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Chapter 16 - Hero

Jo wakes up from butterfly kisses all over her face, she opens her eyes slightly and sees the man of her dreams staring at her with a loving smile. She smiles back at him and kisses him softly. "Mmm. Morning." 

"Morning superstar." 

Jo raises her eyebrows and stretches out slowly. Dart sits up and grabs his phone to show it to her. A sneak preview of the commercial shows on his Facebook, she watches it and smiles. It looks good. It mostly consists of Dart in or half out of a suit, but it ends with a few seconds of them kissing.

Dart points at the comments and Jo reads through them, noticing a lot of replies by men, who are wondering who she is. And some women claiming they want to be her. Dart's phone starts beeping and pretty soon Jo's phone buzzes almost constantly. 

Dart laughs and says: "The sneak preview went live a few minutes ago. And my phone is blowing up with messages." He looks at them and says: "Most of them are about you. Can I tag you in the sneak preview by the way?" 

Jo nods and says: "Yes, please. I want to take a selfie with you too and post it on social media." 

Dart looks a bit surprised for a second and then snuggles up beside her, as Jo snaps a picture that will make a very clear statement. They are in bed together, under the sheets, not wearing much. Jo decides to wish everyone a good morning with it and tags Dart happily. 

"Damn Jo, you know all the bimbo's from my page will end up at yours, right?" 

Jo laughs and shrugs. She feels her phone vibrate and sees it's a call from Jake. "Good morning, big brother."

"Good morning little sis. You did it huh? No more hiding? I'm proud of you. How is that blonde idiot treating you?"

"Yeah, no more hiding. I'm done with holding back. And that blonde idiot?"

Dart raises an eyebrow and dives under the sheets to kiss her feet and Jo giggles, telling Jake he is kissing her feet right now. 

Jake laughs. "Good. He better. Are you done shooting now?" 

"Yes, I think so. Haven't talked about it much yet. We collapsed yesterday and slept till this morning. Being a model is damn hard work. I don't know how Dart does it hours on end and is still smiling until the last minute." 

"You rest Jo, but when you can, come back here. Everyone out here is missing you. I even miss mister sexy there." 

Jo laughs and promises to rest and then hangs up.

Dart stares at his phone worried, seeing all the replies to Jo's picture on her social media accounts. Those fangirls sure aren't being nice at all. Some of those replies are downright scary. Most of the replies on his accounts are pretty nice though. Most of the guys congratulate him and not with the pictures, but with Jo. He laughs softly and looks over at Jo.

Jo reads through the comments under her picture and starts to smile wickedly. "Haha, they are so pissed and confused. They thought they could get to you, with their perfect bodies and hair. And now what? He went for the girl they used to be."

Jo laughs louder and Dart stares at her. She looks up at him, still laughing."What?" 

Dart chuckles and says: "You still surprise me every day. I was worried about those replies, some of them are really scary. Those girls are really mean." 

Jo shrugs, saying: "I am done being scared, especially of girls that are obviously frustrated and kinda dumb. Everyone can see their replies. It makes them look bad, not me. Besides, I am the one in this bed with you." 

Dart pulls her close for a kiss and whispers: "I love you even more than yesterday."

Jo kisses him back and tells him she loves him more too.

Once they are washed and dressed, they go to the breakfast lounge of the hotel to eat breakfast there. Jo walks in with her head held high, swaying her hips. She sits down and sips her coffee, still wearing a wicked smile, listening to the whispers around her and looking at the paparazzi outside.

Dart stares at her from the side, chewing on a piece of toast. He takes out his phone and texts Jake.

Jo is so confident, it's starting to scare me.
We've created a monster. 

Jo hums as she eats some blueberries, looking completely relaxed. 

Dart's phone beeps and he looks at the reply from Jake. 

It has always been there, inside her.
And she is 100% sure of your love for her, that kicks the confidence up a notch.
Enjoy.

Jo looks at Dart, tilting her head, wondering how he is feeling about it all. "Dart? How are you feeling?" 

Dart gives her a surprised look, but quickly answers: "I am feeling pretty good. Still a bit amazed at your confidence though." 

Jo turns to him. "Oh really? It's all your fault. You make me feel like I'm the only woman in the world when I am with you. That might make me a bit arrogant." She thinks for a second. "If it gets too bad, tell me." 

Dart looks deep into her eyes: "I will. But I don't think that will be necessary. I just need to find a better way to handle it." 

