FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

Hera zoomed in the sketch, and her breath hitched as her heart skipped beats several times. But it wasn't a pleasant feeling, not like when her heart somersaults or butterflies swing their wings in her stomach every time she admires Hunter's good looks. 

It was an unpleasant, insecure, jealousy kind of ugly feeling. Someone had drawn Hunter's sketch, thick lines made with black ink or charcoal, Hera wasn't sure, but one thing she was sure about was that it's Hunter's face smiling at her through the phone's screen and whoever made it had seen him up close, known him with familiarity. 

For a fleeting moment, Hera thought maybe it's someone else's face with Hunter's resemblance, it could be anyone. 

'Huh, who am I kidding?'

She knew Hunter like how she knows breathing or how her heart remembers to beat. She couldn't be wrong. 

'It is my Hunter's face in the sketch.'

The caption read, 'My Knight in shining armour, though the armour is only visible to me'.. 

Hera could detect an inside joke or some intimate moment hidden in that caption. 

The post had already earned more than six hundred likes, and comments were still pouring in. Taking a deep breath, Hera clicked on the account owner's name and opened their home page only to find more sketches of Hunter.

'What the actual fuck?'

Hera checked the display picture to know if she could recognise the account user, but she couldn't identify the person. It was a girl for sure. A black beret hat covered her forehead, and a large, rounded brown sunglasses hid her eyes and concealed half of her face. Her fingers made a victory sign against her crimson red lips. The girl had purposely chosen the picture with a clear intention of keeping her identity hidden. 

The display name too was no less of a mystery. 

'He//Cano's.' 

Hera's eyebrows slanted downward in a scowl. 

'What kind of a username is that?'

Hera checked all the sketches one by one, and it appeared to be a picture sequence of a particular moment or a story. Hunter was lifting a half-filled glass to his mouth in one picture, and then he grinned at something or someone in the other sketch. 

One particular picture was impossible to ignore. Hunter seemed sweaty, and hair was an unruly mess, eyes widened in anger, nostril flared, and his lips pulled tight into a thin line as his fist ready to slam into something. The caption said, 'My Hero' with the capital H.'

'Dear God, this simply can't be created just by someone's imagination.' 

Hera held her breath and looked at Hunter sitting right in front of her on the bed. 

'You have met this artist for sure.'

She contemplated on showing the sketches to him and asking him about it. He was busy writing notes, and Hera smiled as she observed his fingers moving gracefully on the paper, the pen between his long fingers looked so hot as he scribbled the words in his beautiful handwriting. Hera eyed his bare wrist and instantly missed the feeling of his hand holding hers. 

A slight frown on his forehead made his eyebrows pull down as they slope inwards, eyes concentrating whatever he was reading from his textbook. 

'My hot nerd.'

Hera decided not to disturb him for a while longer and went back to scrutinise his sketches in the stranger's work. She read the comments under each post. Some said the person was a great artist and some praised Hunter's handsome face. 

Hera grimaced when she read some perverted comments about how they would let him fuck them until they would lose the ability walk because he's so hot. All those lustful, vulgar desires expressed so blatantly, Hera's nose scrunched up in disgust. 

However, Hera forgot all the other things when she saw the next picture. He//Cano's had reposted someone else's post, and it took Hera's breath away. 

It was one of He//Cano's' sketch, and the other artist had filled colours into it. If Hera had anymore doubt left if it was Hunter or not, now it had been completely ruled out because Hunter's purple eyes stared into Hera's soul through the picture. The artist had left no stone unturned while creating this masterpiece. 

'Adding colours into @He//Cano's' Hero. Once done, you'll get to see my Prince charming hidden inside as well. Wink wink'.

The caption said. 

Hera searched the username it was 'IamGCadreamergirl'. She had set Hunter's purple eyes as her display picture. 

Hera clicked on another picture with a caption of "Here's my Prince charming". 

