“Was last night too much?” she asks and I shake my head no.
“No, it’s the first time I’ve felt alive in years. What about you? Was I too much?”
“You were perfect,” she says and I lean down and give her a kiss.
“We need to get to the office. We’re already late.”
“Ugh. My boss is so demanding. Maybe I should quit and we could lie in bed all day,” she suggests. “Especially when Gloom comes back home from work.”
“Home?”
For the first time, I see Ladybird speechless. “I’m sorry. That was getting way ahead of myself. I didn’t mean?—”
“No, I like it. This place is so big. The place is big enough for us each to have our space. I know I said I wanted to go slow, but I was scared. I’m not scared anymore,” I promise her.
She grins widely. “I need the room with the largest closet.”
“Done. Now, let’s get ready for work.”
“Fine,” she complains, taking a bite of pancake, swallowing with slight disgust on her face before abandoning the tray and getting ready for the day.
I hold Ladybird’s hand through the park as we head to our office building. I notice some odd looks the entire way.
“What the fuck is everyone’s problem?” Ladybird asks as we walk by the lake.
As soon as we make it into the city, the gawking only gets worse. I’m mostly just wondering if it’s probably just shock with our relationship being out in the open. Not only is Ladybird my employee, but she has a bit of a reputation in the community.
When a male cupid looks me up and down with disgust, Ladybird actually loses it.
“What’s your deal, asshole?” she asks the man, getting in his face.
“Really? You haven’t seen the Love Report?” the cupid says, holding up the trashy magazine.
“Oh great, what did that hack Harmony come up with now?” Ladybird asks, snatching the magazine from his hand.
As soon as I read the headline, I know it wasn’t good news. But as I read on, all I feel is my stomach churning in regret.
“Seriously, what are you all? A bunch of teenage Earthlings reading a gossip rag? Grow the fuck up. In fact, I saw you.” Ladybird points to a cupid. “Sucking some reaper’s dick at the event last night. And you were canoodling with a nymph,” Ladybird yells, pointing at another cupid. “You know what the issue is with all you cupids, you’re a bunch of ungrateful, pretentious, whiny cu?—”
I hold a hand over her mouth. “Not here,” I whisper in her ear as she tugs my hand away furiously. Her anger only rising over my stupid action of trying to quiet her.
“Cunts! You’re a bunch of cunts,” she shouts down the street, her heels clicking along the cobblestones as she heads the opposite way of our office.
“Birdie, where are you going?”
“To give Harmony a piece of my fucking mind.” She seethes.
“It’s just an article.”
She turns, her hair wildly blowing in the breeze as she pushes her glasses up her nose. “No, it’s not just an article. It’s defamation foremost, and second, what if Gloom read it? What if he reads it and thinks he’s less than because some bitch of a cupid who’s looking to sell papers?”
I look down at the magazine clutched in Ladybird’s fist.
“It’s about me. Harmony has it out for me. She doesn’t really care about Gloom.”
Ladybird pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. “He’s sensitive, Cupio. He’s sweet and funny, and charming. But beyond it all, he’s just as insecure and stupid as we are. I’m not about to let this bitch ruin what we finally have.”
I look down at her, realizing that she’s right and how passive I’ve been at my job lately, just letting everyone walk over me because it’s easier.
