Perhaps I misstepped. Our worlds are so different. Love is filled with glitter and pink and creates people’s happiest moments. Mine is dark, gloomy, and I help people in the scariest moment of their lives, no matter how long or short lived.
“With that, let’s start the awards,” Cupio says.
Love removes her hand from my thigh to fidget. She’s clearly nervous about the award, it’s a big deal not only to her but apparently all the other cupids filling the room.
I place my arm over the back of her chair and lazily rub her bare shoulder with my thumb. She doesn’t hide her contentment at my touch, so I keep doing it while I lean down to whisper in her ear.
“Win or lose I’ll treat you like a winner tonight. But my money’s on you.”
“Want to make it a bet?”
I smirk, drinking the remainder of her champagne.
“If you win, I’ll treat you like the queen that you are.”
Her pink eyes blink wildly as she takes me in. She gulps before speaking. “If I lose?”
“Same prize,” I grin and she flushes.
She refills her glass with champagne and tosses it back as they go through the awards. Some of them are a little unique, if not borderline stupid, but I don’t give a shit about them. I contemplate if there’s anything I can do to ensure that she wins. Is there someone I could bribe or threaten?
“Next up is the seductress award,” Cupio announces and Love stills next to me. “This award goes to the cupid who has created the most lust for women on earth.” The man is slow with opening the card. “And the winner of the seductress award is Love!”
Everyone claps as she looks on with shock. But then she looks over at me. In the middle of getting her great achievement,the pretty cupid looks at me.
Maybe I do have a fucking heart after all, or maybe it’s a black hole in my chest stamped with her name.
“Congratulations, Love. Go up there and get your award,” I tell her.
She beams at me, leaning over to kiss my cheek. The crowd goes nearly dead silent with the exception of a few gasps. Love ignores them as she goes up to the stage and grabs her big, gold heart trophy and brings it back to the table.
She places it on top of the tablecloth and stares at it.
“I can’t believe I won.”
“I can,” I say softly, and she blinks up at me, a small smile taking over her face. Her pretty light pink eyes shining with unshed tears.
I decide then no matter if Love just wants to be friends and this party is all she wants from me, I’ll protect her above all else. But fuck, do I hope she wants more.
Death looks at me like I’m special, and he truly means it when he says he’s not surprised I won.
He’s proud of me, I realize.
This man who I forced into my life, who barely knows me, is proud of me. Meanwhile, my boyfriend of over a year broke up with me because of this award.
The gold is shiny and perfect. My name is even engraved at the bottom. But when I look over at Death, and how he only smiles at me, I can’t help but to think I won so much more than an award.
The last awards are called and Death keeps his arm wrapped around my chair, his thumb grazing my shoulder or playing with my hair the whole time.
Music boasts over the entire hall, and cupids begin loading up the dance floor.Truly Madly Deeplyby Savage Garden comes on, and Death uses his hand to cover his laugh before clearing his throat and holding out a hand to me.
“Would you like to dance, little cupid?”
“I’d love to,” I reply.
His hand is big and warm as it wraps in mine and he walks us to the dance floor. There’s a lot of attention on us as the cupids talk about the fact that there’s a reaper at our party. He standsout significantly with his height and his dark cloak and hair. I like how we defy odds in our contrast to one another.
He’s gentle as one hand wraps around my waist, and he surprises me by tangling a hand in my hair as we sway to the music. My hands explore his hard, muscular chest, and I hold on to him while the music plays. Damn, I want to explore what’s under these thick smokey robes.
