FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

"Hey, manners," Evelyn grimaced at Danny disapprovingly when he gave a loud belch and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his T-shirt. The latter fixed her with an unimpressed look and scowled back at her. How could she expect him not to burp when they were drinking beer? 

They were all sitting in a circle on the ground with potato chips, chocolate truffle, vegetable salad and opened pizza boxes in the centre, a can of beer in their hands. Hunter and Bianca were sitting next to each other, their backs leaning against the side of Hunter's Range Rover. The rock music blasted through the music system in the car. 

No one was there to question or object to them as it was an open space away from the residential area. Hunter's father had purchased the property and had it secured with solar fencing. It had Auto-rotating CCTV cameras installed on the Iron Gate. The land was an unexpected purchase Alexander made to help a friend resolve his financial crisis. 

Since Hunter had access to it, he used the place to spend time with his friends sometimes. No other strangers would dare set foot inside the property as it bore Alexander's name along with the written caution that trespassers would get punished by the law. 

Michael leaned closer to Evelyn's face and emitted gas noisily through his mouth caused by the mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide of the beer gas. "Pardon me for belching, my lady. I'll do better next time," he said in his perfect British accent. Though his tone filled with amusement, he bit back a smile and kept his face straight. 

Danny's frown shifted into a grin, and the others joined the laughter that immediately followed while Evelyn shoved Michael away and flipped him the bird before giving up and laughing with him. "You brat," she said, hitting his back with her tiny fist. Michael pretended to choke and then made a show of dying with a lack of air when she playfully tried to strangle him. 

Eric kicked the youngest boy of their group playfully when Michael lay on the ground acting as a dead body. Loud laughter surrounded them as everyone tortured Michael by tickling him until he apologised for his sham. 

Hunter and his friends were having a little party of their own. They were speaking animatedly, teasing and laughing with each other, having a good time when a sudden crash startled them. Hunter's car jerked as another vehicle hit it from behind. The beer cans dropped from Hunter and Bianca's hands as they were both shocked by the impact since they were leaning against the car. 

The girls screamed while the boys cursed, all of them jumping to their feet as quickly as they could. The boys eyed the intruder sitting behind the wheel who dared to enter uninvited. Hunter moved to check the damage made to his favourite car. 

Heartbeats roaring in her ears, hands shielding her heart as though it would leap out of her ribcage, Hera took a deep breath and lifted her head to peek at a glance and instantly ducked her form, hiding from everyone's view. All she saw was how much Hunter seemed enraged. 

"Nate, pull back, let's go from here," Hera hissed at Nathan. "Hera, don't panic. I'll talk to them and will pay for the damage I caused. It's going to be okay. Don't worry," Nathan said. He seemed too unbothered for Hera's surprise. She glared at him from her seat and hissed through her clenched teeth, "Nate, shut the fuck up and turn the car. We need to get lost from here before Hunter recognises us." 

Nathan ignored her warning and opened her door, adding more to her dread and got down before she could protest. She cursed under her breath, and still ducking, she addressed Clara. It was turning into discomfort to stay crouched on the seat. "Has your brother lost his brain, Clara? It's Hunter's car. If he sees me, we're going to be in big trouble," she stated in an incredulous tone. 

"Why the fuck did I agree to come with him in the first place? It's entirely my fault," Hera muttered, slapping her palm over her forehead. 

"Hera, stop overreacting. No one is injured, so it's not a big deal. As Nate said, we can compensate for the damage caused to his car," Clara said calmly and matter-of-factly. 

Sinking her form further into the seat, Hera groaned as discreetly as she could. Clara and Nathan didn't understand the dangerous situation they got caught in, but Hera knew. The moment her eyes fell on Hunter's car, she knew she was in trouble.

'If only the brother and sister knew how much Hunter is pissed. It's his favourite car, after all.' 

Hera hoped for the miracle and wished for Superman, Spiderman or any other supernatural entity to come and take her away or make her disappear somehow. If only the ground beneath her could open up and swallow her form, anything would do if it avoided coming face to face with Hunter. 

