"Well, your smile is beautiful, your little freckles are beautiful, your eyes are beautiful, your lips are beautiful," he said sweetly, and they moved closer, their breaths feathering on each other skin. "Your breasts are beautiful, your legs, your hips," he stopped talking because instead he wanted to show her how sexy she was. He kissed her lips so passionately. His tongue intertwined with hers as his hand brought her into him by her hip.

They were getting carried away, it was a public beach after all, no matter how deserted it was currently. His hand was reaching under her top and she moaned into the kiss making him grow very hard. She noticed and her hand rubbed over his pants and he jerked. She moved over him, straddling him as they both got more and more into it. 

Her scent overwhelmed him, he was craving her. 

She wanted to be made love to so bad, and she knew she could get that from him, because she wants to please him as much as she wants him to please her and god is he pleasing her right now. 

They parted, catching their breaths. She wiped her lipstick that was smudged over his lips, and he smiled as she did so, his hands holding her sides, caressing her. 

"Fuck Alex, you make me so horny," she said. 

"You can't say that, we can't continue."

"Why not? Let's go to mine?"

"I don't mean that, I'd happily fuck you into oblivion right here and now. But this is wrong, especially when Nicholas isn't here and you know it. Especially with what needs to happen soon, I can't be involved this way."

"Why not? You want to, I can tell," she said, moving her hips forward, his hardness pressing against her. 

He groaned, and held her tighter, moving her away a little.

"Obviously I want to," he said, putting her hair behind her ear. 

"I know what you're saying, I just don't care."

"I think we should get going."

"But you're so hard Alex, just let me help you." She rubbed over his pants again, along his length and he bucked his hips, his jaw clenching as she looked hungrily in his eyes. 

"Giullia," he breathed, feeling himself shiver beneath her.

"Do you honestly want me to stop?" She asked him, pausing, making him go crazy.

"You've started now, you're going to finish," he said, unzipping his pants. 

"Touch me Alex," his hands were under her top, cupping her, massaging, while she reached down his boxers, pleasuring him further. 

"Oh fuck Lia," he breathed, getting close already. She watched him tilt his head back as he breathed erratically, moaning her name. Or her nickname. 

"Cum for me Alex, you know you'd rather fuck me, watch me squirm beneath you," she said, moaning softly and he squeezed her breast. 

She quickened her pace and he quickly finished in his boxers. 

"Fuck," he breathed heavily, his hands slowly sliding down the sides of her torso, pulling her top down. 

"I would have rathered that, but this was good enough." She said, zipping him up.

"You know why, and this was all your doing."

"Oh I know, it was pleasurable for me to." She kissed him again, before getting up. 

They folded the blankets and walked to her car. 

"You can come over still, I won't ask you to fuck me, I just want your company."

"What would Nic say."

"I'm not going to think like that anymore."

"Fair enough, but he's my friend as well, we shouldn't have done that. No matter how much I want to have you like that." He said, wishing the situation wasn't as sticky as it was. He didn't regret anything with her, but he knows that morally it's wrong. 

"Alright, I understand, I'll take you home."

"Thank you."

<><><><><><><>

The weather was getting more and more cold as May came along. Giullia and Nic hadn't seen Alex much outside of Uni, and Giullia was finding this a lot more difficult as Nic was hardly looking at her or touching her and she was constantly thinking about Alex. 

Athena and Andreas have been pretty much inseparable. 

Although today Athena was having several mental breakdowns internally because she received a message from her Mother saying she wants to spend time with her when she gets home. 

"Love, it's probably nothing there's no need to worry. The fact that she wrote 'spend time' should tell you that. If it was bad she would've said how she wants to 'see you' or 'speak to you' when you get home. This is nice. It's obviously fake but it means there's nothing bad you need to worry about. In fact you need to eat something."

"If I eat something, I will vomit, without me having to force it."

"Alright, then you don't have to eat, just come here, and breathe." He held her tightly as she deep breathed. "That's it."

"Andreas, can I go to your place whenever my spending time with her is over."

"Of course you can, now good luck."

Andreas had one more class on mondays, so Athena made her way home, and her mother excitedly stood from the couch and approached her. 

"Ah your home! It's a nice day today, and to celebrate it - because god knows it's probably the last good day before winter comes - we should go for a run, burn off some excess fat that we might be carrying."

"Okay, right now?" Athena asked, trying to ignore her words, and then noticed her mother's running gear on.

"Of course, now get upstairs and change, we'll leave in 5."

Athen ran up and got dressed, she was so frantic that she was actually glad they were going for a run because she could exert this energy somewhere. Even if this run was because her mother thinks she's fat. 

She got downstairs and they left, her mother always trying to be ahead. 

Athena kept pushing, not wanting to lag otherwise her mother would say horrible things.

