"Becca." Cammy sat opposite her friend, their knees touching. She grabbed her hands and held them. They were cold and trembling. Becca, as far as Cammy could tell, was shaking like a leaf: most likely from the thought of breaking up with Reggie. Okay, definitely from the thought of breaking up with Reggie.

Cammy couldn't tell how she knew it, but she knew it. Every pore, every bone, every muscle in her body felt it, Becca's feelings. Mixed up and roiled. In love with Reggie, but afraid of Cammy, or more so, of hurting her.

"You've liked Reggie for as long as I have, haven't you?" Cammy asked, knowing full well it was the truth. It was right there in bold in the file. The red file named, 'Reggie Eugene Garcia 🖤Rebecca Madeline Miller, 2021-2026' in beautiful, gold, cursive writing.

Cammy had found the said file in her bag that morning. A bag that had mysteriously materialised beside the bin where she'd been hurling. Whether Mr Sultan, some other fairies, or angels put it there, Cammy didn't know and hadn't cared. But she'd seen the file when she'd reached for her wallet inside to purchase the darn muffins—so good!

It was with some difficulty she had managed not to react to the file's existence and paid for her food. Only to excuse herself to the bathroom as the bell went for recess, whereupon she sat on the seat and had devoured the dossier. Every moment either of the two teens had noticed the other, every conversation they had started bravely, every effort they had made to not appear too obvious, well documented. And it was then that Cammy had realised her friend liked Reggie more than she could ever say. They had a history, a friendship that had bloomed into something more meaningful, and it all happened before Reggie ever came to the same high school. Ever became Cammy's crush.

Cammy hadn't seen Reggie first. In fact, she hadn't seen Reggie at all. Not the way Becca did.

A sense of guilt flooded Cammy then, as she held onto her friend's hand. She had been a terribly selfish friend, a friend who hadn't noticed at all that she was the one coveting someone else's love, not the other way around.

Becca's hands got clammier the longer Cammy held it in silence. "I'll do it after school, I think. Maybe, I'll ask him to walk home with me..."

Perhaps this is another Cupid-power, the ability to feel her target's feelings. Cammy thought ruefully, for she could indeed feel her stomach drop sickly. She could feel the torrent of tears Becca was fighting.

Target. That word burned in Cammy's mind. Becca, the vibrant young woman sitting opposite her in her too-pink-a-room, wasn't her friend right now. She was a target. A case. A woman who deserved all the love, whose time had come for the fluttering of one's first love. And all that stood in between her and her happiness—love-bound for five to six years—was Cammy the Cupid. What was she doing in this human picture?

I'm supposed to be her best friend. I'm not just a Cupid right now. I'm her best friend. Cammy pushed back the selfish thoughts. This had nothing to do with her, did it? After all, Reggie was into Becca as much as Becca was into him. There was no space nor any need for her to be in that picture.

I'm her friend. Cammy squared her shoulder and pulled in a long breath. I'm her friend and I can do this.

"You've liked Reggie for as long as you can remember. Say it, Bec. It's okay." Cammy urged, part of her heart blooming at the thought of setting Becca's heart free, guilt-free, but her own selfish heart rumbled in protest, hurt. Hurt not because Becca was to get Reggie, but because there was no such love, no such guy in sight for her.

What about me? Do I ever get love? Will I ever get love? Are Cupids even supposed to fall in love? Her stupid, hurt heart cried, refusing to look at her own love-bound parents as an example. They didn't count. They were old, they're... my parents... as if that was an excuse to be bratty.

No. Focus on Becca! She ordered herself. This is not about you! It never was.

"Tell me how he makes you feel?" Cammy asked quietly. "Tell me that your heart flutters when you see him? That your breath hitches in your throat at his words? That your stomach lets loose a bevvy of butterflies at his touch?"

That you cannot imagine life without him—love-bound for five to six years...

"That you can't imagine life right now without him?" she added in a hush.

Cammy was following the protocol from How to be a conscientious and thoughtful Modern-day Kamdev/Cupid. Volume I.

