FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

Face tucked in the crook of Hunter's neck, Hera was fast asleep in his arms. She stirred, letting out a light groan of protest while he gently pushed her head away from his shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. Hera swatted his hand away with a whine when he tried to keep her head from falling on his chest again.

Meanwhile, everyone got down as soon as Michael hit the brakes and stretched their limbs, inhaling the fresh oxygen. It took two hours to reach the destination. The journey tired their muscles because of sitting in the same position for so long.

It felt heavenly to stretch and loosen their muscles as it realigned their strength, drawing out a satisfied moan from them.

Michael caught Hunter's eyes through the rearview mirror and raised eyebrows at him, silently signing him to get off before doing the same. A guard was on standby waiting for Hunter and Hera to get down so he could park the car.

"Your hair, it's a mess right now," Hunter said, which Hera ignored, burying her face in his neck. "And it's our wedding day," he added, which jolted her up from the sleep instantly.. The first thing she did was to check her face in the rearview mirror.

"Oh, no," she whined, pouting in disappointment. Her ponytail wasn't that bad, but it didn't look as decent as Jessica had made it. Her eyes appeared slightly swollen because of sleep, and there was no trace of lipstick on her lips. "I don't look as pretty as a bride should be on her wedding day," she stated, scowling in frustration.

Hunter chuckled, pinching her cheeks softly. Hera sighed, her shoulders sagging in disappointment.

"Don't you know, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder? You always look beautiful in my eyes, no matter what," Hunter declared. "You're the prettiest bride ever," he said, pecking her lips. Hera smiled at his praise. She tried to smoothen her messy hair with her fingers, only to purse her lips in displeasure as she peeked into the rearview mirror.

"Why don't you leave it open instead," Hunter suggested. Hera reluctantly took his advice. He gladly helped her remove the band from her hair. Frowning in disapproval, Hunter shook his head when she climbed on the seats to reach the front passenger seat.

"You could use the doors," he muttered, which she ignored.

Leaning forward, Hera checked herself in the rearview mirror after coating her lips with lipstick. Hunter got down from his seat and held her door open for her.

"Oh!" Hera exclaimed while her surprised eyes roamed around, exploring the surrounding. "Wow!" she whispered in awe, admiring the view in front of her.

They were at the beach.

Hera giggled, her eyes appreciating everything around her. The simple, peaceful sounds of the ocean felt like a calming lullaby. The beach was quieter than its neighbours and turned out to be an ideal spot to enjoy quality time with loved ones. Hera could listen to the rumbling of beach rocks as the waves rushed them to the shore.

Meanwhile, Hunter removed his boots and deposited them inside the car. Hera noticed all of their friends were walking barefoot and followed to do the same while her bridegroom cuffed his pants legs to avoid getting wet. His bare pale feet looked so big and clean on the wet pebbles, Hera couldn't help gawking at them.

'For God's sake, get your mind out of it, you stupid girl. You have a foot fetish or what now?'

Hera knew by now she was obsessed with everything about her Hunter. She was admiring his feet, for God sake! What else did she need as proof to know how much of a gone case she was and how deep the depth of her love was?

"How does a beach wedding sound? Would you want that?" Hunter asked, catching her off guard. She blinked and stared into his purple orbs before leaning on her tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek. The wide grin on her face when she pulled away was all the answer Hunter needed.

Hera noticed how the lipstick had left the imprint of her lips on his cheek. Giggling, she wiped the mark off his cheek with her thumb, but the colour of the lipstick never went away. The slight shade of light pink remained intact on his cheek. Hera seemed thoughtful for a second and then kissed his other cheek as well.

Hunter felt her lips stretching into a smile against his skin while she kissed him softly. She ran her thumb against his clean-shaven jaw, erasing the pink stain and nodded in approval when the remaining shade of lipstick matched with his other cheek.

The light shade of blush on his cheeks made him look more adorable, and Hera couldn't tear her eyes off him.

'I can stare at you forever.'

A boy older than Hunter by two or three years greeted them with a broad smile. The warm welcome pleased Hera, and she thanked the boy while returning the smile. Hera blushed when the boy's gaze lingered on her longer than necessary.

Hunter snapped his fingers, and the cold glare was enough to alarm the boy. Realising that his stare might have come off as rude, he apologised before leading their way. Hunter wrapped his fingers around Hera's wrist as they walked to the local cafe at a short distance. He seemed annoyed, while Hera seemed amused.

"Don't be jealous, Mr Hunter. It's my birthday, so let me bask in the attention," she whispered, her tone teasing him. She chuckled softly as her boyfriend's purple eyes glared at her, but her smile faded when he let go of her wrist and shoved his hands into his pockets. He increased his pace, his long legs leading him away from her.

"I was only kidding, Lucifer. Now don't be mean, or I won't marry you," she threatened jokingly, but Hunter stopped dead in his tracks. He turned and blocked her way. She kept her chin up defiantly when Hunter glared at her. Hera frowned in confusion when he smiled suddenly.

"It's okay. I'll marry Samantha then. She'll be generous enough to take me as her man after you ditch me, and I'm sure she would love the beach wedding," he said, shrugging. Hera fumed furiously, and Hunter's jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth, matching her fury.

Slowly, Hera released her breath through her gritted teeth. Her eyes shifted off him for a mere second only to pick up a pebble, and she threw it at him without second-guessing, but Hunter dodged it in time.

"I was only kidding, Goddess. Now don't be mean, or I won't marry you," he threw her words back at her before walking away from her. Hera chased after him and pulled his arm, forcing him to face her. She stepped on his bare feet and pressed harder with all her might, her hands holding his arms for support.

"Oh, my God, that hurt," Hunter said mockingly before wrapping his arm around her middle. She was pulled flush against his torso, and she held her breath when his gaze fell on her lips. Her chest rose and fell in anticipation, but his lips never reached hers. He smirked at her flushed face and leaned forward.

"Your brother is watching," he whispered a centimetre away from her lips. Hera's enthusiasm for a kiss died down as Hunter's words threw cold water on her desire.

'Fuck, I'm supposed to be angry with him, not kiss him.'

Muttering a curse, Hera pushed him off and marched to where their friends were while Hunter followed, whistling on his way.

It didn't take much time for her to get distracted. The place was interesting enough to catch her attention. It was a private beach cafe with outside seating, and they served hot and cold food with drinks.

The grey table in the shape of three interlocking triangles, a Valknut symbol, was big enough for eight of them to sit together. Hera was pleased to know her boyfriend had booked the whole place for the evening.

Since Hera was pretending to be cross with Hunter, she chose to sit between Michael and Evelyn.

Two girls clad in grey shorts paired with a matching crop top introduced themselves as their servers for the day. Hera noticed how everything around them was colour-themed in grey.

Michael was extra flirty with the server girls, and Hera rolled her eyes at his cheesy antics. One of the girls recommended that the customers could barbecue if they prefered. Everyone was busy ordering while Eric and Danny kept whispering to each other. Hera didn't need to be a genius to know it was about the girls who were pretty enough to catch eyes.

"Tone it down, guys," Hera heard Evelyn mutter and nodded in agreement. Michael snorted a laugh before jerking his head in Hunter's direction. Sure enough, much to Hera's displeasure, he was checking the girls out.