The Heartless
Rome 58 B.C.
"Titus, when you're done butchering that lamb, I have a few chickens I need you to de-feather a few chickens that were just brought to us."
"Alright, Evander. I'm almost done with the sheep." Evander smiled, acknowledging that he heard me, then walked off to do what he needed to do.
I've been working for Evander for six years now. When he first brought me here, his father didn't recognize me as Pompeia's son and thought nothing of it when he agreed to let me work at the butcher shop. Evander's father passed away three years after I started working there, leaving Evander the owner and my primary boss. He paid me well and was kind enough to let me stay with him and his wife and two daughters until I was able to find my own place to stay. Right now, I live in the complex down the street from the shop. It's plenty of space for being just me and my neighbors are, for the most part, quiet and don't bother me.
"Where do you want this, Evander?" Evander looked at me, then looked in the direction of the space where people waiting could pick up their meat.
"Tell the woman we're sorry for the wait." I nodded and walked over to the pickup spot and held up the lamb, letting whoever ordered it that the lamb was butchered. A woman in slave's robes and a woman in expensive garments walked over.
"Well, it's about damn time. What took so long?"
"Sorry for the wait, ma'am. I hope we didn't inconvenience you too much." The woman gave me a snide look before telling her slave to grab the meat so they could leave.
When she was gone, I went to the back where the chickens were and started getting to work on de-feathering and butchering them. When I was finally finished with the chickens, I put them all in the salt so they would last the night and could be sold tomorrow. I was relieved to be done for the day. I was tired and planned to go to bed as soon as I got home. But while I was walking out, Evander stopped me.
"Hey, Titus. Do you have any plans for tonight?"
"No. Do you need me to stay a few more hours?" Evander shook his head.
"No. I actually wanted to invite you to have dinner at my house. I wanted to introduce you to someone."
"Who?"
"Do you remember when my sister came over to the shop? She talked to you while you were in the back cutting some ribs."
"Barely. I wasn't really listening to her. Why do you want to introduce me to her?" Evander gave me an odd look before answering me.
"Well, Perseia thought you were charming and she wanted to get a chance to talk to you a little more."
"Why?" Evander sighed and walked a little closer to me.
"Titus, have you considered getting yourself a wife?"
"No, I don't need one."
"Of course you do. Everyone needs a wife. A wife keeps the home clean and takes care of the children."
"I don't have children. And my house is plenty clean without a wife."
"Don't be that way, Titus. I'm asking you as a friend."
"First you said you wanted to introduce me now you want me to get a wife? I hardly know your sister."
"I know, Titus, but I know you and that's good enough. My sister is eligible to be married and it's either you or a loan shark that lives in the run down whorehouse a few blocks from here. So do me a favor and marry my sister."
"Evander, doing you a favor would be me dropping something off for you or running an errand. Marrying your sister is a lot more than a favor."
"Just come to my house for dinner tonight, meet Perseia, and if she likes you, then we'll talk about the wedding arrangements."
"I didn't say a word to her. How does she have basis to take interest in me in the first place?"
"She thought you were charming and handsome."
"I'm sure I'm not the only charming and handsome Roman to chose from."
"That's not the point Titus. Please, don't insult my kindness to you by rejecting my little sister." I sighed.
"How old is she?"
"She turns seventeen soon."
"Seventeen?" Evander nodded, and I rubbed my face with my hand. "I suppose that's not so bad."
"At least think about it over dinner, Titus. I promise, Perseia would make you a wonderful wife and I promise she would cook and clean and make your life so much easier. And I would trust you to keep her safe and happy."
"I'm not even happy. How am I supposed to make someone else happy?"
"Why aren't you happy? You have a home, a job, a possible fiancé. What is there to be sad about? Especially considering the background you come from."
"I'm scared, Evander. Just because I don't live around it anymore doesn't mean it doesn't still haunt me. And all those memories refuse to leave my mind and make me depressed. I won't bring such a burden on you, but that's the truth of the matter. But please remember that I'm truly grateful to you for helping me when I needed it."
