“Birdie,” Cupio’s deep familiar voice says from behind me, and I rest my head against the cool glass door.
“What?” I snap.
“Tell her what I told you,” Gloom says in a low tone, which makes me turn around.
Gloom is smiling, and Cupio looks like he’d rather be just about anywhere than here.
“I wanted to ask if you and Gloom would be my dates to the Love in the Veil party,” Cupio says, his dark pink gaze not leaving mine.
“You what?” I respond, not sure I’m hearing him correctly.
Cupio shuffles his feet and looks down before looking back up at me. Is he nervous?
“I haven’t been with someone in a long time, Birdie. Back at the restaurant was a bit much for me. It’s not that I didn’t want it or I didn’t like it. It was just too much too soon. I’d like to spend more time with you and Gloom, take things slower.”
Gloom rubs Cupio’s back, and I find it to be extremely precious.
“You told him to say those things?” I ask, looking at Gloom.
“No, Ladybird, I didn’t. Is it that hard to believe that a man who hasn’t been in a relationship in a few decades?—”
“Centuries,” Cupio interrupts, and both Gloom and I stare at him for a moment.
“He likes you, I like you. He’s just out of practice. Cut the hot, old cupid some slack,” Gloom says, and I sigh.
I look over at the reaper, my affections growing for him every time he speaks. Could this sarcastic, sexy, little misfit really be the glue that we need to make this work?
“And you?” I ask the reaper.
“Oh, baby, I’ve never wanted two oblivious gorgeous cupids more in my life.”
I straighten my posture and look at the two of them.
“Fine, you can both be my dates.”
Gloom smiles, while Cupio looks shocked.
“Truly?” Cupio asks, and I nod my head.
“Then it’s a date,” Gloom exclaims happily, his hand sliding down Cupio’s back where he grabs his harness.
We all stand in front of my building for a long moment, none of us knowing where to go from here.
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” I tell Cupio and he nods his head and Gloom looks a little put out. “Maybe we could do dinner tomorrow night at one of our places. All three of us.”
“How do I get to your realm?” Gloom asks.
Cupio pulls out a pocket watch and hands it to Gloom. “If you want to enter the realm, open this and say the wordamare. You’ll automatically be portalled into my home.”
Gloom holds the pocket watch in awe for a moment and then glances back up at Cupio.
“Wait, so you’re telling me you could have made it easier for Death and Mors to get into the realm all this time?”
“I’m not interested in Death or Mors,” Cupio says, which makes Gloom grin with satisfaction.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Gloom says with a quick wink before portalling back to his realm, leaving me and Cupio alone as the bright pink sun sets.
“You promise me this is just about taking things slow?”
