He was tall and languid, looking like he belonged more in a low-lit jazzy coffee house than that of an upscale cafe hosting a godly speed dating event.
“N... no... that’s my fault, I—” The man wavered on his lanky legs just a moment, and Athena reached out her arms to brace him in her hold, helping him stand firm and upright.
“Bad night for you, too?” she asked as a tiny spark of friction lit up her fingers where she touched his skin. Perhaps she’d been shuffling her feet without realizing it again. If she didn’t keep her attention on acting like a human, she often forgot how to be one.
It was easier to glide, to flit about like her feathery brethren.
The shockwave coursed through her, perking up the curiosity of the fowl that lived in her blood, sharing residence in her human body. Her inner owl ruffled its feathers, intrigued by this tall, thin, yet attractive man.
“I mean... that would imply that I had good nights to begin with,” he murmured as he pushed his glasses up.
Athena noticed a faint blush creeping onto his pale cheeks. It was a most welcome look. Her gaze settled on his perfect jaw, not too sharp, not too soft; as if somewhere in between there was the secret to a perfect bone structure.
His brown eyes looked nearly copper in the light of the DeLux, a few stray strands of dark hair falling in his eyes. Athena felt her inner owl flutter with curiosity.
Perhaps this night doesn’t have to end on a terrible note...
“I’m Athena,” she said as she stood tall, her shoulders squared. Even nowadays, she garnered a sense of accomplishment, a vast sea of pride when she introduced herself to newcomers. Though no one would make the connection that she was indeed the real deal, most only responded to her beauty, which was in fact, as ageless as she was.
The man gazed at her from under his lashes, and the sight made Athena warm.
Or perhaps she’d had one too many lemon drops...
“Fitting. You look like a Goddess,” he murmured, his cheeks reddening at the implication.
Athena could not help but smile at his innocent nature. It was almost... endearing.
“Perhaps I am.”
The man let out a snort-laugh, and Athena wrinkled her nose in disapproval. The sound was not flattering in the least, but yet, she could not turn away. There were still folks hanging about the cafe, and out of her peripheral vision she could see Eve and Aphrodite clearing the tables of their little lanterns full of tea lights.
“Yeah, that’s how I know I’m dr... dreaming. No one as hot as you would ever talk to me unless she was...”
Athena’s eyebrows furrowed. She watched the man intently, how his gaze dropped along with his shoulders, listened to the disdain in his voice. He was a man who did not know his worth. Who did not think he was worthy of good things.
Athena knew she should walk away, leave the man alone and perhaps head for Samael’s playground, the Den Of Sin, instead.
But all be damned. Her curious inner animal sensed prey, and Athena could not pass up a delicious, easy meal.
“Unless she was, what?” Athena took a step closer. The nameless man stood still as a statue, and Athena realized they were nearly neck and neck in height.
She felt an odd magnetic force between them, pulling her eyes down to gaze upon his perfectly pouty lips.
“Unless she was drunk, of course,” the man said as he swallowed nervously.
“Is that why you came to the DeLux? Hoping to pick up a pretty drunk girl to get lucky with, hmm?” she teased him.
Something about this man’s stature, his tone, the way he was cautious to look directly in her eye, how he talked about himself...
Athena understood that perhaps he’d thought he might have a chance at love and lust if he too were also under the influence.
Perhaps the walls he normally hid behind would crumble, just enough for him to feel wanted for a night.
And Athena knew all too well what that felt like.
“I shouldn’t have come here. This was a mistake, I—” He ran his hand though his hair, the motion drawing attention to his slender arms, and Athena felt flush herself.
What is wrong with me?
