Apollo (Contemporary Mythos Book 2)

“You do realize you’re going to owe several hours of binge-watching after this escapade?” I said to Kate while sitting on a bench.

We’d been in the dressing room for an hour as she tried on dozens of outfits.

She poked her head from the curtain and stuck her tongue out. “Fine. But when’s the last time you’ve been shopping?”

“Last year?”

Her expression looked like I told her I didn’t like pizza. “Okay. You’re walking out of here with at least two new items, my dear. Two.” She disappeared back into the changing room.

I sighed and sulked against the wall behind me. Ace was on the other side of the planet, and here I was playing real-life Barbie with Kate. Don’t get me wrong. She was amazing company, but there were a dozen other things I’d rather be doing.

She marched out with a pile of clothes that rose past her head. Plopping them on the attendant’s counter, she divided what she planned to keep. “Is there a reason you haven’t said a word about your date with Ace?”

My God. It was a date. I pressed my fingers over my lips. “I hadn’t really thought about it being a date. But now that you say it out loud,” I trailed off.

Kate laughed. So hard, in fact, she bent forward and slapped her knee. Tears formed in her eyes. The dressing room attendant looked at her like she’d lost her mind. Maybe she had.

I tapped my foot, waiting for her hyena cackles to subside. “Are you finished?”

A few more chuckles escaped, and she wiped her knuckle over one eye. “Oh, man. You’ve said some silly things in the time we’ve known each other, Laur. But you forgot you were on a date with a hot blondie rock star? Come on.”

“Fair point. He just—he makes me forget I’m even on planet Earth at times.” The orange swirls of sparkles emanating from his hands as he played the cello sparked in my brain.

She draped her chosen items over her arm and ushered me to the main floor. “Did he pick you up?”

“Yes.”

“Did he buy you a drink?”

“…yes.”

“Did you dance?”

“Yes, why are you asking all of these questions?”

She crossed her arms. “You’re not exactly forthcoming with information.”

“I’m sorry I’m distant right now, Kate.” There was no way I could tell her about his instant warm touches, the tingle I felt down my spine—the orange sparkles. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

She squinted at me like a detective hot on the case.

“Say, how was the dinner with your mom?” A poor attempt at deflection on my part.

She squinted one eye. “It was good—usual conversation. I’m far more interested in your date with Ace. Did you kiss?”

My face grew blank as memories of his lips brushing over mine plagued my thoughts. All night I struggled with him kissing me only to further his “challenge” he’d laid out days prior. I brushed past her in a huff, and she trotted behind me.

“Oh, my God. You did.” She squealed.

I busied myself with randomly rummaging through hanging shirts and tank tops.

“How was it? Did he use tongue?” She forced her face in front of me.

I turned away from her and ran my fingers over a rack of skirts. “Yes. We kissed. When have I ever gone into detail with you about intimate details?”

“Not ever. But you’ve also never dated a rock star before.” She exaggerated her hands, pushing hangers beside me.

“All the more reason it could all be an act on his part.” I let the words fade away.

A figure in the men’s department caught my attention—a man with long blonde hair, lights glinting off the rings on his fingers. Adrenaline shot down my spine, and I powerwalked over to him. Not once did the impossibility of him being in two places at once cross my mind. He was in Greece. I knew that.

The man disappeared around a corner, and I followed only to meet with an empty aisle filled with men’s athleticwear.

He was here. I saw him.

“Whattaya doing in the men’s department?” Kate asked over my shoulder.

I jumped. “I was—looking for some workout gear.”

“Workout gear?” She folded her arms. “You don’t get enough exercise dancing five days a week? Besides, if you’re going to buy actual athletic clothes, why oh why, would you not go for the cute stuff?”

“Have I mentioned I hate shopping? Why don’t you shop online like a normal twenty-first-century human being?” I brushed past her and back to the women’s area.

“You can’t try stuff on when you buy it online. You end up having to ship it all back or making a trip to the store anyway to return it.” She followed me with a grumble.

“Not if you know your brand.”

She put a hand on her hip. “Are you trying to tell me the last time you went shopping was online?”

Busted.

She cocked her head to the side, studying me. “Man, he kissed you good, didn’t he?”

“Ooo, look! Skirts!” I countered, running my fingers over the various colored fabrics.

A soft and flowy skirt caught my eye—yellow, orange, and maroon. Daytime colors. I held it up, staring at the pattern—suns, harps, blackbirds, and trees mixed into a paisley-like design. It called to me, and I knew I’d leave the store with it.

