Cammy lingered by the buffet table, trying not to eye the spread. It'd look odd to the guests if there was a floating plate being loaded with food. Becca and Reggie had just joined the line headed her way. So far, the evening was going swimmingly. The bride and groom had made an entry. Few speeches had gone well, including Reggie's, where he'd welcomed all family and friends who had made it—while his gaze stayed on Becca. His special guest. It had made Becca feel seen, and she'd blushed; even giggled into Reggie's arms when he'd sat back down in his seat next to her. Becca was falling in love. Cammy could see it.

"So, the next hour is going to be a drag because all they'll be doing is stuffing their face." Matias popped back by her side. He'd disappeared somewhere for the past hour, and Cammy had been focusing on Becca to care.

"Where have you been?" she asked, barely peeking up at him. Okay, it hadn't entirely escaped her attention that he'd gone missing.

He'd grinned. That mischievous twinkle in his eyes nearly matched the one Enzo had had. "Picking up a few toys! How about, for the next hour, while they eat, we have a bit of fun too?" He'd winked again, and those darn butterflies fluttered against her stomach.

"I can't. I'm on duty."

Matias's warm breath had tickled her neck as he leaned in. "Doesn't mean we can't have fun? Besides, they gave us this." He held up two vials of shimmering silver liquid that looked almost like glitter, but finer.

"What is that?" Cammy grabbed one vial and swished it. The silvery liquid moved inside with some viscosity.

"A-little-bit-of-love."

"A little bit of love?"

"Ever wondered why so many hookups happen at weddings? Why, even the unlikeliest of people end up on a very sweet, but very short love fests at one of these things? Where the saying love is in the air, came from?"

Cammy shook her head. This was the first wedding she'd been to, so no, she did not know why many hookups happened at weddings. "Cause it's a romantic time in a couple's life and other people get carried away in that feeling?"

"Almost." Matias nodded. "It doesn't happen on its own though." He pulled the top from the vial in his hand and poured out what was fine powder in his palm.

He turned to Cammy and said, "Watch this," before he blew the content of his palm towards the line of people at the buffet. The shimmering dust flew by, past several of the guests, enveloping them in its cloud.

Suddenly, what Cammy saw in front of her was astounding. Guests who were previously and quietly lined up started noticing one another; smiles started creeping up on their face; words of hello and how-do-you-dos started rolling out of previously hushed lips. Hands shook, cheeks blushed, and occasionally, one could see the twinkle of attraction in some of their eyes.

"Oh, my god. Did you just?"

"Orders from above, love." Matias winked at her. "How else will a wedding feel romantic at all if not a dusting of love?"

"Orders from above?" Cammy gaped at him. Had Matias just visited heaven? Could they do that? Just walk in?

"And they say, have fun."

"But, but what if we accidentally couple them with this?"

"Relax, love. This isn't a designated arrow. They call this 'a little bit of love' for a reason. It just causes some harmless flirting, and where there is already some chemistry, might push them to spend an evening together, but that's about it. Where do you think one-night-stands originated initially?" Matias had laughed, pouring more of the dust into his palm and blowing it towards the closest group of tables.

"Why?" It was a silly question, but Cammy couldn't help it as she glanced at the queue. A man and a woman, who were strangers a moment ago, were walking shoulder-to-shoulder back to her table; together.

"Why what?" Matias had asked.

"Well, why force them to have—" the words stuck in her throat for a moment before she finally uttered them, "one-night stands? I mean, isn't our whole deal—that we make them fall in love, forever?"

"Forever is relative. It's not a rule we made. Some forever last mere moments, some last till death do us part." Matias returned to her with a smile and pulled her all the way to the empty dance floor. From the middle of the room, they had a good vantage point of the whole gathering. "What do you see?"

"People."

"No, fish. You see fish."

Cammy didn't even want to ask what that meant. She was sure the come-again look on her face had done the asking for her. And she was right.

Matias chuckled. "As in fish in the sea! There are plenty of them. Humans don't do the whole love-at-first-sight thing anymore, few do anyway. They've become jaded. Their own fault, really. They created a society where they doubt everything and everyone, including their own feelings."

He stood behind Cammy, holding her shoulders with his warm hands. Though their bodies didn't touch, he was a hair's breadth away, his heat radiating into hers. Warming her to her core. His face loomed near hers, almost cheek to cheek, that if Cammy turned, her lips would land on his, and oh, how Cammy wanted to turn then.

"They won't know real love if it hit them in the face these days. Glutton for punishment, they are. They want to think that their past experiences will equip them to decipher their one true love when it comes along. These silly humans actually crave a heart break or two before they want to settle. So, that it feels 'real'. And this is the easiest and fastest way to give them what they want. This or clubs. Have their terrible-yet-desired experiences out of the way so that when we send the real deal their way, they do not ruin it."

Matias took a breath and rested his chin on Cammy's shoulder. His eyes roving over the fish that were gathered. "They want to feel wanted without strings attached—and this is how we do it. We sprinkle some fairy dust."