"Of course, Titus, of course. I'm almost done, so just wait for me up front and we'll leave for my house soon, okay."
"Whatever you say, Evander." Evander gave me his usual cheerful smile and got back to what he was doing. As he asked, I waited at the front while he finished up and closed shop. He was done in about five minutes.
"Ready to go, Titus?" I shrugged.
"Ready as I'll ever be, Evander." He grinned and started walking in the direction of his house with me following after him. It didn't take long to get to his home where I could smell fresh food from feet away from the house. Once we came in, we were greeted by Evander's wife, Cornelia.
"Darling, welcome home. I see you brought Titus." Evander nodded and kissed Cornelia.
"Yes, I did. Are Perseia and Persephone here yet?"
"Yes, they're here. They're outside with Evandia and Sophitia."
"Good. When will dinner be ready?"
"Very soon dear." Evander invited me inside and to take a seat with him at the table. Shortly thereafter, four women came into the house. Two I knew as Evander's daughters, Evandia and Sophitia, and the other two I barely recognized. I knew one of them was Perseia, but I couldn't remember which it was. I was barely paying attention to her when she was talking to me.
"Perseia, Persephone, this is Titus Valerius. He works for me and the butcher shop. Titus, these are my sisters, Perseia, who you've met, and Persephone, the younger of the two." They both smiled at me and I nodded at them politely. The one that had tried speaking to me the other day, Perseia, smiled wider and made conversation with me while taking a seat at the table next to me.
"So we meet again, Titus."
"It looks that way." I wouldn't deny that she was a lovely woman. She had dark hair with tan skin and brown eyes like most any Roman woman. And she was certainly one prone to smiling.
"So how was work today?"
"It was fine."
"That's good." I heard Evander clear his throat and we both looked at him.
"Perseia, please, you're being improper. Allow Titus to lead the conversation." I gave Evander a mean look before looking back at Perseia with the face I'd been previously giving her.
"So where do you and Persephone live? Is your mother still alive?"
"Yes, she is. But I live with Persephone and her husband at the moment."
"I see." I was about to leave the conversation, but I felt Evander kick me under the table, forcing me to keep it going. "So…how are you today?" I heard Evander groan to himself, but ignored him. Perseia smiled and answered me kindly.
"I'm doing well. How about you?"
"Very well, thank you." Evander, unimpressed with the conversation, interrupted.
"Titus, why don't you tell Perseia about your home." I sighed and took Evander's suggestion.
"Well, I live a few blocks from the shop. It's a small home in the complex, but I like it. It's easy to maintain and it's a roof over my head." Perseia smiled.
"It sounds lovely, Titus. I take it your wife takes good care of it." I wanted to get out of the conversation. The woman knew perfectly well that I wasn't married. I assumed she was trying to be cute. But I went along with it, not wanting to be disrespectful.
"I keep it clean. I'm not married." She looked surprised, though I knew she wasn't.
"How? You're so handsome." I shrugged.
"I never met a woman worth marrying." She made a face that looked slightly discouraged, but Evander interrupted again.
"What he means is he hasn't found the right woman, Perseia. Titus isn't much of a dating man." Perseia smiled.
"I understand."
"Truthfully, sister, I've wondered if Titus might be gay. Young boys perhaps? Or even animals?" I gave Evander a look of death, more for the last two. I wasn't attracted to men at all, but I did know that some would perceive me that way because of how emotionally detached I was. But the last two accusations were uncalled for.
"Neither of them, Evander." Evander chuckled.
"I know, Titus. I'm just teasing you." The room shared a laugh while I turned away from Evander and looked ahead. Then Perseia begged for my attention.
"So how long have you worked for my brother, Titus?"
"Six years now."
"Have you enjoyed working for him?" Perseia laughed pleasantly. "I know Evander has his moments."
"Indeed he does. But he's treated me well, so I'm happy."
"That's good to hear. Evander tells me a lot of good things about you."
