Aphrodite sat on the table for a little bit longer than needed. For some reason she was endlessly staring at the door, where the Doe just stood a few seconds ago.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Hypnos floating aimlessly through the peaceful accommodation. The goddess sneered, “Ah! Well if it isn’t the court joker!” Hypnos glided to the table in front of her, sat cross-legged and quickly scolded her.

Aphrodite smiled in delight and asked, “What brings you here in this empty room? Well, now it has two celestial beings, so maybe it’s not as empty.” Hypnos shrugged, “Well I figured I might as well bug you about that girl.”

Aphrodite nodded, “Ah, much happened while you were away.”

The goddess of love explained her game with the Fox. She was overflowing with joy when she described his attributes and how they flirted so freely. Aphrodite glanced at Hypnos’s tightening fists and slowed her ranting out of pity.

She knew her best friend was in love with her, she felt it every time he entered the room. She watched him hopelessly flirt with her while she flirted back, but she only did it out of pity. The goddess of love did not return his feelings because she was too busy for that. Aphrodite had other males, and maybe females, to play games with. Aphrodite hoped that one day she could reciprocate his feelings, but so far it hasn’t occurred.

Aphrodite concluded her moments with the Fox and Doe. She stated, “I set the Doe on a date with the Fox, purposefully. The Doe looked as if she was going to knock me out when I started to tell her how I played with him,” she sighed, “I wish I could watch it backfire, but I have more important things to do that evening.”

Hypnos seemed to exhale with relief, “I hope she has a good time.”

Aphrodite scolded him for a second, then shrugged his comment away.

Hypnos scooted off the table and stretched, “I have things to do love, so I must take my leave.” Aphrodite waved him goodbye, “See you later, sleepyhead.”

Hypnos smirked while bowing his head low, then somersaulted out of the room. Aphrodite shook her head and giggled. Suddenly, an aroma of lavender filled the room and the goddess of love grew weary. The fragrance reminded her of the lovestruck Hypnos.

⤄⤄

The goddess of love contacted the Fox many hours after the occurrence in the lunchroom. She let him know of when and where to meet for the special evening.

The Fox seemed to arrive at the town park earlier than Aphrodite. He anxiously sat down on a wooden bench and examined the greenery of the park.

The park was filled with whistling birds, chirping squirrels, strong little ants and a large variety of animals roaming freely. There were other people in the park as well. Some were playing frisbee with their friends and others walking their dogs. A couple was admiring the plants and the trees. Someone was taking a jog along the sidewalk in the middle of it all. The diversity in the park made the town park a magical place indeed.

In the far distance, the Fox noticed a beautiful girl, admiring the greenery. The Fox stood up and trudged toward the girl.

When he finally reached her, he was going to speak, but stopped as soon as she turned toward him. She flinched, but smiled at him. Her face flushed as she quickly handed the Fox a folded piece of paper.

The Fox grabbed it out of confusion and opened it:

Dear Fox,

Something came up in my schedule, so I sent this Doe as my replacement. Please spend some time with her, instead of ditching her. Oh god, don’t ditch her, that would make you a huge jerk.

Get to know her a bit , alright? Go have some fun with her, OK? Sorry to disappoint and sorry for the inconvenience.

ღ Goddess of Love, Aphrodite

The Fox uttered, “Fox? Doe? Is that a metaphor?” The Doe looked perplexed, “What?”

The Fox forgot he was standing in front of the girl. He pondered, “What could be the harm in getting to know this girl? She doesn’t seem too bad.”

The Fox examined the Doe and her amethyst polished nails, he recognized them. He lit up, “Hey I know you! You were the girl I saw in the school gardens playing a song on the ukulele! It was really beautiful..” He paused and glanced at her blue eyes, “I wish I could have stayed to listen to you play, but I was running late for another class.” The girl’s blood rushed to her face as she rubbed her neck, “Ah, I didn’t think anyone was wandering the school gardens at the time. You see, I have a free period, so I kind of go there and practice. Thank you, though.”

