My shoulders dropped, and something in Eros’s eyes shifted. As a person who was supposed to be in love with him, I’d be a fool not to appreciate his willingness.
He cleared his throat. “I express my appreciation by offering gifts. I’ll strive to avoid making you uncomfortable again, but you should try to understand that everyone shows appreciation in their own unique way.” Eros tilted his head to look down at me. Rather than being judgmental, he sought to clarify that his intentions were not to cause harm. “I am having some trouble discerning your love language. Perhaps if you were to share it with me, we may then communicate effectively if you do not understand mine.”
I couldn’t stop a huff from escaping my lips.Love language. My cheeks heated as I tried to find the answer to his question but came up empty. Instead of revealing how clueless I was about the topic, I gave a half-hearted reply to his inquiry. “My love language is doing something becauseyouwant to, not because I asked or joked about it.”
I didn’t even wonder about the sheer absurdity of a god knowing the term “love language”. If I had been in the right state of mind, I would’ve probably laughed at the sound of the words slipping from his lips.
With a twist of my wrist, I threw the door open and stepped inside, followed closely by Eros. I took a deep breath, letting the smell of books fill my lungs.
In the dim light, I frowned at the wooden table in the center, a few open books scattered across its surface. I could’ve sworn it wasn’t there yesterday. My steps echoed as I approached and effortlessly recognized the titles, unlike upon entering the library the day before when nothing was familiar. If anything, I knew themtoowell.
I fished a book off a shelf and traced its cover with my fingertips. “Where did you get these from?” My question filled the silence as I flipped through the pages.
“Earth.”
“This is my favorite book.” I took a deep breath in when I noticed scattered notes in my writing. My head snapped to Eros. “Is this my book?”
“Yes.”
My heart started beating faster in my chest. I had already figured out the answer but couldn’t help myself from asking. “And how exactly did you get it?”
“I obtained it from your home.”
My heartbeat slowed, a muffled drum against my ribs, as if it might cease entirely at any moment. “My house? You’ve been to my house? Why?”
Eros stepped closer, a slow twinkle dancing in his eyes. “You indicated that my communication style was overly formal, and I believed that acquiring these books would help me moderate that.”
I took a deep breath, my fingers shaking as they let go of the book, landing with a thud on the table. Eros had been at my shack. Where my mother was. “My mother. Is she all right? Have you seen her?”
He hesitated, then moved to gather the books into a pile. “I am unable to disclose that information.”
I hurried to him, catching him by his elbow and sensing his warmth. I needed to know.
“Please.” Tears swelled in my eyes and unlike other times, I didn’t fight them away. When it came to my mother, pride was the last thing on my mind. “I need to know,” I almost begged. “In the forest, I had a hallucination where my father killed both of us. I know it was just part of the trial, but I still need to know she’s alive and well.”
I squeezed his arm, my knuckles turning white. The weight of the world seemed to press down on me like a suffocating blanket. The memory of the vision, so vivid and raw, clawed at the edges of my mind. The metallic tang of blood, the chilling stare of my father’s—it was a nightmare I couldn’t shake.
Eros’s expression was unreadable as he witnessed me losing myself inside my head. He reached out, his palm covering mine, and his thumb brushing against my knuckles in a silent gesture of comfort.
“Yes,” was all he said.
“Yes, as in she’s all right? And alive?” I pushed, teeth sinking into my bottom lip.
“That concludes what I can divulge. I trust that is enough.”
I nodded, freeing him from my grip and taking a step back. I never imagined that a simpleyescould be the source of such profound comfort. I took it as confirmation that my mother was alive, the weight of the hallucination lifting like a heavy cloak.
“Thank you,” I managed to whisper, the twitch of my fingers easing.
I pushed the thoughts away. She was safe and well; that was all that mattered. The worries that once plagued my mind had dissipated, replaced by a sense of calm. With each breath, I felt a load lifting off my shoulders. I knew that challenges would inevitably come my way, but for now, I was holding tightly onto this moment.
Eros stuffed the books into the library and retrieved my favorite, glancing down at it with a frown. “Humans seem to speak without contemplation and with minimal effort.”
I let a small smile move across my lips. “That is not entirely true. It’s just that some types of speech are used for different occasions,” I explained, and Eros watched me carefully as if making notes in his mind. “But I don’t think you can fullyunderstand that, so it would be best to learn it as a new language. When I study a new language, I like to know how to cuss first.”
Eros frowned, his lips twitching. “May I inquire the reason for that?”
I approached him and I found myself wanting to kiss him hard for telling me about my mother’s well-being.
