Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Charon stares at her for a long time. I search his expression, but I don’t know him well enough to guess what he’s thinking. I get the feeling that it could take me years, and that knowledge will still elude me. He finally turns to me. “What are your feelings on the matter?”
Fuck, this is hard. The temptation to make a joke or divert the conversation is nearly overwhelming, but I respect both of them too much to shy away from the possibility of us. If I take the cowardly way out now, I don’t know if I’ll get another chance. “I love Eurydice. I haven’t always loved her well, and I sure as fuck don’t deserve her, but I love her.” I take a shaking breath. “I don’t know you well enough for love, not yet. But I respect the fuck out of you. You’re strong, you’re capable, and you don’t use either of those things to overpower those weaker than you. When you came to me, you could have told me to stay the fuck away from Eurydice, and I would’ve listened. The fact that you were fair, that you put her needs before yours, speaks volumes.” I clear my throat with a self-conscious smile. “And I’ll be honest—I really like fucking you.”
Charon’s lips curve. I can’t help staring; the desire to paint that barest hint of a smile is nearly overwhelming. After so long without any inspiration at all, I am glutted on it. Now isn’t the time for that though.
Eurydice leans forward and props her elbows on the counter. “We’ve shown you ours; now show us yours. You don’t get to play the restricted, quiet one when we’re putting our hearts on the table.”
“I love you,” he says simply. “I have for long time. I meant what I said when I told you we’re endgame, no matter what that looks like. At the time, I thought that meant making my peace with Orpheus’s presence in our lives.” He looks at me. “It hasn’t been that long. I won’t lie to you and say it’s already love, but there’s a lot about you I like—and I’m not just talking about fucking you. You’re different than I expected, and your willingness to put aside your pride to make things right when you fuck up is incredibly sexy. The foundation for love is there. I like how the three of us fit together. It feels seamless in a way that I never could’ve anticipated.”
“That’s exactly the word I was looking for. Seamless. It feels as natural as breathing to be with the two of you.” Eurydice tucks her hair behind her ears. “So where does that leave us?”
Charon stirs the vegetables and flips the chicken. “Orpheus, when you came to the lower city, your intention was to bring Eurydice back across the river. No, don’t deny it. You might not have admitted to yourself that it’s what you wanted, but it is the truth, isn’t it?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, that’s what I wanted.”
“And now?”
Now things are infinitely more complicated, and yet they’ve never been simpler. I look at him, and then at her. “You’re happy here. You’ve made a life here you’re proud of, and you found a place that’s yours and yours alone. I would never take that from you.”
“Even if that means you stay in the lower city too?” Charon presses.
“Yes. I follow where she leads.”
I still don’t quite know how to reconcile my family in the upper city with Eurydice in the lower city. Choosing this path will break my mother’s heart, but I’ve been breaking her heart for nine very long months. At least this way I’ll be happy, and even if my mother may have preferred my life to look a certain way, I think happiness is a strong silver medal. Or at least I hope so.
My father will follow my mother’s lead, but I genuinely think that Apollo will be happy for me. I’m doing what he always wanted me to, stepping out on my own to succeed or fail without access to the family purse. Besides, it’s not like I’ll never see them again.
Charon busies himself with grabbing three plates out of the cabinet and filling them with our dinner. He sets them in front of us with the ease of long practice, and then goes about filling three cups with some kind of juice he had in the fridge. He catches Eurydice watching him and shrugs. “With everything going on right now, I don’t think it’s wise for any of us to drink. There’s a good chance that I, at least, might get a call in the middle of the night.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I know.” He smiles a little. “You weren’t saying anything rather loudly.”
Dinner is…comfortable. We sit and eat and engage in a little small talk, and it’s like looking through a window into a possible future. One where we truly have built a life together, where dinners like this are the norm instead of a brand-new experience. It surprises me how much I crave that. Oh, I knew I wanted these two people. But I want the life too.