Hey everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful morning. So happy for all the support I'm getting. (: please enjoy
________________________________________

When everything was packed after much stalling, I collapsed on my bed. The phone calls from Hero's mother alone made me exhausted. She was a damper on our relationship and I wasn't sure how much more I could take of it. 

The thoughts of meeting the man who claimed he was my father rested in the back of my mind. We discussed meeting but not specifically. I was still turning the idea around in my head. 

I knew if I ever brought it up to Hero, he'd squish the idea immediately. 

I couldn't meet the man until I was sure it was safe to do so. I couldn't meet until I was sure about my present parents. 

Well, not exactly present. My 'father' had told me to not contact them and I hadn't. They hadn't bothered to get ahold of me either.

When I finally met Hero outside the dorms with my boxes, he made me drop them, giving me a bone crushing hug, unwilling to let go. 

"What's wrong?" He asked. 

"Huh?" 

"You're stiff." He pointed out. "Something's bothering you. I can tell."
 
"Nothing just..." I trailed off, not wanting to bother him with his mother's vitriol. "I'm stressed about the job." 

Hero thumbed my cheek. "Don't. It's your dream job, isn't it? It'll be fine. Have you gone to the college to ask them to drop your classes?" 

"Not yet. I just finished packing."

Hero huffed, rolling his eyes. "I suppose we can do it together."

As he and I fit my boxes into his car, I smiled. We'd survived without fights. Though his attitude was still there most days, I didn't mind. I would rather have one thing over the other. 

After we finished speaking to the front office, I was surprised at how willing they were to comply. The receptionist had been a bit impatient, but we were in and out within thirty minutes.

On our way to the apartment, I decided to spark up a conversation with Hero that I definitely knew he'd be against.
 
"Can I talk to you about something?"

Hero took a quick glance at me, with his hands still on the wheel. 

"Sure?"

"You know that picture I was given the night we went to the tattoo parlor?" I asked, nervous. 

I saw Hero's head turn the barest inch in my direction, interested. 

"Oh, yeah."

I pictured the photo in my mind, the brown-haired girl still such a mystery. 

"I can't get it out of my mind. It's still strange that it was sent to me, don't you think?"

Hero cleared his throat, past a lump I would guess. 

"It's very strange. I think it would be a good idea to throw it in the dump. What if it is from a creep like Luke? Or worse. I don't want you exposed to that."

I giggled. "Hero... Luke's far from a creep."

Hero spared a glare my way. "You sure about that?"

I raised an eyebrow, challenging this theory. "Yes. He never did anything perverted with me- if he did, I would have told you."

His hands tightened around the steering wheel. "Sometimes, his face makes me want to kill him..."

I ignored this comment. If I fought him anymore on this, it would only result in a fight. I knew that. Could this be the formula for stepping around confrontations with us in the future? To change the subject? It sure was helpful. 

"How about this?" I said. "I won't even talk to Luke about this. I thought I could go to the cops and see what they think-"

Hero turned to look at me for a long minute. "Do you think that's the best idea?"

He quickly turned back to face the road before I could get worried. 

Did I think that was the best idea? I mean, what other choices did I have? It wasn't like I could comb through Luke's history with girls...

Could I?

Oh, I didn't want to talk about this anymore. 

"You know what? Never mind." I smiled. "I don't even want to focus on this anymore. Let's just focus on our new place together."

Hero grinned. "Yeah. I like that."

When we had reached the apartment, the sun had begun to set. Some kids were out playing in the neighborhood, riding on bikes, with their parents close by.

It made me think of my own situation with my parents. I still held back from contacting either Charlie and Elouise or the mystery callers that were adamant in the fact that they were my parents. 

What could I do? How had my life turned out this way? I felt a tear rush down my face, but I instantly wiped it away. I wouldn't let my emotions ruin our first night here.

It took about ten minutes for us to bring everything inside. Once I had a chance to take a breather and look around at the monster that was the apartment, I saw that every inch of the space was furnished.

"I hope you like it," Hero grunted with his hands still around a box. "It took some calls, but I didn't want you sleeping on hard ground." 

I immediately ran for his embrace, oblivious to everything around me. All that mattered was us in this crucial moment and all he was willing to do for me. 

"I love it." 

"You thirsty?" Hero asked after a long moment. "I filled the fridge with some flavored water. I wasn't sure what you like." 

I nodded. "Yeah, I'd like some." 

As Hero made his way across the long sterile floor and scrambled through the fridge, I eyed his phone lighting up like a Christmas tree.

Taking a quick glance at the few messages, I almost passed out. In bold letters read:

Diedre. 

Should I have been looking at his personal business? Probably not but what was he doing speaking to her? 

Just when I thought things could be good...

As Hero met me, bottle in hand, he had the most infectious smile on his face. I almost didn't want to disturb it. He was abnormally gorgeous. 

"Hero," I spit out, "who have you been texting?"

He stopped dead in his tracks, looking mystified. 

"What?" He breathed. 

"I saw who you were texting," I stated. "Please don't try to deny it." 

Hero raised the bottle in the air, slamming it to the ground. 

"What the fuck were you doing going through my phone!"

"I didn't!" I shouted, not daring to back down. "Your phone is practically shining with several texts!"

Hero's eyes narrowed. I could tell he was at a loss of what to say. 

"Are you actually psychotic? You're really pulling your jealous shit now? That's the woman that molested me!"

"Exactly!" I fought back. "I don't know why you're even talking to her!"

Hero stared up at the ceiling, groaning to himself.

"I thought we were past this bullshit! I thought we could go one night without all this- You make me so fucking insane, Kristina! I've done so much for you and this is what you pull! I spend money- hell, you know that I've dropped every single person I've ever known, don't you? It's all been for you!"

"No one asked you to!" I choked.

God. Why was he pinning all this against me right now? He was in the wrong!

"That's your argument?" Hero scoffed. "That none of this is enough for you... God, Kristina... My mother was right. You're actually crazy."

Now this comment hit me hard in the gut. Out of anything he could have said, he chooses to use the one woman that despises me. 

"You know what?" Hero began. "You don't have the right to question what I do with family, okay? If I want to talk to her, I will. Nothing you say will change that, babe. You can fuck off. As a matter of fact, you can spend the night alone in the room."

"Wait-" I tried to say, but it was no use. He was already headed for the door. 

"Where are you going?" I trembled. 

"Somewhere you're not." Hero laughed.

Sorry in advance for breaking your hearts again 😨

Hero just has personal things to sort out.