Cupidity

12 - If You Just Smile

Northlake had won; we actually beat the Eastridge Lions. There were twenty seconds of the last quarter when our sophomore quarterback touched the end zone.

I could have kissed Eros out of happiness, but I didn't. I gave him a tight hug out of excitement in which he gave me a small smile, probably out of excitement.

Smiles looked good on his face, made him even more handsome.

Eros, Kyle, Audra, and I then headed to my favorite after game diner.

It was a little tradition for Ellie and I to go to Ruby's every Friday game night, but this Friday she just so happened to be out of town.

I was a regular there for almost eighteen years now and now I would make my newest friends (and Eros) regulars.

We arrived at the diner just past ten o 'clock at night and headed out the car, Eros even opened my side of the car's door.

"Welcome to food paradise," I say, walking into my own heaven and inhaling the smell of the delicious food Ruby's husband Dennis cooks.

I lead the way to a corner booth and Ruby made her way over, Ruby was a kind lady in her late fifty's. Her husband and her had opened the diner in 1985 with a couple hundred dollars and desire for people's happiness.

"Good evening, sweetheart," she says before glancing over at Eros beside me, "double date huh, they still do those these days?"

My mouth goes ajar and before I can correct the misunderstanding she starts talking to Eros.

"A handsome boy like you should know how to treat a young lady, you better treat her well. I've known her since she wet her nappers, don't think I won't come after ya with a fryin' pan if you hurt my little girl's heart," she says protectively to Eros.

He gives her a smile. "I'd never hurt her."

She then gives a kind smile back and gets everybody's drink order.

"You didn't have to lie, you could have just told her we're not on a double date," I say the moment she walks into the kitchen.

Eros gives me a small smile, his lips separating, and then closing once again when Kyle's mouth opens.

"So, where do you go to school at?" Kyle asks, staring not at Eros but at me.

Eros doesn't respond for a minute but then says, "I'm homeschooled, or rather was. I'll be starting school at Northlake on Monday."

Yeah, he'll be starting school at Northlak-

"What?" I blurt out.

"As his fling, you don't even know?" Kyle asks playfully, then continues without an answer, "You guys must be really serious..."

I smack Kyle and Audra let's a laugh out.

"I was at your school the other day because I was registering, I happened to see Orion in the hall so I pulled her in the closest room I could find to try and tell her, but then somebody interrupted," he says nonchalantly, taking a sip of the float that had just arrived on the table.

Eros was going to be going to my school; he was going to go to my school.

Dear lord, please help me.

* * *

We had left the diner at a quarter before midnight and now Eros and I stood on my houses front porch, I clenching on my cardigan for warmth.

"You're going to be going to Northlake?" I ask slowly.

"Yes, Orion. I will be attending Northlake," he says just as slow.

I want to ask why, and why, and why.

He answers my question without me asking, "Thought it would make mentoring easier, now I can monitor you and so on."

And to think it was because he wanted to be around me more often... He simply just wanted to make sure I didn't start any catfights or ruin Cupid's reputation.

I then say nothing, no sarcastic remark. We stood silent for a small second before I spoke my recent thoughts.

"Have you ever thought about smiling more often?" I blurt out randomly.

He gives me a confused look.

"I mean you look a lot more han-," I begin just to correct myself, "Happier when you smile and shouldn't you focus more on your happiness. I mean your job is to create others happiness and shouldn't you have the opportunity to be happy as well?"

He gives me deathly silence again before opening his mouth. "And who's to say I'm not happy? I'm perfectly content with making others achieve happiness and I have nobody to smile for. If I smile that won't make others happy or accomplish my job, what benefit does that make on society and-"

"Smile for me then, it makes me happy when you smile," I say in almost a whisper, interrupting his statement.

He was so concerned about others happiness that he had forgotten about his, for him to actually believe his happiness wouldn't affect others was idiotic. He was an idiot in ways and I wanted to help show him the light in tunnels and such. He may know a thing or two in matchmaking but I knew a thing or two in happiness, and he wasn't necessarily happy.

He doesn't retort a response about how dumb my line was; instead, he gives me a million dollar smile. He gives a real pure and genuine smile.