Beauty Beyond Skin Deep (Aphrodite!Todomatsu and Reader)

Chapter 5

Aphrodite tucked my hand over the crook of her arm, walking steadily next to me while I gathered myself mentally from the whirlwind within the past ten minutes. She didn't stop at her homestead for anything, only removing her long veil and wrapping it around my shoulders and over my head like a hood. The movement was delicate, as if she was worried that I would break at the slightest touch.

Our sandaled feet were quiet on the cobblestone pathway, her territory falling away behind us while an empty plain of wheat expanded in every direction.

"Why don't you tell me something you love about your world?"

The question drew my focus from my thoughts, looking over to see the goddess staring at the road ahead of us. Idle conversation to pass the time.

"Daisies," The word drew tears to my eyes, wondering if I'd see them somewhere in Aphrodite's garden, "I love seeing daisies regardless if they're wild or cultured. There's just something...simple about them. No intricate instructions for their care, no demanding climate for them to thrive in."

When Aphrodite said nothing in response, I continued.

"There's also my dad. He's been a pillar for me while I struggled in school or looking for a job," The memory of him drilling me in test questions late at night brought a smile to my face, "We faced my mom's death together, grieved with one another. We continued her little flower shop, keeping everything the same for as long as we could before we realized that it only reminded us of painful memories. That's when Mary came into the picture. She was a loyal customer of Mom's, familiar to both of us and shouldered a lot of the burden when we couldn't. Mary never asked to be treated special, mostly ignoring Dad's romantical attempts until he himself was ready to move on."

A small laugh leapt from my lips, "I miss wandering the downtown area while drinking coffee. Laughing at the ridiculous fashion trends while admiring what other floral shops were offering, wishing that I had some company on my roams."

"Is your version of coffee similar to Greek coffee?" Aphrodite questioned thoughtfully, "I don't believe I've tried it when visiting your world."

"I mean...I can try Greek coffee and tell you if it's similar."

She smiled at my words, lifting a hand and pointing towards somewhere in front of us, "Then let's try it now."

I began to question what she meant when I realized that we had been walking down a store-lined street, other people walking to and fro while we kept our original pace.

The buildings were a mixture of both ancient Greek and modern skyscraper designs, somehow blending the vastly different styles into a beautiful collage of architecture. The people walking alongside us were dressed like we were, all variations of social classes mingling together while conversing about anything they wanted to talk about. Some were running errands for their peers while others shopped for themselves, leaving stores with bags that held their purchased goods.

I could see a mixture of clothing stores, knick-knack stores, and a variety of food shops lining the street. What made it stand out from the modern cities I was used to was the lack of pollution. The air was clear, the sky was visible, no speck of trash could be found on the street.

It was a single street city that held everything anyone would need.

"You're staring."

My mouth snapped shut as I lowered my hues back to Aphrodite, a giddy smile spread wide on her lips, "Sorry, I just--"

"It's cute."

The compliment knocked my thoughts off track. I allowed myself to be pulled forward while she led the way to what appeared to be a coffee shop, the strong smell of coffee flooding my nose. It was almost too strong.