- Thank you for the covers

Damon

Unless I'm hunting down nasties, you will never see me driving around parts of town with sunglasses on. For one, I hunt at night. That way, people wouldn't freak out if I shot a handsome man casually talking to a girl to a nearby hotel. And glasses at night would make me look stupid.

But when I saw a familiar car, with the same green-eyed lover boy occasionally dropping by our apartment to visit Catherine, I just had to see who I'm up against. Know the enemy, they say. I'm not stalking; simply observing the competition. He's not one of the nasties, but he has the aura of someone who preys on innocent women, which is basically the same thing.

When he turned his car to the corner where Catherine and I had our close encounter with some of those soul-suckers, I just knew something was up. Now why would a man in a black suit be on a block full of bars and underground strip clubs? (I'm a changed man, don't give me that look.)

I parked my car a couple of lampposts away and waited patiently as he got out of his Porsche, phone in hand.

"What are you doing in place like this?" I murmured. He took a look around before crossing the street and straight to the establishment of an old friend of mine. A really old friend of mine, if I might add.

Now I haven't talked to the owner of the establishment ever since he got me a succubus for my twenty first birthday; since a normal female was a great failure for a first run. The ladies I've been with must have thought I had some kinky obsession about blindfolding them during the whole process. I can't just tell them 'Well I just might literally suck the soul out of you.' can I? That would freak them out without me even trying to explain it. So we went on our separate ways with them thinking I'm a kinky bastard.

I tried to casually make my way across the street. This place looks so different at night; aside from the sky turning dark, obviously. Right now, everything was quiet and only a few folks were walking on the street. I scanned the area one more time before walking to the back of the building Robert just got in.

If someone found out who the owner really was, they'd laugh at his face. Well he doesn't like being called Cupid anymore. He's just like my father. A universal entity acknowledged by history, myths and religions. Different names and appearances but will stay for eternity in the face of the planet. Now why you ask, is a man who's responsible for bringing the nerd and the popular kid in school together, doing in a place like this?

You see, everybody has an interpretation in Love, just as much there are many explanations about Death.

Love isn't necessarily a boy-meets-girl kind of thing. I don't know what made people think that it's mainly about meeting someone. I mean the general idea is there.

Meeting someone; whether for the first time or the last.

There's also another definition of Love, the kind of definition you give when you're asked about it on English Class and secretly Google so you look like you know your shit or you can tell a story about a father holding his kid for the first time and get all the girls in the room admiring you for being sentimental. This love thing that gets people going crazy, lack sleep and focus actually has different stages. Love would be meeting someone, getting attached; admitting that you finally have something or someone you can tolerate and hopefully, still have the feeling after thirty or so years later.

And right now, Cupid's investing his money on businesses that give most people temporary happiness; clubs, restaurants, theme parks, dating agencies. I can tell you, the guy's everywhere. 'Love doesn't pay the taxes and employees, kid.' Would be his reply when I asked about why a guy like him who was depicted as a child in a diaper got himself involved in something that might possibly produce a child nine months later.

People can't seem to grasp the meaning of love and mistake it for something so sudden, yet so temporary. And overtime, people start to see it that way and accept it as it is;

Temporary.

Cupid, I mean Val, only exist because people feel love, just as much as humans experience death.

He doesn't go pointing arrows at someone, unless he wanted to get in prison for almost killing a guy in a coffee shop. His job was to make everything seem coincidental.

Take that guy in a coffee shop for an example. Let's just say he was having a crappy day, going to work at seven in the morning, on a weekend. Then he passes a guy drinking coffee (which happens to be Val). Then that guy would think that 'Hey, caffeine is just what I need.' Only then would he meet the cute barista who would eventually spend Valentine's Day eating popcorn and watching all the episodes of Game of Thrones with. A simple action that could change a man's life.

And I've been avoiding Val for a very long time. After a number of failed dates, he gave up. There's just no hope for me, no one can tolerate me. The women I've hooked up with always demanded for my time, which I was not willing to give. Of course not until now. Maybe Mitch was right. Maybe women did do crazy voodoo. And maybe Val's hocus focus just doesn't apply to me.

I slowly opened the door and quietly shut it behind me, hoping that no one would notice me coming in during this time of day.

"Well look who's here."

I turned around just to see Val coming out of his office. He preferred being away from the noise of the club.

"How's it going?" I said rather casually, trying not to make myself look embarrassed. He chuckled and gave me a grin as he nudged his head towards the front of the establishment.

"Don't act cute on me. Let's have a drink, for old time's sake."

I had no choice but to follow him. I can't go and just question him on where the competition was. It was bad enough being teased at work, being teased by cupid would be the worst.

