Patterns
Aphrodite immediately felt bad for making Holland tag along. Not only with meeting Owen, but with all of the wereleopard politics, in general. He expressed the latter was for her safety, but accompanying her put him more at risk than anything. She made a disapproving noise at the mention of Owen's creative process, but otherwise didn't comment. When her husband's arm settled across her shoulders, she slipped one arm beneath his jacket and around his waist, leaning against him as they left the casino in tandem.
[spoiler]
The corner of her mouth that he kissed, turned upwards a touch, but she still looked disappointed overall. "I don't feel like I did good," she expressed as they waited for the valet to bring their car around. "I feel like I made it worse, and I didn't even have any useful information."
Holland separated himself from her when their car appeared, and she frowned at herself in the tinted passenger window. "Babe, it's fine. There's not really anything you can do." She looked up at him, still pouting before he disappeared inside the vehicle. With a childish huff she opened her own door and slid inside the car. As she settled, Holland smoothed his hand over her knee and they drove away.
They didn't talk in the car. The radio filled the silence with sad indie songs, until Holland changed the channel to something a little less emotional. Heavy drums and noisy guitars. Aphrodite didn't protest, mostly resigned to watching the lights pass outside her window, fingers laced with Holland's against her knee.
"Sorry, I made you come out tonight," Dite said at length, voicing her earlier concerns. Holland squeezed her fingers with his in response. Not quite accepting of her apology and not quite dismissing it either. She turned her head away from the window to examine his profile. His tongue pushed and pulled at the base of his lip ring in lieu of his busy hands. The one not holding hers, gripped the steering wheel and she knew she had about pushed him to his limits tonight.
She let her apology hang untouched in the space between them, until eventually they were home.
There was a process to coming home. Shoes taken off at the door. Double, triple, quadruple check that the car was locked. The signifying beep echoing in the darkness until Holland was satisfied. Aphrodite stayed with him to watch that garage door close all the way. She stayed with him as he turned off the light. Then turned it back on. Then turned it back off.
Only one repetition this time. That was good.
Inside the house, she hugged him again in the darkness of the hall leading to their bedroom. He hugged her back, because it was one of the few things he could manage to do. He was unsure of what it would be like to be unable to touch her completely. Holland tried not to think about it. In their bedroom he watched her pull the pins out of her hair, blonde curls fell over shoulders left bare from the cut of her dress. Taking off his jacket, he slid it over a hanger. It would have to be washed before he was willing to wear it again. He removed his tie and unpinned the cuff links from his sleeves.
Everything had a proper place.
Coming up behind Aphrodite, he smoothed his hands down her arms, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. A brief moment of clarity, a release from the constant repetitive din in his head. He gently touched his lips to the curve of her neck, and she giggled. She turned to face him, mood visibly lifted from their previous outing by those simple gestures. His lips against her collarbone, his hands on her waist an he gently walked her backwards until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed. They fell upon it, Dite's giggles erupting once more as he settled his body between her knees. He kissed her other collarbone, the hollow of her throat, her jaw, the corner of her mouth. He repeated this loving pattern; collar, throat, jaw, mouth until Aphrodite curled the fingers of one hand into his hair. The other slid between their bodies to caress the length of his erection, and Holland seemed to freeze all at once. She felt his entire body stiffen above her, his lips discontinued their patterned ministrations.
Aphrodite moved her hand, knowing she had been too bold. Asked for more than he was willing to give. Able to give.
"I'm sorry," he murmured against her ear, and she touched a gentle hand to his cheek. He sighed, pulling away from her all together to sit upright at the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry," he repeated. She sat up on her elbows, could see the tightness between his shoulders. He leaned heavily on his knees, head down. Dite pushed herself up all the way, tucking her legs beneath her and smoothing a hand over his back.
"You don't have to apologize to me, Holly."
When he didn't reply Aphrodite pressed a kiss to his temple, and got up from the bed. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She found the light switch in the darkness and flicked it on. She removed her make up at the sink, careful not to leave too much of a mess and to clean up the small mess she did. As she wiped lipstick off her mouth, she tried not to notice the fine wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes. She tried to ignore the silver that mixed with blonde at her temples. She pushed her fingers through her hair, staring at her own violet eyes. He loves you, she reminded herself. He loves you and he thinks your beautiful. It isn't anyone's fault.
When she opened the bathroom door, Holland was no longer sitting on the bed.
She heard the car alarm beep outside.[/spoiler]