Cupid's Contract

Petal Pusher

He wasn't in his usual sharp suit. Though whether that was usual at all, Eve didn't really know. She had only met him twice now, though he had seemed very at home in his tailored clothes.

No, he was wearing a loose black t-shirt and black chinos, with a black serving apron around his waist and his hands filled with empty glasses. He was dressed for pub work, with a sheen of sweat on his face and his cheeks extra rosy, and if it wasn't for his Irish brogue as he called out to her, she would've thought she was mistaken.

"Eve! Hallo, lovely!" He slapped the glasses down on the counter and beamed at her, the twinkle sharper than ever in his bright eyes. "Fancy seeing you here!"

Eve wasn't sure what to say, so stunned at his altered appearance, that she just gaped blankly at him.

"Alright, mate, I'm Des. Have you been served?" Cupid was talking to Carlos now, and calling himself Des, and blowing her mind.

"Yeah, good, thanks. These are ours. You comin', Eve?" Carlos was looking down at her, glancing over at "Des", and then back at her, like someone watching an intense rally at Wimbledon. In his hands he held two more pints, two more glasses on the counter.

Eve cleared her throat, and reached for the two remaining glasses. "I'll follow you over in a minute, just have a quick chat with Des, its been so long!" She tried to inject enthusiasm into her voice but it came out wooden and hollow. She was too busy wondering why he was here, pretending to be Des and interfering.

For a moment she wondered if he had come to release her from the contract. Maybe Carlos was her soulmate, and he was hear to set her free. The thought made her heart plummet.

Cupid led her away from the crowd at the bar, smiling brightly.

"Des? Really?" That was her first question, though she didn't know why. She hadn't seen Cupid in ages, and had missed his guidance, though his random texts certainly kept her busy.

"Its short for Desire. Cheesy, I know, but its hard to shut down a conversation when you tell someone your name is Cupid. Though my ears were burning, you two brought it up enough. Did you miss me that much, love?"

"But what are you doing here? Do gods even need part time jobs?"

"This isn't a job, sweetheart. I'm just helping out a friend, and I knew I'd run into you here, so two birds one arrow, eh? Or would you prefer I drop by unannounced and take you to lunch again?" He smiled cheekily, and chucked her under the chin. Her hands were full, and she was unable to protest as he laughed at her surprise.

She scowled at him. "I never turn down a free lunch, I guess. But that isn't the point. What are you doing here?"

"Settle down, little one. I'm just popping over to say hello, tell you 'good work' and check the general morale of my consort. You seem to be getting along fine, three matches so far, and one on the way. Not too shabby, really!"

Eve scoffed at him. "It hasn't been as hard as I thought, I don't know why you can't do it yourself. I could do without the gym classes but otherwise, I'm surviving. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to know that I've done it right though, when I don't know all the matches."

"How so, petal?" He leaned down and pushed her hair behind her ears, his breath warm on her cheeks. She could see the sweat on his brow, and was surprised that immortals could sweat.

"Well, I can see Daniel and Laura, and Veronica and Luke, but I doubt I'll ever meet Suresh again, and Dr. Carroll and Molly aren't going to text me about their dating life, are they?" The glasses were getting slippery in her hands, the condensation delightfully cool in the heat.

"Well, Suresh is very happy and I can confirm that Dr. Carroll is now on the right path, thanks to you. That one is a slow burner, but all the good ones are."

Unable to help herself, Eve smiled. The little she knew of her mother's boss was all lovely, and it made her happy to think that she might have played a part in his potential fulfilment.

"Listen, Evie, I've got to head inside. My shifts up and there's a red head who deserves my attention. I'll be in touch," he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. He pulled back, but remained bent over and eye level, peering into her eyes, and smiled widely. Then he turned and skipped off, light on his feet as he wove through the crowd. 

***

I promised you some Cupid, didn't I?

Another double update, since you've all been so sweet! I'm almost in the top 100 in Chicklit! Ahhhhh!!!!

This is seriously major for me.

I hope you know how much I appreciate each and every one of you.

Love. Love. Love.