Jo's eyes open wide."What do you mean by that?"

She sees a slight blush appearing on Dart's cheeks and he leans over to her. "Let's just say I won't be able to get up immediately." 

Jo looks down and laughs softly. He sees the look in her eyes and chokes on a piece of toast. Jo laughs and gets up to get more coffee, still walking around with her head held high. Dart looks around and sees several people checking her out. 

An elderly lady stands in front of the coffee machine, trying to figure it out. Jo walks over to her and touches the lady's shoulder lightly, asking her if she needs help with the machine. The lady gives Jo a relieved smile, Jo smiles back at her and picks out the coffee the lady would like. Jo gets her own coffee and carries both cups over to the table where the lady is sitting.

"Here you go madam. Have a good breakfast and a good day!" The lady still smiles wide and so does Jo, walking back over to their table. 

She sits down and Dart looks at her lovingly. He says: "Good to see she is still in there."Jo winks at him and sips her coffee.

Dart's phone vibrates and he checks the message. It's from the designer, he wants him and Jo to come over to Dirk's studio. Dart kisses Jo and tells her the designer wants to see them. 

He holds out his hand and Jo takes it happily. They walk towards the exit of the hotel and Jo stops for a second, taking a deep breath and walks out with her head held high.

Camera's flash and she walks towards the waiting taxi with a slight smile on her lips, getting in without looking back.

Dart gets in on the other side and leans over to kiss her, before whispering: "Awesome."


They arrive at the studio and walk in, getting jumped on by Dirk and the designer. They welcome them all excited and Jo laughs with them.

They walk over to a screen and Dirk stands next to it. He begins to show them the pictures of Dart in the suits, explaining for every picture what magazine it's intended for and on which page it will appear.

They will start the worldwide campaign with just Dart, fully dressed in the suits, thinking of Jo on the roof. Then slowly dropping a few pictures of Dart half-dressed dreaming of Jo in her white dress. And finally the commercial of them meeting on the roof will premiere at the same time the pictures of them together will.

And the slogan will be: Tailor's suits make everything better...well almost everything.

Jo stares at the screen, squeezing Dart's hand, while she looks at the footage of them on the roof together.

The men in the room all look at Jo, waiting for her reaction. Jo turns to Dart, who looks back at her with a sparkle in his eyes, as he patiently waits for her to speak. 

"Wow. I don't know what to say. I had no idea it could look that way. It looks amazing." 

Dart smiles and nods: "Yeah, you can say that again. We work pretty well together and the message works great mister Tailor. And Dirk... Happy to work with you again, because it's unlike anything else I ever did. It looks like a movie promo. People will want to know what happens next. And this lady? Ha! All mine!"

Dart lifts Jo up and spins around. Jo laughs and goes with it, still unable to believe it all.

Dirk opens a bottle of champagne and mister Tailor shakes their hands to thank them for the awesome work. Jo asks Dirk if she can see all the footage that will be used again. And Dirk makes it all appear on the screen one more time. Jo stares at the screen to try and let it all sink in. 

Dart hugs her from behind and whispers: "Believe it. You're that awesome. And you're in a worldwide campaign." 

Jo leans back and says: "I think it will take a while for me to realize it all. But hell yes I look good. I hope he chokes on it." 

"Oh Jo, he will. He's going to break down when he sees it. That bastard." He kisses her neck as they look at themselves on the screen.

Mister Tailor comes up to them and tells them he is going to set everything in motion for the campaign and thanks them again. 

Dirk smiles at them and says: "You are going to be stars together. It was a pleasure to have you two in front of my camera, solo and as a pair. Thanks for that." 

Dart and Jo thank him for the awesome work he did, before walking out together.

Once outside Jo does a happy dance, trying to get rid of the tension in her body. Dart laughs at her, shaking his head.


They go back to the hotel, Jo still giddy and excited. Once in the room, Jo dances around some more, before jumping on Dart. He catches her with a smile and she apologizes. 

"I'm sorry, I really had to get that happiness out. Ask Jake about the moment I heard you were coming home from San Francisco, the first time you were here." 

Dart cuddles her and says: "I am glad I got to see it this time." 

He kisses her hair and Jo asks: "Can we go home now? Or do we need to stay here longer?" 

Dart replies: "We can go home. I will check online to see when we can fly back home."

