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“But surely you’ve brought others here,” I say, thinking that he might have brought a friend or lover—probably Psyche—here over the last few thousand years.
“No one,” he says quietly.
Out of all the billions of people and countless gods to share his home with, he chose me. The implications of that are too much to ponder right now, so I focus on what I can, exploring his wonderland.
“Can I go anywhere here or are there dangers I need to know about?” I ask, searching the wilderness for monsters and predators.
“You’re safe with me around, but stay within view so I can make sure nothing happens to you.”
“Yes, sir!” I bounce and spin, taking in what angles might be best to capture the surroundings. When I’m satisfied with a dramatic upshot of the spires with foliage in the foreground, Ipress the shutter button. “The first human pic of your world!” I announce, running over to show him.
His hand rests on my waist, idly stroking it as I look around for another shot. “I made the right choice in picking you. You see the beauty in the little things.”
My attention falls on him with his compliment, and seeing his eyes glowing while he admires me makes me blush. To deflect the bubbling emotions he causes in me, I ask, “What about that waterfall? Can we check it out?”
“The day is yours,” he says as he nudges me toward the roar of water.
We spend hours exploring the unusual terrain. There are dramatic valleys and imposing buttes, and the plants are colorful and vibrant. I also note there are no buildings or signs of civilization where we have been.
“Are there any others like you here?” I ask.
“Not anymore.” He frowns, gazing into the distance. “We all left to explore the universe. I found Earth and have mostly been there for the last few thousand years.”
I shake my head in awe. “I still can’t believe how much you have witnessed of my world’s history and been part of…” I fluster with my next thought. “Why do you take so much time helping me with my problems? You’re being too good to me.”
“Nonsense. You’re the one who has been good to me. Before you, well, it’s been a long time since I cared about my life. You’ve brought light into my dark existence.”
“I can’t believe a love god hasthatdark of an existence,” I say. “And why do you feel so down about your life?”
“It’s the same thing that you long for—true love. I don’t have it, but I’m destined to give it to those I come across.”
“Oh, yeah. I worry about having to do that now too. Doesn’t your job make you a little happy?” I ask.
“It’s the only thing that gives me a bit of joy, yet I still yearn for my own love. Although I gave up on that for myself a thousand years ago.”
“I feel like an asshole, complaining that I haven’t found love in my few short years on the planet,” I say, sobering with the idea of spending thousands of years alone.
“Sweetheart.” He brushes a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Pain is pain, no matter how long we suffer.”
We transport back home before dinnertime, then we make a simple meal and wait for Carl, but he doesn’t come home right after work. He doesn’t even text me as he usually would.
“I totally enjoyed our day, but how did going there fit into your plans to get Carl to love me?”
“He’s probably been wondering where we ran off to so early in the morning without telling him. I’m sure all he can think about is what you and I are up to.”
“Wow. Devious. I don’t think I’m able to think like that.” I bite my lip, wondering if I’m peopling all wrong, but then I remember I don’t want to be that devious.
My thoughts wander back to Eros’s planet and how his people scattered to the corners of the universe. “Do you miss the people from your original world?”
Eros stops eating and thinks about his answer. “I did for a long time. Over the centuries, the loss has become less and less, but there are three others from my world who live herepermanently—Chaos, Gaia, and Thanatos. However, that’s out of the thousands I had once known.”
“Are they like you?”
“Not really, not anymore. They have changed over the years, just as I have—embodying our godly roles and the challenges involved with each.” Eros studies me. “You would have fit in with them when we were still on my home planet.”
“Really?” My eyes widen with the statement, wondering what he could mean.
“Yes. You have the love of life and beauty that we did. We valued purity of souls over all else. Even Chaos isn’t evil, but he likes to test the rules of the universe.”
