Page 32 of My Summer Girl

My soul screams that she’s right and I can’t choose myself.

“What does that even mean?”

“Means that everyone who leaves finds their way back. It’s a human notion, the giving up and running from problems. As Cupids, we experience their emotions tenfold, we dive into their existence and end up presenting like they do. So, you’ll be back. When you come back, we’ll chat again. See what little life you experienced.”

“What about my charges?” I question, thinking of all the people who depend on my touch for their success with love. Am I failing them by leaving?

She raises another brow, grabbing her magical clipboard, writing whatever she planned on writing before sighing. “That’s no longer your problem. Just remember, once you walk out of those doors, you’ll no longer have access to the Cupid Travel System and you’ll be unable to teleport.”

“Then how am I supposed to come back?”

She lets out an unamused chuckle. “You and I both know the answer to this. We went to the academy together, Dulce. You’re going to tell me you don’t know the falling protocol?”

“My parents.” I nearly choke on my answer. She nods once, stiffly, unfazed.

“They’ll be notified of your choice to abandon your post, and they won’t be happy. You’ll be the first Amor to ever walk away.”

I swallow harshly, wondering if this is truly what I want or if leaving is the biggest mistake of my life.

“What if I don’t come back?” I dare ask before standing. Her face twists in a knowing smirk. She sidesteps the desk, leaning in front of it.

Her hair is in two high space buns, green with little purple star barrettes. Amusement glows in her eyes. “If you somehow decide that being who you were born to be isn’t what you want, you’ll eventually lose your connection to the Love Hub. That call to help others find love, it’ll disappear. You’ll eventually lose your magic too.”

I gulp, my throat suddenly feeling like it’s swollen. “I want to find love.”

Paloma crosses her arms. “First your sister, then your brother, and now you. Maybe the Amors aren’t meant to be Cupids. I’ve heard that some Cupids don’t succeed their ancestors and all fall, but I didn’t think it’d be your lineage.”

“Or maybe it’s Cupids who have it wrong?” I parry, thinking of my heart. Why do we not get love? Vex and I could make something of our lives. Maybe we’re meant to be, and Cupids just don’t realize the Fates helps us too.

“The rules are there for a reason,” she tacks on while tapping her arm.

Rubbing my forehead, I let out an overwhelmed exhale. “Maybe the rules need to be broken and changed.”

“Love isn’t for us. It’s simple.”

Vex will argue that, right? They felt it too at the club when we shared our bodies with each other, right? There’s something there. Not just the bond we’ve just fostered, but more. We’re a part of each other, tethered. The draw to them isn’t a one-off and quick decision.

My chest aches with the acknowledgment that Loma could be right. Why did these rules exist, and why can no one give me a point blank answer?

I push the chair I’d been sitting in back, the sound of it scraping the floor the only sound filling the silence. “It was nice...” I begin and then shake my head. “See you around, Loma.”

She doesn’t say a word as I wordlessly walk to my old desk. It’s pretty vacant. No pictures, no cute fixtures, or any type of items that would define this space as mine. Just my coat, my coffee mug that Xó got me, and what’s left of my sanity.

Ten feet away, my twin stands. Her mauve gaze is one that dissects me, as if she knows my thoughts better than I do.

“What’s going on? Didn’t your shift just start?” Her eyes scan the room, stopping at Xóchi’s empty desk. Almost as if it clicks, accusation meets me. “Not you too.”

The words are a knife, slicing through me with intent. I bite my lip, not wanting to say what’s needed, because she would never understand.

We are twins, but unlike what others thought, we’re far from the same person. “Di,” I start, feeling the moisture of my palms as they sweat.

“You can’t leave me.” While her face seems stoic and composed, her words are sewn together with such sadness. We never did anything separate. Hades, we’ve even fucked the same people when hooking up in the past. We’ve dated the same people in the past too, but Vex being with my sister will never happen. The thought of it makes me physically ill.

Once upon a time, we threw ourselves into that concept that twins do everything together, and for once, I want that notion gone.

“I’m not leaving you, Di. You’re my sister. My twin,” I enunciate the last bit, knowing she’s going to take this to heart.

She shakes her head, gripping her chest as if her heart aches. “We are different to them. You and I are the same.”

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