10 minutes in and Athena was sweating, and she realised it wasn't because she was hot and running but it was a cold sweat because she hasn't eaten today. In fact she hasn't eaten since lunchtime yesterday during Easter. But she kept pushing, no matter how weak she felt, because they were more than halfway through and home wasn't too far away. She could do this. She could keep up with her mother. 

"You're starting to slow down, come on, I'm beating you."

She ran faster, ignoring the burn in her legs and the empty pain in her stomach. 

A migraine came out of nowhere and she was struggling to breathe but she tried with everything to stay beside her mother. Her mother was speaking but Athena couldn't hear, in fact everything went blurry. 

She felt like her heart was failing, or that she was dying. And then she hit the concrete. 

<><><><><><><>

Mary had called Andreas and he had sprinted out of his class and went straight to the hospital. All she said was "Athena collapsed and is on the way to the hospital."

This gave him nothing. She was with her mother, what the hell happened?

He got to the hospital after what felt like hours, and he ran to the front desk. 

"Slow down young man."

"Sorry, I'm looking for Athena Diamandis, I'm her- brother." He said, not knowing if her mother put visitor restrictions. 

"She right down the hall to the left, she's just getting an IV, the nurse should be in there with her." He wanted to be polite and say yes or thank you but he was too worried about what was wrong with her to care. So he rushed where the lady at the desk said and found Athena laying in a bed, unconscious. A nurse was there checking the IV attached to her. 

"I'm here to see Athena, is she okay? What happened?"

"Her mother had her brought in, she said they were on a run and she collapsed, her mother just left after we told her she'll be fine after a good night's rest. We checked her vitals and it seems she hasn't eaten in we assume 10 to 15 hours. She's dehydrated and malnourished so we're putting fluids and nutrition back into her system and she will be okay in about 12 hours. Are you a relative or husband." The nurse asked, noticing how worried he was. She noted how cute of a couple they were. 

"Um, husband. I'll make sure she eats a big breakfast when I get her home. Thank you so much." He didn't even have the energy to laugh at the fact that he was her brother and now her husband. He had no idea what to call himself in her life. Friends?

"No worries." She said, and went to leave.

"Will she wake up?"

"She should soon, while she's getting hydrated. But she really needs to rest."

"That's okay, I'll make sure she relaxes, I'll stay with her."

He looked at Athena, wanting to cry, but he couldn't, because she needed him. The nurse watched him for a moment, smiling at how much he cared for this girl.

"I'll leave you then," she said and smiled.

He grabbed a chair and moved next to her. He held her hand in his and leaned on the edge of the bed. 

She was so peaceful, yet he didn't like it one bit. He wanted her to tell him she's okay. Somehow he feels guilty. He didn't eat with her this morning like he should've. He should've made her eat after her last class before going home.

"You're squeezing my hand," Athena croaked, her eyes not even open yet.

He released his grip and stood up. "Sorry love. Are you alright?"

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him.

"Where am I?"

"Hospital, you were running with your mother apparently and you collapsed because you haven't eaten. They've got you on fluids and food and stuff to get you hydrated, and you can leave tomorrow morning."

"Where's my mother?"

"She left a little while ago, I got here just after she left."

"Oh, okay." 

She leaned her head back again and Andreas sat back down. 

"Are you alright, how did you collapse while running?"

"She was pushing me, she was going faster on purpose, she told me I needed to go for a run. I couldn't be slow, I couldn't." He gently touched her hand, his thumb rubbing her palm comfortingly.

"I know my love, I know. But you're okay now, and I doubt your mother will want to spend time you like that again. She's dumb anyway, because you're the most heavenly woman I've ever laid my eyes on. You don't need to do anything."

"Thank you." She said, looking down at him. "For being here as well, I don't know what I would do without you."

"I'll always be here for you Athena."

"Can you join me? I'll move over."

"You stay still, let me." He got into her bed and carried her so that she was laying on him. She hugged him tight, and he rubbed her back sending her to sleep. "Just rest now sweetheart, everything's alright now."

She soon fell asleep, and Andreas kept rubbing her back softly. 

Alex rushed into the room and saw Athena with Andreas and he exhaled with relief.

"I know you said in your message she was fine, but seeing it is a whole lot better. What the fuck happened? Do we have to hurt someone?"

"No no, she just hasn't eaten and her mother made her go on a run. She just needs some fluids and rest."

"I'll tell Giullia she's okay, everyone was worried. We want her to be okay." Alex walked to the edge of the bed and trailed his fingers through her hair, getting it out of her face. 

"She'll be okay, it's Athena." Andreas said, convincing himself as well. His brother's presence always made him gain perspective. 

"True. Are you alright? You hungry or anything?" Alex asked him. 

"No, I'm all good."

"Alright well visiting hours are almost over, we should head off, let her sleep."

"You can go, I'm going to stay with her. I'm not leaving."

"Alright," Alex smiled, "text me if anything changes."

"Will do."

"Night brother."

"Goodnight," Andreas repplied.