"Thanks for the ride!" Ana yelled, smiling as she got out of my car.

"Yeah," I said, waving goodbye before I drove off.

"Hey Siri," I said, "text Dad. Gonna stay with Ana. Goodnight, love you."

The text sent and I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel, biting down on my lip as I looked in my rear view. I always got anxious lying to Dad, but it wasn't like I could tell him that I was going to Eros's.

Luckily, Eros only lived a few neighborhoods away from Ana. The drive was short, and if it would've been any longer than it was, I would've gotten more impatient than I already was.

I made it to Eros's, flipping open my mirror to take one last glance at myself.

"You're fine," I muttered to myself, opening my car door. I walked to his door, knocking on it a few times before it opened.

He stood in front of me, his eyes locked on mine.

"I-I'm sorry," I said, "about overreacting. I know you only see your brother, like, twice a year."

"Come in, if you'd like," he casually said, leaning against the threshold.

I brushed past him, folding my arms over my chest as I turned around to face him.

"But you didn't tell him about me, Eros," I said, completely defeated.

His prominent jaw taut, he leaned against his couch. He folded his arms over his chest and kept his eyes on me as we stood in silence.

"You haven't told Henry about me," he shrugged.

Valid.

"You could've," I said, matching his shrug.

"And you," he said, nodding.

"Eros, it's the principle of the thing. You haven't told anyone. You've had so many op-"

"I don't know how, Josephine."

I tilted my head over. "Really? That's your excuse?"

"I don't know how to bring you up, because I don't know how to explain you. I don't know how to explain you and I. I don't know if there is an explanation for what you are to me."

"You're gonna have to water that down," I deadpanned.

"It's beyond words," he began, "it's beyond high school love, Josie. It's like two souls being placed on this earth over and over again with their main purpose to be to make it back to each other, every single time."

He shrugged, chewing on his lip. "I don't know how else to put it. And I'm not sure Henry nor my brother could understand that."

I blinked back tears, looking down. "That's how you feel?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

I let out a breath, looking away from him. "Well, why didn't you say that before?"

"I only get these epiphanies when you're standing in front of me," he said, walking towards me.

"I bet you have a really good grade in Literature right now," I whispered, looking up at him.

He laughed, wrapping his arms around my neck. "Ninety-eight, baby."

I giggled, resting my chin against his chest. "I'll tell Henny if you tell Ares."

"I really think we need to tell Henry together. For if and when he passes out, and needs lifted into-"

I giggled. "Deal."

He leaned his forehead against mine, smiling. "Deal."

~*~

"Hey, you've got a visitor."

I looked up from my desk, lowering my glasses. "Oh, okay."

Alexis walked in, twiddling her thumbs in front of her stomach. "Hey."

"Oh," I said, pulling off my glasses, "hey."

I leaned back in my chair, chewing on my bottom lip. I shot her a half-smile, folding my arms over my chest.

"Wanna sit?" I asked, nodding towards the chairs in front of my desk.

"N-no," she said, shaking her head, "I really need to get going. I just wanted to stop in and you know, have a quick conversation."

I nodded, swiping my tongue across my bottom lip.

She stood in front of me, her bottom lip between her teeth.

"How are you?" I asked, leaning forward with a smile.

"I'm- I'm fine," she said, nodding.

I nodded, keeping my eyes locked on hers.

"That can't happen again," she said, shaking her head.

I knitted my eyebrows together, then lifted one. "Sorry?"

"It's-it's confusing," she said, "I mean, if the kids found out-"

"Okay, first of all, both of them saw your fucking underwear on the floor," I said, "Josie called me a whore and asked what cheap whore I brought home."

She bit down on her lip, looking away from me.

"Lex," I said, standing up, "it happened all night long."

"Yeah, and it can't happen again."

"Okay, not to mention the thirty years we've been doing that, before last night."

"We'd both had wine," she said.

"And we both know you and I both could drink an entire bottle and still not have a buzz," I deadpanned.

"Fred, it is the principle of the thing," she said, "it just can't happen again."

"Are you literally kidding me?" I asked, spinning around to face her with narrowed eyes.

"No, Josephine," she teased, "I'm not literally kidding you."

I bit down on the inside of my cheek to suppress my smile, knowing that I had sounded exactly like my teenage daughter in that moment.

The urge to smile was immediately replaced with anger and confusion again.

"Fine," I said.

She looked up at me, nodding. "Okay."

"But last night was the first night you'd actually been happy," I said, "since you and I started going through that spell."

She laughed, rubbing her hands down her face. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," I snapped, looking back at her as I walked back to my desk.

"And how do you figure that?" She asked, knitting her eyebrows together.

"Alexis, as soon as we stopped fucking every night, your mood significantly decreased," I said, "it was obvious."

She knew she couldn't argue, so she just stood in front of me with a baffled look on her face.

"Why are you acting like that, Fred?" She softly asked, shaking her head.

"Because I'm pissed, Alexis."