The Fox smiled and the Doe smiled back. The Fox began treading the sidewalk, “Hey let’s go for a walk, we can’t just stand here all evening.” The girl giggled and followed him along the sidewalk. They strolled side-by-side, deeper into the park. They began to connecting pleasingly well and playing with each other like two foxes in the snow.

Along the walk, the Fox subtly reached for the Doe’s hand and she gracefully took the offer. He noticed her hand was frail and soft. The longer he held it, the more his heart thumped against his rib cage. The sounds of, ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump, continuously screeched in his ears. He couldn’t understand why his heart was beating so quickly. He thought to himself, “I’m just nervous, right?”

He pushed the thought away and chuckled. He asked the Doe, “You know what would be a great idea?” She looked up at him with confusion, “What?” He smiled giddily, “If you sang the song you were singing in the school gardens.”

The Doe grew flustered, “No, I shouldn’t, I don’t have my ukulele with me. How come you didn’t bring this up earlier?” The Fox replied, “Well because I was just thinking about it now. Besides, it’s OK. I bet your voice would be just as amazing as it was in the gardens.”

The Doe laughed at his comment. She sighed, “I’m serious, I really shouldn’t-” The Fox cut her off by placing a finger on her mouth and shushing her. He spoke, “How about this, if you sing then I’ll buy you a cup of coffee. If you don’t, then you don’t get coffee.”

The Doe rolled her eyes and giggled, “Fine, fine, I’ll sing. Before I do, may we sit down?” The Fox nodded and guided her to another wooden bench. The Fox leaned on the bench and faced her as she was facing him. She warned him, “If I sound like horse crap, please stop me and let me know.” The Fox laughed, “Whatever floats your boat.”

She took a deep breath, the Fox hissed, “Woo! You got this! You’re so amazing!” The Doe giggled and softly punched him on the arm, “Come on, do you want to hear me sing or not?” The Fox chuckled, “Yes, yes, fine, I’ll stop.” Although, right after he said that he gave her a thumbs up and a big warm smile. She closed her eyes and chuckled.

She took another deep breath and began humming in a high-pitched tone, “Life is messy and I’m a wreck. People ask me if I’m better yet. I’m not charming, and I’m not smooth. People blame my failure on my youth,” she began tapping the wooden bench in a beat, “I am lost and.. I don’t mind. I have always been left behind. I don’t get it, and I’m still fine. I’m so used to run-ning blind.” She tapped the wooden bench in different beats for a couple of minutes and took another deep breath, “I am petty, obsolete. Throw me over with bricks tied to my feet,” she tapped into another beat and continued singing, “I will sink down.. To the ocean’s floor.. And you won’t have to deal with me anymore. I am mixed up and I don’t know.. What you want and what you don’t. I’ll never get it, but I’ll survive. I have always been run-ning blind. And I’m running, I’m running, I’m running to you. I’m running, I’m running, I’m running to you. But I am messed up, and I can’t see. What it is you want from me. So I’m running, I’m running, I’m running from you. I’m running, I’m running, I’m running from you. I am mixed up, and I don’t know. What you want and what you don’t. I’ll never get it, but I’ll survive. I have always been run-ning blind. So I'm running, I'm running, I'm running. I'm running, I’m running, I’m running. I'm running, I’m running, I’m running, I'm running, I'm running, I’m running. I am mixed up, and I don’t know. What you want and what you don’t. I’ll never get it, but I’ll survive. I have always been, run-ning blind.” She stopped tapping, “I have always been run-ning blind.”

The Fox’s jaw dropped, he spoke in astonishment, “Your voice is so..” The Doe spoke in a monotone voice, “Ugly? Horrendous? Something you’ll never want to hear like, ever again?” The Fox shook his head quickly, “Not at all! I’m just absolutely speechless because your voice was absolutely..” He trailed off as his chest lifted.

