"Is Aphrodite here?"
Dustin stands on the other side of the door, teetering on his feet with his hands tucked deep in his pockets. His hair has grown longer since she last saw him, and it's now tied back in a man-bun. There's a full beard on his face, one that could use a trim, but nothing else seems to have changed.
He swings one of his feet to kick a pebble, his scuffed sneakers creating a small cloud of dust from the dirt he disrupts. Grayson blocks most of the doorway, looking him up and down with a deep sigh.
"You can't just show up here, man. C'mon. I told you Aphrodite didn't wanna see you."
"I know, but you're not her. I just wanna talk to her, dude," Dustin sighs and rubs a hand over his face. He catches sight of Aphrodite standing behind Grayson, despite her trying to stay out of view. "Are you her boyfriend now? You guys were always close."
"No. I am," Ethan grunts, moving in front of her. "Just--just go, man."
"You must be the twin. I'm Dustin," he offers a hand that Ethan doesn't take. "Yeah. Obviously you guys aren't fans of me."
"Why would we be?" Grayson scoffs, and Aphrodite begins to rolls her eyes. She's surrounded by too much testosterone. "Seriously. Get out of here."
"I'll make it quick! I just have to say a few things." None of them really want him to say anything else, and the fact that he showed up at her house is already scary enough. "If Aphrodite doesn't want to talk to me, let her tell me herself. I know she's right--"
"She--Aphrodite doesn't have to do anything," Ethan spits. Again, he's not much of a fighter, and usually isn't driven by anger, but he can't stop himself from shoving Dustin back when he tries to take a step forward. It makes Aphrodite let out a small laugh, seeing him stumble backward. "Leave, Dustin."
"Fuck, fine. Sorry. Aphie, I still have the same number--I swear, I just wanna talk."
It's a feeling of calm that fills her when he turns away, Grayson slamming the door shut behind him. It feels like closing the chapter on a period of her life she would rather tear out.
Ethan kisses her cheek, and her chin, and then her lips and mumbles something she doesn't hear. Dustin was insistent today, and he always had been, but he also didn't fight back. Maybe she wasn't quite ready to close that chapter. Maybe there was a way she could cut it out completely.
"Aph, what are you--"
"Wait!" Aphrodite shouts, shoving through the twins and out her front door. They both reach for one of her hands and miss. She's not yet sure if she's regretting it as she walks up to Dustin, her arms crossing and eyes narrowing. Looking at his face filled her veins with ice, but she needs to hear what he had to say. "You have two minutes."
It wasn't her best idea, but she's always been stubborn. If she didn't hear him out now, as angry as just looking at him made her, she'd never stop thinking about it--and Aphrodite didn't want to think about Dustin ever again after this. If she had the chance, she needed to take it.
He looks at her with apprehensive eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. Ethan and Grayson stand protectively two feet behind, which is intimidating to Dustin, but Aphrodite just finds it hilarious when she glances back at them.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Dustin swallows slowly, digging into one of his pockets. He pulls out a small chip and places it in her hand. "I know now I was never a good boyfriend to you. I probably shouldn't have been your boyfriend anyway, if I'm being honest. I was too old for you and you were too good for me. I know I did--and said--some fucked up things, and I'm sorry. I should never have hit you."
Aphrodite examines the chip closely--a sobriety chip. It doesn't make her feel any better about what he did.
Clearing his throat, he continues, but only after taking note of the intense glare from Ethan (if he knew anything about him, it probably would've made him laugh). "I've been sober for six months now. Part of what I'm back in town for is apologizing to people who I really hurt, and you're the first person on that list. I know it doesn't make up for... what I did, but I'm sorry."
Aphrodite places it back gently in his hand and takes a small step backward. "Okay. Cool."
"Uh... cool?"
"Yeah. I'm happy for you for getting sober, and I hope you stay sober. I do not forgive you and I never will, and your apology makes up for nothing. I appreciate it, I guess, and now I never wanna see you again."
"Oh... 'kay," Dustin nods, his eyebrows furrowing like he expected more. "Goodbye, Aphrodite."
Her eyes roll, tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth in annoyance. She stands there and watches him until he's completely out of sight, arms still crossed tightly over her chest and body still tense.
Aphrodite thought for a second that she should just for forgive him. It feels like that's what you're supposed to do, and some people say you can't heal without forgiving, but that's not true at all. She did not owe him forgiveness, she allowed herself closure.
"Aph," Ethan clears his throat from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. She's still staring off in the direction he walked, but he's not coming back. "Aph... sweetheart... a-are you okay?"
"Yeah," she nods slowly, finally turning to face him. Ethan's looking at Aphrodite with wide eyes, scanning every inch of her to make sure she's telling the truth. Her face relaxed, her body was no longer tense, and everything felt lighter. Behind them both, Grayson watches carefully--sometimes Aphrodite gets too calm when things are bad, and he worries that might be the case for a moment. She sighs quietly, leaning up to plant a kiss on Ethan's lips. "I'm really good, actually."