"That's a pleasant surprise." Perseia giggled and then Cornelia called from the kitchen asking her and the other women for their help. When she was away from the table, Evander touched my shoulder and let go once he had my attention.
"So does my sister please you, Titus?"
"It's a bit early to say, Evander. You can't expect me to make a decision about her worthiness as a wife from one conversation."
"I can expect you to have a physical attraction opinion."
"She's lovely, Evander, if that's what you're asking." Evander smiled.
"That's what I wanted to know, Titus." Shortly after, Cornelia and the others came back to the table with plates of food in hand and placed them before me and Evander on the table. Evander tasted the food to make sure it was satisfactory and when it was, the rest took their seats, Perseia sitting next to me again.
"Thank you for inviting me to dinner, by the way, Evander."
"Think nothing of it. We've been friends far too long for me to be as rude as to not invite you to dinner."
"How long have you two been friends, if you don't mind my asking?" I was about to let Evander answer Perseia, but he was silent, waiting for me to answer.
"We first met when I was eight and Evander was twenty one."
"That's quite an age difference." Evander spoke next.
"Isn't it? But that age difference never stopped us from being close friends, right Titus?" I nodded absently, not much paying attention to the conversation.
"So how did you two become friends?" To my relief, Evander took over this part of the conversation.
"We met at the brothel my father used to go to. We were both waiting for our fathers to finish their appointments and we started talking to pass the time. Nearly every time my father was there, so was his and we became friends." I wasn't much surprised that Evander was partly lying. I didn't care, but he undoubtedly didn't want anyone to know that I used to be a slave.
"What an odd place to meet." Cornelia spoke next.
"Indeed it is. But sometimes people simply meet in the oddest of ways." They laughed together while I stayed quiet. Perseia never took her eyes off me the whole time I was there eating dinner.
When we were through with dinner, Evander insisted that I stay longer and talk with them more since I rarely ever saw more than Evander. His daughters cleaned the kitchen and dishes while we talked and joined us when they were done. I barely added a word to the conversation. I was more interested in the many cracks that Evander had in his wall that were undoubtedly the fault of the neighbors that constantly slammed against the wall. I could hear them in their fit of passion right now. I wouldn't be long before that wall came down all together.
Persephone went home early so she could meet her husband. I was guessing he'd been working late, hence why he didn't come to dinner. I didn't care enough to ask. By the end of the night when Evander finally agreed that I should go home, I walked out behind Perseia and was about to walk out when Evander grabbed a hold of my arm.
"What?"
"Do me a favor and walk Perseia home. I wouldn't want my lovely sister alone and in danger on the streets of Rome at night."
"Why can't you take her?"
"Well, if you must know, Titus, my wife is feeling rather generous tonight and I would prefer to not test how long that will last. So be a friend and walk your date home."
"Since when is she my date?"
"Since I said so. Now get going Titus. I'll see you at work tomorrow. Perseia! Wait a moment, Titus is going to walk you home!" Then Evander walked back into his house and closed the door behind him, leaving me locked outside.
"You're walking me home? That's so kind of you."
"I suppose. You know how to get there from here, right?" She looked a little guilty.
"Actually no. I thought I did, but I can't remember it. I only know the way during the day. The streets look so different at night."
I was annoyed now. Evander knew perfectly well that she didn't know the way to her own damn house. I would have a few words to say to him tomorrow for making me take her on a wild goose chase.
"Don't worry. I'm sure we can find it." She shook her head.
"I'm afraid Persephone has asked me to not come home tonight. Something her and her husband had been planning for a while."
"Then stay here."
"Evander told me to go to a friend's house. But I don't know how to get to anyone's house from here."
"You don't say." I was quickly losing my patients with the situation overall. I knew what Evander was hoping for. I could yell at him about it tomorrow. "You're welcome to stay with me for the night, if you wish. I'll take you to work with me tomorrow and Evander can walk you home." Perseia smiled and nodded.
"That's so kind of you, Titus. I would like that." That's what I was afraid of. I forced a smile and walked past her.
