Page 49 of Incurably Cupid

Leo sighed. “I don’t know. I could run some numbers on scenarios, but let's be real, that won't help.” He projected a girl elf around my age opposite me on the other bed. We laid down facing one another. When the girl spoke, it was with Leo's voice. “I say, go with your heart.”

I groaned. "You know this is creepy, right?"

The elf grinned, then sobered. “Indie, I trust your instincts. I trust your skills as a cupid. And most of all, I trust your heart. If all three are pointing in the same direction, you already know what to do.”

I exhaled, shifting to my back, the city lights spilling through the cracked window. “That’s the thing—they’re not in agreement.”

“Aren’t they?” the elf/Leo asked.

I frowned. “What's that supposed to mean?"

“I think if they're not in sync yet... they will be soon.”

I stared up at the ceiling, my chest tight, uncertainty pressing down like a weight.

“I hope you’re right,” I whispered.

Leo’s voice softened. “I usually am. Sleep well, love.”

“Night, Leo.”

Chapter 17

Indie

“Love is compassionate.”

Cupid Inc. New Recruit Training Manual

Iwoke up reluctantly the next morning and lingered in bed, not really wanting to face the day.

Tonight was the Phoenix’s singles night event.

I’d wrestled with my thoughts well into the morning, and only in the last few hours had I managed to get any sleep.

The new recruit tenets for the cupid manual kept going through my mind. Love was supposed to be patient, kind, and unselfish... After thinking about that all night, I’d come to the conclusion that if I was really falling for Mesmer—which I was—I had to be unselfish. I had to give him the opportunity to have what I couldn’t give him.

I was not one of Mesmer’s soulmates, but someone in this town was, and I just had to hope that she showed up tonight to give Mesmer the chance to meet her.

If it went like every other soulmate meeting, there would be an instant connection between them, a pull neither of them could deny, and a strong desire to get to know each other better.

Love didn’t force someone.

As I got ready, I kept repeating the manual in my mind like a mantra, willing myself to find the strength to get through tonight.

I was fairly certain now—I was falling in love with Mesmer. He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfect for me. He laughed at my acidity, saw through my barbs, appreciated my intelligence, and never once made me feel ridiculous for my pink hair and wings. I was a cupid—I could sense attraction, and I knew he was drawn to me. But what Mesmer was beginning to feel for me was much more complicated than attraction. It felt a lot like love.

Leo was humming while trying to hack into the Italian government’s files. Just an average morning for my sentient best friend.

“Cracked it yet?” I called from in front of the bathroom mirror, drying my hair and wings.

“Hmm? Oh, of course. I was in within moments. No, I’m building a search algorithm to sift through their files faster.”

I laughed, rolling my eyes. “Of course you are. Please don’t lead the Italian government back to my door.”

He scoffed. “As if they could catch me.”

Smiling, I shook my head, lathering on some mint-scented lotion before I flipped off the light. “If you weren’t good, you would be very, very bad.”

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