Lesson 21:

In a scenario where the Cupid has the privilege of direct interaction with their mark or marks within a human setting, start by creating a friendly, safe and welcoming environment. It will put the mark at ease and allow them to be free in their desire, speech and confessions. Then facilitate the conversation using the following questions designed to help you decipher your next course of action.

Part of her was surprised that she could remember her training at a time like this. That she could remember the slew of field questions she was to ask of their target, questions designed to help clarify the target's emotions, their thoughts, their feelings so that they could conclude themselves about their feelings for their intended. If a Cupid could make the reluctant target see their true feelings, acknowledge their truth, oft-times than not, the Cupid never even had to resort to spell work, or shoot them in the heart with an arrow with their intended's name on it.

Cammy hoped she didn't have to resort to loosing an arrow at Becca, or Reggie. She was hoping just this chat alone would help Becca let go of her fears.

"Bec?"

Becca nodded, shifting her weight nervously upon the bed.

"It's me, Becca." Cammy urged. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Becca nodded. "I know." Her voice, raspy with nerves. "I..."

"Play it cool, Cam. Urge her more." Her dad's voice from below floated in as if he thought he was helping. He wasn't.

Cammy shook her head—parents—wishing telepathy was a thing so she could tell them to mind their own business right now. "It will never feel real until you say it. Admit it to yourself. The rest of the world doesn't matter, babe. Right now, only you—and Reggie—do."

Becca nodded again. "I do like him, Kamila. I've liked him since his family moved into our street ten years ago." A stray tear slipped from her eye. "He's the first guy I ever liked. And I can't believe he likes me too."

Ten years? Cammy tried to keep a straight face, as straight a face as one could keep with such a surprising confession. "I thought you two were just friends..." she had not meant to spill those words from her lips, not in that shocked tone.

Becca sat up alert then, slipping her hands out of Cammy's grip. "I... I..."

Lesson number 55 burned neon in Cammy's head.

Gain their trust. At no point is the Cupid to lead the target to self-doubt. Self-doubts are hard to deseed and can lead to a failed coupling. In cases of irreversible failure to bond targets, if a Cupid is found to have been negligent in their conduct by the Internal Review Board, the Cupid will have his/her wings stripped off.

Or, as Mr Sultan had explained, it was code for becoming a human. A frail, mortal human, earthbound, and destined to die; destined to forget they ever were powerful celestial beings; destined to forget all that they had ever known, including other Cupids.

Cammy couldn't stand the thought of forgetting her folks. Becoming human was not an option. However, in the language and eye of Mr Sultan, Cammy was "failing rather spectacularly" at her task. Though lucky for her, he wasn't sitting around watching it. Not this time. But such a sight would have surely sent Agent 777 spiralling into another chaotic panic.

"All I meant is..." Cammy started in a hurry before that seed of doubt took root in Becca's mind, and she stopped trusting her with this conversation. Stopped feeling safe with her own friend. "I mean... why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I did." Becca let out a dry laugh. "When Reggie had first come to our school, but you were too wrapped up in your world to listen..."

This was as true a sentence as any. Cammy had indeed ignored Becca that day, three years ago, when the poor girl had replied, "That is Reggie Garcia. He lives on my street. Isn't he cute?" in response to Cammy's mouth-agape question of 'Holy smokes, who's the new hottie?'

'Isn't he cute?', had obviously been a girl-speak for, 'I love him'.

For all intents and purposes, Cammy couldn't recall the event.

"You had?"

Rebecca Madeline Miller, her best friend and first Cupid-target, nodded ruefully. "You just never listened."

Cammy felt a gut punch then. What kind of horrible friend did that?

"I'm so sorry, Becca. I'm so sorry!" Cammy flung herself onto her friend, hugging the thing as tightly as possible without obviously strangling the poor kid with her super Cupid strength.

Cammy felt a tap on her arm and Becca gurgling nearby her ear.

"Cam? Cammy? I can't breathe!"