"Let's go then." She smiled again and came very close to me while we walked to my house. It took a few minutes to get there and when we got to my house, most of my neighbors were sound asleep.
"I love your home. It's so simple and relaxing." I shrugged.
"I've always liked it. You're welcome to the bed for tonight. I'll just sleep on the floor." While I went to my bed to get a pillow to sleep on, she walked in front of me with a smile.
"Don't be silly, Titus. It's your home, you shouldn't have to sleep on the floor. I won't mind sharing a bed with you."
I couldn't decide whether she was trying to be polite and a gracious guest or if she was sincerely that easy. That uncertainty brought about a question in my mind of whether I would take her up on her offer if that's what she was really doing. Emotionally detached or not, I was still a man with the same male needs as any other. This was how my one night stands usually happened anyway. A woman would think I was pleasing, she'd talk to me, and I'd tolerate her long enough to take her home, have my way with her, then be done with her all together. But this was Evander's little sister and I'm sure there was only so far he was willing to let this go. Though I would admit it was suspicious that he would put her in a situation where she'd have to stay at my home.
"I'll warn you, the bed's not very big. It'll be cramped." She smiled.
"That's alright." That confirmed she was looking for something more. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, I suppose.
I wasn't usually wrong. I was pretty good at understanding people and what their intentions were. But just in case I was wrong, I took it slow. First, I stood before her, standing tall above her in a manner that was unmistakable. She didn't look surprised or confused. Instead, she stood in the same manner as I did, looking up at me with challenging, but sweet brown eyes.
That was all the permission I needed. I bent my head down to kiss her and she didn't fight or argue the matter in the least. She tried wrapping her arms around my neck, but I grabbed a hold of her wrists to keep her from doing so. I didn't like it when women tried doing that. It made me feel constricted. She didn't try forcing anything else and just let me do what I wanted to do. I was a little put off that she went along with whatever I wanted to do. It made her out to be easy.
She was a beautiful girl, that much I would admit about her. So it didn't take much to get an erection. Once I had it, I turned her towards my bed, put her on all fours, and went for it. The union lasted several minutes and I was sure to keep her silent through most of the coupling. Whenever I heard a woman moan, it sent a chill down my spine and it would immediately turn me off. I tried covering her mouth with just my hand, but I could still hear her. So I ended up using the sheets and thinned it out so I could pull it into her mouth and quiet her. It worked much better. When I was done, I stepped away and got my clothes back on. She looked at me with a smile.
"You don't want to go again?"
"I have to work tomorrow and I need sleep."
"Alright then." She went to grab her clothes while I went to bed and tried to fall asleep. She got in bed with me, which didn't really surprise me. What surprised me was that she started kissing my neck and pressed her hands against my back. I turned to face her with a weird look on my face.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm helping you relax." I sighed.
"Perseia, what would help me relax is leave me be so I can fall asleep. Touching me and kissing me won't make me feel more relaxed. It'll just bug me." She looked sad.
"I thought you liked me."
"It has nothing to do with whether or not I like you. It has to do with the fact that I prefer to keep my distance and don't like to be touched more than needed. Especially after sex."
"Oh."
I was too tired to try and fix anything, so when she stopped touching me, I turned back and fell asleep. When I woke up, she was still asleep. I didn't bother waking her up. I went to another part of my one room house and washed off my face and had some bread for breakfast. While I was eating, I heard her moan while forcing herself awake. When she saw me, she smiled at me. I didn't really return the smile.
"Morning, Titus."
"Morning, Perseia."
"How did you sleep?"
"Well enough. You?"
"Wonderfully. You have a very comfortable bed." I shrugged.
"It's good enough, I suppose." She smiled more and got up from bed and walked over to me while I was eating. She had a lovely smile. But she seemed fake, like a trainer that was obsessed with breaking a horse just to prove it could be done.
"I know you're not big on being touched, but would you mind if I kissed you?" I shrugged.
