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One look at her face, and Hunter frowned, lines of worry marring his handsome face. He left his chair in a hurry, meeting her halfway, and Hera walked into his open arms.

"What did he say that made you cry?" Hunter asked. He sounded exhausted, as though he was tired of his girlfriend and best friend\'s fight. Could she blame him, though? Hera and Michael fought over silly things all the time. They never needed a valid reason to fight, and most of the time, it would make no sense at all.

Hera stayed in his arms for a few more seconds and sighed before pulling away. His frown intensified when he saw the sadness in her eyes. "Do you want to tell me what happened? Why are you sad?" Hunter asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, tone sweet as honey. Hera forced a smile that didn\'t reach her eyes.

"Can we sit alone for some time?" she asked. Hunter nodded, took her hand in his and walked her to the other side of the cafe.. He guided her to one of the four wooden benches arranged next to each other.

Hera took her seat beside him. Hunter wrapped one arm around her shoulder, fingers gently closing over her arm while his free hand locked fingers with hers. He noticed how her gaze lingered on their interlocked hands. Lifting their hands to his mouth, Hunter kissed her knuckle.

"He gave you your gift, I see. It looks nice on your wrist," he said, looking at Michael\'s gift. Hera hummed her response.

They sat leaning on each other, head to head. Hera watched the ebbing waves touching the shore before receding to the sea while Hunter watched Michael floating on his back in the water. His best friend always liked to be among his friends. He never liked loneliness at all.

Hunter knew something was wrong the moment he laid his eyes on Michael swimming alone in the sea.

"What\'s bothering you, Goddess? Did Mike say something to upset you?" he asked, his tone soft, his approach careful. Hera peeked up at him and gave him a reluctant smile.

"You\'re going home," she stated. Though she spoke softly, her tone was accusing. "You didn\'t tell me," she added, sounding indignant. "I was going to tell you tonight," Hunter was quick to offer his defence. "Mom wants to see me, and I\'m missing her too," he admitted. Hera hummed softly in acknowledgement.

Silence stretched as they both got lost in their thoughts.

Hunter kept his eyes on Michael all the time, calculating his every move. He was swimming against the waves now, going deeper into the sea. He waited for him to notice, and when he did, Hunter motioned him with his hand to come back. Holding up his one hand, Michael signalled back, asking for five more minutes.

Lost in her thoughts, Hera was having a hard time digesting the sudden information that her Hunter was going home. It would get lonely without him by her side. Her heartbeats started to thump violently against her chest. It was an eerie feeling, a strange fear that something wrong was about to happen.

Sixth sense, gut feeling, intuition, whatever it was, it screamed warning bells, and Hera felt the urge to lock him in her heart and keep him safely hidden inside, away from the cruel world.

"I\'ll miss you," she whispered.

"I don\'t think I\'ll miss you much because I\'ll be busy having the time of my life," Hunter said, keeping his eyes ahead. Hera pulled away from his hold and stared at him in disbelief. Hunter chuckled at her shocked face and didn\'t waste a second more before pulling her back into his arms.

"I\'m just kidding, love," he said, stealing a kiss.

Hera pouted and slapped his chest, drawing out amused laughter from him. 

Hunter shifted his gaze back to Michael and saw all his friends taking off their clothes to join him. Their clothes piled on the shore while they jumped into the water in their inner wears. He relaxed and turned to Hera, focusing all his attention on her.

"Would you go with me?" he asked out of the blue, and his question caught her off guard. "I was planning on taking you to New York after graduation, but if you\'re ready to meet my parents, then I don\'t have a problem taking you home now," he suggested. Hera was still shocked at his sudden decision.

Giving him a tight-lipped smile, she shrugged, not knowing what to say.

\'It\'s too early to meet my boyfriend\'s parents. Aren\'t I too young for that?\'

She mentally screamed at the new turn of events, but her traitorous heart conveniently skipped a beat several times.

\'Oh, shut up. It\'s not like Hunter is taking you home to get his parents approval for your actual wedding.\'

Her logical brain supplied helpfully.

