Innocent Love

She dropped down her jaws "Did you just say eighteen years?!"

"Eighteen years, Val. This is the best decision I've ever made for you, I want to give you the best" he confessed.

Valentine's face couldn't contain the volume of the smile pouring out from her heart.

The idea of going to the best school in the country excited her, but they didn't consider the fact that she would be an ant in the midst of elephants.

Even so, she had never been to Athens before, so it was going to be the Alpha of a new life.

"So, what's next?" She wasn't even going to ask questions about why. Her excitement overshadowed her reasoning. Going away from Florina wouldn't be a problem since she barely had anything reasonable going on there.

"We are going to Athens"

"When would that be?"

"Next week"

"Oh, so soon…" she cuddled up on the sofa, dipping inside thoughts. Life in Athens and as a student of Liege College flashed across her mind, stimulating her heart to rejoice.

Her mind was already painting pictures which her eyes haven't seen. But then, an issue crushed in.

"Would I stay in the hostel?"

Palemo got dipped in thoughts for a moment, and then, an answer surfaced, but rhetorically "Which do you think would be better for you?"

"Mmmm I don't want to be away from my Patera" she grinned.

Sketches of smile spread across Palemo's face with the melting of his heart “what a beautiful daughter!” he thought. He looked at her through satisfied and loving eyes. "Whatever you say, my princess"

Valentine blushed, dropped down her face to the side to rest on her shoulder, while her hands cuddled with itself between, resting on her laps. "Isn't Mr Keftedakia the best Patera in the world?"

"Oh don't flatter me" Palemo chuckled.

Valentine leaned closer to him and clasped her hands on his cheeks with a slight drag playfully. "Yes, you are, and you gotta smile for me"

"I think I'm already smiling…" he pointed at his face. He pushed out those words with breaths as his lips were already parted with the drawing of his cheeks.

She perched a kiss on his cheeks "Muah muah muahhhh!" And got up. "Then I should be packing!"

Palemo chuckled. "Do you even have stuff to pack?"

"Whatever" she rolled her eyes and walked away.

****

The D-Day had it's existence, and the happiness and Joy she had never felt before had it's existence as well. It was going to be a new life for both of them.

Valentine had lived in Nymfaio all her life and she barely had precious memories. She was a girl who was free only when she was around her father.

She hated the word, Introvert, she had convinced herself that she wasn't an introvert but just a girl who enjoyed her own company. But in her list of expectations in Athens and Liege College, entitied having a best friend.

She had gone to bed the past night thinking that her morning would be played out as usual; her father yelling so loud that it blew her ears.

The sun had risen, and again, had it's way into the small room through the tatty curtain, her ears waited for the disturbance from her father, and her body remained in the depths of pleasurable rest.

The door opened, Palemo ushered himself in, and tiptoed to Valentine's bed. He tapped her slightly and brought the tray he was holding to her nose's reach.

She injected the aroma immediately and her body reciprocated… she got up, almost knocking away the contents in the tray.

"Meatballs!" She exclaimed with a grin.

"Careful Valentine! You will ruin it!" He held out the tray away from the bed to avoid getting it ruined himself.

Valentine reached out for it "Come on, Patera! Bring ye thy offerings to thy kingdom of the bellys!" She got out one from the tray and had it savaged by her teeth and tilted to her taste buds.

Her eyes widened as it hit her taste bud, pins of satisfaction dotted around her face. "Oh My! This is awesome! …" The savage had been thrown down to her belly through the intestines, and one more was retrieved from the tray.

"You haven't even brushed your teeth…" Palemo said, holding back the tray again. Valentine's mouth retreated with a slight parting between her lips, showing the crushed food in her mouth.

She looked like she was going to do something about it, because Palemo said she hadn't brushed her teeth. But her cheeks were slowly expanded and crowned with a smile, while she scoffed the food.

"Terrible you," Palemo said, shaking his head.

She gulped down the food with a satisfying sigh through shut lips. "Mmmm…" she looked at Palemo who was staring blankly at her.

"What, Patera?" She loosened her face and threw up her shoulders.

Palemo stood out of words, a moment of silence was observed and immediately plagued by Valentine's laughter… and then she stopped. "More…" she tried muffling her laughter.

Palemo dropped the tray at the side of the bed and reached for the door. "We are leaving today, Val. Get ready" he walked out through the door, leaving it open again.

Valentine's happiness overshadowed her displeasure that she failed to acknowledge that her rules of the door was just broken.

She grasped her bedsheets and brought it to her bossom, hugging it tightly with a huge smile. "Is today!" She jumped out of her bed, and ran straight out of the door. She drew back and smiled at the meatballs. She took one, taking a bite at once.

Moving to walk away from her room, she looked down to see what she was wearing. Surprised, she looked up at her clothes hanger "Oops, how did I end up in panties?"

