Chapter 6: “And fate? No one alive has ever escaped it” -Homer, The Iliad

Suiren looked up at Telmo, she had never seen him angry. Even with difficult customers Telmo always seemed happy and perfectly pleasant. As Achilles walked out of Gilda's flower shop Telmo continued to glare in his direction.

   "Enough, enough," Gilda waved her hands in the air, "I have another delivery for you." She turned her attention to arrangement of chrysanthemums she'd worked on and began to mumble, "I still don't know why you boys don't get along, probably something stupid."

  Suiren chuckled earning her a playful poke on her ribs.

   "What's so funny little puppy," Telmo asked.

  Suiren scrunched up her face as she swatted his hand away. "Will you tell me what happened with Achilles?"

  Telmo looked down at her, "What makes you think something happened?" He asked smiling.

Suiren remembered he had quoted The Iliad and in essence called Telmo a lamb but there was no need to bring that up. She smiled back up at him. "I like your dimple," she answered instead tapping his chin.

  Telmo was tall and lean, messy brown hair going in all directions, kind dark eyes only visibly brown in the sun. His nose's curved shape and prominent bridge gave his features a strong profile.

  He shook his head rolling his eyes, "C'mon grab those arrangements and come with me."  

   Suiren put her hands around one of the arrangements picking it up.

     "Muñeca (doll) there isn't much to do after that delivery," Gilda chimed in and added, "Have Telmo drop you off."

Suiren leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "But you'll need me this weekend right?"

   "Yes, Telmo will pick you up at 7," she answered giving her arm a light squeeze.

Suiren looked over at Telmo who held two arrangements. She cheesed in his direction, "You're like my chauffeur."

  Telmo narrowed his eyes, "Don't get cute or I'll drive you to the next town over and let you walk home."

  Suiren narrowed her eyes right back, "You wouldn't dare."

    "Get your cute butt in the van," Telmo nodded towards the back.

   Suiren giggled making her way towards the back door. Suiren,?who was weary of most men, had lived Telmo's company since the beginning. He'd always inspired such an easy and comfortable atmosphere almost as soon as he arrived Suiren couldn't help but trust him. In a mere two months of knowing each other they'd already become close with him knowing all of her secrets.

  On their way to drop her off Suiren asked again. "So what happened with you guys?"

  Telmo snorted a laugh.

  "Tell me, your mom said it was a shame you didn't get along after all this time which means  at one point you guys did get along," she insisted.

  "There isn't much to tell Puppy," he answered with a shrug keeping his eyes on the road.

  "C'mon Telmo," Suiren whined, "the balance is tipped in your favor, you know everything about me and Achilles."

  He chuckled, "You're not going to let this go are you?"

  "Not likely."

  "I don't know if it's curiosity or you being nosey...or the fact that it has to do with Achilles," he said pulling up next to her house. "Here you are, free to go."

  He was dismissing her and evading the question, Suiren sulked folding her arms across her chest keeping her seatbelt on. She wasn't going anywhere.

   He chuckled, "Alright Ren stop sulking." He turned off the delivery van.

Her eyes widened and she shifted in the passengers seat to look at him.

  He shook his head, "it's not that exciting."

   "Tell me anyways."

   "I was engaged in college, Nicole a beautiful red head."

  Suiren felt her mouth drop but held back her need to interrupt.

    "Since Achilles and I were childhood friends we were pretty much always together but in college I was distracted with Nicole and he became more invested in his mauy Thai eventually leading to the whole "Tiger Paws Achilles" thing," Telmo rolled his eyes and chuckled affectionately. "That pretentious prick I guess being a literature professor suits him well."

  "Everyone calls him The Demon Avenzzano," Suiren shrugged.

  Telmo laughed, "Yeah how fitting, he was always serious about that sort of thing going on and on about God knows which author."

  Suiren felt herself smile, she always loved the endless way Achilles talked about books and the look on his face when he was absorbed in reading. Achilles was the reason behind her best work as much as she hated to admit, he was everything and nothing. She forced her smile away and pressed for the rest of Telmo's story, "So about Nicole?"

  "Well Achilles stole her away from me," Telmo answered plainly.

    "What?!" Suiren's mouth hung open.

   "The day I introduced them to each other we'd been drinking and celebrating. I left for five minutes and—," Telmo clenched the steering wheel between his fingers, knuckles white. "She was all over him— I couldn't believe it."

  Suiren gulped. Obviously she wasn't that naive as to think she was the only girl Achilles had been with and she knew he had always been admired by several women ; still how could he be so cruel and disloyal with Telmo. She felt indignation, although she wasn't entirely sure if it was for Telmo's sake or for her own stirred up jealousy.

"So it was a girl," Suiren responded slowly.

Telmo looked over at her, he understood that look all to well. She was thinking about Achilles, her furrowed eyebrows and downturned corners of her lips, she was jealous. He smiled reaching over to brush the hair out of her face.

"It was the betrayal," he sighed and added, "In the end Nicole left at the end of the semester and Achilles thought we could go on as before-"

Suiren snorted, "Yeah that sounds like him, insensitive."

Telmo groaned, "I thought she was as the love of my life you know but I got over her pretty quickly. I guess it was a good thing I didn't marry her, in the end Achilles kind of did me a favor."

Suiren put her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

He smiled, small and sad, "it's been five years don't worry about it, let's chalk it up to a sign from the universe."

Suiren unbuckled her seatbealt and gathered her book bag. "Hah! You don't believe in signs from the universe."

His smile widened, teeth showing. "Yeah I don't, it was alcohol, a dumb ass, and a cheating ex-girlfriend."

Suiren opened the door to get out but stopped and turned to face him. "And fate? No one alive has ever escaped it-it is born with us the day that we are born."

Telmo dropped the corners of his mouth and shook his head. "That doesn't work for me."

She frowned.

"Or are you going to tell me that fate has brought Achilles back for some special reason?" He questioned, eyebrows raised expectant.

Suiren narrowed her eyes, "I don't know why Achilles is back but fate has given me the chance for administering retribution and I'm going to take it." She slid off the passenger seat and slammed the door shut.

Before she could walk off Telmo slid the window down and called after her. "You know that would mean actually talking to him without wanting to vomit."

Suiren turned around but kept walking, "Hah Hah, I'm working on it okay."