Worst Cupid Ever

Sweet Tooth Boss

Ada settled on the armrest of Genevieve's seat and huffed. "Look at him." She sucked her teeth and shook her head. "The poor man is working himself to the bone."

Genevieve grunted and bit into her bar of chocolate. Through the curtain of her eyelashes, she had watched Raymond set up a mini office mere minutes after the seatbelt sign went off. First his MacBook, then a tidy stack of papers, a steel thermos, and three neatly lined protein bars.

It was her nature to be friendly. Offer the first smile, say a joke, or give a compliment. But this morning when she woke up, a thought broke the dam for a hundred others to come rushing in.

Why are you doing this?

You are supposed to be wooed; not the other way round.

Stop being friendly. The dude doesn't deserve you.

Then inner optimistic Genevieve countered logical I-am-always-right Genevieve.

You and Raymond are meant to be. What other sign do you need? An actual cupid is your wingman.

Wingman?

You know what I mean.

Fine, so what? Ada says she sucks at cupiding anyway. This may be a waste of time.

Just give it a shot. You have nothing to lose. Look, you didn't even have to pay for your flight tickets. Things are falling in place for a reason. Stop struggling. Go with the flow. Have a blast.

I see heartbreak in the future, inner logical Genevieve warned. Be half-hearted. Look out for yourself before it's too late.

All the while Genevieve prepared to head out, her thoughts had ping-ponged. Then there was that other chastising voice that went on about how she never really stuck to anything because she lacked drive, and the debacle with her mum the other day. Her mind was a mess. She did not breathe a word about her misgivings to Ada. It would be sad to infect the cupid with her sudden crushing self-doubt.

Since the week before the trip, Ada had been a joy to be around. She had gone on and on about the first rules of a budding romance. Complete classroom experience; this time with a virtual board, and a bespectacled Ada holding a pointer and pointing at well... points.

Each class had been fascinating, not because Genevieve could remember half of what Ada taught, nope. It was the cupid Genevieve found thoroughly entertaining. The absolute seriousness with which she took her task. Lessons on stages of love, how to put your best most attractive self forward. Genevieve found it all a bit mechanical but kept her opinion to herself. She had nodded where she was expected to, and even asked one or two questions to Ada's delight.

Now that she was in a jet, heading to their first destination, Genevieve just wanted to enjoy the trip. Seeing Raymond's laser focus as he shifted through papers, typed away, and took sips from his thermos, she couldn't summon the strength to go about interrupting all that to 'cultivate a budding romance'.

"Offer your help," Ada said.

Rolling her eyes, Genevieve unlocked her phone and typed a reply in her notes app. Nope.

"Come on. This is a nine-hour flight. You'd be bored out of your mind if you don't make some interaction. This is your chance to apply the tips I taught you in my lessons."

Shaking her head, Genevieve typed another reply. I brought a chess board. We could play. They had played chess a few times in the past. All Ada needed to do was to point at where she wanted her pieces to be and Genevieve helped her out. The cupid was very good at the game, an interesting opponent.