FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

The cold and dry crisp weather felt pleasant, and the quietness surrounding them was peaceful. Hunter shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts and relaxed his shoulders while Hera wrapped her arms around her front and walked beside Hunter. They were strolling in the backside of the premises away from the prying eyes. 

Opening her mouth, Hera blew out a puff of cloud smoke and giggling to herself, kept repeating the process, relishing in the fog coming out of her mouth. Hunter let out breathy laughter at her childishness. "We can go back if you're feeling cold," Hunter suggested, but Hera shook her head. She was enjoying their alone time, just the two of them with no one to plot against them or disturb their peace. 

Hera pulled Hunter towards the stone bench on the side, and they sat next to each other. Hunter took her small hand into his large one and locked their fingers. Smiling at his gesture, Hera rested her head on his shoulder and inhaled, filling her lungs with the fresh oxygen. The lovely flowers blooming in the nearby garden engulfed the air with their exquisite fragrance. 

"Are you going to fight me if I say I want you to stay away from that Russel guy?" Hunter suddenly asked, surprising Hera.. Instead of stating or commanding her to do his bidding, he requested her in a gentle voice. Hera smiled but didn't answer him right away, her thoughts straying back to the earlier incident, silently analysing Adelaide and Noel's act. 

It was a strange coincidence that Adelaide kissed Hunter in front of Hera's eyes, and Noel chose that exact moment to distract her. It was clear he intended to keep her engaged so that she wouldn't interfere with whatever Adelaide had planned. 

"There's something about him that rubs me up the wrong way. I don't get positive vibes around him," Hunter said, breaking Hera's chain of thoughts. Hera looked at him, drawn by the worry and suspicion coating his voice. They both shared a similar opinion about Noel. 

Hera smiled to herself before leaning up to plant a kiss on his mouth. "Are you jealous," Hera asked to lighten the mood as she noticed how worried Hunter seemed. The latter bumped the side of his head to hers playfully. "I am," he admitted, surprising Hera. "But it's not just that. I genuinely don't trust him," he added. Hera felt the same about Adelaide. 

Hunter seemed thoughtful for a few seconds before he spoke again. "What about that girl who kissed me? Do they know each other or something?" he asked. Hera's eyebrows arched up, touching her fringe. 

'Oh! We share the same brain cell!

Hera thought amusedly. 

"I remember Mike saying that Russel has asked you to help him with a girl. Is she that girl?" Hunter asked, already knowing the answer. Hera thought about her first meeting with the boy in question. He had lied to Michael to save himself when he was getting beaten up by Hunter's friends. Hera kept her mouth shut and didn't tell Hunter how Noel had used Adelaide as his escape. 

However, it seemed her genius boyfriend didn't need her clarification on the matter. "Obviously, it was a lie," Hunter stated. "They have sort of an understanding between them," he guessed. His gut feeling insisted that Noel and Adelaide had planned everything. It couldn't be a mere coincidence that the girl who hurt his ankle had dared to kiss him in front of Hera without any hidden motive. 

Hunter knew how naive and innocent his Hera was. It was too easy to influence Hera's mind or deceive her heart, and people around her always took undue advantage of her goodness. Noel seemed a threat, and Hunter couldn't ignore the warning bells his intuition kept ringing. 

Meanwhile, Hera grinned, impressed by her boyfriend's brain. Ever the observant, he had noticed how Noel had stopped her when Adelaide kissed him and had put two and two together. "He won't hurt me, Hunter. I'll be careful, okay and don't worry," Hera said, sensing the stir of restlessness inside him. 

Hera unlocked her phone and held it before them after opening the camera. She placed her lips on Hunter's cheek and stayed there in the same position to capture the image in her phone. Hunter smiled at the camera while Hera clicked the picture. Surprised by the background showing on the screen, she turned to glance over her shoulder. Behind them, the moon was round and full, shining bright. 

"It looks so beautiful!" she wondered aloud. Hunter kissed her on the cheek and agreed, "Yes, so beautiful." 

Hera didn't have to look at him to know that he wasn't talking about the moon. She could feel his eyes on her. She wound her arms around his midsection, and Hunter's went around her shoulder. 

