Navigating Hermes (Book Two)

Chapter Seventeen

Hello! Thanks for the guesses in last chapter! I will say, if you go back to when Hamish was first introduced, I have been leaving little hints here and there ever since so that might help you. Some people have gotten pretty close though so I'm excited that the story is pretty much two thirds of the way done. As usual, let me know what you think and don't forget to vote if you're enjoying the story! - Amy

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     After two days of thinking about the Hermes and Argus situation, Julie decided she didn't want to talk to Hermes about it. Danika agreed to respect her wishes on the matter and while Julie felt awkward the next time she hung out with him, the disgust was fading. Thankfully Danika's shared experience with Apollo made her feel much better about Hermes and she almost felt proud that he was one of the least problematic gods; especially because she was friends with so many.

     Julie's relationship with Hamish continued to progress. They saw each other regularly and she'd even started sleeping over at his place occasionally during the work week. Hermes almost never stayed the night, was Julie's first thought when Hamish suggested Julie leaving a spare outfit there so she didn't have to plan her sleepovers in advance.

     Hermes was infiltrating Julie's thoughts more than she wanted him to. While most of the time it was negative comparisons, there were still a few aspects of her relationship with the god that she preferred, and those were her biggest concern.

     Sex with Hamish had marginally improved, but it was still nothing compared to Hermes. Julie constantly told herself that it was due to Hamish being a human and that it would only get better with time, but she worried that they weren't as sexually compatible. Hermes always considered foreplay an essential part of sex, but Hamish never once instigated it, wanting to get right to it. Even when Julie would start, it wouldn't last as long as she wanted it to before moving on to straight up sex.

     Maybe I'm expecting too much from him, Julie argued with herself. She remembered that most men she'd slept with were the same, and aside from the goddesses, Julie's human friends didn't seem to participate in foreplay very often either. Either way, it was something that bothered her, but wasn't a deal breaker. I guess that's why vibrators are so popular.

     Julie removed her focus from the physical aspects of her relationship with Hamish and thought about everything else. Hamish's personality fit in so well with her own. They shared similar values and their future plans aligned well. Not only was he polite, but Hamish was a great listener, never seeming to forget any details about her. Sometimes it felt strange that they had so much in common, but Julie definitely preferred that over having nothing in common with someone.

     The biggest quality Julie admired in Hamish so far was how confident he was in their relationship. From the very beginning he'd made it clear that he was in it and had no interest in seeing other women. He was patient with Julie and although more weeks had gone by, he still didn't pressure her to start labelling each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. Julie was confused as to why she didn't feel ready to have a label. With Hermes, she wanted one and they weren't even monogamous with each other, but she figured it was due to how many years their relationship had lasted.

     Julie sighed and stared at the envelope her mother had left in her mailbox. She knew exactly what it was due to her name being spelled out with red and green pen and that Marcus would also have one waiting at his house. It was the Brown's Family's Christmas card, along with an invitation for whatever themed party her mother would be hosting that year.

     After grabbing a pair of scissors, Julie cut open the expensive envelope and smiled at the card inside. The theme of the year would be a soirée with a black and white dress code. She frowned once she looked inside the card. "Julie and the mystery man you've been spending time with," she read out loud and bit her lip. "Shit." Mum must've seen him dropping me off once. While she loved living right next to her parents, she hated not having the option of total privacy. She thought not having Hamish sleep over would be enough, but not for her mother.