!" I cry, suppressing the shivers that are trying to rake through my body.

  Felix looks at me from the top of the hill like a deer in headlights. Good lord he's useless. I look down at Hero's paling body that lays in my arms. I lay him on the rocks and start doing chest compressions.

I will not let him die.

If he dies... no I can't think of that.

What I should be doing is thinking of how he'll live. If you think positively, you'll get positive outcomes. I used to tell my mom that was bullshit but right now I'm not thinking that.

I'm just thinking of ways to save the person I love.

What's something good I can be thinking about as I do this. Something that'll make me press his chest harder and on the right beats. His face pops into my mind, even though he's right in front me of. The Hero I see now is not the same Hero from a couple hours ago.

Oh how good those hours were.

A few hours before going to the club

  We both finish eating quickly, despite the distractions. What I mean by distractions is Hero either tickling me or creeping his hand up my leg because now I was in his lap.

  I obviously help him clean up, and he takes my hand. I smile up at him and he chuckles. "Someone's eager," I giggle at his statement and place a kiss on his lips.

  "Well..." I drag out and smile more at him. "It's the only room I haven't seen, yet been the most tempted to go into," I say softly and I get a soft smile in return.

  "Come on, Princess," he says and takes my hand as I giggle. We make our way up the stairs and to his office. He looks back at me, as of mentally preparing himself before opening the door. "Welcome," he says and I walk on.

  My eyes go wide and my lips turn into a brighter smile. One wall has floor to ceiling windows showing off the forest, and that's where there's two desks. One wall has a pretty storage cabinet, and the wall next to that has a large couch. Lastly, there's a wall lined with bookshelves, and books packed neatly into them.

  "I- I know it's not much but-" he starts to tell me but I shake my head and cut him off immediately.

  "Hero it's beautiful," I smile and run up to him. I hug him, tightly and he picks me up. I nuzzle my head into his neck and he chuckles. "I love it," I say and actually pull my head back to see his face.

  "Good thing the second desk is for you then," he says and my face lights up even more. "I... I want to know more about you, more then just what your parents made you do. I want to know who you are and I thought maybe you'd like writing or something..." he trails off and I swear on my life that my heart exploded.

  "Okay... let me tell you then," I say softly and his face turns into a beautiful smile. With me still in his arms, he shuts the door and brings me to the comfy couch. "I-I'll start from when I was younger," I say and he nods. I move closer to him and he looks down at me confused. "I feel safer when I'm closer to you," I say softly and he nods.

  "When I was younger... I guess my first memory is that I used to play all these sports. Like little me used to do softball, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, The whole 9-yards," I laugh and he smiles down at me. "I loved volleyball the most so I did it throughout high school. I had to play for a random team because my dad made sure I was home schooled. I made him think I liked it but I barely had friends that knew me." I say and I grab his hand.

  "It was about three years ago... so I was 15, and I suddenly had this sick-like feeling when I was around certain guys. How'd they look at me, how'd some of them licked their lips when they saw me, how..." I shiver and lean my head on him. "How my father just let these guys fucking touch me until I pulled a gun out on them one day. I've never felt safe with anyone after that... until you," I say softly and he looks down at me with sympathetic eyes.

  "Jo... he never should've let that happen. You we're already put through so much trauma..." he says and I silence him with a kiss.

  "That being said, I made myself more closed off. Both emotionally and socially to other people. So I put my energy into writing and drawing. I'd just say what I felt in words or pictures and some of them are dark. But it's really interesting to watch them get lighter as time goes on. As I force myself to learn to accept that it happened and now I have to deal with the consequences." I say and smile at him.

  I pull him closer and suddenly there's a blanket over us. I smile against his chest and I feel his lips press into my head. "Jo..." he says and I look up.

  "Yeah?" I ask softly and he kisses me briefly. His eyes seem... scared. I guess that's the best way to put it.

  "You can ask me about anything you want whenever we're alone but promise me you won't ask about my family... I'll open up about that when I'm ready," he says, trying his hardest to have his voice not break.

  "Yeah, of course babe," I say and my cheeks go red. I haven't called him that yet. He catches it and his lips turn into a smirk.

  "Babe?" He asks and my bury my head further into his chest.

  "Mmmm..." I giggle and he pulls my face out from where it was hidden.

  "I love the way that sounds off your lips," he tells me and I kiss him. "Mmm and the taste of your lips," he tells me and I laugh.

  "You got work to do," I scold like a mom and he laughs.

  "Okay princess, guess I'll have to fuck you later," he tells me and litters my cheek and neck in kisses.

Present

  I continue doing the chest compressions like I've learned how to do from some course I took and it doesn't seem to be working.

  "Fuck!" I yell, tears rolling rapidly down my face. I press them hard. Maybe I wasn't doing them two inches deep... I'll crack a rib if I have too.

  "Jo..." Felix mumbles and I shake my head.

  "Don't Felix. Do something useful, be useful!" I yell at him and cover Hero's mouth, breathing air into it. I hear Felix mumble something about a fire and I just don't care right now.

  I don't know what takes over me, but as Felix goes to get branches to make his fire as the sun starts to come up, I get angry. "Wake up!" I yell and punch his chest with all my might.

  "Wake!" Punch. "The!" Punch. "Fuck!" Punch. "Up!" I punch one last time and water is shot onto my hand from Hero's mouth.

  With the sound of his coughs and catching his breath I hear Felix drop all the fire wood and look at both me and Hero.

He's alive...

He's actually alive.

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Authors Note!🖤

He's alive!
I was thinking about leaving that until the next part but I'd figure I'd be nice for once lol

Hope you enjoyed!
See you in the next one!

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