\'Right, it\'s just a casual visit, Hera.\'

\'You need to stop panicking every time he mentions his parents, you silly girl.\'

Hera blinked in surprise when Hunter spoke, putting an end to her internal conversation. When she looked at him, he had a captivating smile on his face, which compelled her to smile in return.

"My mom is the most sensible woman, yet sometimes she acts silly and crazy. She adores her imaginary daughter-in-law, you know," Hunter said, chuckling to himself. "So, let me warn you, she may keep you with her forever," he said, nodding his head to confirm.

"If you agree to go with me, Mrs Hunter, then be ready for the inevitable. When my mom gets the hint of our unofficial wedding vows that we\'ve been reciting for years, she may consider making it official and throw us a grand wedding reception. I bet she would invite the whole world to celebrate," he said, sounding so confident of his prediction. 

Hera\'s jaws dropped in shock. His admission only scared her more. Her eyes widened to their full size, and Hunter laughed at the unintentional comical expression on her face. Scowling, Hera closed her mouth and looked away from him.

Turning her head, Hunter lifted her chin with his thumb and a curled index finger, forcing her to meet his eyes. He chased her frown away by kissing every inch of her face. Hera couldn\'t hold back her giggles.

"Don\'t worry, Goddess. No need to panic. My mom loves the idea of pampering her non-existent daughter-in-law. So imagine how much she would adore and spoil her real daughter-in-law. She would love you," he declared in an assuring tone. "So, would you like to come home with me?" he asked in all seriousness.

"I don\'t know, Hunter. I\'m not sure. The idea of meeting your parents, it\'s terrifying. I don\'t think I\'m ready," she confessed timidly. Hunter nodded in understanding and assured her that he wouldn\'t force her if she didn\'t want to. "Take your time, love. It can wait until you\'re ready," he said.

"When are you leaving?" Hera asked, already sounding disappointed, and the moment she asked, she knew she would consider his invitation. However, she couldn\'t brush off the ill-feeling in her gut. Hunter had postponed his plans only to celebrate her birthday and had informed his parents that he would visit the coming weekend.

Thoughtful for a few seconds, Hera carefully spoke. "You never told me you have a sister," she said, her tone accusing. Hunter seemed surprised. "Mike told you about his father?" he asked in disbelief. Hera shrugged, her eyes darting towards Michael. Hunter\'s gaze followed hers.

Michael laughed at something Eric said, and Danny looked ready to murder them both by drowning them in the sea. Samantha and Evelyn were busy splashing water at each other.

Meanwhile, Bianca was out of the water, collecting pebbles and seashells on the shore. Surprisingly, the action seemed too cute for her Queen Bee persona, and Hera couldn\'t hold the snort.

"Mike hates your sister. He blames her for his ruined family," Hera said. Hunter nodded, humming his response. "Can\'t blame him, though, because it\'s the truth. Anyone in his shoes would harbour the same feelings, I guess. He went through a lot," Hunter said in understanding.

"What about your sister? What\'s her name?" Hera asked curiously.

"I don\'t remember anything. I was barely three and was living with my grandparents when my mom got shot. They said it traumatised me as a child seeing my mom fighting for her life. So they never brought up that topic in my presence ever again," Hunter revealed the bits of his memory he had heard from his grandparents.

"When I was five, one day, I found my mom crying into my dad\'s chest. I accidentally overheard them speak about her kidnapping. My mom told me that I forgot everything as I went into shock, and my dad didn\'t want me to know more about the struggle they went through," Hunter concluded.

Hera noticed the sadness clouding his beautiful eyes.

She couldn\'t even imagine the hurt he might have gone through, and it broke her heart that he had to struggle so much.

\'It must have been so hard for a child of three to see his mother in so much pain.\'

"Didn\'t you want to know more about her? She\'s your sister after all," Hera stated, and Hunter chuckled sadly, shaking his head in a no. "Those memories only bring pain to all my loved ones. It hurts my mom and dad. It bothers my best friend. I would rather be ignorant than learning about her," he admitted.

"She\'s gone for the best, I guess," he concluded, his tone matter-of-fact.