THORN LOVE

Aphrodite

"To love is to burn, to be on fire." ― Jane Austen.

~

Porsche wakes up early and listens to the birds chirping as he sits alone in the garden. Sleep eluded him last night as he replayed the rejection from Kinn over and over in his mind. Negative thoughts flooded his mind throughout the night. Here, everything looks different. He hates it. His heart aches for the embrace of his lover, but Kinn's indifference leaves him feeling unwanted. He wiped his tears and gazed silently at the sky.

"Can I sit here?" Edward asked, handing him a juice. He saw his grandson sit by himself, and could hear the silence that surrounded him, which made him feel sad. He won't rest until he found the person behind the hit and run that left his grandson in this state; every time he laid eyes on his grandson, his blood boiled with anger. Kinn gave him his word that he would find the person and ensure he will make them pay.

"Sure," Porsche replied as he took the juice from him.

Edward took a seat next to him and noticed his grandson's watery eyes, red from crying.

"I'm here if you need to talk about anything that's bothering you," Edward offered.

Porsche took a sip of juice and let out a contented sigh.

"You're dressed nicely, especially for someone older. Like the rich and famous people on TV. Your style is...unique. And the hair..." Porsche said as he stare at a sky. "Fully silver. Just like anime character,"

Edward threw his head back and laughed with abandon. After the accident, Porsche speaks bluntly and he and Kinn laugh a lot at his comments.

"I'm pretty rich, you know," Edward chuckled.

Porsche's head snapped to the side with a look of disbelief upon hearing that comment.

"Did you really just flex?"

"I just answered the question. And I'm also an old man who knows fashion," Edward replied.

Porsche's grandfather, who retired from the fashion industry a few years back, is not something Porsche remembers, but Edward like the fact that he can still have this little conversation with him.

They remain seated and the quiet stretches on, enveloping them in its tranquility.

"I hate it here," Porsche admitted, breaking the silence. "Kinn is different. Everything is different. Everyone knows me, but I don't. I just don't like it,"

Edward's eyes fill with tears when he speaks in a low, rumbling voice. He can empathize with the struggle he feels. It's never easy to be at home devoid of any memories. Although his memory of kinn was fragmented, he could still vividly imagine the frustration he must have felt.

"True. It's different. With every step, you felt like an outsider in this unfamiliar environment. Life is the sum of all the moments we experience, so make each moment count. Everything will comeback slowly. The moment is an opportunity to create memories that will become a part of you. This is just a fragment of your being, not your entirety. You have a husband who loves you immensely. He's not really different, he's just trying to make you feel at home. You can be certain that the man's love for you surpasses everything else. His eyes hold the truth. Look into them and you will find your answers," Edward advised.

Porsche's personality has shifted dramatically. His mood changes from happy to frustrated and upset within minutes. He understands why Kinn is always careful around him, but he can also see how it can be frustrating for Porsche. Everyone is learning how to support him, and Kinn is no exception to this process. He can see the hesitation in kinn's eyes and knows there's something more. The memory of Kinn asking about Porsche's nightmare flooded back to him.