Fool's Gold

22

H a r r y

Our first stop in San Francisco was the bookshop. I didn't mind at all, I loved to finally have someone with the same interests in books. And I loved that the someone is Sapphire. She was scanning her fingers to the books, and I smiled to the familiar view as I remember the memory.

"What's this?" She took out a book off the small compartment in front of her. "Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear." She read out.

"Ah, Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë. Do you like it?"

"I do," She smiled. "Do you think it's possible to love someone that much?"

"Actually, I think it is. I think when you truly love someone, you just wouldn't care. You won't need any buts and maybes. Even walking through hell would feel like heaven as long as they're beside you. You'd be willing to risk everything just to have them with you. You'd sacrifice without suffering. It doesn't make any sense, but that's just love." I smiled at the thought.

"Wow, that one's heavy." Suddenly, the look in her eyes turned into something different as she stared deeply into mine. The look that sent chills down my spine. "Do you think, umm," She was trying to find the right words, as I stepped closer. "Do you think you would ever feel that way?"

I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed them. "I'm starting to."

-

"Ready to lose?" She wiggled her eyebrows and laughed.

"You wish, baby."
She was about to walk to her side when I pulled her back to me.

"A kiss for good luck?" I asked.

"Not now. Maybe later when I win?"

"We'll see." I laughed and we both went our separate ways.

"3...2..1... Fight!" The announcer spoke through the speaker and we started our fight.

I hid my flag inside my boxers and ran to her place.

"Baby?"
It was silent. Come on, Sapphire

"Got you!" She came from the back and hit me with a blue paint.

"Oh no you didn't." I ran for her, her laughter was loud, filling the arena.

"Got you!" I caught her in my arms. Turned her around to face me and wrapped my arms tightly around her body.

"No escaping now, baby." She tried to run but failed.

"Alright now. Come on Harry. Give me a kiss, I give up."

I smiled, leaned in and crashed my lips to hers. She kissed me back and I almost forgot what we were doing in the first place until I felt another dripping paint on my head.

"Not!" She laughed and ran away.

-

"I can't believe we're here!" She squealed as she ran a few steps further.

"Don't spill your ice cream, babe."

"Palace of Fine Arts. Thank you so so so much for taking me here!" She ran and hugged me, hiding her face on my chest and as usual, I kissed the top of her head. "Oh, and thank you for the ice cream too." She let go and smiled shyly. Damn her for being adorable.

"It's nothing, love. Come, let's take a look around." I said, taking her hand in mine. It was perfect. The evening sky, Palace of Fine Arts, walking hand in hand with Sapphire, and ice cream.

"Do you know the story of Eros and Psyche?" I started.

"I knew it's a Greek myth, but I don't know the story. Could you tell me, Harry?"

"Psyche was a princess from the Grecian Kingdom. She was so beautiful; the whole world rushed to see. Jealous, Aphrodite asked her son, Eros, to poison men's souls so they'd lose off their desire for Psyche - But Eros also fell in love with Psyche and was completely mesmerized by her beauty. You know, the way I was mesmerized by yours."

"Shut up, Harry. Just continue." She said, but her redden cheeks betrayed her.

"Eros told Apollo to give the oracle that Psyche would marry an ugly beast whose face she would never be able to see, and he would wait for her at the top of the mountain. Her parents were devastated, but decided to go on."

"Wait. So she didn't know that the beast she was marrying was actually Eros? And she put up with it?"

"Yes, but his tenderness and the enormous love he showed to her made Psyche happy, beyond her expectations and dreams. She didn't see it coming too, so she talked about her happiness with her sisters but how sad she was taht she couldn't see his face. Her sisters were jealous, so they intimidate Psyche to kill her beast husband."

"Ooh, here comes the drama."

"And Psyche was intimidated. When she tried to kill him, she was surprised to see that the beast was actually the beautiful God Eros. He felt betrayed, so he left her. The end."

"The end?! Are you serious? It can' be the end. He shoul-"

"Just kidding, baby." I poked her nose playfully and she rolled her eyes. "She started to look for her lost love, she even ask Aphrodite to see Eros, but instead she gave Psyche three impossible tasks to prove her love."

"I thought Aphrodite was as beautiful as she looked," Yeah, she must be Ruby's BFF.

"The last task includes that Psyche should go to Hell to meet Hades, and she did it. Eros found out what happened, so ran out away the palace and begged Zeus to save his Psyche. Amazed by their love, Zeus went even further. He made Psyche immortal so the two lovers could be together forever." I smiled at the end.

"See, I want it to be like that when I fall in love."

"Like what?"

"Like how falling in love with Psyche was never a part of the plan. It was unexpected, yet meant to be. He couldn't even deny it. She took the idea that he had and made into something beautiful. He should've never chosen her, yet now he didn't want to lose her. She was his accidental happily ever after."

And then with her words, she hit me. I was actually falling in love with her.