Worst Cupid Ever

Butterfly

The urge to grab Genevieve by the waist and pull her to his side rose so fast in Raymond—like some suppressed troglodyte part of him shaking awake. No way. He wasn't one of those men who lost their mind when their partner breathed in another man's direction.

"Hey, Ray!" Genevieve waved him over, her beaming smile still in place. She hugged Raymond's arm. "This is Chima," she gestured at him. "Chima, meet Ray, my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Chima's brow climbed up.

It took herculean self-control not to flash a smug grin. Raymond offered a handshake instead. "Hey, man."

"Wow," Chima said to Genevieve as he shook Raymond's hand. "Unlike the others, you shocked me with this one."

Frowning, Genevieve swatted Chima's arm. "Don't be annoying."

Releasing Raymond's hand, Chima raised both hands in surrender. "Just kidding."

Returning his focus to Raymond, he offered a smile that seemed genuine. "Thanks for tagging along. I tried to convince her not to risk it but she was stubborn. Let's go meet the camp head."

One hour after their arrival, Raymond refused to consider how the next 24 hours would be. From the sleeping arrangement, feeding and the restroom. Nope; he wouldn't think too deeply about those. Soon, he would be back in Lagos, on the job and in control.

The other volunteers and staff were friendly and bright but it was a struggle to mirror their enthusiasm.

Falling back, Raymond trailed after Genevieve and the others. She was immersed in the experience, asking a million questions, waving and distributing smiles. The only thing she lacked to be an excellent politician like her mum was showmanship and a certain level of coldness.

Where did she get this boundless energy? He was dying for a bath in a proper bathroom, not what he was shown a while back. This was exhausting.

"How long have you two been together?"

Raymond glanced Chima's way. He hadn't even noticed when the man fell in step with him.

It was on the tip of Raymond's tongue to retort, 'None of your business.' What was it about this man that evoked pettiness in Raymond? "We're recent."

"Did Genevieve tell you we dated?"

It was useless to be pissed at the revelation. Raymond and Genevieve only started dating the day before. There would be lots of opportunities in the future for her to tell him about this I'm-in-love-with-my-ex dude. But why did she introduce Chima as a best friend, not an ex? And she came to this place to see him. Maybe there was something—no! It was too early to begin to think that. "She didn't. How long were you guys together?"

Chima fixed his attention on Genevieve. The way his eyes softened was seriously beginning to piss Raymond off. "Genevieve is like a butterfly—hardly one to put down roots and go a long way. We didn't even last up to three months."

How rich coming from a guy who globe-trotted. And would he repeat those same words to Genevieve's face? "That must have sucked."

Chima shrugged. "Nah, I never feel bad about it. None of her boyfriends lasted more than three months." He glanced at Raymond and offered a sympathetic smile. "Not that I'm saying you guys wouldn't last. But..."

If Raymond hadn't caught that besotted look in his eyes whenever he looked at Genevieve, he may have taken his opinion seriously. But he saw through his game and he'll be a fool to allow himself to be manipulated.

Raymond forced a smile. "Don't worry about us. I'm a stable kind of guy. When I asked Genevieve to be with me, I wasn't thinking about butterflies and three months."

Not bothering to wait for a response, Raymond walked ahead. When would this blasted tour end?

***

"You should look at the bright side," Teddy said as he took Ada's hand in his and squeezed. "Things are working out with your assignment. This is what you've always wanted."

"Yeah, I should do that," Ada mumbled. After the earthquake in the Helmets' conference room, Ada searched for Haruto and wasn't surprised when she couldn't find him. She was left with two options: hang around Genevieve and wait for Haruto to show up, or go to the gazebo and wallow in this feeling of being the lowest of organisms—the worst of friends.

"Why don't you go to Genevieve? Look," Teddy showed her the projected screen from her logger. It was a graph showing the couple's growth. "Do you see that? Their love would soon awaken if they continued at their current pace. Wouldn't you want to be around to witness that?"

"Haruto is going to appear at a hearing because of me. The last time there was a hearing was over two hundred years ago." Ada buried her fingers in her curls. "I've ruined things for him. I gave him an attention he did not need. He looked so broken, Teddy. I don't know how to mend this."

"Nah, it can't be that bad," Teddy said as he collapsed the logger screen.

"You sound like this because you weren't there. The way Luke was with Haruto..." Ada shivered as she recalled it. It was strange to see a Helmet act like that towards a cupid. What was his problem? "I exposed Haruto to something so toxic."

"Well, technically, the Helmets were the ones who did. Your intentions were pure."

"Pure intentions or not, things have escalated." Ada wrung her fingers, mind going a mile a minute. How could she fix this?

"Just let the Helmets handle things." Teddy sighed. "I don't know what more to say to make you feel better."

They sat in silence. That Teddy was here was enough comfort. Talking about it helped as well.

Talking about it...

An idea brushed Ada's mind. Frowning, she sat straighter. Maybe there was a way. "Teddy?"

"What?"

"I just got a wild idea."

Teddy groaned and cupped his forehead. "Why do I dislike the sound of that already?"

"No, really." Ada stood, her heart thundering with excitement. "This idea is excellent, nothing risky."

Teddy faced Ada fully, expression resolute as if he were ready to receive a death sentence. "Tell me."

"How about I send a message up?"

"A message up?"

"Yup." Hands akimbo,  Ada nodded with a confident smile. "I'll send a message to the One Up High."

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This chapter is just a little over a thousand words. I think it's the shortest chapter I've ever posted here. Not too sure though. 

Anyhoo, vote and comment. All the love. 💕💕💕