"Because I said that we couldn't do that again?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding with an angry look on my face.

She looked all around my office, her eyes wide. "I-okay, go find another woman to give you an orgasm."

"Really?" I asked, walking back over to her.

"Yeah, really," she angrily said, looking up at me.

I grinned, tilting my head over. "Got a little college Alexis out of you in that moment."

She just looked up at me, the same angry look etched onto her features.

I leaned down to her height, lifting an eyebrow. "Cat got your tongue?"

She looked at my lips, and I could see the temptation in her eyes. It was the same temptation I'd seen last night, and that in itself was enough for me to completely lose control.

She shook her head, biting down on her lip. "It can't happen again, Fred."

She pushed herself away from me, and I watched as she walked out of my office.

~*~

"Man of the hour!"

I shot Henry a grin as I slipped out of my jacket, throwing it on the rack by the door.

"I need some alcohol, stat," I said, loud enough to be heard from over the blaring music.

Parties generally made me extremely anxious. If I wasn't blacked out, I was an anxious mess.

"Henny?" Henny asked, grinning as he held the bottle out to me.

"I can't take your signature from you," I said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

He tilted the bottle up, letting it pour into his mouth. I let go of him and searched through the liquor, finding tequila.

"Tequila?" Brian Baker asked, chuckling.

"Yeah," I deadpanned, popping open the bottle.

"Hey," he said, nudging my arm, "I met Fran the other day."

I looked over at him, my lips parted. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," he said, "she's really sw-"

I pushed him against the counter, my pointer finger in his chest. "Don't."

He knitted his brows together.

"Hero," Henry yelled, tilting his head over.

I let go of Brian's shirt, shaking my head as I walked away from him.

"Dude," Henry chuckled, "you've got to ease up on Fran. And the guys that take an interest in her."

"Kinda scarred," I said, holding up my hand.

I froze when I realized that Henry hadn't found out about what had happened with Fran. I was hoping that he'd had enough alcohol to not ask questions.

I looked away from him, gulping. My furrowed brows softened up when I saw Amelia, making me smile and nod towards her.

"She's cute," Henry said, nudging my arm.

"She's alright," I teased, smiling as she wrapped her arms around my middle.

"Hi," she greeted, "I just came for the tequila."

I chuckled and spun her around, wrapping my arm around her neck from behind. "Hey, give me a shot glass."

Henry slid one across the island to me, making me grab it and pour some tequila in it. She smiled up at me, lifting an eyebrow.

I pulled her head back, placing my hand on her neck as I poured the shot of tequila in her mouth. Henry wrapped his arm around my neck and chuckled, his eyes wide.

She coughed, wiping the corner of her mouth with a laugh. "Tequila always hurts."

I let her go and she smiled up at me, leaning against the counter. "Do you have plans for after?"

"Yeah, Waffle House to sober up," Henry said, brushing past me and into the kitchen.

I shook my head, smiling down at her. "No."

"I could come home with you," she said, smiling up at me.

I shrugged, taking a long sip of tequila. "We'll see where the night leads."

"Whoo!" I yelled, leaning my head back with a smile.

She giggled, folding her arms over her chest.

"Hey, Hero," a cheerleader greeted, wrapping her arm around my middle.

"Oh, hey," I said, looking down at her with a smile.

"Can I have some?" She asked, looking up at me.

Amelia's eyes kept toggling between us, and I knew she was uncomfortable.

"Sorry," I said, letting go of her, "there's another bottle in the kitchen, though."

I pushed myself away from her and lifted my eyebrows, taking another drink of my tequila. "She's a loon."

Amelia laughed, grabbing the bottle from me. "Good to know I'm special enough to share with you."

I eliminated the space between us, grinning down at her. "Who said you could?"

She kept her eyes locked on mine as she took a long sip, but pulled her mouth away from the bottle when she coughed.

I laughed, grabbing the bottle again. "Lightweight."

I was already loosening up, and it was a great feeling.

I took another drink and shook my head, grinning at Amelia. "Hey, watch this."

I pulled out a barstool, making Amelia's eyebrows go into a furrow. "Hero, what are you d-"

Her sentence was drowned out by the music as I climbed up on the stool and onto the island. I chuckled, holding out my arms. "I'm on top of the world, baby."

She laughed up at me, folding her arms over her chest.

"Hey!" I yelled, loud enough for everyone's eyes to meet me.

"Who else is getting fucked up tonight?" I yelled, chuckling as I held up my bottle of tequila.

Everyone yelled and I looked down at all the guys, flexing. "I know I am-"

I slipped on a cup and didn't even have time to process what was happening until I was falling, and I hit the floor with a hard thud.

Amelia's jaw agape, she knelt down. "A-are you okay?"

Henry chuckled, looking down at me. "Fucking idiot."

"I think my arm's broken," I said, looking up at him.

"You're kidding," he said, his smile replaced by a frown.

"No," I laughed out, "no, I'm broken."

Amelia bit down on her lip, sighing. "I'll drive."

~*~

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