"We should head back. You'll get cold, and I don't even have a jacket to keep you warm," Hunter said regretfully. Hera giggled and hugged him tighter. "You're my warmest and safest blanket," Hera declared, making Hunter laugh. "You're so cheesy," he taunted her. "You love me anyway," Hera stated smugly, and Hunter nodded. "That I do," he agreed. 

"Hunter," Hera looked at him to know she had his attention. "You've asked so many questions this evening. Now it's my turn," she said. Hunter hummed, inclining his head, a gesture for her to go ahead. She slid her hand into his pocket, searching his phone, and Hunter leaned his torso back and stretched his leg so that she could easily pull it out. 

Hera opened his Instagram and showed him what Samantha had done without his knowledge. He frowned at the recent posts but didn't say anything. He seemed unbothered, much to Hera's annoyance. "Does she know your password?" Hera asked stupidly. 

'How else would she have opened his phone lock?'

Her mind screamed, mocking her. 

"I suppose it wasn't that hard to guess my password since everyone knows my obsession with you," Hunter answered, flicking his finger on her cheek. Hera scowled, unimpressed by his reply and whined at the stinging on her cheek. She pinched his arm harshly in retaliation while Hunter hissed at the pain. 

"What if someone stole your phone, or you somehow lost it? They could go through your personal information or stuff saved on your phone," Hera tried to reason with her explanation. She scowled in resentment when Hunter laughed at her. "Goddess, how would strangers know my password to unlock and check my stuff?" he asked, unintentionally making fun of her. 

Hera puffed her cheeks, exhaling her frustration out. He had a point, but Hera wasn't talking about strangers. She couldn't trust Samantha not to do something to create a misunderstanding between them. 

"It's not something you should ignore, Hunter. What Samantha did was wrong, using your phone without your permission. If I didn't see her doing it with my own eyes, I would've thought you did it," Hera tried to warn him. Hunter bit the inside of his cheek and sighed. "You have nothing to worry or get jealous of, Goddess," he said, igniting the anger inside Hera. 

Moving away from his embrace, Hera glared at him. "Why does your genius brain choose to turn dumb when it comes to Bianca or Samantha?" Hera asked indignantly. She couldn't resist raising her voice. "I'm not jealous of her. I'm worried and scared that she would do something to break us apart," Hera admitted timidly. 

She tried to explain how she thought he was the one who liked all her pictures and reposted them on his profile. She reminded him that Samantha still pretended as his girlfriend and how it bothered her so much. 

Hunter's gaze softened as he pulled her back into his arms. 

"I know, Goddess, I know. Please don't let it bother you. Samantha can only pretend, but it would never come true, and you know it," Hunter promised, assuring her in a softer tone. "So let her be. It doesn't matter. What difference would it make?" he asked but continued without waiting for her reply. 

"She doesn't want to lose her title or status or whatever it is. She seems disturbed and needs time to come to terms with the truth," Hunter explained. Hera shook her head, not satisfied with his excuses. She knew Hunter had the good intention at heart and didn't want to upset or hurt his friend, but Hera could see how Samantha was using it to fulfil her selfish motives.

"It's not something a person with a healthy mind would do," Hera stated. "At this point, she is ready to do everything regardless of right or wrong. Samantha wants to steal you away from me. I just know," Hera admitted, sounding defeated. Hunter didn't like how hurt and scared Hera seemed. He kissed her on the forehead and thought about how to remedy the problem. 

"I don't want to change my password," Hunter said. He had always kept the same password. Hera already knew Hunter wouldn't change it because his password was her birthdate. "But I'll be careful with my phone from now on," he promised her. "And I'll speak to Samantha about what she did behind my back," he added in assurance. Hera sighed in relief. 

"It's not that I don't trust you. I'm just," Hera paused, not finding the right word to express her fears. "Goddess, my heart, body and soul are signed and sealed in your name forever. No one can take me away from you," Hunter declared. Hera couldn't stop the smile that adorned her lips as well as her eyes. 

"I love you," she whispered before Hunter sealed their lips together.

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