He apologized. He had actually apologized. Sincerely. Without any prodding. Without pretense. He had finally admitted to hurting her. Finally admitted that his actions had caused her to leave him. Seeing him so vulnerable made hope creep into her heart, hope she had wanted to crush in her fingers for so long. But now, as much as she would have liked to make it go away, it had begun the slow process of blossoming, yearning for the type of relationship, they type of life she had wanted. And when he had left, Hera found herself wishing he would have touched her, even the smallest brush across her cheek would have sufficed. Against her better wishes, she had wanted to feel his touch, an indication that he still desired her. Yet it was probably better this way. It at least implied he wasn't about to try and seduce her into helping him or that he would go against her wishes should she not want him to touch her.<br/><br/>"Dammit, he does not need to know about my sexual frustration," she muttered sulkily to herself after he had gone, leaving her to figure out<i>a lot</i>on her own while she worked. "I'm not some girlish maiden who is going to get excited over the most meager touch."<br/><br/>True to her name, Hera had not had a single lover in her time away from Olympus. Even separated, she had been faithful. Not that she hadn't had offers. Oh, she had acquired plenty of admirers over the years, but had taken none of them. She had had her share of pining artists and poets, men who thought that if they simply dogged her and waited outside her shop she would allow them to bed a goddess. Not likely. Perhaps her very domain had made certain she would be forever tied to her husband in such a way, that once wed all other men would repulse her with their fawning. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Either way, it didn't change the fact that she had been completely celibate for centuries, minus the occasionally bit of self-exploration. Gods dammit, she shouldn't have been thinking about this. There were far more important matters than silently lamenting time spent away from her marriage bed.<br/><br/>Attempting to shake the thoughts from her mind, Hera returned to work, putting the slip of paper into her purse to remember for later.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Hera stretched and yawned upon exiting the elevator and unlocking the door to her condo. She had to confess that she sometimes missed the days when all the had to do all day was sit on a throne, answer the prayers of mortals, and be a powerful wife, but her work at<i>Teléia </i>was far more productive, more involved. She had rarely gotten to see the faces of smiling brides back at their height of power, and even then, it was usually from the lofty heights of Olympus. It also helped that brides were happier with their weddings these days, which was understandable given the significant rise of consensual marriage. As well as the realization that women were not property to give away. With a tired smile, she set down her purse, removed her heels, and set about reheating some leftovers from last night. Alright, so perhaps dining was more elegant and refined when she didn't have to make food for herself, and maybe cooking had been one of the harder and more monotonous things to learn, but at least she had grown passable. If even Eris was willing to admit it, then she must have improved somewhat.<br/><br/>"Somewhere classical, eh?" Hera mumbled to herself, recalling tomorrow's meeting with Zeus and amusement teasing the corners of her mouth. "He<i>is </i>predictable."<br/><br/>She couldn't promise a fountain made of marble, though she could provide some of the nostalgia he craved. At least in terms of food and atmosphere, provided he didn't mind being surrounded by mortals enjoying their meals. She could probably grant them a more secluded table, however, one outside in the open air. He might not enjoy the view as much as she would, but at the very least he could appreciate the attempt of the restaurant to recreate the feeling of the Classical period. By now she was a well-known customer, as were her daughters and Hepheastus, such places were not compatible with Ares and his boisterous personality though. She had been quite fond of it since it came into business, and Hera personally thought the wine was excellent.<br/><br/>When the microwave alerted the goddess that her dinner was ready, she brought it over to her usual spot at the kitchen counter and pulled out the slip of paper with Zeus' number. Her food needed a few minutes to cool off anyway, so she figured she might as well call him now. She considered texting, but then decided against it. If her husband had yet to master email then she certainly wouldn't make him go scratching his head figuring out how to read a text. Instead she took out her phone and put in the number on the scrap of paper, then she waited for him to pick up.