"If you wish." She grinned and took a seat next to me and brought her lips to mine for a moment in a brief kiss. When she was through, she started rubbing my shoulders, which bugged me immensely. But I was too tired to get mad about it at the moment.
"So what do you think Evander will say about last night?"
"Nothing. We're not telling him about last night. I think he wanted that to happen and I won't give him the satisfaction." Perseia gave a breathy giggle.
"I know he was hoping we'd click, but I doubt he wanted us to sleep together."
"I can read the man and I know what goes on in his head. He wanted this to happen. So say nothing about it. Let him squirm."
"That's so cruel."
"Indeed it is. That's the fun in it." She giggled again.
"I never realized how wicked you are."
"You don't know the half of it, Perseia." I finished the bread and pulled off another piece and handed it to Perseia. "Eat that. Try to finish it before we get to the shop, okay." She smiled and nodded her head.
"Alright, Titus." She took the bread and followed me out the door and down the street to the shop. We got there in five minutes and she managed to finish her bread before that. When I got there, Evander had already opened shop and had plenty of things for me to do. While I worked, he walked Perseia home. When he came back, he had a huge grin on his face.
"What are you grinning about?"
"I hear it went well with Perseia." I shrugged.
"It was decent."
"It better have been more than just decent if you found it appropriate to have sex with her." I groaned.
"She told you about that I see."
"Yes, she did. She was impressed with you, so that much is good. But what's this I'm hearing about hating to be touched?"
"Evander, I don't like it when women touch me. I hate it."
"Why?"
"Why the hell do you think? I have no respect for women and whenever a woman touches me, I think of my mother and it makes me sick. So if you must understand the origin of my many deep rooted problems, there you go." Evander sighed.
"Please say that you find Perseia pleasurable." I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"She's a fine woman." Evander smiled.
"Good! Does that mean I can count on you to marry her?" I tightened my grip on the thigh bone of a pig I was butchering and ground my teeth.
"Evander, I'm not interested in getting married."
"Just think about it. See her a few more times and I'll ask you again at the end of the month. If you still don't want to marry her, fine, I'll give her to the loan shark. But it would make me really happy to give her to a friend."
"I wouldn't count on it, Evander."
"You're all I can count on. I know you're a bit of a heartless bastard, but try thinking of someone other than yourself for once and do a close friend a favor. But again, it's up to you."
"This is more than a favor, Evander. You're asking me to marry your sister, whom I've only just met yesterday."
"And fucked that same day. You better marry my sister to have the audacity to deflower her the first day you met." I almost laughed.
"Believe me, Evander, I'm not the one that deflowered her. Someone else took care of that." Evander looked angry now.
"Are you calling my sister a whore?"
"I'm saying I'm not the first man your sister's ever slept with. That doesn't mean I'm calling her a whore. I'm just pointing out the obvious."
"You have a lot of nerve, Valerius."
"I'm just telling you how it is." Evander glared at me a moment, then another question came to my mind. "Seriously, what does your sister see in me?"
"She thinks you're handsome and charming."
"Even after last night?"
"Yes, even after last night. She thinks she can, 'help you get over your demons'."
"If she could do that, I'd owe her a world of thanks."
"Yes, you would. Now get back to work. I'm pissed at you right now, so stay out of my face."
"Yes, Evander."
Evander then walked away to go do something else to help him cool off from my slap of reality. Evander didn't want me handling customers, so he worked at the front while I filled orders for cuts of meat and got others prepared for future sale. I left work at the end of the day barely saying a word to Evander. And when I got home, I was so happy to have some time to myself that I almost smiled. I didn't have much in the house to eat, but that was fine. I still had plenty of bread to eat, even if some of the loaves were a little hard.
I went to bed that night feeling relaxed. More relaxed than I've felt since Pompeia was murdered. I wonder if Perseia would pursue me if she knew I'd murdered two men and used to be a slave. It was doubtful of course. No sensible Roman woman in her right mind would seriously consider me as a potential husband. I certainly wouldn't. I went to bed that night in a good mood and woke up the next morning in an even better mood. I washed my face and ate my breakfast before walking out the door to go to work. But as I walked out, Perseia was ascending the stairs to my home with a smile.