Kate pushed the hanger down to look at me. “Interesting choice.”

“Why?”

“You know this skirt screams Apollo’s Suns, right?”

I made a “pfft” sound. “Plenty of clothing has suns on it, Kate.”

She pointed to a harp. “Lyres.” She moved her finger to a blackbird. “Ravens.” When she moved to the trees, I stiffened. “Laurel branches. All symbols of Apollo.”

Laurel branches. I dropped the skirt, tumbling backward into the rack, knocking several off in the process.

“Laurel! Are you okay?” Kate dropped to her knees.

I sat with skirts hanging over my head. “Has there ever seemed to be anything off to you about Ace?”

“He always seemed like the typical rock star to me. Nothing out of the ordinary. Why?”

Dragging one of the skirts from my face, I stared up at her like a stunned child. “How do you think he does all those sparkly stage tricks?”

“Pyrotechnics and light projection? What’s going on with you, Laurel?”

I bunched one of the skirts under my chin. “What if it’s something else?”

“Like what?”

Biting my lip, I thought back to the Cinderella ballet. Shimmering dust spiraled around her when the Fairy Godmother transformed her from a pauper to a radiant princess.

“What if it’s…magic?” I didn’t blink, praying Kate didn’t take me straight to the looney bin.

Her eyes widened, and she hooked her hands under my armpits, hoisting me up. “Ooookay. I’m going to buy you this skirt, and then we’re going to go back to your place and binge watch whatever you want for as long as you want with a bottle of Chablis. Sound good?”

Everything played through my head like a movie montage—the concert, the warmth I felt whenever he touched me, the sun appearing out of nowhere, the orange dust wrapping around his arms as he played the cello. None of it made any sense.

Somewhere between standing up and getting lost in my thoughts, I’d made it to the door. I stood in front of the glass, motionless like a mannequin. A little boy stared up at me, and his mom pulled him against her, rushing him away.

“And you’re scaring little kids now. Come on, space cadet, let’s go.” Kate shoved me through the exit door.

When we got to my apartment, Kate used the spare key I’d given her and ushered us inside. She pushed on my shoulders, forcing me to sit on the couch, and returned with a blanket.

“Here’s your fluffy blanket.” She wrapped it around my shoulders and partially over my head.

After flopping on the couch next to me, she folded her hands in her lap.

“I think it’s because all of this is surreal. He is surreal. He’s a rock star. I’m a middle-class ballerina slash diner waitress.”

“Alright, good. Now you sound a little more like a sane person. Continue.” Kate leaned on the closest armrest.

“Aren’t you supposed to respond to what I said?”

“You’re fabricating mystical things because he is mystical, given his career and status?” She raised her brows.

I gave one slow blink. “It’s like you’re in my head.”

“You mentioned something earlier about it being all an act. Care to elaborate?” She motioned with her hand.

“You picked the wrong profession. You should’ve been a shrink,” I mumbled.

“Too much schooling. I hate school. Out with it.”

“The other day, he said by the end of rehearsals, I’m going to think differently about him. Because I have him all wrong.”

She narrowed her eyes. “How are you taking that negatively?”

“Don’t you see? He told me before he didn’t like me because I didn’t like him. It’s probably all part of his plan to prove me wrong.” I pulled the blanket tighter around me, sinking my nose into the soft cloth. Fabric softener should’ve been the smell leaking into my nose, but instead, all I could smell was pine.

“Did you ever stop to think he might actually like you? Not just trying to get into your pants?”

I gave her an exasperated look, and she threw her palms up in defense.

“Or maybe he is,” she followed up.

With a groan, I lifted my feet to the couch and curled my arms around my knees. “He plays the cello, Kate.”

She sat up straight. “Oh, shit. Really?”

I nodded and made my already large eyes even more prominent with my best puppy dog face.

“Well, you’re a goner. You might as well give in and get it over with, huh?”

I threw the blanket over my head. “Not helping.”

“Would Miss Chablis do a better job?”

Peeking my head out, I peered at her through golden strands of my hair. “Maybe.”

She shot to her feet. “Wine time. And pick something to watch. Didn’t you say The Last Kingdom was good or something?”

“Uhtred of Bebbenbaaaah,” I bellowed.

She paused in the kitchen, turning on her heel. “Excuse me?”

“You’ll get it once you watch the show.”

Kate’s idea for distracting me worked, and I couldn’t have been more thankful. I turned on the TV and cued up the show, backing up to episode one since she’d yet to see it. She came back with two wine glasses and the bottle, setting them on the coffee table before snuggling next to me.

