Ares

Chapter 10 || I got nothing here without you.

"I don't deserve it, I know I don't deserve it but stay with me a minute. I'll swear I'll make it worth it."
— One Last Time, KHS & Anna Clendening

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Grace stared at the lacey bras and panties strewn across the bed, humming along with a mellow jazz tune lazily drifting in from the living room. The assortment of rich colours stood out against the white comforter, making it difficult which to choose. She checked the alarm clock on the nightstand and cringed. Ares would be here in half an hour and she wasn't even close to being ready. She stood there naked, examining her new underwear while chewing on a pinky. The smell of the lasagna made her mouth water and she hoped he would like it. If not, they could jump right to dessert.

She finally decided that lavender lace was the winner and hurriedly clipped the tags. After slipping into them, she checked herself in a full length mirror leaning against a bedroom wall. She smiled in approval and turned back to the cramped walk-in closet, shoving hangers back for an inch or two of space to view her choices.

"Oh my God," she muttered, pulling out a heather grey dress with a price tag hanging from the sleeve. "I forgot all about this."

The fire alarm went off, filling the apartment with an earsplitting protest that drowned out the iPod dock in the living room. She scurried into the hallway, her boobs bouncing inside her new bra, and pulled a step stool from a hall closet. The incessant beeping made her squint as she climbed up the stool. Grace disconnected the battery from the blaring fire alarm like it might bite her, plunging the apartment back into a smoky instrumental.

She dragged the step stool back into the closet and padded her bare feet into the kitchen. The oven door pulled open with a creak, allowing smoke to escape from some cheese burning on the bottom, courtesy of a recent frozen pizza. The pan of lasagna bubbled and sizzled but had some time to go, so she shut the door and lit a candle before rushing back into the bedroom.

The sight of the messy closet made her sigh. She rested her hands on her hips, not knowing where to even begin. They were staying in to watch movies tonight but she still wanted to look good for him. Not too good like she was trying too hard, but a casual good. In the end, she opted for black high waist skinny jeans with tears at the knee and a cropped black and mustard yellow striped t that showed off her waist. She topped it off with the arrow necklace Ares had given her and a Michael Kors watch from Wren on her twenty-third birthday. The last birthday they would spend together.

She studied herself in the mirror, thankful to have that man in the past and Ares in her future. It was weird how fate sometimes worked. Last year she couldn't understand why that had happened to her but looking back now, it all made sense. She imagined being married to Wren in Wales and shuddered at the thought. Just thinking about living without Ares made her heart ache.

Back inside the closet, she scanned the rows of shoes, from high heeled boots and dress shoes to sandals and sneakers. She tapped a finger against her lips, deciding she needed to go shoe shopping soon, and settled for a pair of black fuck me pumps. She slid on some bracelets and checked her completed ensemble in the mirror. Butterflies stirred in her gut and she took a steadying breath. Even after nearly two months, just knowing he was on the way made her pulse race. She dashed back into the closet and switched out the pumps for a pair of simple black platform ankle boots and went back to the mirror.

She lifted her shoulders to her ears and decided it was time for a glass of wine.

***

Ares crossed his arms over his chest and bit his tongue. The early evening sun baked against his neck, leaving dew-like drops of sweat springing from his forehead. An elderly couple squeezed past and went inside the grocery store where the air conditioning had to feel amazing. He shifted in his stance, watching a heavyset lady hold up the growing Redbox line behind him.