Alike As Two Bees by elin gregory

Author:elin gregory
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elin Gregory
Published: 2020-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

PHILON WORKED THROUGH the late afternoon and into the evening. When it became too dark for fine carving, he fetched a lamp and dressed some blocks, enjoying using his strength more directly for once. The mechanical work allowed him the freedom to daydream about the sinewy strength of Hilarion’s body and the blissful expression on his face as he had turned his head, rubbing his cheek against the soft curls on Philon’s chest. Soon Hilarion had said, and dream sweet. Philon smiled and struck the chisel more smartly.

He was well pleased with his day’s endeavours when Nikias and the others returned. He went to open the gate for them, but Anatolios had run ahead to do it, set it open, and darted inside to greet him.

“You look pleased with yourself,” Anatolios said. “As you should be. Eutychos praised your work again and look what I brought you.”

From the front of his tunic he produced a squashy package of olives, sausage, and a sticky lump of honeycomb, well smirched with bits of fluff. Philon laughed and thanked him before sending him to wash his stomach. They shared the honeycomb before bed. Philon did—as Hilarion had suggested—sleep well, and his dreams were very sweet.

The next day they worked hard again. Philon abandoned his panels to join Anatolios and Nikias in chipping out around the design for the fountain—a gorgon, her mouth gaping to issue the water, with her snaky hair rippling across the panel. He spent some of his time remembering sweet kisses, the grip of strong hands, and the feel of Hilarion’s body clenching around him, and he didn’t regret it in the slightest.

The day after that Philon worked hard again but had half an ear cocked for the sound of hooves. All day he listened but to no avail. At dusk he sighed as he put his tools away, trying not to let his disappointment overwhelm him. That evening when Anatolios tried to joke with him, he was shorter than he intended to be and suspected he had hurt the boy’s feelings.

Philon felt bad about that. Anatolios hadn’t meant to annoy him, but Philon was on edge. Hilarion had said he would be back. Philon told himself that a promise was a promise and there was probably a good reason for his absence. That was easy enough to believe while he kept his secret to himself. There was no reason to take out his worried impatience on Anatolios as long as nobody else knew.

Philon had a restless night, filled with worries and ‘what ifs’, and was down hearted next morning as they assembled for breakfast. Anatolios was as cheerful as ever, eating their humble bread with relish even as he harked back to their feast at Eutychos’s house.

“Such good olives,” he said, then turned to Philon. “Oh, that day—did his nephew happen by? He said he might.”

Methodios heard him and grinned into his scraggly grey beard. “It would explain the pile of horse shit and the big hoof prints in the mule pen,” he said over Philon’s horrified denial.

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