Seeing Dustin wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. It only reaffirmed that she was doing better now, and as mad as he made her, as scared as she felt at first, she was okay. And she has people she loves, who love her. Rejecting his apology felt good. Aphrodite got to tell him that everything he did to her was unforgivable, and there was nothing he could do to change that.
"Are you sure, Aphie?" Grayson asks, his lips pursed.
"Guys, really. I'm fine," she laughs, skipping back into her house. "And I don't think I'm ever going to have to see Dustin again."
"I love you," Ethan whispers, his arm around her shoulder to keep her close. "You... you scared me for a minute there."
"Sorry, sorry." Aphrodite kisses him again, and then moves to hug Grayson. "I think I needed that. Fuck Dustin. I hope he feels guilty about it for the rest of his life, and now I'm never gonna think about him again." That makes them believe her. "So, Grayson, we were kind of in the middle of something when you called..."
"Gross!" Grayson groans, shoving her back by the shoulder. Ethan's mouth falls open, his face flushing a deep red. "You could've kicked me out without saying that. Fuckin' nasties. But wait, before I go, what the hell happened to your face?"
"Ugh. Rachel."
"You fought Rachel?" He laughs, high-fiving her. "You won, right?"
"There was no winner, Ethan pulled me away," she pouts, lightly elbowing him while they wander toward her room. "I would've though."
Ethan pouts back. "Was I just supposed to--I couldn't just let you fight or get hurt. And... there were kids around."
"Always the responsible one," Grayson teases, ruffling his brothers hair. "Alright. Have fun being gross. I'm gonna leave. Thanks for letting me in, Aphie. Call me if you need anything."
"See ya," she waves and turns to Ethan, "where were we, baby?"
"Uh--right about... there," he breathes, Aphrodite's hands already unbuttoning his pants again. She smirks up at him, hooking her fingers in one of his belt loops to drag him back to her room. Aphrodite kneels, and Ethan brushes some hair out of her face. "I love you."
"I love you too, but you do not need to be so tender when I'm about to suck your dick," Aphrodite laughs, but it fades quickly when she hears the door. "Hades. Goddamn cockblock. We can't have ten minutes, can we?"
Ethan pouts to himself but doesn't complain, the voice of her little brother ringing out through the house. He pulls Aphrodite to her feet, pecking her lips before following her out of her room. Hades is standing in the kitchen with blood pouring out of his nose.
"Hades! Do not tell me that you got into another fight," Aphrodite huffs and grabs a wet cloth, Ethan going to grab a tampon from her bathroom. It's a deep feeling of deja vu, making him smile when he thinks about how far they've come since that day, even if the situation isn't ideal. "Jesus Christ, why is there so much blood?"
"I don't know! I didn't get in a fight, I just fell while skateboarding with Johnny," Hades groans and thanks Ethan for the tampon. "Fuck. My nose hurts. But what happened to you, Dee?"
"Language," she scolds.
"Your sister... got in a fight."
"Ethan!"
Hades whips his head around, "So you're allowed to fight but I'm not?"
"Yeah, exactly. I'm an adult. But trust me, Ethan didn't allow it anyway, he pulled me away."
"Always will."
She rolls her eyes, but the smile on her face says she's anything but annoyed with him.
--
"Aph, I-I love you, but... please be quiet for a minute."
"But--"
"Aphrodite. Esta. Flowers."
She pouts, crossing her arms over her chest. She's been ranting about Rachel for twenty minutes straight now, and Ethan has been trying to take an online test for one of his AP classes that's due in five. Aphrodite knows she's being annoying, but her last class of the day with Rachel annoyed her.
Ethan sighs to himself, turning his attention back to his test and trying to finish the last few essay questions on time. He hates snapping at her even the slightest bit, but the teacher takes off 15 points if you submit it late, and he didn't need that. Plus, as much as he loves her, she could go on for way too long when she was upset about something. He didn't really like hearing about Rachel that much.
He gets his test in at exactly five, a breath of relief passing his lips while he leans back in his desk chair. "Okay, m'all yours. Rachel was... talking about me?"
"Yeah. But I'm over it now," Aphrodite shrugs. Ethan can't help but feel glad that he doesn't have to hear about it anymore. "You have some pretty fast fingers."
"Uh--yeah," he gives an awkward chuckle at her smirking. Aphrodite grabs him and drags his chair to the side of his bed. She holds his hand, taking his index finger between her lips with an innocent smile, bored out of her mind and a lightbulb going off. "...oh."
Aphrodite hums as she sucks gently on his finger, taking another one in her mouth, letting them both hit the back of her throat. Ethan watches with his mouth wide open, shifting his position where he sits. Just like that, she pulls off with a pop and then stands from his bed. Aphrodite was getting a little payback.
"Let's go grab dinner?"
"...mhm," he coughs, standing up after her, feeling a little dizzy and confused with what just happened. He doesn't ask, he knows. Instead, he mumbles, "Can I change out of my sweats first?"
"Sure, baby, but hurry up," she laughs. She doesn't bother leaving, just scrolling through her phone while she waits. "I'm kinda in the mood for Italian. You?"
