“At the mixer?”
I need to stop forgetting about that. “Oh. Yes, I guess I’ll be there.”
My hand hovers above the doorknob as I take another look at her. Her brown eyes latch onto mine and everything in me pushes against leaving. But I must, because this is my job now.
True love isn’t real, at least not for me and the Saturns who came before me. Plus, this woman drives me crazy.
“I gotta go,” I say.
“Get home safe,” she says, her voice soft as she opens the door for me.
“You actually can be nice,” I say. It breaks some of the tension. The fire in her demeanor returns.
“I’m polite. There’s a difference.” She fights back a smile and then shuts the door in my face.
As I walk home with the cool, fall air caressing my face, I feel…different. Moyo’s the most confusing person. And that was a trainwreck of a meeting. Nothing like I imagined, but it was fun in spite of the tension. This is the most stimulated, awake, and alive I’ve felt since beforeCupid’s Bow…maybe ever.
Do I feel this way because of my increasingly malfunctioning powers? Nothing can or will happen between us, but damn, it feels good. For the first time in forever, I feel good, and I want that to continue, despite common sense saying it’s an anomaly. I don’t know if Moyo’ll do the coaching program, because I think she hates me now, but a selfish part of me hopes she does.
9Moyo
I’M IN DEEP-FOCUS MODE AS I TYPE MY CONCLUDING NOTESfrom Danaya’s final assessment session, with only the blue light from an archaic hospital computer to see by. For a hospital of this size,we should have better equipment. Then a notification startles me:10 minutes toCupid’s Bowmixer.
Shit.
I’m in a flurry, begging the old beast to shut down while putting sensitive documents in their rightful places. I rush to my car, still in my scrubs, and attempt to make it to a place twenty minutes away in five flat.
When I arrive seventeen minutes late, playing it cool while sneaking into the back of the hall, Mercury—who somehow looks better in person—spots me from the stage.
“And that’s our final guest! The festivities can begin! Remember, eat, drink, get to know one another. Your soulmate might be in this room,” they boom, and their voice reaches every corner of the packed room. They make a beeline to me, and all eyes turn to us. I want to shrink myself.
“Dr. Adegbite! It’s lovely to meet you in person.” Mercury smiles and graciously extends a hand.
I take it, scared of what the owners of those staring eyes will do to me if I don’t.
“Same here,” I say with a fake smile. “And please, it’s Moyo.”
Attention isn’t foreign to me—a big, curvy, beautiful, Black woman—but I’m uncomfortable when it’s not the attention I expect, and I don’t look my best. My pink scrubs are cozy, but they’re not the right outfit for this crowd. I wish I’d been in the mood to dress up today.
“Sorry I’m late. You didn’t have to wait for me,” I say quietly.
“Excuse me?” Mercury says, not hearing me over the chatter.
I’m about to repeat myself when another voice enters the conversation.
“Moyo, may I talk to you for a moment?” a steady, low-pitched voice says from above my head, and my body recognizes it before I do, sending a chill down my spine. Niyi.
I turn to face him, lifting my eyes to his face. I take in his set jaw and furrowed brows. Unsure of the reason for his presence, I tilt my head to the side and Niyi’s eyes track to the empty section of the room, revealing no specifics.
Guess I’ll see what he wants.
After excusing myself, Niyi and I walk to the back of the room, where it’s much quieter.
“You’re welcome,” he says smugly.
My head whips so fast it almost falls off. “Excuse you?”
“I saved you from Merc. You’re welcome,” he repeats, leaning against the wall with a dramatic sigh and a stupid smile on his face. Niyi’s casualness makes me do a double take. I came over because he looked worried. Not the other way around.
