Maybe things in Cupidale are about to get a hell of a lot more interesting after all.
Iget her a coffee every single day and she still doesn’t seem to be interested in me in the same way that I am her.
Ladybird is different from most of the other cupids.
Not just her demeanor, but she’s one of the few people in this realm who actually cares about me beyond my role as Head Cupid. She never asks for anything, and is always helping me in some form or another. While everyone else makes my life harder, Ladybird is the one person who actively aims to make my life easier.
I’d hoped my acts of service and little nudges would indicate my feelings, but I’ve never outwardly expressed my interest.
She works for me, and there’s no one else in this realm who would be a better assistant than Ladybird. I simply can’t afford to lose her.
I’ve lost so much already.
My son has not only been a disappointment with his actions toward other cupids, but now, he’s abandoned the realm all together and is living with a ghost he has supposedly fallen in love with.
I rub my eyebrows and wonder where I went wrong? What could I have done to ensure he would have turned out a betterperson? The fact of the matter is Eros is older than the majority of cupids in this realm. My child rearing ended so long ago, there’s only so much nurturing that factors into how a person turns out.
Dwelling on what my son has done to Love and Juliet, two cupids who weren’t interested in his advances, makes me sick. The only thing I can do now is work to make Cupidale a better place. To ensure that cupids are safe, that quotas are met, and love continues to conquer all.
It’s why I agreed to this meeting with Love in the first place. Besides the fact that she’s the first cupid to have an inter-veil relationship, she’s also one of my top producing cupids, so it only seems right to hear her out.
After I’m finished answering a few emails, the bubbly cupid comes strolling into my office.
“Love, take a seat,” I tell her, holding out my hand across from my desk.
“Thank you, sir, but I actually brought a friend to join us. Ladybird”—she says her name with more confusion than resentment—“said that he was not on the agenda and until you gave the okay, he can’t come into your office.”
I smirk to myself. No one has ever been so protective of me in my existence, and as much as I’d love to return the sentiment and take care of her for a change, she won’t let me. Or maybe I just need to make my advances more clear. Could I continue just being friends and suffering unrequited feelings for the rest of my life?Probably.
“Who is your friend? Not your boyfriend?” I ask, not wanting to deal with the over-protective reaper who has already given me enough shit.
“No sir, his name is Gloom.”
I take a sigh of relief and hope the reaper she brought with her doesn’t induce heartburn the same way her lover, Death, does.
“Very well, tell Ladybird he can come in,” I tell her as I take my seat and wait for them to come back into the room. The pair are hissing at each other under their breath as they both take a seat, Love forcing a beaming smile on her face and the reaper looking back at the door.
I observe the reaper, noting he is far more casually dressed and easygoing than the other reapers I’ve met—attractive, too.
Interesting.
I remove my gaze from the reaper and smile at Love.
“Alright, Love. I’m ready to hear your pitch.”
She smiles and takes a deep breath before speaking.
“I’d like to host an inter-veil mixer here in Cupidale. I think it would be a great opportunity for people to mingle and get to know one another. There are so many lonely individuals in the veil and maybe this could be the love matchmaking event of the century.” She’s excited about the event and I take a moment to really comb through her words. She’s so eager and enthusiastic about making matches. I wish I still felt the same way.
Fuck, when did I become this pathetic morose of a man?
“You know there are far more beings in the veil than just cupids and reapers,” I reply.
“Obviously angels are out, they’re fucking prudes, and, well, ghosts can’t make it either.”
“What about lady luck, the sandman, Krampus, nymphs, the tooth fairy,” I reply.
“The tooth fairy is real?” Love asks.
