FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

The sleeping position only intensified the pain in his wounds when he stretched his legs, so Hunter pulled himself together and sat upright on the sofa. He stared in silence while Eric pulled off his boots one after the other. The disapproving scowl was planted on Eric's face the whole time. He was still angry, and Hunter could guess that his pissed off best friend decided to let it go only for Hera's sake.

Hunter tried his best not to wince every time Bianca touched his wound. He knew Hera had her eyes fixed on him, watching his every move and scrutinising his every emotion that played on his face. Bianca dealt with his injuries with the utmost care, and her hands expertly moved as if she had done this regularly. 

Her medical expertise would've surprised everyone if they hadn't known about her family's medical history. She didn't hesitate while touching the ugly deep wound, nor did she cringe once seeing the blood around it. The spirit she used to clean and sterilise the wound stung like hell, and she would gently blow air from her mouth to soothe the burning sensation. 

After his knee, Bianca cleaned the bruises on his knuckles. Eric took position behind the sofa, his both hands planted firmly on the backrest, his body bent forward as he followed the movement of Bianca's hands, observing everything with keen interest.. 

Samantha and Michael hovered over the sofa on either side of Bianca while she slowly untied the bandana wrapped around Hunter's thigh. As soon as she removed the makeshift bandage, Hunter let out a strangled moan, cursing under his breath. 

"It hurts, sunshine," Hunter said and hissed when Bianca turned his thigh in another direction to examine the depth of the injury. Samantha winced at the sight of the cut as if she was the one bearing the pain. Both Eric and Michael cursed in unison. 

Their reaction immediately made Hunter regret opening his mouth. He was holding back for Hera's sake, and now she would know the extent of his injuries. All his bravery, his pretence of being fine turned out to be in vain. Alarmed and anxious, his eyes searched for Hera. 

Hera ducked her head as soon as he made eye contact with her. But he saw the panic in her eyes before she could hide it from him. She was playing with her fingers, fidgeting and squirming in her seat. She appeared so timid, sitting at the corner of the sofa all alone and lost in her thoughts, her teeth abusing her bottom lip mercilessly. Hunter noticed how her face flushed pink while she tried to keep her emotions in check. 

Hunter bit his tongue to stop the groan when Bianca dabbed the cotton dipped in spirit on his wound. He kept his eyes on Hera, but she never lifted her lashes to look at him again. 

"Fuck, it's deep, bro. I can see the veins and arteries in the muscle. It would definitely need stitches," Michael said, grimacing at the cut. He looked at Bianca expectantly, his eyes asking her to assure him the damage wasn't dangerous. Bianca sighed and shook her head, and Michael frowned in return as he couldn't understand what her gesture meant. 

"We should take him to the hospital. I'll bandage the wound to stop the bleeding for now," Bianca said, looking at Eric. 

Eric shook his head in disagreement. "The doctor will be here in a few minutes," he announced. Eric had called for the doctor before they left the industrial complex. "We can't take him to the hospital without Mathew's permission," he said, annoyance coating his tone. 

Hunter tore his eyes off Hera at the mention of Mathew's name and looked into Eric's accusing sharp eyes. "I'm not a child, Eric. Mathew doesn't need to be my cane to support my every step. He's on a date. For heaven's sake, let him live a normal life for once," Hunter said, matching Eric's heated glare. 

"Well, you should've thought about that before you chose not to call me for help," Eric spat the words out in utter rage. "I handled it just fine, Eric, didn't I?" Hunter asked, sounding equally enraged. 

"Yeah, I can see how great you handled yourself," Eric said with a scoff and the sarcasm dripping from his words irked Hunter more. Hunter exhaled through his nose, annoyance written all over his face. Eric's words reminded him of what Michael said before. Like a deja vu moment, it was repeating his earlier confrontation with Michael. 

It annoyed him so much that they both think he needed help to save himself from getting killed. 

"You could've died, you insufferable dickhead. How would I have shown my face to my godmother if something had happened to you?" Eric shouted at him, all the suppressed anger rushing out in an instant. 

Eric's angry outburst compelled Hera to lift her head, and she saw him pacing back and forth, his face flushed red with rage, his fists tightly clenched as if he was struggling to keep himself from striking Hunter. 

"Wow, aren't I lucky! My best friends have so much faith in me," Hunter said sarcastically. "I could say the same, you asshole," Eric retaliated. "You didn't trust me enough to call out for help," he said accusingly, hurt evident both in his tone and in his eyes. Hunter pursed his lips at that, a trace of guilt letting its presence known. 

He never wanted to hurt his friend, nor did he ever doubt him. It stung when Eric accused him of not trusting him. 

"I was dying every minute worrying about you, Ace. Because you were taking too long to come back and I wasn't there with you to protect you," Eric said, shoulders dropping in defeat. He looked so disappointed and his voice finally lost its strength. 

Hunter was losing his patience too. Guilt only added more to his temper. He didn't like seeing his best friend look so defeated, but at the same time, the accusing tone Eric used urged him to fight back in his defence. 

"Eric, just as you were afraid that something would happen to me I was scared too. Every time I involve my friends in my problems, I fear the same. I don't want any of you getting hurt because of me," Hunter was saying, but suddenly he yelped in pain. Bianca had chosen that moment to press a bit too hard on his wound. 

Concerned, Hera's eyes widened in alarm, and she tilted her head to the side to check on Hunter when she heard him groan. Michal and Samantha had blocked her view. She saw how Hunter took a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth while his eyes squeezed shut as he winced. 

Anger burst through Hera as she noticed how much Hunter was struggling. She wanted to push Bianca away from him but knew the girl wouldn't appreciate her interference. It was as if Hera never existed for them anyway. They wouldn't welcome her into their conversation. Their interaction seemed too intimate, too personal and Hera felt like an outsider. 

Hunter knew Bianca did it deliberately. "What the fuck is wrong with you, sunshine? Are you trying to kill me or what?" He cursed, glaring at her. Bianca's hand moved, and before Hunter could analyse her motive, her palm met with his cheek. Hunter was stunned because his sunshine had slapped him. 

It wasn't exactly a slap but more of a smack on the jaw. It shocked Hunter nonetheless.

"Don't curse at me again, Ace. I'll dig your wound deeper if you do," Bianca threatened, her eyes spilling anger. 

Hera was stunned too. She never thought she would see something like this. She always wished Hunter and his friends would fight, and their friendship would break. It was her jealousy. She hated all his friends in the beginning. But now, when she was actually witnessing them fight, it didn't make her feel any good as she assumed it would. 

She just wanted to comfort her Hunter, take care of him, kiss his pain away and keep him in her embrace, safely hidden from the rest of the world. But she couldn't dare move her feet towards his direction. 

'Would he approve my intervention when his best friends are fighting with him?' 

For the first time in her life, she felt she didn't have any right over him. She felt so helpless. Hunter never saw her insecurities or her miseries. Hera just wanted to run into his arms. But she was afraid he would reject her advances. 

'He would never take my side when it comes to his dear sunshine.' 

Hunter wasn't angry with her. He was just annoyed that she interrupted. "What was that for, sunshine?" He asked, voice no more than a whisper, his eyes wide with disbelief and shock. 

"You implied that you don't want to include your friends in your problems. How can you say that, Ace? Friends won't calculate loss and profit. If we're involved and get hurt, it's not because of you. It's for you. There's a difference," Bianca said.