Cammy let go of her friend. Both young faces tear-streaked.

"What do you eat?" Becca rubbed at her throat, near-crushed on Cammy's clavicle.

Cammy cringed guiltily. Oops. "Sorry, didn't realise if I squeezed hard enough, you'd cry." She wiped the tears from Becca's face and they burst out laughing.

"But in all seriousness, Becca. You can't break up with Reggie. Not for me. This has nothing to do with me." Cammy held her friend's hands again. Lovingly this time. "You gotta give Reggie a chance. Love doesn't always come by so easily."

"Are you sure?"

Am I sure? Cammy stared at her friend's tear-streaked, worried face for a moment. A face she'd hate to see hurt. Yeah, she was sure. As sure as the fact that from today onwards, she would not see Reggie Garcia the same way ever again.

"Are you kidding me? I want you to be happy, babe. And Reggie makes you happy. I couldn't ask for more... or maybe, I could. If he has a cute cousin or something, maybe you two can set me up with him?" Cammy winked as her tummy rumbled loudly in hunger-protest just as the 'dinner's ready, girls' call came from downstairs, this time, loud enough for human ears.

Becca quickly gave Cammy a hug and a kiss and jumped off the bed. "Amma need you to give me one of your pyjamas. We still have so much to talk about." She grinned by the door, holding out her hand for Cammy to take. "Oh, and what if Reggie has no cute cousins?"

"I guess I'll just have to make do with whoever I get." Cammy chuckled, joining her friend.

"What if he doesn't have cousins at all?" Becca quipped, laughter spilling out of her.

As the girls made their way downstairs, all was right with their world once again. Or as well as it could get.

"I don't know if I'm ready for you-know-what," Becca was saying in a hush, watching her steps.

"Sex?" Cammy blurted.

And just like that, Cammy's mind had gone straight to the 'S' word again.

"What? No? OMG, Cammy, get your mind out of the gutter!" Becca nearly missed the next step. "He asked me to be his date for his sister's wedding. It's like a four hours' drive so they're travelling the night before and he asked me to join his family, and share a room with his baby sis."

The look of shock on Becca's face was priceless. So was the colour rouge across Cammy's heated face.

"I was going to ask you what you think? Should I say yes? I mean, I've heard bringing a date to a wedding is a pretty serious move, no?"

Perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn't. Who knew? Certainly, Cammy didn't. But what better way to get these two to become love-bound.

Lesson 32:

All Cupids should try to foster a situation where the targets are forced to spend time together. In fact, we encourage you to orchestrate such situations vehemently. In troublesome cases, Cupids may seek help from other willing human participants. Colluding with family members and friends of targets to facilitate meetings is highly recommended.

"I think you should go. It'll be fun, and who knows. If Reggie has that cousin who needs a date, maybe I can come along, for moral support?" Cammy kidded, though she meant the part about possibly tagging along for 'support'. Perhaps she may still do it if she could master her cloaking spell in time for the wedding. "When is it?"

"Couple of weeks."

"Couple of weeks?" Damn. That wasn't nearly as much time as Cammy thought she may need.

"Do you have a dress yet?" she asked conversationally as they sat down at the dining table. The delicious smell of her dad's famous lasagna wafting in the air from the kitchen.

Her dad, in a floral apron sporting daisies, thick oven mitts on his hand, and a large dish of food in his grip, came out of the kitchen smiling. "Hope you girls are hungry!"

Cammy's tummy grumbled impatiently. Yeah, she could definitely eat.

WC: 2292           TWC: 17, 469

[A/N: Okay, I think I am nearing the end of this tale for the ONC. I should have about 2-3 more chapter (max 4 more) before I end this. I am potentially going to expand it later on, but not sure. So if you have any suggestions, or things you would love to see happen, please drop in a word. I'll try my best to bring them forth. :)

Thank you for sticking with me this far... let's see if we can get to the end!

P.s. Do you think Cammy will find someone at this wedding for her own? 😀 ]