The Sea God's One-Night-Stand *Tides of Fate*

5)

"Too Close" by Alex Clare
***

"Your name is Ajax, like the bathroom cleaner...?" I was unintentionally following him as he slowly started to walk. Ajax hovered around maybe 6'2. He wasn't bulky yet it was still evident a gentle layer of muscle hid beneath his clothing. I felt quite small in comparison to him.

Ajax groaned in sudden disappointment. "No, love. Believe it or not, I am named after far worse than simple bathroom cleaner," he said gravely. "I am named after Ajax the lesser. Naming me that was my mother's personal retribution for my father's cheating scandal the year I was born," he explained. "What is your name?"

That was a bizarre thing to do based on a partner's infidelity. I mentally noted to Google Ajax the lesser if I remembered his explanation after my hangover tomorrow. "Mia, it's short for Amelia. I was named after my grams. No one named me out of spite, though." I giggled drunkenly. "Er, sorry."
"No, tis hilarious," Ajax mused. "Seeing the humor in darkness can make a situation a little better." He grinned.

"True," I said with a smile, barely noticing we had walked almost a block.

"You came from the gala," Ajax noted, taking a large gulp out of the bottle of champagne.

"More like fled."

He laughed. "Yes, I suppose that is the general feeling one has when sitting in on one of those atrocious things," he muttered. "Honestly, it's all about a bunch of disgustingly wealthy individuals tossing barely fifty-thousand dollars here and there and yet pretending they're making a true difference."

There was a spot of bitterness in his tone that I did not miss. "You sound like you know this from experience."
"Yes, well, I myself grew up with disgustingly wealthy individuals who tossed around small amounts of money and pretended they were utter heroes for it," said Ajax. "Honestly, millionaires and billionaires donating a couple thousand dollars is similar to a regular person donating fifty dollars," he said, taking a very long sip from the bottle. It took him a moment to gulp it down. More bitterness surrounded his tone as he continued. "Perhaps generous, but not as much as they could really give to make a difference," he finally said before taking another drink.

"You stole my bottle."

Ajax spared me a small smile. "Darling, I believe you stole this before I had." It was my suddenly sad expression that caused him to immediately backtrack. "Not that I'm judging; filthy rich bastards deserve their three-thousand a bottle stolen," he offered lightly.

I whipped the expensive looking third bottle out of my purse to look at it for myself. He couldn't be right. There was no way I could've taken three bottles worth three-thousand dollars apiece. "I don't make that much in a month," I said, the surprise not hidden from my voice.

"Blimey, how much you got in there?" Ajax snickered as he watched my abnormally large purse.

"Just about anything and everything," I replied with a serious nod. It was true. I had a first aid kit and even had a fabric kit for stitching small snares in clothing. I had an unopened water bottle, aspirin, mints, Tylenol, Tums, Pepto-Bismol, hair supplies, and, I even had candy. I was always prepared in case a bride needed absolutely anything for a wedding I was coordinating. I started gently shivering as the sea-breeze started to reach us.

Ajax sighed. "I s'pose life can throw some massive curveballs, eh? Sometimes problems seem too large to be able to handle."

That was a sure understatement. It seemed he was floating in the same proverbial boat as I was tonight. "I just wanted to forget my life for a little bit," I admitted quietly, unsure and uncaring what I was sharing this with a stranger. My life was awful enough, what was one more person being privy to just how rotten it was? "I didn't think about taking the bottles. This is actually my first time drinking in almost ten months. I really just wanted one night of not being so miserable," I admitted gloomily.