Still stuck in whatever little space available in the footwell, Hera struggled to listen to what the boys were speaking. The music blasting in Hunter's car was still on, and she couldn't hear their voices properly. 

"Hey, Ace, didn't expect to see you here. I'm sorry for the crash," Nathan said, pretending to inspect the damage he caused. The frown of worry, the mock-guilt on his face, Hunter didn't buy any of it, though. Hunter stood silently staring at the damage, and Nathan could tell by the tick in his clenched jaw he was grinding his teeth. 

"You motherfucker, you could have killed us, or we could have seriously got injured," Michael spat his anger out, and Eric was quick to hold him back when he tried to hit Nathan, who gave a nonchalant shrug as if to say he couldn't help it. 

"And you dare to shrug your shoulders as if you're speaking about the weather report?" Michael barked, his eyes burning with anger. "You didn't, though. No one's harmed," Nathan said in his defence, his tone sounding too unbothered. 

Nathan took pleasure in the girl's distress when he noticed how shaken up Bianca seemed, and he couldn't hide the satisfied smirk that lurked around his lips. Unfortunately, Hunter chose that exact moment to rip his eyes off his damaged car and noticed Nathan's smile and the line of his vision. He moved, coming face to face with Nathan, and his tall frame hid Bianca from Nathan's view. 

"Still so very protective, I see," Nathan said and scoffed. Hunter grabbed his neck, and his other hand came up to strike. He was ready to smash Nathan's face and carve every scratch and dent he saw on his car into his face. 

The loser deserved this much for disfiguring his precious car. Hunter wouldn't mind disfiguring the boy's face and returning the favour. 

Before Hunter could strike, Nathan held his hands up in surrender and tried to step back. "I'm sorry I lost control, and I'm ready to compensate for the damage," Nathan quickly offered. "Name the price and let me talk to my parents. My dad will pay you," he said, pulling out his phone. 

He bit back a smile when he opened his screen lock because his strategy succeeded. Hunter saw what Nathan wanted him to see, the wallpaper on his phone's screen. He was scrolling through his contact list, pretending to search for his father's number, when suddenly Hunter moved closer and snatched his phone away. 

It was so satisfying to watch the different emotions playing on Hunter's face. He frowned in confusion when Nathan first opened his lock screen, and now his eyes widened in surprise before he narrowed them in anger as he checked the picture set as the wallpaper. 

It was a picture of Hera kissing Nathan. 

Hunter seemed too lost as he studied every detail of the picture. The place looked like a bathroom. Hunter could see the washbasin and bathtub on their sides. Hera was wearing a blue dress, which Hunter had gifted her two years ago when he returned to school after the summer holidays. Nathan had his lips on hers, covering her entire mouth. 

Hera's eyes were wide open. Hunter couldn't guess the feeling from her side profile whether she was surprised, shocked or pleasured from the kiss. 

But she wasn't scared for sure. 

Nathan had his arm around her waist, and Hunter could tell he was holding the phone in his other hand. Nathan had taken the picture while kissing her. 

Hunter's hold around the phone tightened, his eyes stayed fixed on the screen. His tongue brushed over his bottom lip before he pulled his lip between his teeth. 

Nathan noticed the change in Hunter's stance. The former grinned in satisfaction at the rapid movement of Hunter's chest as his breathing rate accelerated. The dust of pink darkened on his neck, climbing up to his cheekbones, the shell of his ears turning pink as well. He was fuming with anger, a landmine ready to explode. 

"The last two times you and her brother beat me for kissing her, we weren't emotionally involved," Nathan spoke, disturbing whatever thoughts were running in Hunter's mind. 

"This time, it's special because I'm kissing my girlfriend," Nathan said and waited to see Hunter's reaction. The latter lifted his lashes without lifting his head, the light from the phone's screen highlighting the rage flashing in his eyes. 

Nathan grinned again. 

"Yes, Hera is my girlfriend now, and we're dating," he stated too smugly.