FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

Hunter knew Hera was pissed. He could feel her eyes drilling holes into him, yet he pretended oblivious to her intense stare. "You're so pretty. I could marry you right now if you take me as your man," he flirted smoothly while the server girl giggled shyly, offering him the menu card, their fingers not so accidentally touching. 

"Very cliché, young man, try something innovative next time," the other girl said in a chiding tone before ruffling Hunter's hair as a sister would do with her younger sibling. Her smile made it clear that she was only teasing. Hunter sighed, faking disappointment, and the girls laughed at the adorable sad face he pulled at them. 

Hera frowned in confusion when Hunter pulled the notepad from the girl's hand, a polite smile dancing on his lips while his eyes silently asked if that was okay. The girl nodded, lending him her pen as well. Hera's frown soon turned into an angry scowl when Hunter scribbled something on her notepad. 

'Is he writing his number or what?'

She was so upset her face flushed red with all the anger she was trying to keep under control.. 

"Oh, that's okay, you can still help me, though," Hunter said to the girl who nodded, seeming too eager to comply with his request. Hera tuned out of their conversation after he wrote his number and couldn't grasp what he meant by the girl can still help him. As soon as the girls left, Hunter brushed his hands through his soft long hair one after the other until he felt he perfected his hair. 

Hera huffed out her annoyance and crossed her arms. She kept shooting daggers at him through her eyes, but it was all in vain as the arrogant asshole didn't even spare a glance at her way. Hera had kicked him under the table a bit too harshly if she could agree. She smiled, faking fondness when Hunter groaned in pain. 

Michael smothered his laughter behind his fist while his best friend scowled at the birthday girl. "What happened, young man? Have you hurt yourself somehow?" Hera asked through her clenched teeth. The sweetness in her voice and the way she mocked concern made both Michael and Eric burst out laughing. 

"What was that for, and why are you pissed at me?" Hunter asked, knowing very well what had triggered her anger. "God, you need to join an anger management course or something. You're so violent lately," he stated accusingly. Hera sneered with disinterest before answering him. 

"That was a cheap shot. Could you make yourself seem any more desperate than that?" Hera asked, scoffing at him. "She wasn't even interested judging by the way she laughed at your poor flirting skills," she said. Hunter leaned back in his chair while smirking arrogantly at her. 

Meanwhile, their amused friends watched the drama silently. 

"Cheap shot? How so? I was genuinely trying to woo the pretty girl so that I can ask her to be my new bride since you're second-guessing about marrying me," Hunter shot back, trying not to laugh at his possessive girlfriend, reminding himself that they were still fighting. 

"Aw, that's so cute! So were you scrawling your wedding invite on her notepad then?" Hera snapped at him. This time, Hunter let his smile dance on his lips. Tilting his head, he rapped his fingers on the table, watching Hera fume in anger. He leaned forward and asked in a softer tone, "What if I was? Are you perhaps jealous?" 

Hera mirrored his stance, smiled at him and then showed him the middle finger. Hunter chuckled, looking too smug for her annoyance. "You are," he stated. 

Hera leaned back and smirked, forest green eyes piercing into his soul. 

'Damn, she looks so sexy when she's stepping all over me.' 

"Don't look so smug, Mr Hunter. I'll rip your chest open with my bare hands if you dare to even think about marrying someone else. Now tell me honestly, what did you mean when you said she could help you?" she asked. Hunter frowned in confusion as if she spoke in an alien language while Hera rolled her eyes at the pretence. 

She noticed the dominating silence around her. Everyone was looking at her strangely, and Hera felt small under their scrutinising eyes. She licked her lips nervously, straightening the lapels of her trench coat. Suddenly she felt self-conscious. 

'Why are they all staring at me?'

Hera felt Evelyn's hand reaching out, a tender touch on her knuckles, and she realised she had her hands clenched into tight fists. 

"Hera, I thought we all heard him when he spoke to the server girl?" Evelyn asked, sounding confused as well. "He was asking if she could get us a birthday cake," she clarified when Hera still appeared to be clueless. 

Hera sucked in a breath, worrying her bottom lip under her teeth. 

'Oh, shit! Did I zone out of it so early? I didn't even listen to their conversation.' 

But she adamantly held on to her anger. She couldn't feel guilty, not when she had caught her boyfriend checking the girls out. 

'He looked so fond when he smiled at her. He was the one flirting with other girls.'

Hera reminded herself so that she could restrain the guilt from peeking out. 

"So, what did you write on the note then? Your phone number?" Hera asked Hunter, ignoring everyone's stare. "Were you planning on meeting her secretly behind my back? You're already cheating on me, I see. Didn't take much time for you to back off on your word," she pointed out accusingly. 

Hunter stared at her wordlessly, offended by her accusation. He was only trying to make her jealous by flirting with the girls, but apparently, it backfired on him. Hera directly accused him of cheating, and it hurt. All the playfulness, the smugness, the pretence of anger, everything vanished, replaced by the true rage. 

Hera didn't miss how his eyes darkened in utter fury. She knew her choice of words hurt him, and she instantly regretted saying it. She should've known he was only trying to get her attention. It happened every time they fought. They would try to make each other jealous by doing silly, stupid things, unintentionally hurting each other in the process. 

A nerve twitched under his clenched jaw, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down when he swallowed. Hera pursed her lips in objection when he looked away from her. She could tell he was struggling to keep his anger in check. It annoyed her more when Hunter stood up from his chair, ready to leave. "Seriously? The fuck?" she muttered. 

It didn't sit well with her that Hunter decided to walk out on her. Shouldn't he fight back and argue in his defence? Instead of denying her accusation of cheating, he chose to keep quiet. 

'What the hell am I supposed to make of it?'

She acted on impulse and grabbed the fork resting on the table, ready to jump on Hunter, but Michael held her hand in time, much to her frustration. 

"Hey, calm down, baby girl. I'll gladly help you hide his body after you kill him, but for now, let's keep the idea of killing him on hold, okay. Give him the benefit of the doubt?" Michael asked unsurely. Meanwhile, Hunter ignored them and walked away. 

Hera muttered a curse under her breath, and her eyes accidentally met with Bianca's. She was glaring at Hera, the amount of rage in her eyes enough to set Hera on fire.

'Oh, it seems like I offended his sunshine by making him upset.'

Hera scoffed mentally at Hunter's best friend. 

Her gaze fell on Samantha and found her smirking. She looked beyond pleased, and Hera wanted to pour the glass of water on her face. 

'Huh, bitch thinks she still has a chance. Over my dead body, girl.'

Hera drank the water, gulping down her anger along with it. She glanced over her shoulder, searching for Hunter and found him speaking to the girl he was flirting with earlier. Hera took a deep breath ignoring the fit her heart threw. She noticed how he kept a respectable distance from the girl while nodding to something the girl said as if in approval. 

One hand shoved in his pocket, he ran his other hand through his hair and suddenly, Hunter turned, his eyes finding Hera's. 

'Damn it, how does he know every fucking time?'

It was too late to look away as he already caught her staring. However, to her dismay, he looked away first. 

"That's what you get for being so immature. Why don't you see you can't keep Ace happy? You two are not compatible as a couple, and most importantly, you don't deserve him," Samantha threw her hateful words at Hera. 

"Sam, you can keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything nice to say," Danny said, his tone light and matter-of-fact. 

Hera didn't respond because she couldn't find words to retaliate. She almost believed what she said. Samantha had managed to plant seeds of doubt in her head.