Come Thursday, everything is almost too peaceful.
Aphrodite woke up to her period, which was definitely a good sign even if it wasn't fun. Plan B didn't make her as sick as it did last time--she was nauseous and had bad cramps on Saturday, into Sunday morning, but they faded by late afternoon. Ethan kept his promise and took care of her the entire time, including spending Saturday night at her house and helping her cook dinner for Hades, though that did require sneaking out. His parents loved Aphrodite, but still didn't like the idea of their son spending the night at his girlfriends house... especially after he told them how often she was home alone.
Knowing she isn't pregnant is weight off of her shoulders, and Ethan's as soon as she texts him. She's even up early, going to pickup fresh muffins for her and Hades and giving him a ride to school.
Ethan meets her in the back of the parking lot later in the morning, showing up to her there before him which was unexpected. He knocks on her passenger window, seeing her on her phone (in the middle of texting Grayson).
"Baby!" Aphrodite grins, unlocking her doors to let him in. They have about 15 minutes before class still. "Good morning! I grabbed you a muffin when I was out."
Ethan accepts the blueberry muffin and a kiss from her, humming out, "Thank you, sweetheart." She sips on her coffee, leaning further back in her seat and watching him. "You... you're in a good mood."
"Yes, I am," she laughs and reaches for his hand to play with his fingers. As he takes a bite of his muffin, she presses her lips to the pads of each one. "I don't know. Things have been really good lately. With you, with Grayson, with Hades. I'm passing all my classes, I'm not pregnant. Just... things are good. I'm happy."
"I'm happy too," Ethan whispers, rubbing his thumb along her knuckles. Everything has felt peaceful as of late, like they could handle anything. They were up in their own bubble of the world and it felt like nothing could pop it. Something always will.
Leaning over the console to kiss his cheek, Ethan turns his head to steal a real kiss. Aphrodite laughs, pulling him closer again for more--his muffin? Forgotten.
They only come up for air at the sound of the warning bell in the distance, eyes widening when they realize they're going to be late for class if they don't leave right then. Giggling, they grab their bags and speed-walk toward the doors.
"I promised I'd have lunch with Gray, Carla, and Joey today--you can come if you want! I always love seeing you. If not, I don't have to work tonight, so we can hangout then?" Aphrodite shouts, halfway down the hall away from him. Ethan gives her a thumbs up and a smile and rushes toward his locker. Colton trips him, but Aphrodite is gone.
"Can't believe she took you back," he snorts. Ethan groans and rubs his elbow, his dark brows falling over his eyes. "You don't deserve her."
"C-can you just--just fuck off, Colton!"
Colton is too shocked by Ethan yelling to say anything else before he's gone, only watching him leave with wide-eyes. It's about time Ethan stands up for himself.
He feels really good about it too, taking his usual seat in class with a smile. His elbow hurts a little bit... but he can deal with that. Ethan's mostly thinking about the way Aphrodite would smile and hug him when he tells her.
And she does exactly that in the parking lot in the afternoon--because he did not go to lunch--and she immediately wraps her arms around him and kisses his face all over. It makes Ethan's heart swell and confidence surge.
"I'm proud of you," she gushes, kissing his blushing face more. "You're so cute. I love you."
"Sweetheart, stop," Ethan whines, putting his hands on both sides of her face to pull back. "I love you too. But you--you're getting your lipstick all over me."
"Oh c'mon, big baby. I have makeup wipes in my car."
Instead of Aphrodite driving, she hands her keys to Ethan and takes the passenger seat. He raises his eyebrows, but gets in and starts up her car anyway.
After handing him a makeup wipe, he gets the smudged lipstick off with a faux pout on his lips. It didn't even smudge that badly--and it was just a light pink color, barely noticeable.
"I'm in the mood for a milkshake," Aphrodite hums, "how about you?"
"Milkshakes it is."
"And maybe your dick in my mouth after too."
"I--Aph! Y-you--"
"Still so awkward," she teases, bringing her lips to his jaw. Ethan swallows slowly, tilting his head to give her more access. They still haven't left the parking lot. "It's cute."
"...if you want to I wouldn't... say no..." he mumbles, a toothy grin growing on his face. "Uh, milkshakes." Aphrodite laughs when he finally drives off, knowing she got him flustered.
Of course, things can never be good for too long.
They're hand in hand as they get out of the car when they reach the ice cream place, Aphrodite listening to Ethan talk about his day while they approach the door. He reaches for it, going to hold it open for her, but Rachel steps out of it first.
"Oh, thanks, E!" She smirks, stopping with a hand on her hip. Ethan lets the door fall shut with a sigh, Aphrodite's eyes narrowing and her entire body tensing up at the sight. Rachel eyes Aphrodite up and down slowly before turning her attention back to Ethan. "Call me soon, okay? We could have fun together."