It was a mesmerising painting of Hunter. She'd created every part of his body with such perfection it rendered Hera speechless. The reflection of the bright lighting shimmered like diamonds on Hunter's charcoal black hair. His hair was short as if he'd gotten himself a haircut recently. It seemed a bit dampened maybe because of sweating while his flawless fair skin beautifully flushed with dark pink. 

'What were you doing to get all sweaty and flustered, Hunter?' 

Hera believed in the saying, eyes were windows to the soul, and the girl had proved it by the way she'd painted Hunter's eyes. Hera could see the whole galaxy in them, shining and shimmering. The colour she'd used was the perfect shade of purple matching exactly how they seem in real. His dark, thick eyelashes and eyebrows matched the colour of his hair. 

His long straight-edged nose widened a bit at the bottom and his eyes crinkled at the corner as he grinned. His perfect pearly white evenly arranged teeth twinkled while his pink, full lips stretched wide. A cupid's bow, a diamond or heart-shaped, Hera fell short of words to describe how beautiful his lips looked when he smiled. 

It wasn't his usual charming smile, though. It was a smile one would offer while comforting a scared puppy or a frightened child, ensuring safety or protection. 

Adorable twin dimples winked seductively through the dent of his cheeks. Hera's thumb absent-mindedly brushed over them through the phone's screen. The sharpness of his jawline was visibly prominent in the painting, and he hadn't shaved, a bit of stubble signifying more of his male hotness. 

He looked so cute and lovely with a child's innocence, and at the same time, he managed to look hot and sexy as well. 

The shape of his upper torso, his washboard abs peeked through the tight black button-up shirt he wore. He'd left the first two buttons undone, and his black medallion rested on his hard chest. 

The girl who had painted him on the canvas didn't miss anything. She'd displayed his undone cuffs with his black Rolex shining on his wrist. His strong muscular thighs, his long legs clad in black jeans, feet covered in black boots, the way he stood, his body posture everything felt so real as though he would walk out of that painting. 

'Can I really blame these girls falling for you, though?' Boyish, charming, handsome, you're all of these, Mr Hunter. You're every girl's fantasy.' 

Hera could tell the two artists who captured his stunningly gorgeous, good-looks so perfectly through their art were undoubtedly in love with him. 

'In love with my Hunter.' 

Hera's skin prickled as something stung in her chest. The green monster of jealousy banged its fists against her heart furiously. Her chest heaved as her breathing turned heavy, anger rising to its peak. He was only hers to love and cherish. No one was supposed to know him with such familiarity. 

Every small detail in the painting suggested the girl had touched every inch of him with her own hands before touching him with the paintbrush. The thought made Hera feel so enraged. 

Lost in her conflicting emotions, Hera was about to throw the phone, and her hand rose above her head, ready to smash it against the hard floor when Hunter looked at her. He stared at her frowning in confusion. "What's wrong, Goddess?" He asked, concerned. 

Hera stared at him for a few seconds before jumping on him, her arms embracing around his neck in a tight grip. 

"Oops," he said and chuckled before he wrapped his arms around her. "What made you upset, my Love?" He asked softly. Hera didn't answer, but instead inhaled his scent and closed her eyes as if assuring herself that he was still with her, securely locked in her embrace. 

The picture sequences wouldn't leave her thoughts. Hera could see and read the story it depicted, loud and clear. A girl, the damsel in distress, and her Knight in shining armour who fought heroically and saved the girl, stealing her heart in the process. They would fall in love and get married and live their lives happily ever after. 

Pain twisted inside her chest, squeezing her heart mercilessly. They were so talented and shared something in common with Hunter. 

Hunter himself was an excellent painter, and Hera couldn't even draw the stick figures for the love of God. She felt so useless and worthless. 

'You're mine, Hunter, my Knight in shining armour, my Prince charming, my Mr Hunter and nobody else's. It's our love story, and we're each other's happily ever after.'

"I love you, Hunter," she whispered shakily, and Hunter said, "I love you too," without missing a beat.