Page 24 of Flowers Near Me

Persephone’s heart kicked up a notch.It’s just dinner. Smile.The words played on repeat in her mind as Hades opened up her door and offered his hand. She gave him a polite nod and released his hand the second she stood on the concrete. She loved tiny gestures like an offered hand, but why did it have to behim?

Hades used one arm to part the small crowd of phone-wielding journalists and the other kept a featherlight pressure on her upper back. She donned a relaxed expression, and her head pointed down at the ground as she walked past the cameras.

They entered through imposing oak doors into a steakhouse lounge filled with dark wood floors, matte black tables and chairs, and sleek industrial lighting.

A suit-wearing host greeted, “Miss Ioulo and Hades, welcome.”

“Thank you,” answered Hades, who kept walking and applied gentle pressure on Persephone’s back, leading her down the line of identical tables.

Hades gestured to an open booth set with a bottle of ambrosia on ice. Before sliding into the booth, Persephone snuck a glance at the couples and groups nearby. A few eyes peered her way and smiled politely when they met her gaze. She nodded a silent greeting, then settled in her seat. By the time Hades sat across from her, she’d folded her cloth napkin into a neat triangle and laid it on her lap. Persephone’s back was to most of the room, but she could see the reflection of the busy dining area and bar in the framed mirror on the back wall.

It was only yesterday evening that she was sitting across from Eurydice, making—what she thought was—the biggest play in her career. Oh how quickly things had flipped on her. Instead of a quiet weekend, enjoying the company of Laura and her family, she was dining with the one god she never wanted to meet in real life.

She reached for her ambrosia-filled cup. “Do you get tired of crowds following you?” she asked.

“What makes you think I always have a crowd following me?”

Persephone focused on the landscape painting on the wall nearest them. “Well… the herd we walked through tipped me off.”

“Ah, yes. If you’re concerned that’s a constant thing, don’t be. Most days, I move freely without anyone noticing.”

“I doubt that.”

One of Hades’ brows quirked up. “Why?”

Glass in hand, Persephone swirled the golden liquid, watching it spin. “It feels like every week there’s another news story circulating about you.” She took a sip and watched him over the rim.

He laid an arm on the back of the bench. “Have you been following the stories about me?”

Persephone released an airy laugh. “You’re not one to be ignored. I think every time I’ve opened social media, your image is plastered like graffiti on my page. I’d say you enjoy the attention.”

“Hm…” Hades’ eyes narrowed, but his shoulders were still loose and leaning back. “I only wantyourattention, Sephy.”

These little flatteries kept pouring out of his mouth and she feared that he’d never stop. He was immortal, and she’d die long before she’d ever fall for him.

“Why, Hades? What’s the point?”

Hades straightened in his seat before leaning his elbows on the table and tilting his head to one side. The shadow of smugness on his handsome face made Persephone’s breath still. “Do you really think it’s a coincidence your feed is flooded with images of me?”

Yes,she thought, chewing on his implication, trying to make sense of the taste.

She scooted forward. “What are you implying?”

His smirk deepened, his voice was thick with amusement. “That maybe we were always going to meet.”

She bristled.Like fate?The thought unsettled her more than she cared to admit.

She resisted the urge to press her fingers to her temples, catching sight of her own exhausted reflection in the mirrored window beside them. Instead, she ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it down. It wouldn’t do to look furious on their first public outing—but the god sitting across from her was making it a challenge.

Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, “This is going to beexcruciatingif you keep laying it on this thick.”

Hades leaned in just enough to make his presence feel like a shadow pressing against her. “You don’t have to believe me for it to be true.”

She straightened, placing more distance between them.

A server arrived to take their orders. Hades’ suggestions sounded delicious and Persephone wasn’t one to fuss over a free meal. He made a few recommendations and whenever her face lit up with interest, he added it to the order.

“You’re happy to go toe-to-toe with me when I flirt, but you’re as docile as a lamb when I’m ordering food,” said Hades, though his tone carried the lilt of a question.

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