"I-I don't--no thanks."
"It's cute that you're still keeping her around. But you don't have to do that, I'll take care of you whenever you want."
"Hey, Rachel?" Aphrodite hums, letting out a dry laugh. Ethan's eyes widen when she steps away from him, reaching for her hand to stop her to no avail. "You do know that kissing someone when they don't want you to is sexual assault, right?"
"He wanted--"
Rachel's sentence is cut short when Aphrodite swings. Ethan winces just watching her fist make contact with the girls throat. Rachel coughs, momentarily grabbing the spot before she hits Aphrodite back, her long nails scratching her.
The next few seconds are a blur to him, and then Rachel trips after being shoved and lands on the ground. Ethan quickly picks Aphrodite up to stop the fight, which she isn't really happy about. Rachel whines about getting blood on her shirt from scraping her arms as he carries his still fuming girlfriend away. Aphrodite doesn't fight him though, just huffs as he opens her passenger door for her.
"Hey, Aphie!" Rachel sneers, garnering their attention for one more second, "Dustin's back in town!"
Her blood runs cold, and Ethan feels the way she freezes but motions for her to get in the car. They both hope Rachel's lying, but that doesn't seem likely.
"I hate her," she mutters, kicking her glove-box after they drive off.
"I know, sweetheart... me too," Ethan sighs. He glances over at her, seeing arms crossed and her face bleeding. "Are you okay, Aph?"
"I'm fine. Pissed."
Now, Aphrodite has never really been a fan of violence, but sometimes she thinks it's justified. And this was definitely one of those moments. Where did Rachel get off?
Ethan continually darts his eyes between the road and Aphrodite. She doesn't say anything else, and despite her insistence that she's fine, he doesn't believe her. Especially not after Rachel mentioning Dustin.
When they reach her house, he instantly pulls her into the bathroom. She squirms out of his grasp, shaking her head with another huff.
"You--you're bleeding, Aph," he whispers. Aphrodite sighs and gives in, sitting on the bathroom counter. There were a few scratches down her cheek and neck from Rachel's fake nails, but they weren't deep. "Just let me take care of you."
She can't help but laugh when he pouts, "You're a dork."
"Sit still?" He pleads, gently cleaning the scratches and reaching for Neosporin. "Really... are you okay? With--y'know, with Rachel a-and Dustin?"
"I can't promise I won't hit Rachel again if she keeps running her mouth," Aphrodite tells him, watching him try not to smile. "Dustin... well, as long as I can avoid him I think I'll be okay. I don't like knowing he's around but I have you. And I don't think he's going to come looking for me."
"All patched up," Ethan hums, giving her a peck on the lips. Aphrodite raises an eyebrow and pulls him in by the back of the neck for more, "O-oh! Okay."
She sinks her teeth into his bottom lip, tugging back on it with a smirk. "Thank you, baby," Aphrodite whispers, her hands snaking up under his shirt. She fumbles with the button of his jeans, moving her lips to his neck. "So... no milkshakes, but..."
"Y-yeah?" He breathes, licking his lips. Just as she's moving to push his jeans down, her phone rings. "Fuck."
"It's Grayson. One second," she huffs, picking up the phone. "What is it, Gray?"
"So, um, bad news," he starts. Aphrodite has a gut feeling of what it is before he even says it. "I just saw Dustin. I was at the bridge with Carla, and he showed up there and he stopped to talk to us, and--I might've yelled at him. I was gonna punch him, but he just kinda left and um... where are you? I wanna check in and make sure you're good. He asked about you when he saw us. Asked if you still lived around here."
"I... I'm home with E. Come over."
The news that Dustin is back in town with no doubt--that's unsettling. However, the news that he's really looking for her is worse. It was wishful thinking to think he wouldn't, but she didn't want to have to face that thought. Now there's no choice.
Aphrodite can't hide the way her heart speeds up after she hangs up the phone, the way her hands turn clammy. Ethan immediately knows something's wrong, and from the small bit of the conversation he overheard, he can take a guess.
After she broke up with Dustin, after hearing he moved away, Aphrodite didn't think she'd ever have to see him again. That's another part of why she never told anyone... it wasn't supposed to be an issue. Aphrodite never wanted to think about it again, and lately she's been forced to think about it too much.
The fact that she invited Grayson over to her house and wasn't even overthinking it spoke to how much everything with Dustin bothered her. Ethan gnaws on the inside of his cheek and pulls her into his arms.
He presses a kiss to her forehead and mumbles, "It's okay, Aph. I-it's gonna be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."
Ethan isn't a fighter, but for Aphrodite? He'd do anything.
