Picking Flowers

In the dim light, with the scent of flowers and a glass of wine, Athena gazes at the twinkling lights outside from the high vantage point of a high-rise residential building. Clad only in a bathrobe, she quietly savors the sweet wine as she stands. We don't know her thoughts, but it's evident that she's contemplating something profound. Her attention returns to her surroundings as she suddenly feels an embrace from behind.

"Athena, did I make you happy?" asks a man wearing only a loincloth around his lower body. His lips were pressed against the nape of the person he's embracing, but they were moved away as Athena looked at him.

"Huh?"

The man doesn't immediately respond, "If you're enjoying yourself, I mean..." He had been drinking too, but it wasn't merely the wine that caused the flush on his face.

"Ah, yes. I am enjoying this night," Athena says with a smile that manages to put one on her companion's face.

"Athena, I really missed you,"

"I was only gone for a month,"

"Still... I was afraid you might find someone else in the States,"

Athena remains silent for a moment, just gazing at her companion.

"Nothing like that, Marcus," she says.

"Really?"

Instead of replying, Athena drinks the last of the wine in her glass. After savoring the taste, she turns her red lips to Marcus. They kiss as if they've been deprived of water. After a month without each other's touch, Marcus quenches his thirst. He kisses Athena deeply and then unties her robe. Although Marcus has seen her figure several times before, his jaw still drops because he can't believe that Athena is his.

"Athena, I love you so much," he says.

He waits for a verbal answer, but Athena continues their kisses. Marcus is slightly disappointed, but it quickly fades as Athena suddenly grins.