Jo sits down on the bed and checks social media and messages on her phone. She has a message from Maria, telling her everything is fine at the cafe and with Jake. Ronnell sent her one line, telling her he misses her.

She checks her Instagram and sees some positive messages between the jealous, bitchy ones. And then she notices one from Shooter_Dirk. 

That guy is so lucky.
I tried, but she only wants him.
Damn.
So jealous. 

Jo laughs and follows Dirk, checking out his page. He posted a picture of the red stilettos, with a broken heart emote next to it. 

Jo replies to it.
Need some glue? XX 

She checks out a few other replies and clicks the heart for some of them. 

Dart asks her: "Do you want to fly home tonight or tomorrow morning?" 

Jo answers quickly: "Tomorrow." 

Dart nods and types away on his phone. "Done. Tomorrow morning it is." He walks over to her and pushes her onto the bed, kissing her slowly. 

"Hmm, now what, love?" 

Jo slides her hand under his shirt and runs her nails across his chest.
"I could think of a few things. They all involve you wearing fewer clothes though." 

Dart pretends to be shocked, but takes his shirt off in one move. They spend the rest of the day in each other's arms, Jo being more forward than ever and driving him wild.


When they wake up the next morning, Jo finds it hard to move. She moans softly as she tries to stretch. Dart runs a finger down her spine and she shivers. 

"Dart! Don't! Seriously, I am still so sensitive all over." 

He gives her a crooked smile and wiggles his finger in the air. Jo gets up out of the bed slowly, with a tortured look on her face.

Dart throws the sheets off and looks at her, laying on his back with a hand behind his head. Jo stares at him, blushing a deep red. She swears and walks over to the bathroom. "I need a very cold shower, right now." 

Dart laughs, walking into the bathroom after her, where he sees Jo checking her body in the mirror. She is covered in red marks and he moves closer and tries to make eye contact with her through the mirror.

Jo looks up to meet his eyes, a bit of desire in hers, before checking him out through the mirror. She giggles and says: "I think it's a tie." She walks to the shower and turns it on. Dart looks at himself in the mirror and just now notices he is covered in red marks too. He laughs and joins her for a shower.

They get dressed in comfy clothes and pack their stuff to get ready to go home. 


When they reach the airport, Jo looks for something to read and freezes in front of a magazine, staring at Dart looking gorgeous in a suit.

She thinks to herself that Mister Tailor works fast. She buys it and then meets up with Dart, who is waiting for her with a smile. She snuggles up to him and sighs happily. These past few days sure have been tiring, but worth every second of it.

On the plane, they sit real close, while holding hands and Jo takes the magazine out of her bag. "Look! There's a really hot guy on the cover." She giggles and Dart laughs. 

"Oh really? They sure worked fast. Mister Tailor must have been really happy with the results." 

Jo looks inside the magazine and finds an article about the designer, talking about his new collection and how the campaign is extra special this time, because it's about true love. Jo points it out to Dart and he kisses her happily.


When they arrive at LAX, Dart spots a few paparazzi and nods at them. He looks at Jo, waiting to see what she wants to do. 

Jo whispers: "Head on!" She holds his hand and walks towards the paparazzi with a cheeky smile. She stops in front of them and says: "Think fast!"She pulls Dart close for a long, deep kiss and as she breaks the kiss she says: "Have a good day guys!" She winks and walks off with Dart, leaving the paparazzi speechless. 

Dart is still grinning, when they sit in the back of the cab. Jo leans over to the driver and gives him Dart's address. Dart raises his eyebrows and asks: "Why my place?" 

"Because I don't want to surprise Jake, now that Maria is there. And I want to be with just you for a little while longer, if that's okay?" 

Dart kisses her and says: "Of course it is. You are always welcome at my place."

The second they get to Dart's place, Canelle comes running towards them, meowing loudly. Dart picks him up, nuzzling his fur and telling him he missed him too. Jo looks at them with a soft smile, before kissing Canelle on his head. Canelle squirms and Dart puts him down. 

They go into the house together and find quite a few packages inside. His neighbor left him a note, telling him that she let the delivery guy put them inside. Dart opens the first one with a wide smile, feeling really proud of himself, because it's the picture with Jo in the open shirt and red stilettos. 

"Bingo!" He walks off to the bedroom with it. Jo opens the next few ones, until she stares at all the pictures Dirk displayed in his studio. But there's still one package left. In the same size as all the others. She gets curious and opens it. 