"Perseia?" She nodded.
"Morning, Titus. How did you sleep?"
"Fine. What are you doing here? I'm on my way to work." She shook her head with a smile.
"Not today. Evander sent me over to tell you that you weren't working today. He said we should spend the day together." I held a straight face through my annoyance.
"Your brother's docking me a day's pay to go on a date?"
"Don't worry. You're still getting paid. I wouldn't let him skip a payment to you." I groaned and rubbed my face.
"Perseia, I need to go to work."
"Don't worry about it, Titus. I thought it would be nice to go to the square. We can get charms to get into the coliseum."
"Perseia, I'm not paying good money to watch men get slaughtered. If you want to go to the coliseum fine, but we aren't paying for it."
"But you need to pay to get the really good seats."
"Says who?" She was about to respond, but she didn't seem to have anything to say in response. "That's what I thought. Do you want to go or not?" She smiled.
"I do."
"Alright. Let's go then." She smiled wider and followed after me while I walked down the stairs and we made our way to the coliseum. There was a showing today, but it wouldn't start for another hour.
There were plenty of guards around, but they weren't paying close attention like they should've been, so it wasn't hard to walk right into the coliseum. We couldn't sit right at the front like what would've been better, but we could sit towards the middle and be fine.
"Do you think anyone will notice that we didn't pay?"
"They won't as long as you don't say anything." She nodded her head and looked forward. As we sat there, people started crowding in. The games didn't get permission to start until the senators and Pompei were there.
"Have you gone to these before?"
"I've never wanted to." The games started with a large fight between twelve gladiators. Six of them were dead within minutes. The others fought a little harder, but didn't last very long themselves until it was between the last two standing. In truth, I wasn't all that impressed. I'd look out my window at night and see this sort of thing happening and wouldn't have to pay a cent for it.
"Why would you not want to? It's a Roman pastime."
"Drugs, sex, and wine are also favorite Roman pastimes. That doesn't make them good. I won't argue sex is fine, but the other two aren't." She giggled.
"I take it you don't drink?"
"No, I drink. I'm just acknowledging that it's not healthy." She giggled again.
"Such a contradiction."
She finally stopped talking and turned her attention back to the show before us. The two last gladiators were still fighting and it ended with the smaller guy slitting the larger gladiator's throat. With achieving victory, the winner held up his weapons while the crowd cheered him on. After the gladiator got out of the ring, it was filled with water to reenact a famous battle. I didn't hear what battle it was. I was dozing in and out through most of the show. When it was finally over after five full hours, I was eager to get out and was walking really fast with Perseia trying to jog to keep up. Once we were outside, Perseia caught up to me and grabbed a hold of my arm.
"So did you enjoy it?"
"I could watch the same thing by staying up late and looking out my window."
"Not really. What's outside your window are mobs. The coliseum is history."
"It's killing people for my entertainment. It doesn't matter where it happens, it's still essentially the same thing." She smiled.
"I take it this sort of thing isn't what interests you?"
"Not really."
"What does interest you?" I shrugged.
"I like carving figures from wood. And I like playing music and reading."
"What about when you're in a group?"
"I can't say. I don't like being around people, so I don't have a favorite group activity."
"Why do you hate being around people?" I was hesitant to ask. But eventually, I decided to just avoid the question.
"Several reasons."
I didn't allow her to ask for me to elaborate. I changed the subject and asked her to show me how to get her home. She seemed a little reluctant, but she told me the way. When I got her home, she stole a kiss from me before going back into her house allowing me to go back home. When I got back, I went straight to bed, not really having much of an appetite. The next morning, I was relieved to be able to go to work without encountering an unexpected date. Evander, who was at the front, smiled and waved for me to come in and walked me to the back to talk.
"So how did the date go?" I sighed.
"You're really not going to let up on this are you?"
"Not in a million years." I sighed and rubbed my face. "So does this mean you've thought about my offer?"