"Sounds good," Ethan smiles softly, reaching for her hand. He prefers when Aphrodite actually knows what she wants, because she never likes his suggestions, and he isn't picky. When they get downstairs, he waves to Lisa. "Hey, momma. I'm gonna take Aph out for dinner, I'll be home later?"
"Hi, Aphrodite, Ethan," she smiles, pouring herself a cup of tea. "That's fine, but I do have something to talk to you about after she leaves later."
"Is it... bad? She can overhear."
"I got a call from school that you've been skipping a few classes recently," Lisa raises an eyebrow. Ethan has skipped a few with Aphrodite, and a few with Grayson. He figured it wouldn't hurt, and was starting to actually enjoy his senior year with a little slacking off. All of his grades are still fine. "Care to tell me why that is?"
"...sorry, mom," he mumbles, eyes falling on the floor. "I've just been--only a few, on easy days... it won't happen again."
"Mhm. We'll finish talking later."
"Yes, momma. Sorry again. Love you," he huffs out, grabbing Aphrodite's keys off the counter. The second the front door shuts behind them, he groans. "How does Grayson not get caught?"
"Grayson has his own number on file instead of your parents. Has since sophomore year," Aphrodite snorts, nudging her boyfriend. "It's okay, baby. You'll just have to skip less--or slip out after attendance." He's frowning as he drives, but her smiling over at him helps. "So... there's this little party this weekend..."
"You want me to go?"
"It's for Carla's birthday! Nothing big, just maybe like, ten of us. You don't have to come, if you don't want to. But I do like hanging out with you."
Ethan taps his fingers along the steering wheel, "Are you... gonna be drinking? Smoking?"
"Probably a little of both. You don't have to though!"
"I-I'll come," he chuckles, biting his lip. "Gotta make sure you get home safe. I just--I can't promise I'll be that fun."
"Yes! Thank you, baby. We will have fun, promise," Aphrodite cheers, leaning over to kiss the apple of his cheek. She knew parties weren't his thing, but was hoping he could try and get to know her friends again. Plus, there would be no one they disliked there, it wouldn't be busy, he could potentially have fun. "Now, pasta."
She hops up out of the car before Ethan can even fully stop it, making him freak out despite it barely moving. Aphrodite apologizes with a kiss after he gets out, his hands grabbing her face as he asks her not to do it again.
With a promise she won't, Aphrodite drags him inside the building so they can get seated. Just after they order, she's leaning all the way across the table and pulling him in for a kiss.
"You look really good today, baby," she whispers, his thumb splaying out across her cheek. Their booth was in the corner, away from most people dining, so they had some privacy. Unfortunately, her phone starts to ring. "Ugh. It's work. I gotta take this real quick, I'll be right back?"
"Take your time," he smiles. While she's gone, he scrolls on his phone, chewing on his straw. When someone sits in the seat across from him, he looks up and is startled to see it's not Aphrodite. "M-Miranda?"
"Ethan," she starts, crossing her arms, "where's your girlfriend?"
"Uh, phone call," he mumbles, letting the chewed-up straw fall out of his mouth. "What are you--can I help--what do you want?"
"You're always so nervous, I see why Aphie thinks you're cute," she smirks. "I'm just curious. You never came over when I invited you. I can guess it's because I slept with Grayson, but you never even called to cancel. That hurt my feelings," Miranda faux-frowns and grabs one of his hands. Ethan awkwardly takes it back and tucks them under the table. "Like I said, I'm curious, I guess. Did you really like me? I can't say I had feelings, but I was... intrigued by you."
"I... don't think so?" Ethan mumbles, staring behind her to avoid eye contact. "You--you were nice to me, and Aph wanted to help me get a girl, and I-I just--why does it matter?"
"Because you're cute, and I wanna know what else Aphrodite likes so much about you," she grins. "Offers always open."
"I-I don't--"
"Back off, Miranda," Aphrodite groans, crossing her arms as she stands over the table. "Go hit on someone single, with lower standards."
"You're no fun anymore, Aphie," Miranda sighs, climbing out of her seat. "Do you remember that time we almost had a threesome with--"
"It wasn't almost. You suggested it and I said no."
"You get my point. Call me if you guys wanna try something new. But... you're cute together."
Aphrodite rolls her eyes, waiting for Miranda to leave. She's pretty certain by now that the girl didn't know the meaning of the word shame.
Ethan's eyes widen, his straw finding its way back between his teeth. "She's... a lot. How did I--thank you for uh, not letting me get involved with her. That would've been a mess."
"Are you saying you wouldn't rather be here with Miranda right now?" Aphrodite teases, making him choke on his drink. "Careful baby."
"I'd never wanna be here with anyone but you, sweetheart."
A/N
really like ending chapters with dialogue sorry ab that
happy fridayyyyyy i had my last shift last week so im free today :) ab to go into an extra long therapy sesh tho LMAO. got a new job already at this little cafe making coffee and all that. super cute, excited about it. will update more after i learn more
hope y'all have a good weekend!! the next chapter is uh. the epilogue. we're already nearly there. so that's fun and sad