Page 20 of Matchmaking With Cupid

"Why do you still do it?" I picked up my wine and swirled it around the glass. "You've had a long time to figure out if you wanted to do something else."

"Because I enjoy it," he admitted. "At first it was a little annoying, especially because I was too young and had no idea how it felt to fall in love. But after that first time, it was different."

"Who was the first person you loved?" I asked.

"A woman in Rome. She was the daughter of a soldier." He smiled at the memory, but there was a sad note to it, likely because he was remembering someone who was long gone. "It never really went anywhere, she was married off by her father, but after that, I understood better."

"There's nothing like the power of a first crush," I agreed. "Mine was a boy called Dylan. He gave me an eraser in the shape of a heart when we were about thirteen or so. And then my first crush on a girl was Valerie. She was in the year above me and a bit of a rebel. In hindsight, she wasn't really my type, but it was so strong."

"Like being struck by an arrow?" he joked.

I laughed. "Something like that. So I have to ask, do you really do that?"

"I'm a champion archer," he responded. "But the most I can actually do with my arrows is to dip them in a love potion, they won't do anything other than hurt if you got hit by one."

"Oh yes,justget hurt by a deadly weapon."

He shrugged. "Most people know better than to get in the way of an arrow, particularly when around someone who is a good shot."

The food arrived before we could continue our conversation, the smell of the fruity sauce making my mouth water. Cupid leaned back and let the waiter set his plate down in front of him, while I did the same.

"This looks great," I said.

"It does," Cupid responded.

I sliced into the duck and took a bite, almost letting out a groan from how good it was. "This is way better than anything I could make."

"I bet that's not the case."

"Maybe you'll find out sometime." I bit my lip and tried not to think too much about how that might come about.

"I'll take it as a good sign that you're thinking about another date before we've even finished our first." He ate some more of his duck while he waited for me to respond.

"I don't tend to date without purpose," I responded. "I tried to have something casual a few times, but it never really worked."

"Mmm, I know what you mean. I'd say I'm too old for it, but the reality is that I rarely had flings even when I was younger."

"I'm not sure I believe that. You're a handsome love god, I'm sure there have been plenty of people falling at your feet over the years." I stabbed one of the little carrots on my fork and popped it into my mouth, the explosion of sweetness almost too intense.

"There have been, but I didn't take many of them up on the offer. It's not that I've never taken anyone up on it ever, there have been times when I've been lonely, but it's never very satisfying."

"I'm surprised."

He chuckled. "Clearly you've heard rumours about the love gods and what they get up to."

"I've heard whispers," I responded. "There's a lot of talk around the office."

"Interesting." He set his cutlery down. "And expected. You can't be around gods and not have questions."

I chuckled. "Sometimes, I think being around gods just gives me more to ask. But you seem...normal."

"I am trying to be," he pointed out. "I have a job, I want to own a cat."

I raised an eyebrow. "A cat?"

"I've been meaning to get a new cat for a while, but I never make the time to go and get one," he admitted. "I love cats. There was a stray who was my first friend. He used to follow me around the temples when I was a boy."

"What was his name?"

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