"Fine. I'll do you a favor and marry Perseia. But don't expect much from the relationship."
"I'm asking you to marry her because I know she'd be better off with you than with the alternative. All I ask is that you treat her well and we'll be fine."
"I guess I'm marrying Perseia then." Evander grinned.
"And as her brother, I give you permission to marry her." Thankfully, Evander didn't wait to hear me say anything. He walked out to the front to leave me to work.
I wasn't sure what to feel. I'd never really felt a need for a wife. I was able to take care of myself, I didn't want kids, and I was getting sex pretty easily from any woman who hit on me if I wanted it. I preferred being alone and could never stand to be within another person's company for extended periods of time. And more so, I didn't love Perseia. I wasn't even sure if I liked her, let alone loved her. I didn't even like women. They were sexually appealing, but that was it for me. While I took a break to eat some bread and cooked pig for lunch, Evander walked over to me with a big smile.
"What's got you so happy?"
"I went to Perseia to give her the good news." Great.
"And what did she say?"
"She would love to marry you, Titus. And man as handsome and sweet as you would make a great husband." I held back a surprised expression. When was I ever sweet? I was barely listening to her or anything else while we were together. And when we slept together, I was done within twenty minutes and didn't try to make it last.
"That's good news, I guess."
"It's very good news. So when's the wedding."
"Gods, Evander, I don't fucking know."
"Titus, at least pretend you're thrilled to marry Perseia. Maybe not in front of me because I know you, but at least in front of Perseia."
"Exactly, Evander, you know me. You know I'm not exactly the most caring person in the world." Evander huffed a laugh.
"Few know better than me. But Perseia sees something in you and that's all that matters. And since it gets me out of having to give her to Piutus, I'm giddy with excitement."
"Who?"
"Piutus. He's the mobster I told you was the alternative." I sighed.
"I see."
"So you're doing me a grand favor."
"You've mentioned that."
"So at least tell me this. Would you rather have the wedding sooner or later?" I sighed.
"Sooner." I wasn't looking forward to any of this. I figured the sooner I got it over with, the happier I would be, figuratively speaking.
"Great idea, Titus. I'll stop by my sister's home before going back to mine and give her the good news. We'll have a big wedding too."
"No we won't. Family only. Honestly, I'd prefer they weren't there either."
"Alright, fine, Titus. Just family."
"And I mean close family. If you have to send a messenger to invite them or if they're a however many-th cousin or uncle, don't bother inviting them."
"Yes, Titus, I get it. Keep in mind I'm the one paying for the ceremony."
"I don't care who's paying for it. I want it to stay small."
"I get it, Titus, I'll keep it small."
"The smaller the better."
Evander sighed, but nodded and assured me it would be, before going back to the front and leaving me to keep working. I tried not to think about it for the rest of the day. It was only making me feel sick. I wonder if Evander knew I had no intention of giving Perseia a child, but I thought it best to avoid talking about it. When my work day was over, I avoided talking to Evander and ran home. That's what I did for most of the week. I avoided talking to anyone about it and just wanted to be alone. But at the end of that week, Evander caught me and made me sit and talk to him.
"Alright, Titus, here's the plan. The wedding will be tomorrow and it'll be at sundown at the temple of Venus."
"How can you afford to have our ceremony at the temple of Venus?"
"Connections, my friend. And Perseia wanted it. And what she wants for her wedding, I'll give her." I sighed.
"You're the one paying for it."
"Indeed. So tomorrow, I want you to come to my home after you've had lunch and we'll get you ready and go to the temple."
"Why do I need to start so soon?"
"I want to make sure everything goes perfectly. That means taking as much time to make you perfect as possible."
"I don't even have anything appropriate to wear."
"Worry not. You can wear my outfit from my wedding. I was much slimmer then than I am now, so don't make a comment of how it won't fit." I shrugged.
"I wasn't going to. I remember what you looked like when you got married."
"You better. I was damn good looking."
"Yes, Evander." He chuckled.