She yells: "Hell yes! That's what I call bingo!" 

Dart walks back in from the bedroom and places his chin on her shoulder to look at the framed picture. He stares at himself in just boxers, taken at the last photoshoot. A picture Dirk said he couldn't use, because he wasn't wearing anything from the designer. But Dirk still convinced him to pose. Sneaky man. But judging by the look on Jo's face, he did good. 

"Happy with it Jo?" 

Jo nods: "Oh yes very. Now I won't be sexy and alone on the wall of your bedroom." She laughs and Dart lifts the picture up and walks it over to the bedroom. Jo follows him and they stand there looking at the pictures leaning against the wall. 

Dart hugs her and says: "We look awesome together." 

Jo nods: "We sure do." 

Canelle comes into the room to complain and they both laugh, walking over to the kitchen to feed the cats.

Dart looks at Jo and sees in her eyes what she wants. 

"Come on love, let's find something to eat in The Sidewalk Cafe." He holds his hand out to her and they walk out together, on their way to Jake. 


They reach the cafe and Dart holds the door open to let Jo in. The second she walks in, Jake comes rushing over with a scream. He lifts her up and hugs her tight. Jo laughs loud and kisses his cheeks. Jake puts her down. "I really missed you!" The second he says it, the regulars agree with him loudly. 

Jo shakes her head with a smile. "Well, I am back now. But I didn't really miss you guys at all." She hears a few gasps and then bursts out in laughter. "Just kidding. I missed this place and everyone in it. And missed you the most big brother." She hugs him tight, sighing happily. 

"You guys must be hungry. Take a seat." He is about to walk away and then turns to Dart, slapping his shoulder. "Welcome back man!"

Jo and Dart sit down at one of the tables and stare into each other's eyes. Jake comes up to them with two bowls of vegetable soup and some bread and butter.Jo smells the soup and thanks Jake with a wink, diving right in. When she finishes the soup, she leans back in her chair happily, looking around the cafe. She missed this place, but somehow it feels different now. She turns her eyes to Dart and catches him looking at her with a soft look in his eyes. 

He asks her: "Happy to be back?" 

Jo stays silent for a few seconds and answers: "Hmm Yes..." 

Dart is about to ask her what's wrong, but Jake walks up with two pieces of cheesecake. He tells them with a smile: "No sharing out here for everyone to see, okay?" 

Jo chuckles and winks at Dart. They eat their cheesecake and guests come up to their table, asking them how the trip was. Jo gives them all her undivided attention and they all walk away with a smile.

Dart looks at her, thinking he is lucky to have her. Jo eats the last bite of her cheesecake and closes her eyes, giving Dart the opportunity to lean across the table to kiss her. She smiles and kisses him back.

She leans back in her chair and sees Maria walk in, going straight to the kitchen. Jo wonders how things are between her and Jake. Maria comes back out almost immediately, walking up to them fast. "Jo! Dart! Welcome back!" 

She hugs Jo and rubs Dart's back, smiling friendly, but Jo can tell she's a bit worried. Jo looks at Dart and he seems to read her mind. He gets up, telling them he needs to discuss something with Jake. Jo smiles at him and asks Maria to sit down.

Maria seems to think about it for a second and then sits down. She seems even more worried now. 

Jo decides to get straight to the point: "What are you worried about?" Maria opens her mouth in shock and is about to deny it, but Jo is faster. "Don't you dare say nothing. I see it. And denying it makes me worry. So spit it out already."

Maria blinks a few times, surprised at how observant and direct Jo is. She takes a deep breath and says a bit strained: "I'm happy you're back, but... Never mind." 

Jo looks her over and then says: "But you were having a lot of fun with Jake, without me here? And you are worried things will change now?" Maria's face turns pale and Jo smiles at her. "Oh Maria, just spit it out. Have you been sleeping here every night?" 

Maria breaks and softly speaks. "Yes. We've been having a lot of fun together, I was even thinking about renting out my apartment. But when I saw you were back I realized it was all just a dream. Jake can't be without you and I would never suggest you live somewhere else. So there." 

Jo looks at the table and thinks for a bit. "It doesn't have to be a dream. I have been leaning towards it myself. But we can't decide it all without the men. And in the end it is their houses we are talking about." 

Maria's mouth hangs open and Jo gets up, holding her hand out to her. Maria puts her hand in Jo's and they walk towards the kitchen together. As they enter they hear Jake speak."It's all up to Jo if you ask me." He turns around to them and looks slightly shocked. 