He got over to the bar and made me a drink. I was about to take a sip when thunder boomed from outside. Sighing, I put the shot down.

"Man does it suck working for the big Guy."

"You get used to it." I smiled as an image of a girl in a yellow dress crossed my mind.

He didn't seem to notice this and moved to sit on the next stool. "What brought you here?"

I pretended on focusing on my drink as I cleared my throat. "Saw nasties lurking around during broad daylight. Thought I'd take a look around."

He raised an eyebrow and regarded me with a look. "You know I got things under control here. I call some reapers when the nasties make the wrong move."

"Oh," I nodded. "So...I must have mistaken the guy that just got here, the one in a suit, as one."

He grinned before standing up. "You mean Robert?"

I pretended to look surprised and took a look around the empty room. "Is that his name?"

"Yeah," I can't tell if he was being suspicious as he said this. "he supplies me with great wine. He co-owns one of my restaurants. Good man. Works hard for what he earns. His girlfriend's lucky."

I nodded but turned to look at him when I heard the last remark. "Girlfriend?"

Val nodded as he took in the expression of my face. Whatever expression it was, he found it amusing. "Kept mentioning about this lady that got him reconsidering about waiting for a few more years to get married. Can't blame him. From the way he described her, she's almost perfect."

"She is perfect." It was too late to take back what I said, when Val frowned.

"Do you know Robert? Or the lady he's talking about?"

I tried thinking of a valid answer and just blurted it out. "A man who considers getting married during a really early stage is either crazy, or just stupidly in love." And in this case, Robert's stupid.

Crazy stupid.

"Since when did you start reading Val's Manual in Falling in Love?" he replied in a mocking tone.

"Since when did love have a manual?" I fired back. He applauded and nodded his head in approval.

"Same rules kid. I make people meet. The rest is up to them. Robert's a nice fellow. He'll get the girl." He said with confidence. I smirked and got up, making my way to the front doors.

I stepped out of the club and found out that his car was not where he parked it. I needed to get to Catherine. Cupid might endorse Robert but that doesn't mean anything.

I make people meet. The rest is up to them. Robert's a nice fellow. He'll get the girl

Frowning, I stared at my keys. "I don't think so."

Catherine

"You're wearing clothes." I rubbed my eyes just to make sure that the guy wearing a shirt and pants was the same guy I've been living with for glob knows when.

We were supposed to have the usual banter about him having the music too loud and me complaining too much.

"It isn't that loud." would always be his reason. I don't know but I think he should get his ears checked. Maybe all the noise from living in The Garage for over fourteen years turned him into this.

"It's cold." He shrugged, as if him being decently clothed in his turf was completely normal. I wish I wasn't making a big deal out of it. The guy's wearing clothes. What's so weird about that, right?

No no no. You don't understand. He doesn't wear a shirt and pants inside the apartment. Moreover, in the kitchen. It's like his special place inside the apartment.

I opened one of the cupboards to get myself a glass. The moment I reached up, an arm passed over my head and presented me with one.

"I can do it myself. I'm not that short, but okay. Thank you." he all but smiled at me and continued flipping the pancakes.

Something's wrong here.

Walking towards him, I stopped just behind him, the scent of him reaching my nostrils. Slowly moving my hands towards the ends of his sweatshirt, I quickly lifted it. He was shocked and almost didn't catch the pancake when he flipped it in mid-air.

"Whoaw there, bonbon." He chuckled and turned off the stove to face a very confused me.

"You're not covering wounds." He laughed a little and poked my nose.

"No I am not." He tried making himself look serious but was failing miserably.

"You're wearing clothes." I repeated as I stared at his grey sweatshirt.

"Because it's cold." He shrugged. "Besides, you might not live till thirty if you keep seeing me half-naked every morning." I frowned and walked towards our kitchen table.

Sometimes I wish my brain wasn't this dead whenever I woke up every morning.

"But I like seeing you half-naked in the morning." I whispered.

Of all the times I reminded him to get his feet off the table when watching TV he chooses this time to react while I'm whispering. He gave me a wide grin and pushed the plate with a stack of pancakes in front of me.

"Better say that out loud, bonbon."

"I..." I can feel my face heating up. "I like seeing you baking in the morning."

He leaned towards me and looked me in the eye. It was about a minute before he decided that my face was a perfect shade of red before straightening up, stretching his arms. "Whatever you say."

I glared at him and tried focusing on my pancakes instead. I thought I was spared now that he's fully-clothed. I looked just in time as he used the spatula as a makeshift microphone.

"Now, every moment's a day. Every day seems a lifetime. Let me show you the way. To a joy beyond compare."

Glob, I thought I only found guys in suits attractive. Turns out I was wrong.

And right now?

I laughed as his voice broke.

I like being wrong.