"Those were the days. But back to the wedding. Perseia is very excited about the ceremony, so pretend you are too."
"Whatever, Evander. Can I go home now?"
"Yes, you can go now. But you better be at my house on time."
"I will Evander, don't worry about it."
"Don't let me down, Titus."
I didn't respond since I was walking out of the shop while he was talking to me. I didn't go straight home this time. I went to the bar that was a few blocks away from my house and started drinking wine. I picked a spot that was comparatively quieter than most of the bar and didn't make eye contact with anyone, hoping no one would bother me. I didn't finally leave the bar until I was nearly too drunk to walk. I couldn't remember a thing of what happened that night. I woke up in my bed alone, so I can't imagine anything too bad happened. But I did wake up with a hangover that would bring down a bull. I saw the sun shining through the shutters of my winders, and I walked to the door so I could go outside and see what time of day it was.
When I saw the sun, I groaned in annoyance. I was late and I knew it. Evander would never shut up about it for the whole day. This migraine I had at the moment wasn't going to help me at all either. Hoping it would help me feel better, I ate a small piece of bread before walking out of my house and making my way to Evander's house. When I got there, Cornelia opened the door and let me in. I barely entered before Evander was walking to me with a scowl.
"Damn it, Titus, I told you to be here by midday."
"I drank too much last night and I overslept. Please keep your voice down, Evander, I have a hangover."
"Well that's your own damn fault, now isn't it? Drinking the night before your wedding, honestly Titus, have you no pride?"
"I grew up a hooker's son, Evander. Of course I don't have any pride." Evander groaned and rubbed his face.
"I thought the years of freedom would help you get over that."
"It's a traumatic childhood, Evander. I'll never be rid of it no matter how much I want to. Let's just get me dressed and get this over with." Cornelia walked to Evander and held his arm to command more of his attention.
"Evander, maybe this isn't a good idea after all." Evander looked at her strangely.
"What would make you say that?"
"He doesn't love Perseia. You know this as much as he does. Why make Perseia marry a man who doesn't love her?"
"Perseia wants him, and I won't deny her that." Then he looked at me. "And obviously neither would you."
"You didn't give me much option to go otherwise, Evander. Besides, a wife might do me some good." Cornelia still looked skeptical, but she didn't say anything. I was glad. I didn't want to defend doing something I wasn't even willing to do in the first place.
"Well, enough talk. We need to get you ready for the wedding. It's the happiest day of your life after all."
Not true at all. The happiest day of my life was the day I saw my own mother get shocked to death. But I wasn't about to say that. Evander's two girls were within ear shot and they didn't need to hear that. Evander was the only one who knew about that and I wanted to keep it that way.
It didn't take long for me to get dressed. Evander gave me the robes he'd worn at his wedding and they fit decently enough. I ended up spending most of the time before the ceremony sitting at the dining table examining every imperfection in the wood of the table. When it was time to go, I walked with them all to the temple of Venus and we waited for the ceremony to start.
I was a simple ceremony, nothing high class or really elegant. It was just a marriage ceremony that was over in twenty minutes. After the ceremony was over, Evander helped Perseia move her things from Persephone's home to mine. When everything was there, Evander winked at me and left us alone in my home. There was a long silence between me and Perseia while she unpacked her things. I didn't feel the need to talk and went straight to bed. She came to bed with me when she was done and cuddled up to me, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Why so distant, Titus? It's our wedding night?" I was always distant. How had she not noticed this by now?
"I'm usually miles away naturally." She smiled and kept asking for my attention.
"I'll take you miles away." She laughed at her joke, but I didn't find it funny. But I understood where she was going and took advantage of the situation.
That night ended up being the same as the last time we'd slept together. I did what I wanted to do and was done with her after that. She tried cuddling to me, but I pushed her away so I could sleep. The next day at work, Evander asked me how I liked being a married man. I didn't want to tell him how I honestly felt, so I just looked at him the way I normally did and just told him it was pleasant. Then I went to the back to work, taking out any frustration on a new piece of pig.