Our Love Is A Tragedy I Wouldn't Miss/When In Rome

Birth of a Marriage

It was comical how divided people were in knowing the eventual relationship between Keith and Lance. Some people said it was so far out of their minds that it wasn't even on the list of possibilities while others said they had seen it coming since Lance glared at Keith for scoring higher in one of the Olympian games that no one really remembered the details about anymore. It had been when both men had still been simple teenage boys and most young, unmarried men had been a part of the event.

Important thing was that they had a special relationship now. Or it was special to them. They couldn't marry each other but men warming each other's beds weren't nearly as rare as in other places. The only uncommon thing about their arrangement were that there wasn't a designated lover and a designated loved as eros was usually seen as in all the stories or pederasty was often seen in society.

It was only that uncommon trait that some people had a slight problem with. However, no one said anything as long as both boys served their country as all men and women should. Some men fought for their country in great wars with an obvious hope of being immortalized, some kept the economy going with other goods and services and everyone, men and women, had to participate in creating the next generation for Rome regardless of other interests.

That was why Keith found himself next to his new wife while being congratulated but only having eyes for Lance who sent him a melancholy smile from his spot next to his wife.

Keith hated Lance's wife, Olympias, for the sole reason of her being Lance's wife and knowing that they did the same things he and Lance did in order for her to be pregnant. She was also Keith's second cousin and Keith had never truly hated a family member before she married Lance.

Keith looked at his own wife. A lovely girl he had been engaged to since his teens and only met her face to face once a year prior to their wedding despite being a 21-year-old adult now. She was pretty but all wrong. Her hair and eyes a too dark color and her face was too pale for Keith despite her being a nuance or two darker than Keith's fair face when she wasn't wearing make-up. Everyone else wanted a wife as pale as could be but Keith only wanted the man leaning up against the wall with his tan skin that emphasized his blue eyes and hair a noticeably darker brown than his skin but nowhere as dark as Keith's black hair.

Keith and Lance were opposites in appearance but Keith thought they were perfect together and he would compare it to a god's beauty if he wasn't so afraid of being punished for his hybris. Maybe the gods would even take time out of their schedule to awaken some nemesis as they often did in tragedies.

Keith waited until everyone had left before he stopped pretending that he didn't know what was expected of him now. He knew people couldn't know if he fulfilled his role or not after only one night but he knew that if he allowed himself to stall, then he would never try.

Keith and his wife shared an apple in the name of Aphrodite as a sign of love but mostly just to please Keith's father who Keith didn't want to disappoint and who his wife wanted to give a good impression to. Keith led his wife through the first floor and to her bedroom on the second floor as soon as they had finished the apple.

Keith's wife removed her clothing and her body looked almost exactly like the statue of Aphrodite's body that Keith had prayed to only days prior. It was strong and healthy but with fat softening her entire body and making especially her hips and stomach only a little wider than the statue's had been. Keith's wife was close to Greek perfection but all Keith could think about was how Lance was the last one to leave Keith's house and how he lingered for a moment as they locked eyes. Lance's hand had been on his wife's back and giving her a light tough when it was time to walk out the doorway after having been standing in front of it for a long minute.