APHRODITE'S SON
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Monday, November 22, 2010
"Hey." I spoke quietly, sliding down the brick wall next to her.
"Hey." She mimicked, not looking at me. Just staring straight ahead at the ocean. I could hear the noises of a small party around the corner. It was her eighteenther birthday tomorrow. In just a few hours and a couple of her friends had suggest they start the party early. Make it go from the night before into the morning of her birthday. She had, of course, agreed, but after an hour or so I saw her slip away. The party was supposed to only be her closest friends and family. There was only about twenty-five people there and I was honored to be one of them. Out of everyone she could have invited, out of everyone who hadn't declared their love for her four months ago and made it a world wide scandal. She still chose me to be one of the people to spend the last of her childhood with. Of course, her childhood had ended a long time ago. This was just a legality. In less than an hour she would officially be eighteen years old and no longer a child in the eyes of the law.
"What's up?" I asked softly, reluctantly moving my gaze from the beauty beside me to the ocean ahead.
"I never asked why you said... It four months ago." She said by way of answer a couple of minutes later and I inwardly cringed. It. That's what she called me proffessing my love: It. "Did... Did you mean it?" She asked barely above a whisper.
"I still do." I murmured, feeling my face heat up and I heard her sigh next to me.
"Why?" She asked, finally tearing her eyes away from the ocean and looking at me with confused dark eyes. "Why would you love me? I'm nothing to love. Nick couldn't love me. Justin couldn't love me... He couldn't love me." The last boyfriend, the one I thought would finally make her happy in her world full of hate. They broke up three months ago. They said it was mutual. He wanted more and she wanted a career. But, I knew it broke her heart. She really did love him. And when her heart broke, so did mine. I tried to brush it off and say it was the Aphrodite in me, that when someone I care about had a broken heart I felt it because I'm the son of Aphrodite. But, I knew it was more. I loved her. She was my heart. When she broke my heart broke. It was more than who my mother it, it was who she was.
"You're everything to love." I replied, inching my hand closer to hers in the soft cold sand until we were touching. "If they couldn't see that then they're blind. You're everything to love in the world. You're beautiful, and smart, and funny, and talented, and kind. And if they're too blind to see it then it's their loss." I know it sounded cheezey, but it was true.
"They didn't think so." She shook her head, her voice sounded dull and depresssed.
"Because they're blind idiots who don't deserve you." I reminded, but that didn't stop the tears forming in her eyes.
"Liam promised that we'd still be together now, you know, he said that he'd kiss me at midnight and it would be the first of many." She confided and my heart sank. "See how well that turned out." She laughed bitterly, a couple of tears falling from her crystaline eyes. "God, I hate my life." I didn't know what to say. How could I convince her not to hate her life? There were so many haters, and so many people trying to tear her down.
"What are you thinking?" I asked after another couple of minutes and she let out a shakey laughed, sinking down and resting her head on my shoulder.
"I wish they could have been more like you." She eventually answered, sniffling a little and my heart skipped several beats. "I wish they would have been you..." She sighed and my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest in happiness. "I don't know why, I don't understand it, and I think you might be a little touched in the head." She chuckled lightly before continuing. "But, you love me. No ifs ands or buts. And you're always so sweet... even when you're double talking and insulting my music - don't think I didn't notice - you've been here for me and you're not afraid of what they think... I wish they would have been morelike you."
"I always will be here for you." I murmured and she lifted her head to look at me. "I'll always love you, Miley." She smiled weakly and wiped under her eyes.
"See... You're always so sweet and say everything I want to hear." She absently grabbed my hand and looked at the flashing numbers on my digital watch. Less than five minutes until she was eighteen. "Why can't there be more guys like you?"
"MILEY!" I heavilly country-accented voice called, aparently they'd only just noticed her missing. "MILEY, COME ON! It's almost time for the countdown." He mother yelled and my Angel, my heart sighed.
"Better get back." She muttered, standing up and brushing herself off of the sand. "You coming?" She asked, her eyes light again as she held her hand out for me. I stood up as well and took her hand. She fit perfectly to me, like we were made to hold each other.
"Wouldn't miss it." I smiled and she smiled as well. We walked back to the party together, but as soon as everyone else saw her they tore her away from me. She smiled apologetically at me as they took her away and she mingled for a few minutes. After six long minutes without her the countdown started. Sixty seconds to go. I spotted her in the middle of a group of her friends. She was smiling and her eyes were light as they talked and laughed. Then she looked up and like some cheezey romance movie our eyes connected.
Fifty seconds. She excused herself from her friends and smiled and chatted idly with a few other people as she started to come closer to me.
Thirty seconds. I started pushing my way through the small crowd. She wanted to get to me. I knew she did.
Fifteen seconds. We were back together. Her crystaline eyes were sparkling in the moonlight.
"Ten." She started to count softly when the others did and I felt happy, but confused. She could be with anyone she wanted right now, but she was standing in front of me, looking at me shyly through her long lashes. "Nine."
"Eight." I started counting as well and she reached for my hand with one of hers. I felt tingles all through my body, like every time we touched. "Seven... Six... Five..."
"Four... Three... Two..." She smiled at me, we were the same hight now thanks to a growth spurt I'd had. I was maybe even a little taller than her. And pretty soon she'd have to actually look up at me instead of facing lsightly down and lookingup through her lashes like she was doing now. "One." She barely whispered it, but everyone else shouted it and my heart froze before beating in overdrive continuously when with twenty-five of her closest friends and family she smiled shyly at me. My lips tingled where she pressed hers lightly to them. She'd kissed me.
Miley had kissed me.
My face colored as I felt a goofy smile overtake and she grinned.
"One of many." She murmured quietly as everyone looked on in shock. "What do you say, Justin, one of many?"
Aphrodite's son had finally won the heart of the most precious girl in the world...
