Griffin’s Surprise

Griffin blinked against the makeshift blindfold Phoebe had tied over his eyes. When he headed out to meet her that morning, he thought they were going for an ordinary run.

Clearly not.

“Where are you taking me?” he asked.

Not that he really cared. So long as Phoebe kept her warm hand wrapped around his bicep, he was happy to go wherever she led.

His sneaker slipped on a patch of loose ground and he slid forward.

Phoebe clutched his arm tighter. “Just a little farther.”

Griffin sighed, pretending to be impatient, but the truth was he didn’t mind. He trusted her. More than anyone else in his life. He trusted her with his life.

Maybe he needed to slip again so she would squeeze his arm even tighter.

He inhaled deeply. With his sense of sight blocked out, his sense of smell worked overtime. He caught Phoebe’s unique scent, a mix of her orange blossom shampoo and the faint earthiness of sweat.

She had definitely gotten a workout in before they met up.

He also smelled the briny sea.

On Serfopoula, it was hard not to smell the sea. It was a small island. No one was ever very far from the shore.

But if his sense of direction was right, Phoebe had been leading him along the cliff-top path that ran the western edge of the island. Now they had cleared the shrubby trees that shielded the path from the sea breeze.

They were headed down toward the beach.

“Almost there,” she breathed.

He could hear the smile in her voice.

Whatever she had planned, she was very proud of herself.

“Okay,” she said, pulling him to a stop a few steps later. “Stay there for a second.”

She released his arm, and he felt an immediate chill down his spine. Even though it was late summer, the early morning temperatures were already cooling off. Especially near the water’s edge.

Griffin listened intently as he waited for her next instruction. He tried to interpret what he heard.

The sound of her sneakers crunching on the sand. Her voice, muffled, as she muttered something under her breath. A sudden snap.

“Shoot,” she said.

“Problem?”

“No, no. Just…” She grumbled something he couldn’t hear. “Hold on.”

Her footsteps sounded hurried, like she was rushing around.

When he heard the distinctive crackle of burning wood, he grew concerned.

“Phoebe?”

“It’s under control,” she said.

It sounded like she was gritting her teeth.

Griffin smiled. He didn’t think he had ever met anyone as stubbornly independent as Phoebe. It was one of the things he loved most about her.

That thought surprised him. Not the fact that he loved her stubbornness, but the realization that he loved her. He knew it was true. It was the truest thing about him.

But he had never told her. They had been dating… he couldn’t remember exactly how long, but almost a year. And he hadn’t told her that he loved her.

Before he could follow where that thought was leading, icy water splashed across his face.

“Sorry!” Phoebe called out.

“Do you need—”

“No, I’m fine.”

She sounded annoyed. But he knew her well enough to know she was frustrated with herself, not with him. Gaining control of her powers hadn’t been easy, and she still struggled at times.

But she was definitely getting better.

“Okay,” she said, sounding much more like herself, “I’m ready.”

Griffin reached up to take off the blindfold. Phoebe got there first. Her hands pushed his out of the way, and she reached behind him to untie the bandana.

The first thing he saw was her beautiful, beaming face, directly in front of his. Her eyes bright with mischief and exhilaration.

He couldn’t resist. He leaned forward to kiss her.

But she was too fast. She darted to the side, moving around behind him.

He was about to try again when he saw what she had been working on. There, set up on the beach as if it were a fine dining restaurant, was an elegantly-set table for two. Complete with candles flickering in the early morning twilight.

Phoebe’s arms wrapped around him from behind, and her chin came to rest on his shoulder.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“It’s fantastic.” A water droplet fell from the tablecloth. “Is it dripping?”

Phoebe stepped away, and he immediately missed the warmth of her body along his back.

“A slight problem neofacturing the candles,” she explained. “It’s fine.”

“It’s more than fine,” he said, taking her hand in his. “It’s perfect.”

Her smile outshone the rising sun.

Never one to enjoy a compliment—at least, not one that didn’t have to do with her athletic ability—she blushed. Griffin wanted to reach up and trace his fingers over her cheek.

There was something magical between them. More magical even than the powers of their ancestor gods.

She gestured at the table. “Hungry?”

They walked hand-in-hand to the table. He led Phoebe to the chair on the right, the one that would have a better view of the sunrise, and pulled it out for her.

“My hero,” she teased as she lowered into the chair.

Griffin took his seat in the opposite chair. The plate before him was literally overflowing with his favorite breakfast foods. Yogurt with honey and walnuts, fetoydia, and bougatsa. Straight from his Aunt Lili’s bakery, if he had to guess.

“This is amazing,” he told her. “And impressive.”

She shrugged. But she couldn’t keep the proud grin off her face.

He couldn’t keep the grin off his, either.

Griffin knew that only one thing could have made this moment more perfect. But since getting his parents back was impossible, this definitely was the next best thing. It was far more than he deserved.

“Do you know why I did this?” Phoebe asked.

Griffin winked. “Because you’re the most amazing girlfriend ever.”

“Well, obviously,” she teased. “But also—”

“It’s our anniversary.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You remembered?”

“How could I forget? One year ago today, right here on this very beach—” He gestured to where the sand met the surf. “—we first met.”

“I didn’t even get your name,” she said.

“We didn’t need names.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “From the moment I saw you, I knew.”

“Knew what?”

“That I had been shot by Eros’s bow,” he replied.

Phoebe stared at him for several long seconds before saying, “Straight through the heart.”

He squeezed her hand. “All the way to the soul.”

She squeezed back.

In that moment, everything clicked. Even though she hadn’t said it, he knew that she loved him. Even though he hadn’t said it, she knew that he loved her, too. They didn’t need the words—just like, when they first met, they didn’t need the names. They just knew.

As the sun began to peek above the horizon, he took a bite of bougatsa. Barring a miracle from the gods, his life couldn’t get any more perfect than that moment.

And that was good enough for him.