🇬🇧 Once Upon a Time #Herophine 🇬🇧 (English version)

Prologue - Josephine

Josephine

Like any self-respecting story, there was a 'before' that led us to be us.
So let's start from the beginning.

July 2018

"I don't think that... Dunno, Mia! What do I know?" I snort and throw myself on the bed in my room.
The sunlight enters forcefully through the window on this late July day.
It's winter and the sky is clear, even if it feels like spring, given the temperature these days.

"What do you need to know? Just grab a costume and go!" She starts rummaging through the closet.

"I don't know if I feel like it..." I put my arm over my eyes and sigh.

“Hey, you can't say no to a heated pool!” She exclaims dreamily.

I open my eyes and she's standing in front of my closet with her hands on her hips.
Mia in bulldozer mode.
I love her and hate her at the same time.
Once she sets her mind to something, it's difficult to make it go away.
And apparently, today she decided to make me leave the house at all costs, as well as drive me crazy!

"I'm so tired. I was up until 3am for that audition!" I huff getting out of bed.

"Exactly! So now you need to relax!" She snorts in turn, throwing a colorful t-shirt over me.

I look at the shirt and sigh "Okay, okay... Hand me the phone."

She grabs the cell phone on my desk and hands it to me.
Just then it starts ringing and I stand transfixed looking at the number on the screen.
It's not a number I have memorized.

"Well, now who will it be?" I freeze with wide eyes. "Oh my God!!! Could it be some film production company?" I ask Mia. As if she would know!

"Come on!!! Answer!!!" She widens her eyes and motions for me to move.

"H-hello? This is Josephine Langford" I swallow waiting for a response on the other end.

"Jo? I'm Mike! Hi!" A male voice says smilingly.

I breathe a sigh of relief but a wave of disappointment overwhelms me.
No calls. Just Mike who definitely wants to know if I'll ever say yes to us going out together.
Since I've been single again, it's been a daily bombardment of questions.
He has already collected three "No", two "It's not the time" and one "I don't want to fool you but..."
Apparently I wasn't clear.
We are friends, nothing more.
Nothing clicked between us.
And while it usually takes me a long time to become romantically attached to someone, when there's no romance I know it right away.
I like to be clear from the start because I hate people who make fun of other people's feelings, but he doesn't seem to want to hear what I tell him.

"Hello Mike!" I say louder than normal to let Mia know who is calling me.

I see her sigh and mouth "Again?!?"
I shrug. What can I do?

"How are you, Jo?" He's so sweet and cute.

"Fine thanks, and you?" I ask.

Mia motions for me to end the call but I don't want to be rude.

"Much better now that I hear your voice!" He replies.

Mia pretends to play the violin making me laugh.
I try in every way not to make myself heard. It would appear that I am making fun of him and that is absolutely not my intention. I move away from Mia before she makes me look bad and I feel her fling herself dramatically onto the bed.

“Um…” I clear my throat waiting for him to tell me why he called.

"There's a party at Milo's house tonight, I was wondering if you wanted to drop by... With me!" He says it all in one breath.