The Dictionary of a Hopeless Romantic Wordsmith (2020)

Chapter Two

“Why are you smiling?”

He has a smug grin on his face right now, as if he had uncovered one of my deepest darkest secrets. When I asked him why he is smiling, he just laughed it off.

“Because I'm winning, of course,” he said, as he lays up a plus four card on top of the pile of Uno cards in front of us. He is now holding just one card with a triumphant smile, yelling Uno! then placing the remaining card in his hand on the pile, effectively making him victorious…again. For the fifth time. In a row. This game is unfair.

“I hate this game!” I said, complaining about my cards. “You always get the better cards! It's almost unfair!”

“There, there, Drei,” he said, sarcastically cheering me up. “Maybe next time you're not going to suck at this game. Anyway, I won five times. Which means, you owe me dinner tonight.”

“Fine.” I said, conceding to Ethan. “What are you in the mood for?”

“I am currently in the mood for pizza! Yes. Order pizza. The one with pineapples on it and nothing else,” Ethan said. “Now, what else can we do here?”

Ethan asked if he could stay over for tonight because his roommate is throwing a party in their condo tonight—he said he isn't really the type to ‘party on a school night.’

“I think I have some board games we can play over on the top row of my bookshelf.” I pointed at my bookshelf before dialing the delivery hotline of Yellow Cab.

I watched him search through my bookshelf, looking for something we could do to pass the time.

“Hey, Drei.” I saw him pick out a book from my shelf. “Have you finished reading this book?” he asked, showing me my copy of M. Miller's The Song of Achilles.

“Yeah, why?”

“By any chance you'd let me borrow it? I've always wanted to read this book.”

“Of course! Just return it before the end of the sem.”

“Okay.”

When the delivery line picked up, I ordered their finest Hawaiian pizza because Ethan doesn't want anything else.

Apparently, to Ethan, pineapples on pizza is a very relevant social issue in this country. He dislikes the ‘anti-pineapples’ movement with a passion. And honestly, I agree.

“Do you think Achilles and Patroclus were romantically attracted to each other during the events of the Iliad?” he asked, sitting back down on the floor in front of me, while looking at the book he just borrowed.

“It's possible. Ancient Greece did have the concept of pederasty. It is also said that Apollo had many male lovers. There are also many written myths that shows homosexual relations. Sappho’s works for example.

“Personally, I think Achilles did have romantic ties to Patroclus. Their ashes were mixed together at death. I think that itself says a lot,” I said. “Though their relationship is unconfirmed by Homer, I believe that the Greeks are very open when it comes to gender and sexuality.”

“I think they love each other.” Ethan said, “With all the literary analysis aside, but the act itself of wanting your ashes mixed with someone else during the afterlife is already a love language that speak volumes.”

I just watched him look at the book with admiration. I watched him run his fingers through the cover, admiring its texture.

“You know, Drei, it's just weird. If concepts like these are around since the time of Ancient Greece, why is this kind of love still considered taboo during our time?”