Jo looks over to Dart and sees he's surprised too. Jo looks at all three of them, as they all wait for her to speak up. "Jake? Do you need me in here today?" 

Jake replies: "Not really, why?" 

Jo turns to Dart and tilts her head slightly. "How about you? Do you need me today?" Jo gives him a cheeky smile.

Dart answers: "I always need you. Every day." 

"Good." Jo walks over to Jake and kisses him on the cheek before whispering in his ear. "See you tomorrow morning." Jake stands there with his mouth open and Jo chuckles. She puts her hand into Dart's and pulls him out of the backdoor. "Let's go handsome."


Jo and Dart sit on the steps in front of his house, relaxing in the sunshine. Dart wraps his arms around her and asks: "Are you going to tell me what happened back at the cafe?" 

Jo kisses his lips lightly, before asking: "Are you?" 

Dart nods and says: "Yes. I promised Jake I would." 

Jo lays her head on his shoulder and asks: "Want me to start?" 

Dart kisses her hair and whispers: "Yes please." 

Jo tells him about Maria's worries first and then tells Dart how the cafe felt different to her now. "It has been the only place that felt like home for a while now. But something changed. I think the place I belong is not there anymore." 

Dart waits for her to keep talking, but she keeps silent and stares in the distance. Dart turns her face to his with his hands on her cheeks. "Are you thinking the same thing here?" Jo nods and looks up at him, her eyes filled with conflicting emotions. Dart kisses her forehead and whispers."If you're not ready, we will wait." 

Jo climbs onto his lap, hiding her face in his neck and he rubs her back. "Dart? I don't want to wait. But I feel a bit scared. Jake has been my safe haven all this time. But when I said goodbye to him for the trip, I knew things were going to be different when I got back. I felt it and I am pretty sure it felt the same for him. I want to fall asleep next to you as often as I can. And I don't want to ruin Jake's chances with Maria. He deserves to be happy." 

Her breathing is shaky and Dart holds her close to him. "I am not sure I can take it all anymore. I feel like I am standing at the edge of a cliff, about to jump off. It's been hard, ever since I got here. I came to run away from all my emotions and landed in a big heap of emotional stuff over here. But I also ran away to become stronger and go for what I want in life." 

Dart feels her shoulders shake and holds her close to him. He whispers: "You don't have to decide right this second. I would love to have you here with me all the time. But I will wait forever if I have to. My love for you is strong enough to withstand any storm that comes our way."

They stay like that until Jo stops crying.

Jo is laying on Dart's couch, petting Canelle and Dart is in the kitchen, cooking dinner. She kisses Canelle on his nose and looks over at Dart with a smile. He looks really focused on the cooking and looks sexy from where she is laying. Canelle purrs happily and turns on his back. 

Dart walks in with two plates of food and stares at the cat, submitting to Jo completely. He mumbles something and Jo laughs, knowing very well he is a bit jealous of the cat. She picks up Canelle, kisses him and puts him on the floor. She takes a plate from Dart and he smiles at her.

"It's pasta with whatever I could find in the kitchen." 

Jo smiles back at him and says: "It smells really good." Jo takes her first bite and closes her eyes, enjoying the different flavors. Dart starts eating happily, now that he knows Jo likes it. With the plates empty on the table, Jo cuddles up to Dart with a sigh. He pulls her close and plays with her hair. 

They decide on watching a movie together and Jo gets to pick it. He quickly finds out something new about her: she loves superhero series and movies. He looks at her amused. She says: "I also like Disney movies. Which is kinda the same I guess. I just love knowing it will end well, no matter how scary it gets." 

He nods and asks her: "So who is your favorite superhero?" 

She answers pretty quickly: "The Hulk." 

He looks at her, thinking that it's an odd choice. 

Jo laughs and says: "I can't really explain it, he just is. What about your favorite one?" 

Dart thinks for a second: "Thor." 

Jo nods and says: "Makes sense. He suits you." 

Dart smiles and Jo picks a Ghost Busters movie. "This one!" Dart is surprised, but lets her have her way. The movie starts and Jo snuggles up to him. And he ends up watching her more, than the movie. 

She falls asleep and he carries her to the bedroom. He carefully undresses her and gently lays her down. He gets undressed himself and gets into bed, pulling her against his chest.

He whispers: "I love you Jo. I will keep you safe."



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