Hathor [18+]

Downhill from here

Hathor Bloom

We've been in the living room for thirty minutes now; sharing pizza and a bottle of red wine — I suggested beer, but Henry said pizza should never be paired with such a simple drink.

"Where did you learn how to make pizza?" I asked, before taking a sip of my wine.

"Italy," he replied with his mouth full, which made me smile — he truly doesn't care and that's so joyful. "I was visiting wineries and the owner invited me to her house for dinner; I ended up helping her nonna make dinner, and stayed for almost eighteen months."

I smiled "How old were you when you made that trip?"

"I think I wasn't even a week into being eighteen, but that's the legal drinking age in most of Europe, so I hopped on a plane."

I chuckled "You never cheated and drank here before turning eighteen?"

Henry shook his head "I did not drink in the US until I was 21 — why do you think I spent ages 18 through 21 elsewhere?" He laughed and so did I. "How old were you when you first tasted alcohol?"

I hummed, thinking about it "I think I was 10; it was one of those birthdays my dad sent me to Europe, and he spent half an hour with me," I said the last part in a doubtful tone, because it might've been less. "He came onto the yacht, had a drink while I showed him a dance the stewardesses taught me and then he left with the chief stew for a couple of minutes — they fucked — and I drank what was left of his whiskey."

"Did you like it?" Henry traced the rim of his glass.

I shook my head "I actually threw up and cleaned it up before anyone came back into the room. However, that all changed when I turned 13; that's when I started drinking a glass of whiskey every few days, whenever I could get away from Robert."

Henry seemed unfazed "Did your dad ever find out?"

"I can't remember when was the last time he said 'happy birthday' to me; I doubt he knows how old I was when I first drank," I chugged down what was left of my wine. "I would do anything for him to ask me how my day was and listen to me with attentiveness."

He sighed "I personally don't think your father is worth all the trouble, Hathor. Yes, he signs my checks but I only stayed because I love working with you."

"Nikolai said you told him that you adore me," I commented. "Also that you think we have a peculiar friendship — would you mind explaining?"

The man grinned "I don't need to explain why I adore you. As to the peculiar friendship; we don't have deep conversations, but on the rare occasion we have one, it always brings us closer or at least I would like to think so."

I couldn't help but smile "I try to keep my distance with you, because I know I would ruin it if there was ever a chance for a physical encounter. You're one of the three men I've successfully not fucked, hence why we manage to keep our friendship intact."

Henry poured more wine into my glass "Have you ever thought that maybe the problem is that you choose men for sex and not a long-term deal? What I mean is that maybe you only notice if they're into you sexually, but never sentimentally."

"I do know what kind of men I choose, but after the heartbreaks I've endured, they just seem like the best option. How are you at choosing people for yourself?"

He chuckled "Well, we are talking about you, not me."

A deep sigh left my mouth "I don't like talking about myself, Henry."

"Maybe you should talk about yourself so you stop disliking it," he replied with a sly smile. "Why don't you tell me about where would you like to be in five years?"