He rose, absolutely unaware of what he'd just done to the poor girl before him. Cammy Kamdev was lost in her own world, pretending she was here with Matias as his date. That they too were falling in love.

Perhaps the dust will work on him?

Cammy shook her head, trying to dislodge that silly idea out of her head.

When she looked up at him, he nudged his head towards a couple walking their way. Becca and Reggie. "Have some fun, Cammy. Sprinkle a little bit of love, babe."

"I'll meet you back here in an hour." With a grin, the guy had bounded off towards many more fish, blowing a little bit of love onto the unsuspecting crowd like he was a fairy god-damn-mother!

Cammy groaned inwardly and uncorked her own vial of love dust. She may as well have some fun. Besides, it was not like she had anyone to hang out with, what with her in her cupid form. Her wings folded up, brushing the floor with their tips. No one could see her, and she definitely didn't want to be that nigelated cupid in the corner who had no one, and nothing to do.

She strolled around the hall, taking the opposite side to where Matias had jaunted off. A bit of dust in her palm being blown at people now and then. When she came upon Becca and Reggie, chatting quietly, her mum's words echoed in her mind.

"If need be, we want you to do what you must, to help Becca push over that fear, honey. And this wedding trip is the perfect time for it."

Standing right behind them, a mere arm's length away, Cammy poured some of the dust onto her palm and blew it at the two. Her parents were right. She only had three months to go. Three months to prove that she was a worthy Cupid. Three months to make sure she retains her memories. It was time Cammy faced the fact that she was not a normal teen—or at least, not a normal human teen. It was time she accepted she was different. It was time she accepted herself fully. She was a Cupid, and there was nothing more to it.

And if she could help it, she was going to be a good one, and not because her last name was a Kamdev either. She was going to prove everyone wrong, that this little birdie was no longer a nervous, clumsy, wreck who doubted everything and anything she got. As Matias had said, it was a human trait, and she was not a human, after all.

Cammy looked at the two, oblivious to the dust surrounding them. She grinned at herself, for she had remembered something else her mum had said.

She stepped closer to them, and leaned in, her head floating right between the two of theirs. She looked at Reggie to the right—unable to remember why she had liked him for so long.

"Reggie Garcia," Cammy mumbled, unable to answer her own question. Looking at him this close, she had thought maybe some lingering emotions would surface, but there was nothing. Just a calm ocean. Good. Cammy smiled.

"Reggie Garcia, tonight, you are going to tell Becca she is your girlfriend. You're going to get down on your knees if you have to and profess your love for her. And you're gonna do it before the stroke of midnight. Do you hear me?"

She could swear for a moment Reggie had looked at her.

Cammy shook that notion away. He couldn't possibly see her. She was in her Cupid form, and humans couldn't see her unless she wanted them to. And she didn't want them to.

She turned to her best friend, to her left next. Becca was glowing, and Cammy couldn't help but utter, "And you. You are going to say the L-word tonight, Bec. Before this night is over. You are going to tell Reggie you love him. No more holding back. Don't make me shoot an arrow at you! I do not want to hurt you, but I will if it's for your own good, you hear me?"

Someone chuckled behind her and nearly made her butthead Becca.

It was Matias. "Oh, remind me never to get on your bad side. I'd hate to be shot at by you."

Cammy's mouth fell open. "Oh, my god, he didn't? I'm gonna kill Aziz!"

Matias, still laughing, said, "Relax, Cammy. Aziz didn't tell me anything. I have eyes of my own."

"You've been spying on me?"

"Not exactly what I'd call it." The smile died on his face. "Had to scope out my future partner, didn't I? Especially when I found out she's a Kamdev."

There was definitely something Matias wasn't telling Cammy.

"For the case, I mean," he added nervously. "So how goes your coupling?"

"Why? Are you not satisfied that I'm a terrible Cupid and you have no competition from me?" Cammy glared at him, standing to her full height. Not very impressive when the guy was a whole head taller.

"It's going fine. Why don't you go sprinkle some love or something elsewhere? I don't need a laughing audience!" she spat.

She turned to her friend, hot with anger and ordered rashly, "Go take a way by the beach or something you two!" Not that they could hear...

A moment later, Becca dropped her napkin on the table and smiled at Reggie, a nice little blush colouring her cheeks. "You wanna go for a walk on the beach? Just for a bit?"

Reggie, without another word, had whisked Becca away, and Cammy followed, eager to get away from laughing-Matias, surprised that Becca had maybe heard her. Somehow. Good! At least someone was listening.

WC: 2010               TWC: 25, 313

[A/N: Ah, we are getting to the pointy end of things here. Next up, hopefully, the last chapter. As this is a novella, I'm trying to tie up some of the loose ends, but there are arcs in this that obviously won't be completely closed off because I am leaving some of the threads open for an extension after the ONC is done. I hope you've loved this story so far, as much as I have. I can't wait to see what you think of it all when it's done. ❤

Wish Cammy and me some luck!  May she succeed in her assignment and may I finish this off well. 😉]