“I know I’m not Ace, but since he’s schmoozing it up in Greece for the day, you’ll have to settle for a smaller, more feminine substitute.” She popped the cork.

I laughed, holding my hands in front of my face in case the cork flew from her grasp. “Can we not bring him up anymore today?”

She frowned. “Fine. Only for you.”

We watched half of the first season, and I let myself get wrapped up in hottie Danish Vikings and several bottles of Chablis with Kate. She said she’d bring one bottle. In actuality, she brought four. We’d be an absolute mess at rehearsal the following morning, but at that moment, I didn’t care.

Kate leaped off the couch, scooped the remote into her hand, and pulled the Spotify app up on the screen, scrolling my playlists. My eyes bulged when I saw her nearing one I didn’t want her to see. I launched at her, grabbing for the remote. She dodged my every move.

“What do we have here?” Kate’s voice went up a decibel. She was tipsy.

The playlist titled: AS Songs I Actually Like, blazed at me from the screen.

“It stands for ABBA Sweden. Clearly.” I nervously laughed and shot my arm out to grab it again, but she turned her back.

She grinned at me like a sly fox over her shoulder. “ABBA? I love ABBA.”

Click.

Guitar riffs floated throughout the room, followed by Ace’s voice. My throat tightened, and I couldn’t help my eyes falling shut. After that night hearing him play an acoustic, his singing sounded different now.

When I opened my eyes, Kate stared at me from a foot away.

“You do like them. You little liar.” She poked my nose.

My eyes tried to focus on her face, but she was so close, I saw two of her. “I may have had a recent development with some of their songs, yes.”

“Why are you so closed off, Laurel?” She shook me like a ragdoll. “Why?”

Her question struck a chord. Why was I so closed off? It could be the revolving door of bad relationships over the years. It could also be my deep-seated jadedness toward ballet in general, even though I loved it.

“Because your heart can’t break if you don’t let anything in to break it,” I answered, my voice distant.

Kate pouted. “Oh, Laurel.” She pulled me into a hug, squeezing me so hard it made me gasp.

“None of that.” I pushed her back. “I appreciate it, but the last thing I want right now is a pity party.”

“How about a Karaoke party?” She shimmied her shoulders and bounced around on her heels, pointing at the screen.

“With Apollo’s Suns songs?”

She gave a vigorous nod.

I sighed, walked into the hall, and came back with two hairbrushes, handing one to her. “You’re getting this one time. One time only.”

“Ten bucks says that’s not true.” She twirled the brush in her palm.

I narrowed my eyes and stuck my hand out. “Fine. Ten bucks.”

We gave one firm shake, sealing my fate.

As the next song played, I held the brush up to my mouth, singing along with Ace. I knew every word—every lilt. Every held note. Kate looked at me with surprise in every other verse. A guitar solo started, and I threw my brush on the couch, dropping to my knees. In my brain, I played the world’s best air guitar. Judging from Kate’s laughter, it was hard to tell if that were true.

After I finished performing half a concert in my living room, I fell on the couch, out of breath. The world spun from the alcohol pulsing through my system, and I flopped an arm over my forehead.

“We danced to Wicked Game,” I said through a sigh.

Kate paused the music. “What did you say?”

“Ace and me.” I rolled my lip past my teeth.

“Laurel, that song is sacred to you. You’ve never even listened to it with me, let alone dance to it.”

“I know. But he showed up, and I didn’t care. When he’s around, I feel this overwhelming need to pour my heart and soul into my dancing, or else I’ll wither away.” I stared at a red wine stain on the carpet from the last time Kate and I had a binge-watching session. It never did come out all the way.

“Sounds like a song lyric to me.” She nudged me.

I grabbed my wine glass, finishing what little remained. “How insane do I sound?”

“Only a little. Look, I’ve already told you, you’re the most passionate dancer I’ve ever seen. It makes sense Ace would draw you in.”

Ace drew me in.

I can’t say I’ve made a habit of meeting rock stars, but something told me even if I ever met James Hetfield himself, it wouldn’t be the same. Hetfield was also married, but I digress.

I blew air over my lips, making them vibrate. “We have one more bottle, right?”

“Coming right up.” She trotted to the kitchen.

Leaning forward, I rubbed my face. Tonight had been fun. It was always fun with Kate. However, what’d been eating at me all night was one simple fact: I missed him. I. Missed. Ace.