"I need to smoke," she sighs, pushing away from Ethan and hopping to her feet. "You should go home with Grayson when he gets here, E. I changed my mind, I don't even need him to come in. He can just pick you up."
"Aph--"
"I don't need a lecture right now, Ethan," Aphrodite groans, going into her room and digging through her nightstand. "Fuck. I'm out... think Grayson has some?" Since Aphrodite hadn't been smoking recently, she wasn't concerned with making sure she always had weed somewhere. "God fucking dammit. He better. I need to smoke, like, now."
"Aphrodite Esta Flowers," Ethan huffs, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Stop that."
She almost scoffs, surprised that he's even saying anything about it. Ethan didn't usually try and stop her from doing anything--not that there was too much they disagreed on anyhow. It was probably a good thing that he felt comfortable enough to call her out now, but today was not the day she wanted to be tested.
Aphrodite juts her bottom lip out and crosses her arms. It makes Ethan chuckle, actually, seeing her get so pouty over this. "E, it's just fucking weed."
"Yeah, and I-I don't care if you smoke! You know that. I never have. But I just--I do care about you. Do you really want to, or... are you just looking for an excuse to do it and push me away?"
"...okay, shut up."
"Aph," Ethan sighs, shaking his head at her. "I'm here for you. Gray's here for you. Stop pushi--you don't have to do this alone. Yo-you don't have to use the same coping mechanisms you always have."
It was easy to fall back into old habits, but letting Ethan pull her back out of them? Allowing that vulnerability and trust and making a conscious decision to change? That was hard, and it made Aphrodite want to run away. Ethan wasn't going to let her.
He pulls her into a hug for the millionth time that afternoon, running his hands through her hair with muffled noise of reassurance. "S'okay, sweetheart."
"How do you put up with me?"
"Well... you're really cute," he teases, feeling her laugh into his chest. "I love you, Aph. Everything about you. That comes with dealing with--with things, like you deal with me being... me. A bit of a mess."
"Hey, don't talk down about yourself, I happen to love you."
"Good," Ethan mumbles, softly kissing her forehead. "It'd be pretty embarrassing if I was in love with you and you didn't feel the same way."
"I know I said I'm okay, E, but I'm really worried. He's looking for me. He's... he's one of the people who's been in my house. He knows where I live, he knows my car--"
"Shh, Aph, don't stress yourself too much," Ethan whispers. Aphrodite going on tangents is never a good sign. "I'm here, okay? I'll stay here until you feel safe--until I know you're safe."
Aphrodite wants to thank him for even offering. She knows it's not realistic for him to do that, but there's no doubt in her mind that he would if he had to, or if she just asked.
He knows that she's grateful without her saying it. Grayson knocks on her front door before she can, and she remembers now that this is his first time coming in her house.
Taking a deep breath, she drags Ethan toward the front door and opens it to an awkwardly smiling Grayson. Aphrodite clears her throat and steps aside to let him in, and doesn't miss the way he studies every inch his eyes can see.
"I like your salt and pepper shakers."
"Grayson, shut up," she groans, glancing back at the shark-shaped shakers on the table. He successfully lightened her mood, but not for long when she remembers why he's there. "So... Dustin."
"Yeah. He said he wanted to talk to you. Wouldn't say why."
Ethan tunes out of the conversation from there, trying to pick out any memories of Dustin in his mind. He was 21 when Aphrodite was 17, therefore they went to school together for at least a year before he graduated. Ethan probably saw him around somewhere, but his freshman year was kind of a blur. At least if he could remember what Dustin looked like he could watch out for him, but nothing.
All he knew about the guy was that he was an asshole with a drinking problem. And he used to buy alcohol and cigarettes for underage teens. For once, he wished he payed just a little more attention to drama that went on during school.
Aphrodite and Grayson are talking, and both have deep frowns on their faces. Ethan zones back in when he can tell it's getting heated, their voices raising. Not at each other, even, they're just both loud. Another knock at the door shuts them up.
"Could it be Hades?" Ethan mumbles, trying to look out the window. He can't see from there. "Maybe he forgot his key and he's back from his friends?"
"I'll get it," Grayson sighs, stepping forward. Behind it is none other than Dustin, with his hands tucked in his pockets. They all should've known he would come looking.
"Is Aphrodite here?"
A/N
happy friday :)
today is my last shift at my job, kinda bittersweet bc i love my coworkers but im so excited to not have to work weekend shifts there anymore lmaooo. already started looking for new jobs tho and had an interview earlier this week, another one tomorrow. hoping to find a better fit for me
can't believe there's only a couple of chapters + epilogue left already!! it's insane i don't want it to end </3 but i do hope you guys enjoy it. ily all hope you have a good weekend