I walked up to the senate hall, bracing myself for our next council meeting. I sighed to myself. We had so much to get through. Minor things, but with Octavian andthe Lares it could potentially take all afternoon.
The morning had been bad enough. I had to instruct the Vulcan children on how to restock the armory (you'd think the children of the blacksmith god would know how to build weapons), not to mention an audience with the camp scribe to go through the exact losses of the attack on mount Tam and I'd had to break up seven fights, (three of which were the same people), which made the other stuff all the more depressing. We're just recovering from the largest battle in recent history and we're already destroying each other.
I'd opened the doors when I heard a voice behind me.
"Reyna! Hey, Rey!"
I turned. Jason Grace, the newly appointed preator, was running up to me. I glared at him. "What have I told you about that nickname?"
"Don't use it?"
"Or..." I prompt.
"Or you'll sew me into a sack of weasels and dump me in the Little Tiber." He said, looking down.
"Good boy. Now, what is it?"
"Then meeting. It's been moved. I'd meant to tell you earlier but I was helping set everything up and by the time I'd done that and got to your villa someone said you'd already left and then I had to race over here to greet you."
"Well, now you have caught up with me are you going to tell me where it is?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Better. I'm gonna show you."
"Very well. Lead the way."
About three minutes later we were standing... somewhere.
"Grace. Start explaining. Include: What is this place, why are we here, and where is the senate meeting really being held?"
"This, Reyna, is the Garden of Bacchus, and the senate meeting is cancelled." He smiled.
"What?" I asked.
"I said that this is the Garden of Bacchus."
I gave him an unamused glance. "What did you say about the meeting?"
"Oh, that. It's cancelled." He shrugged.
"But we had topics to discuss. It has to be done." I spluttered.
"Minor issues. And I don't know about you, but I cannot sit through another lecture on why Octavian should be praetor or Dakota should get a Kool Aid vending machine."
"Me neither, but I cannot neglect my duties, and neither should you."
"Which is why I rescheduled it. We have two days to mentally prepare ourselves. Let's make the most of it." He said as he walked over to... was that a picnic basket?
"And this? What is all this?"
"Me making the most of it. Come sit down." I did. He held out a bowl.
"Jelly beans? Really?"
"Hey. Don't diss jelly beans. I don't know if you've had a bad experiance with jelly beans I'm not aware of, but I, personally, have never met a jelly bean I didn't like. And eat."
"And did you think to bring anything else?" I asked when I saw what was in the other bowls and tubs on the blanket.
"Something wrong with jelly beans?"
"No." I shrugged and took one. "And any real reason that you rescheduled the rest of both of our days to take me here? Because, I should warn you, if this is the part where you beat, rape and kill me then I do know how to fight. And I'm better than you."
"Ouch, Rey. Do you have any idea the hurt you've just caused my ego? It may never recover."
"Sorry. And for that I will forgive the fact that you just called me Rey."
"Why do you hate that nickname so much, anyway?" He tilted his head and asked.
"I... had a sister..." I muttered, looking down.
"Me too." He shrugged, like it was no big deal. I frowned. My sister was common knowledge, being Queen of the Amazons. Octavian had dug up anything he could about me when I was running in the preatoreal elections. Jason was raised on the battlefield, but Octavian still would have found out and told everyone.
"You never mention her." I observed.
"I never met her. Well, I did, but I barely remember. I just remember a girl. She looks nothing like me. Pale skin and black hair, but the same eyes." He seemed saddened.
"I'm sorry. I can't imagine what it feels like to never really know your sister. I grew up with mine, after all." He smiled at me, but it seemed a bit forced. We lapsed into a somewhat comfortable silence. Then I remembered something. "You never told me why we were out here. There's got to be some reason other than our messed up families."
He smiled then. A genuine smile. "We are out here because this is a date."
"Wait, what?" He just smiled. I sighed. "You're never going to give up on that, are you?"
"Of course not. You know me better than that, surely."
"No, seriously? You're resorting to tricking me on dates, now?" I scoffed.
"Well, yeah. It seems impossible to get you to agree any other way."
"Because it is. No offense. But what if we got together and then we broke up? How could we still work together? We're both stubborn and hold grudges like there's no tomorrow. Rome needs two praetors willing to co operate, both with the people and the senate. That's what it's based on. If the praetors can't even get on with each other, then the camp is screwed."
"Wow. You've really thought this through, haven't you?" He smirked. I nodded. "But how do you know it'll happen?" He asked.
"I don't." I said.
We then descended into a more comfortable silence, occasionally interrupted by a comment about the surroundings, the camp, or the flavor of the jelly beans. Then the sun started to set and he walked me to my villa so I could get ready for dinner.
We stopped outside my door. I tuned to him. "Thank you. For the perfect afternoon and the perfect date." I stood up straighter, and kissed him on the lips. "I'll see you at dinner."
I unlocked the door to my villa, went inside, and closed the door behind me, but not so quickly that I didn't see his hand come up to brush his lips.
It went on like this for several weeks, each date featuring a different candy he wanted me to try and a kiss on the lips.
Three months later, he dissapeared.
And I was heartbroken.
But I always had a bowl of jelly beans on the table, in case he came back.