Aphrodite's Beauty

Chapter Twenty-six

Tuesday and Wednesday pass by in a blur and before I realise, it is Thursday morning. I am woken up by my alarm a half hour earlier than normal, at Jade's insistence. She spent an hour on Monday showing me how to do my hair in both a rope twisted braid and a waterfall braid. I decide on the waterfall braid and once I've finished it; I put on my grey skirt and Reed's jersey and head downstairs for breakfast. When reach the bottom of the stairs the doorbell rings and I stare at the door in shock for a second wondering who it could be before opening it to find Reed standing on the other side.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I say as I step aside for him to enter.

"I'm here to take you to school today," Reed tells me with a shrug of his shoulders. "I love seeing my jersey on you."

Blushing at his comment I turn my face to the side, so he can't see it. "Would you like breakfast?" I ask making my way towards the kitchen with Reed's footfalls showing he is following me.

"Sure, I could go for some breakfast," He says as we enter the kitchen. "Hello, Mrs Swartz."

Aunt Olivia who is standing at the stove cooking what I think might be coconut buttermilk pancakes turns around when she hears Reed's voice. "Hello. Who's this Aphrodite?" She asks raising a questioning eyebrow at me.

"Aunt Olivia, this is Reed. Reed, this is my Aunt Olivia, my mum's sister," I say taking a seat on a stool at the breakfast bar. "Are you cooking coconut buttermilk pancakes?"

"I sure am," she says turning back to the stove. "And Reed please call me Olivia, I'm not Mrs Swartz that was my sister."

"Okay," Reed says with a nod. "I'm sorry for intruding on your breakfast. I was hoping I could drive Aphrodite to school today?"

"That's fine, but have breakfast first," Aunt Olivia says reaching into the cupboard to get a second plate out. "And don't tell me you're not hungry because I heard you tell Aphrodite that you would have breakfast."

"Thank you, Olivia. I would love pancakes," Reed says with politeness.

"Thank you, Aunt Olivia," I say when she places a plate of fluffy and soft pancakes in front of me and another in front of Reed. I pour golden syrup over my pancakes before digging in and letting out a small moan at how delicious they are.

"Thank you, these taste amazing," Reed says after taking a bite of his pancakes.

"You came on an excellent day," I tell Reed with a smile for him and my aunt. "Aunt Olivia doesn't make pancakes often and not her coconut ones."

"Well, I'm glad I came when I did then," Reed says before going silent to eat the rest of his food.

I eat in silence alongside him while Aunt Olivia bustles around the kitchen pulling out mixing bowls and setting ingredients on the bench next to the fridge. I notice a pair of eyes on me and glance over to see it is Reed watching me.

"Have I got something on my face?" I ask self-conscious, wiping at my face in case I got syrup on myself.

"No, nothing. I was just thinking how pretty you look today," Reed says picking our plates up and taking them over to the sink. "Did you want me to wash this up Olivia?"

"No, that's fine dear," Aunt Olivia says, looking over her shoulder to where Reed is standing next to the sink. "You two need to get to school. Aphrodite don't forget the Macarons you made yesterday. You said you needed them for school today."

"I remember," I reply moving to the fridge and grabbing both my lunch and the box full of macarons. "Thank you, Aunt Olivia. I'll see you this afternoon."

Aunt Olivia turns and gives me a quick hug and when she pulls back, she sees I'm wearing a football jersey.

"Whose jersey is that?" Aunt Olivia asks giving me a questioning expression knowing I don't own a jersey and wondering why I'm wearing one.

"It's mine," Reed says coming up to stand next to me. "It's tradition for the members of the team to have a girl wear their jersey on the Thursday and Friday for the first game of the season. I asked Aphrodite if she would wear mine."

"All right," Aunt Olivia says, nodding. "Have a wonderful day at school."