Gods in Paradise

This story is by Cristina Dominguez and was part of our 2024 Spring Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

Tez woke up in sweats, and not because he was nervous or anxious about anything. He wasn’t, wait, was he? The room had suddenly become hot. As his sleepy eyes widened, the blur of the spinning fan blades became clearer. His head shifted slightly to the side and gazed upon the view of the ocean. The waves were not serene like he had left him when he drifted off to sleep last night. Today, the waves swept one another, crashing violently, merging only to do it all over again. He lifted his hands to his face and covered his eyes, one finger trying to wipe the tiredness out of them. He pushed the bedsheet off him with hostility and annoyance. The air conditioning must have sputtered and died in the middle of the night. He chuckled at the fact that he had once lived in a time where he spent most of his time exploring the jungles. Now, he accustomed himself to a more modern life with central air conditioning and cerveza stocked in the minibar. There were so many things he didn’t remember from last night except it was a reunion of ancient friends and colleagues. He knew he had consumed an excessive amount of alcohol, and then he knew he then possessed the liquid courage to finally approach her and convey his emotions. Did it go well? He imagined not, otherwise, why would he be here alone with a table filled with empty beer bottles? He must have been rejected, and he ended up drinking himself to sleep. And now he was paying for all that alcohol. How do mortals do it?

He turned his body and sat down on the side of the bed, looking around the room for signs of what had happened last night. He fell asleep in his ripped jeans and tank but had tossed his t-shirt somewhere. His hand swept across his disheveled dark hair as he looked at the bronzed brown eyed mess of a man staring back at him in the mirror across the room. He finally stood up to look for a clean shirt to wear. Despite how hungover he felt, he walked as graceful as a jungle cat around the room, his mobility unaffected by the large amount of alcohol in his body. He walked to the dresser and put on his obsidian necklace and pulled a shirt out of his duffle bag. He put it up to his nose and sniffed it to make sure it was clean and then put it on over his tank. With the palm of his hand and fingers, he brushed his hair slightly. He walked around the room collecting his things and stuffing them in the duffle, not caring whether he was mixing dirty items with the clean ones. He suddenly realized why he had come here to have a good time. His brothers had asked him last week to come back home to Mexico and join their new family business. It would at least take a year of hard work to take off. And as much as he loved his family, he loved his freedom too. Not knowing what you’d be doing the next day was liberating. The burden of ruling and having those who believed in him had dissipated centuries ago. He was free to travel, to have fun, to see the world, and maybe even to love. His brothers pleaded for him to come tomorrow to begin, but his heart wasn’t in it. If something were to make him stay or go, it had to be worth it.

Still undecided, Tez began picking up the empty glass bottles around the room when there was a knock at his door. Despite finding it odd, he gradually made his way to the door, discarding the glass bottles in the trashcan as he went. He yawned and rubbed his eyes once again before opening the door. He nearly jumped when he saw who was at the door. It was her, Freya.

“Good morning,” she whispered with an even softer smile.

He desperately searched for words to say. He remembered nothing about last night after he had approached her and now; he had no clue how to answer anything she may ask. “Umm…good morning,” he finally blurted out nervously. He should have said that in the first place, he scolded himself silently. “Would you like to come in? The AC is out,” he found himself said, unsure why he had said the last part at all.

“It’s fine. The incoming storm should cool the air enough,” she responded with a velvety calmness to her voice.

He nodded and suddenly looked for something to drink to offer her until his gaze noticed she had something in her hands. He remained silent and met her gaze.

“I figured you could use some coffee this morning. It’s bad enough the rooms don’t include a coffeemaker, but they do have a quaint cafe by the lobby,” she explained, handing over a coffee cup with a lid to him.

Tez had never wanted a simple cup of coffee so desperately in his life. He took the cup gently from her and immediately took a much-needed sip from it, letting the warmth course through his body. “Thank you,” he said, appreciative and less nervous.

Freya slowly walked to the patio and opened the sliding glass door to step outside. She cradled the coffee cup in her hand, occasionally taking a sip.

Tez watched her nervously, debating internally if he should join her. Maybe she wanted her privacy? Then why did she come here? He sighed and slowly fought his hesitations, walking over to the balcony to join her. He kept a small distance to give her space, unsure why she was here and what he may have said to her hours before.

“It looks like it’s going to be quite a storm,” she said, as the wind picked up. Then her eyes surveyed the dark storm clouds in the distance.

Tez looked out towards the water and nodded. “It sure does,” he agreed, taking a sip.

“I guess there goes the beach brunch we were supposed to have,” Freya shrugged, turning her attention to him.

He looked at her, thunderstruck at the revelation. It took him a few moments to process what she had said. “So, I asked you out? Last night?”

She nodded. “You did, and I hear you bought the others many celebratory drinks when I left the party early.”

Now it all made sense. He smiled, slightly embarrassed that he had forgotten all about it. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Is this storm your doing? The sudden winds seem to suggest it, mighty Tezcatlipoca, Aztec god of the wind and storms,” she asked curiously. “Along with your other titles.”

He hadn’t thought about it before. He’d never let himself get to this point. Or at least in quite some time. He sighed, closed his eyes, and suddenly the winds started fading to a small breeze. “Is that better? I’m sorry that I let my mood take over my power. Hasn’t happened in quite some time,” he explained.

“It’s okay, really. Honestly, I enjoy drinking coffee and watching the rain. Can you bring the clouds back?”

He let out a soft smile and nodded. “Of course.” Suddenly, the winds began picking up again, and the storm clouds in the distance appeared to be moving towards them again.

Freya smiled and sat down on one of the lounge chairs under the covered part of the patio. Tez sat on the other lounger. A small table separated both loungers where they both set their coffee cups. “So, who stayed behind and partied with you last night?” she asked him curiously.

He chuckled and scratched his unshaven chin trying to recall. “Artemis, Apollo, Baldar, Inti, Quilla, Oya, and Hermes, I think. Some stayed to watched us act like fools. Others drank with me.”

“It’s nice when we all get together and catch up. Reminisce when we were in charge. Those were the days,” she sighed with slight disappointment in her expression.

It was in that moment that Tez knew where his heart belonged. Even though, he had just asked her out, he had been in love with her for decades. Their friendship had flourished after meeting in Japan to visit a mutual friend. His heart belonged here, by her side. His brothers would have to deal without him, he decided with a soft smile landing on Freya. She glanced over to him and met his gaze. Both reached out for their coffees and their fingers grazed one another gently. Her thumb caressed his hand before pulling her coffee cup to her mouth.

He smiled and nodded at her, but their attention was called over when a loud clap of thunder interrupted. Drops of rain began to fall down the beach and both silently smiled as they watched the rain fall while taking small sips of their coffee.