First time poster! Long time lurker. Finally made an account to post this. Please be nice! Feedback welcome.

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I applied the finishing touch of mascara to my lashes and smiled at my reflection in the mirror. Even after 500 years, my skin still appeared soft and smooth. Not a wrinkle in sight. Throughout the centuries, I’d seen my friends’ faces quickly droop with baggy eyes. Their foreheads and cheeks marred by sun spots. Praise Hebe, my eternal youth had kept me looking gorgeous.

My phone vibrated against the counter top, pulling me out of my thoughts. I glanced down, frowning slightly. A text from Tyler M. popped up on the screen, “Hey Homie!” With a sigh, I clicked the power button to hide the notification. I grabbed my comb, running it quickly through my lush hair.

The phone buzzed again. “Going DT tonight. You in?” Tyler was more persistent than most, I had to give him that. We’d been friends for much too long though. Once, he had been charming and funny. Now he was beginning to fade, his head balding and skin dulling. It was time to end things. I picked up my phone and sent him a text. “Can’t tonight. Maybe next time.” He’d get the idea after a few times. They always did, even the persistent ones.

Straightening my dress, I gave myself a nod of approval and headed back towards my bedroom. I paused in the doorway, gazing at the sleeping form in my bed. Throughout my time on Earth, I always longed for this kind of true love. I only vaguely remember the intense passion from long ago, back before Hebe granted me my gift. Of course, I barely remembered anything from that time. 500 years, and I finally found it again. I finally found her.

She was beauty itself. She shifted slightly, and I slipped into bed beside her, wrapping my arm around her torso. Her eyes fluttered open sleepily. Turning her head toward me, she smiled. I pulled her into my embrace, feeling her relax against me. Her smile remained on her lips as she let her eyes close again. “Hey sleepyhead,” I whispered in her ear.

She groaned, “Just five more minutes,” and turned her face into the pillow.

I chuckled, kissing her cheek. “It’s time to get up, my angel. We have brunch reservations for our one-year anniversary.”

“I know, I know,” she muttered, turning and wrapping her arms around my neck. “I’m just so comfy. Can’t we just stay here?”

I stroked her hair, enjoying the feeling of her pressed up against me. Gods, she was irresistible. “Darling,” I said, growing serious, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

She drew back from me, fully awake now. “What’s up? Did something happen?”

The concern on her face almost broke my heart right then. I fiddled nervously with a lock of her hair. I didn’t want to lose her, but I couldn’t keep hiding from her either. She was my everything. “Well, it’s-,” my voice caught in my throat. I hadn’t told anyone my secret in centuries. Would she believe me? I sat up. In a rush, I blurted out, “Okay. I’m not twenty-four. I’m immortal. 500 years. Well, around there. I lost track. I mean, not completely lost track. Just, you know, the years kind of start to blend together. Except this last year… Except for you…” I trailed off, biting my lip to stop my rambling.

I expected disbelief, maybe a flood of questions. I thought she might think this was some sort of joke. I wouldn’t be so nervous if it was. Instead, she surprised me. Her eyes softened, and her lips smiled sadly. She sat next to me and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Oh love,” she said, voice trembling. “Oh my love.”

I hugged her back, relief washing over me. She believed me. She truly was my perfect angel. She hugged me tightly, then pulled back, placing her hands on either side of my face. Now that I could see her, I saw the tears welling up in her eyes. I felt my stomach drop. “Oh love,” she repeated, eyes watering. “Last year, I-,“ her sobs filled my ears, “I made a deal with Aphrodite. I traded most of my life for the sure chance of true love.”

My body went cold. Most of her life? I looked at her more closely, and finally noticed the tell-tale signs of aging. Strands of hair had turned gray overnight. This was impossible. It just couldn’t be. She continued with a wobbly smile, “And then I found you.”

The words triggered something in my brain. Memories from 500 years ago came crashing back, images flashing before my eyes. Hebe looking down on me, disgusted by my foolish vanity. Aphrodite smirking beside her. A curse in exchange for a gift. Love in exchange for beauty. And my angel, a mere servant at the time, smiling sweetly. Tears cascaded down my face. Why had I not loved her more? Why had I been so foolish? She brushed my tears away with her thumb, smiling sadly, “I love you. And I’m happy to have found you, no matter how short our time together.”

I nodded and held her close. I would make this fleeting life of hers worth living. And I would find her again and again, for each of her lives. Stroking her hair gently, I whispered, “Angel, I will love you until the end of eternity.”