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"Thirty-two," she countered. "I have laugh lines." She leaned against the bar and took a sip of her wine, letting out a soft sigh.
"Laugh lines are beautiful."
"They are," she agreed softly. "That's why I don't erase them."
"You could do that?"
"Of course, beauty is one of my domains. I can't say my magic has many uses, but that's one of them."
"Is stealing hearts one of them?"
She chuckled. "No. Nor is magical seduction, by the way."
"I never thought it was."
Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. "Really? Not once since we've met have you wondered whether what you're feeling is genuine, or if it's just because my magic is making you feel that way?"
I swallowed hard. "I wondered in your office."
"I know. Well, I don't know, but I guessed. Most people think it at one point or another." There was a hint of sadness in her voice that made me feel more than a little guilty about the fact I'd considered it to be an option.
"I'm sorry."
She shrugged and took a sip of her wine, which I suspected was mostly a way for her to compose herself. "It's fine, really. I'm used to it."
"Doesn't mean I'm not sorry. You didn't make any judgements about me based on what I am," I pointed out.
"I don't know what you are."
Surprise flitted through me. "You don't?"
She raised an eyebrow. "How would I know?"
"I guess I just assumed all gods could tell."
"Some can, it depends what they're the god of. The ones who can shift tend to have good senses and can work it out, but the rest of us, not so much."
"Huh." I took a sip from my glass. "I'm a witch." I held out my hand and snapped my fingers, sending a shower of sparks into the air as if she needed any kind of demonstration of magic to believe me.
"Now you're just showing off." She finished her wine.
"Oh no, this is showing off." My arm tingled as I called forth my magic and sent it out towards a nearby table covered in empty bottles. They lifted into the air and danced over to the recycling bin, clattering against one another as they rested there.
"Handy trick."
"It could help you get your gyros faster."
She laughed and set her empty wine glass down on the bar. "Now there's a tempting thought."
"I thought it might be. I'm hungry."
"And angling for an invite." From her tone, it seemed as if she was more amused by the thought than anything else.
"I can repay you for lunch earlier. Or I could do that tomorrow, if you're free?" I hadn't intended to ask, but now the words were out, there was no regretting them and I realised that was precisely what I wanted.
"Let's see how gyros go first," she responded.
My heart squeezed at the realisation of what that meant. She wasn't saying no, which was a good thing for my chances of spending time with her tomorrow, and it meant that I could go for gyros with her after we'd finished here.