He breathed with his heart pounding in his ears, “...Absolutely breathtaking.”

The Doe perked up and her face reddened, “Oh, Th-thank you…”

The Fox asked, “Did you write that song?” The Doe shook her head, “No, it’s by Maya Kern. The song is called running blind. I was reading her webcomic called Monster Pop! and that song was presented in one of her updates. There was a link it. It provided the lyrics, the song itself and the chords to play it with the ukulele. From there I’ve been strumming the chords on my ukulele or singing the song to myself. It’s one of my favorites actually.”

The Fox gave a smug look, “Sounds interesting.”

They both sat there awkwardly, looking down at the bench or the grass. In the far distance, the Fox noticed the sun was starting to set. He looked over to the Doe, she was looking down at the bench. The Fox lifted her chin, so he could see her sparkling blue eyes. He grinned and spoke softly, “Hey, would you like to watch the sunset with me?” The Doe flushed and beamed brightly at him, “Sure thing.”

They both turned toward the setting sun. The Fox was mesmerized by the beauty of the exploding colors of orange, yellow and red. “Wow it looks so beautiful,” he commented, but for some reason he wanted to say, “Just like you,” toward the Doe. Again he couldn’t figure out why, he pondered, “Am I falling in love with her?”

The Doe commented as well, “Yea.. I wish this moment could last forever,” she paused and stammered, “Y-you know because of the beauty of the sun painted across the sky.” The Fox’s heart fluttered at the statement, “You know, that sounded very poetic.” The Doe giggled, “Thank you.”

They sat there admiring the sun until it disappeared from the sky. The Fox stood up and stretched, “Well I guess this means the date is over.” The Doe looked upset, “I guess it does.. but I had a good time!” She smiled up at him, which made his heart glow. He smiled back and offered his hand once more, she took it greatly. They strolled along the sidewalk in the pleasant night sky. Before they reached the gates of the park, the Fox asked, “Would you like to be walked home? It is dark.” The Doe nodded, “Yes, because if we’re about to get mugged then you’ll be my knight in shining armor.” He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

While treading away from the park, with the Doe guiding him toward her home, he did agree with her comment. He pondered her words, “...My knight in shining armor.” Once more, the Fox refused to believe he was falling in love with her. “I won’t accept it, not yet,” he told himself.

Along the trail, the Fox noticed the Doe shivering. He stopped her, took off his denim jacket and placed it along her shoulders. “No, no, you really don’t have to-” the Doe was cut off by the Fox once more as he placed his hand on her shoulder and pleaded, “Please.” She closed her eyes and nodded. She held his jacket close to her chilled body.

Once they finally reached her home, the Fox noticed she lived in an apartment complex not far from his own. He turned toward the Doe, “Well this is it.” The Doe awkwardly nodded, “Yup.” An awkward silence grew.

The Fox saw the Doe slowly roam toward the entrance of her apartment complex, but stop when she reached the door handle. She looked down as if something was on her mind or if she was questioning something. She looked up at him with determination and motioned toward him at full speed with her curls treading behind.

It all happened in a swift moment; the throwing of his denim jacket in the sky, her soft lips brushing against his warm cheek. The Fox saw the Doe rushing inside her apartment complex before his denim jacket landed on his head, covering his face. His heart was pleading to be ripped out of his chest as it banged furiously against his rib cage.

Grinning like an idiot, he slowly took off his denim jacket off his head and placed it around his neck like a beach towel. He gazed upon the apartments that were stacked on top each other. He spoke softly, “Whoever she is beneath that mask.. I love that girl.” This time, the Fox felt positive about his bursting feelings of love toward the Doe. No more second guessing himself, no more denial. He knew right then and there he would do anything to win her heart.

The Fox noticed the clouds in the sky beginning to approach one another. Soon, water started tickling his freckles. Glancing at the sidewalk, he held his jacket above his head and swiftly motioned in the same direction he just came from a few moments earlier.