Palemo was in his room parking his belongings into a traveling bag when a file, looking old, slipped out of one of the old bags. He picked it up,. nodding his head. "The time has finally come, father, I will make you proud. I hope you're at peace in heaven" he said with closed eyes, while the file remained in his hands grasp, until Valentine came in, without consent.

"Patera! Patera!" She said out loud jumping up and down.

Palemo quickly shoved the file into the bag and zipped it.

"What was that?" Valentine asked, peeping from the side.

"Oh, it's just a small bag that I need to fix into the big one…" he turned around. "Why are you dressed like this?" He asked, glancing at her from head to toe. She wore a flared mini skirt and a long sleeve crop top.

"Where are you going?" He asked again. Obviously, it wasn't for their travel. Valentine moved her eyes to the sides as if looking for a worthy answer.

"Oh! By the old lady" she said with a smile, nodding her head with clenched lips.

"But is it cold?" He wondered.

"Mmhm but I'm wearing long sleeves" she retorted.

"But it's a light fabric"

"Um okay…" she started stepping back, "I will be back soon! See you!" She opened the door and rushed out.

She unhooked the chain around her bicycle's tyres, hopped on it and paddled away into the outskirts of the village.

The village was a marvelous settlement, reflected in the impressive stone built mansions. The weather was cold, but humid. Just like her mind, which was occupied with a life that hasn't been lived yet.

She paddled destinationlessly, as the cold and baby dews munched on her, making her wetting crop top embrace her skin, revealing her bright transparent blue bra which hugged her east west boobs.

She paddled up to a hill beside a short fence and her nose caught an aroma. She stopped, impressed she nodded her head with a smile. "Hot Meatballs!"

It was her father's favourite as well, but he liked it in a special way. But she liked it in any way, any recipe at all. As long as it was meatballs!

She got down from her bicycle and leaned it against the stone wall. She traced the aroma to the house. "Oops, is the old lady!" She exclaimed as she got to a stop. She peeped through the side of the entrance door, no one was around.

"She's the only one around." The old lady seemed to be cooking outside as she heard some cooking sounds, but she couldn't enter through the main entrance door, the old lady would surely see her.

So she tiptoed around, bending her head, as the fence was too short. She got to the back yard and slowly raised her face, her hands rested on the top of the face and her body was covered by the fence as her head to her eye level only had the chance to feel the old lady's house.

"Ouuuui" she exclaimed. "We hit the right spot" the meatballs were in a basket, but out of reach, while the pot on the fire cooked some food.

She glanced around and let out a satisfactory sigh as her eyes rested upon a brick— that would be all she would need to either jump in, or stretch herself enough to reach the meatballs basket.

She hurried to the brick's spot and placed her hands to carry it. "Oh oh it's heavy. Damnit" she straightened up expressing frustration, but the Meatballs aroma was just very enticing "In life, we don't give up. If we want something we steal it from someone else …" she said to herself, thinking of what to do next.

"Oh dear, we are not stealing. We are taking. I mean, the old lady would be glad to give me, I mean, are we not pals?" She shrugged, and with the dregs of her strength, pushed the brick close to the wall.

"You see. You can do anything you put your mind into" she stepped up to the brick and was able to get her arms inside, but she couldn't get to the basket, it was just remaining a small space. "I'm not going anywhere without any of those!" She said through clenched teeth.

She stretched up, matched against the wall and jumped in. She kept her head low, and crept to the basket, stuffing two meatballs in her pocket, she held one in her mouth, and had one in her hand's tight grasp.

She jumped up and clutched her two hands on the fence, then pulled herself out with much strength, and dropped the remaining distance to her feet.

Her heart beat heaved up her chest. "Ahh finally" she moved to go back to her bicycle's spot and saw a boy, about eleven years old staring at her with his dropped jaw and awed look.

Her eyes widened, she gulped… and danced around with her eyes to see if there was anyone else that saw her.

"How long have you been here?" She asked in a soft tone.

"Did you just jump out of that fence? …" She opened her mouth to oppose, but the boy's speech came faster. "Did you just steal meatballs? Did you just—"

"Did you ,did you , did you!?" Valentine interfered by raising her voice a bit. "Which do you want me to answer first?!"

The boy stood motionless "Did you just steal?"

"Of course not! …" She defended, walking toward him. A meatball was retrieved from her pocket which she dropped in the little boy's palm immediately, leaving him confused.

She stepped back with a mischievous smile. "Did we just steal meatballs?"

"Huh?" The boy exclaimed, looking down at the meatball in his hand. His eyes widened.

"I mean, did you just steal with me?"

The little boy clenched the meatball in his hand, and made the best use of his legs.

"Tada yada yada! Take care of little problems with little solutions"

The meatballs she got from the old lady's basket were consumed before her presence was observed at home.

A car was parked outside when she arrived. "Oh wow, Patera really got it all sorted out" she felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

Her problems varnished, as she perceived that everything else had been taking care of her Dad— only if she could see the future.

"Don't just stand there! Come on, we have a flight to catch" Palemo yelled.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, knocking herself out of her self-inflicted oblivion.