"Huh?" Genevieve gaped at Ada, unable to comprehend her words.
"You heard me the first time." Ada rolled her eyes. "I am a cupid. Read my lips. Cuuuupid."
"No way." Genevieve took in Ada's appearance. She looked like a regular kid save for the big cute eyes; nothing... cupidy at all
"Yes way." Ada nodded in earnest. "You know the god of love and whatnot? Yeah. That's us only we are kinda angels of love. Big difference. And we hardly grow, that explains my..."
Genevieve tuned her out, chuckling. "Such a weird day. Cupids do not exist."
"One is right in front of you and you deny our existence." The girl huffed and scowled. "That's pretty rude."
"Rude?" Genevieve's chuckle turned into crazed laughter. "Something broke in my mind." She tugged at her braids. "I'm sure of it. I shouldn't be seeing what others can't see."
"Well, about that..."
Genevieve's gaze snapped to Ada. "What are you not telling me?"
She winced and offered an awkward smile. "The cake."
Last night! Genevieve straightened as she recalled how odd she had felt after eating the cake. Oh my God, the cake messed with my head.
"What did you do?"
Rubbing the back of her neck, Ada looked everywhere but at Genevieve. "No need to panic, okay? It's a normal procedure. No side effects. For a human to be able to see us, certain steps must be taken. The cake. Your slip and fall. All that led to you seeing me. I wish there was another way to go about it but the Highbrows are yet to come up with something less crude. The fall triggered a..."
Genevieve stared at the bathroom floor as she recalled her fall. The angle had been all wrong. "Is this..." Searching for the right word, Genevieve frowned. "... am I crazy?"
"No, no, no. You're not crazy." Ada's eyes grew wide as she waved her hands in denial. "I am really a cupid and you are my thirteenth match."
"And you expect me to believe that?" Standing, Genevieve marched out of the bathroom. She needed to breathe—to hold on to something real. Where was Lisa?
Ada wouldn't let her be. She trailed after Genevieve, following her back into her bedroom. "I don't care if you believe me or not. I am desperate; this is my last chance. You don't understand. I can't afford to fail again. I..."
Genevieve turned and was surprised to see a subdued-looking Ada. "Please, I beg you." Ada sniffed and clamped her hands in a pleading stance. "Just... please, help me." Fat drops of tears raced down her cheeks as her lips wobbled.
For some unknown reason, warm sympathy flooded Genevieve's heart.
Unknown reason? Inner sarcastic Genevieve chuffed. Look at those wide teary eyes. She's insanely adorable. You want to hug and comfort her, don't you?
"Nope." Genevieve chuckled.
"Y-you think this is funny?" Ada asked amid hiccups.
"No," Genevieve looked away, feeling cornered.
"Yes, you do. I'm talking about my job—my life, and you are chuckling. If I don't get your match right, Luke may take me to his division or something s-sadder. He said the Helmets should drop me." Ada was full-on bawling now, complete with loud snorting and a scrunched-up face. "The worst p-part is t-the uncertainty...not knowing what drop means."
"Okay. I'll—"
What are you doing?
I don't know, Genevieve shot back. All she knew was the sight of Ada's tears was beginning to distress her. "Let me take a quick shower first, clear my mind. I will be right back. You can stop crying now."
"T-thank you." Ada walked to the corner of the room and sat on the carpeted ground like a dejected pile of sadness.
What have I gotten myself into?
After a quick shower and pep talk in front of the mirror, Genevieve strolled out of the bathroom with a black nightshirt on. Yep, her night had already begun by four in the afternoon.
Ada was still seated in the corner with her forehead resting on her knees.
Should I sit on the bed or...?
Genevieve looked around her room, contemplating what to do. She had always been good with kids; how hard could a cupid kid be? Was Ada even a kid? Finally, Genevieve settled next to the girl.
"I'm ready to listen." And eat. Genevieve was starving. Had she eaten today? Hmmm...what to eat, what to eat? Why was nothing coming to mind?
"...are you even listening?"
Genevieve snapped out of her thoughts. It looked like Ada had started talking at the same moment she zoned out. She was tearing up again.
"Aw, sorry. I got distracted for a sec. What were you saying?"
Ada took a deep breath. "You are my thirteenth match."
"You've said that before. What does that mean?" Genevieve itched to grab her phone and check—God! Her attention span was in shambles. She forced her rambling mind to focus on Ada. She needed to find out if she was plain crazy or caught in some supernatural once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
"Some humans need extra help to sustain a successful romantic relationship. Without cupids helping here and there, they may never end up with the right partner."
"Wait...what?" Genevieve grew confused and super curious at the same time.
"It's a cupid's job to make sure these unique matches work out. You are my latest assignment, probably my last." The corners of Ada's lips drooped.
"What do you mean last. And...and I do not need help in keeping a romantic relationship. Pfft." What nonsense. Genevieve scoffed.
"Yes, you need our help a whole lot. I've read your file." Ada grew serious and started counting her fingers. "You have a 3.09% ability to keep a romantic relationship going. You've had six boyfriends and the longest lasting one was three months. You get easily bored so commitment is—"
"How do you know all that about me? And who told you I needed help in sustaining a successful romantic relationship." She mimicked Ada's voice. The kid's analysis was infuriatingly spot-on; even Genevieve hadn't been able to paint her issues with such clear terms.
"You mumbled a prayer once. I think..." Ada pulled out a coin-sized pendant attached to a necklace and tapped the middle. Blue hologram squares forming a semi-circle appeared above the object.
Genevieve stared, slack-jawed, as the kid swept each square aside, brow scrunched in concentration. Genevieve no longer cared about reasoning whatever this was, it was getting way too fascinating to keep fighting its rationality.
"Gotcha." Ada tapped a floating audio sign.
"I just want a cool person that'd love me as I am—someone who wouldn't mind my crazies and baggage."
"Recognise that voice?" Ada asked with a knowing grin.
Yes, Genevieve did. That was her voice. "H-how?"
"Yeah, I know." Ada laughed. "It's the prayer you think might not reach the ceiling that blasts right through. So, here I am"—the girl tucked the pendant behind her dungaree and gestured to herself—"an answer to your prayer."
Dazed and strangely excited, Genevieve eagerly asked, "So, do I have a match now?"
Ada nodded with a broad grin.
"Who is he? Do I know him? Have we met? Does he like sleeping with the lights on?" The questions rushed out at the same pace they came to mind. "Tell me."
"Slow down. And sleeping with the lights on. Really?" Chuckling, Ada reached for the pendant once more. "I've got his picture here somewhere. Wanna see?"
Oh my God. Yas. Of course, I want to see him. "Ahem," Genevieve cleared her throat and gave a passive nod. "Sure, why not?"
Was it just Genevieve, or was there a smirk on Ada's lips? Genevieve cocked her head and warily watched as Ada repeated the same search process with the hologram.
When an image popped up, Genevieve drew back, a sour taste spreading at the back of her mouth. "What's this?" She would have laughed if it was funny.
"His name is Raymond Dominic. I believe you've met. Oh!" Ada slapped her forehead as though she just recalled something vital. "He's your boss, right?"
"This is a joke, right?" Genevieve's gaze swung from the kid's face to the picture of her former boss. Even now, she still saw him with imaginary horns.
Ada shook her head. "Nope. 98.9% match is no joke. What you guys have here is cupid gold, and I am determined to make it work."
________________________________________________________________________________
Poor Genevieve.
The next chapter is in Sir Grumpy Pants AKA former boss's POV. Haha
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Do point out errors if you see any.
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