Playing Cupid

by SC Alban

  A light bulb illuminated in my mind. Wait a minute…

  “Sure, that’d be great. I’m busy the next couple of days, but how about the thirty-first? I have nothing that day and can meet you at The Hot Spot around ten, if that works,” I suggested, a plan formulating in my brain.

  His eyes sparkled. My stomach fluttered in response.

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  The silence in the barn became deafening. Certain he would hear the frantic beating of my heart, I cleared my throat. He quickly leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me in a quick but tight hug. It felt strong and warm and safe as he squeezed my body. I froze, not knowing what to do with my arms.

  My heart leapt forward at the sudden embrace. If he hadn’t heard its thumping before, I was sure he could feel it now as it threatened to burst from my chest. Slowly, I melted into him, my arms sliding around his back as I returned the hug. I closed my eyes. This was…different. Nice.

  After a few more seconds, his arms loosened, and he pulled back. I raised my shoulders and crossed my arms in front of me, trying to hold onto the feeling for a bit longer.

  “Megan.” His voice was low, soft. It pulled me in closer.

  I looked up and met his gaze. The blood in my veins boiled as it flowed through my body, making the barn feel like a greenhouse, not the near freezer it was during the colder months.

  His eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite place, though seeing it made my insides feel squishy. What did it mean? I took a half-step forward and tilted my chin up until our faces were just inches from each other. What was he trying to tell me? His brow furrowed and he straightened, the emotion that filled his eyes slipping away as if through a sieve.

  “I…I should go. See you later?”

  I snapped back from my dreamy haze. Well, that was a shift. What was that about? No matter, there’d be plenty of time to figure it out when Amadeo and I were hunting down his match over the next couple of days.

  “Uh, yeah…definitely.” I nodded my head and smiled.

  He stuffed his hands deep into his pockets and ran through the snow to his truck parked at the end of the drive. Climbing into the cab, he closed the door and started the engine. Within a minute, he had pulled away and disappeared around the bend. When the truck was no longer in sight, I turned back to the barn. Amadeo had reappeared on the bench where he’d been sitting just before Jay had arrived.

  “Did you hear that? Am I a genius or what? Who said I can’t deliver?” I asked, excitement rising in my voice. Amadeo’s eyes twinkled.

  “Of course I heard. It was amazing. Megan, I’m so happy for—”

  “Now we know exactly where he’ll be in a few days. Perfect for setting up his match. I know it doesn’t give us much time, but if we start now, we’ll find the right girl for him before the deadline. We’ll set it up, get the two in the coffee shop, and…bam! A serious homerun. You’ll reach your quota just in time.”

  Amadeo brought his hand to his forehead, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, and closed his eyes.

  “What? What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked, worried I’d made another unspoken cupid-error. Darn all those rules.

  He took a deep breath.

  “Nothing. It’s nothing.” He rubbed the heels of his hands in his eyes before letting his fingers trail down his face. “Let’s just go. Like you said, we don’t have much time.”

  “I know, right? Man, if this is going to work, I’m really going to have to put some thought into this.” I chewed on my lip.

  “But whoever will you find? Who could possibly be a love match for Jay?” he said in a zombie-like tone.

  “What’s wrong with you?” I asked. “I thought you’d be stoked we’re making such great progress. This will get you what you want.”

  “One step forward, two hundred steps back,” he mumbled.

  Wow. The poor guy must be really stressed.

  “C’mon, let’s go,” I said, ignoring his obvious mood. “I know just the place to start looking. Let’s see who we can find today.”

  Thirty minutes later, we headed into town, a sense of renewal reenergizing me. Even Amadeo’s strangely lackluster behavior couldn’t bring me down.

  As we journeyed along the winding road to town, I was sure nothing was going to spoil my mood as I anticipated the two things I knew were about to happen. One, I would find the perfect match for Jay. And two, my obligation as Deputy Cupid would finally come to a successful end.

  Chapter Fifteen

  We pulled into the town square, and after fifteen exceptionally long minutes, we finally found a parking space. As was the norm for just after the holidays, downtown was bustling with people exchanging gifts and spending their Christmas cash. Not much of a shopper myself, I had always kept my distance from the crowds. Now, I found myself right smack-dab in the middle of the madness. However, if wading amongst the crowds meant an opportunity to find Jay the perfect match, I would happily do so. I led Amadeo to a small clothing boutique some girls from school had just entered.

  As we followed them in, I pretended to browse a rack of new arrivals, giving him a chance to check the options out. With him fully invisible, I had to guess where he was standing next to me.

  “Well?” I prompted, whispering over my left shoulder.

  “Any one of them will do,” he said with disinterest, his voice coming from my right side.

  “What do you mean, ‘Any one of them will do?’” I snapped my head to the other shoulder, shocked. “I thought these things were a delicate matter, that you had to find a good match, that your track record was on the line? What happened to the integrity of love? What happened to the toaster?”

  The girls chittered over the store’s music track of overplayed radio pop. I recognized one of them as Kelly Bower, captain of the junior varsity swim team, and my interest piqued. Maybe another athlete would be suitable.

  “Whatever.” His voice was void of emotion. “How about the blonde one?”

  “Kelly Bower?” I asked, my skin suddenly prickling at his suggestion. Forget that I’d just considered it seconds before. Hearing it out loud now made it seem ridiculous. “You’ve got to be kidding. She’s so shallow. Which is ironic, since she’s on the swim team.” I laughed at my own joke. “Plus, she’s like fifteen years old. Isn’t she too immature for Jay? No, he needs someone a little older. Someone who’s mature enough to understand what he’s going through.”

  “I’m not sure it makes much difference,” he stated. “She’s cute and athletic. Right there, two things they have in common.”

  A nagging feeling poked at my side. So what if they had a couple things in common; it was hardly the basis for a strong relationship.

  “Amadeo, what’s wrong with you? Seriously. This doesn’t sound like you at all. Are you feeling all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied. “I just can’t figure out what the big deal is. She seems nice enough.”

  I shook my head. “No. Not Kelly. And I’m not discussing this any further. Come on. Let’s go down to the bowling alley. Tons of kids hang out there.”

  “Oh, so now you’re the expert? Who died and made you cupid?” He huffed.

  “Um, you did, remember?” I snapped.

  “Okay, fine,” he sighed again.

  A gust of wind blew my hair back as we exited the store. Man, it was exceptionally chilly outside. I was bundled up in my warmest coat, scarf, gloves, and knitted beanie, but despite my best attempts to stay warm, my insides were icy. I would’ve much preferred to be inside next to a roaring fire, but a promise was a promise; I was going to complete this mission if it was the last thing I did. I crossed my fingers and hoped for some speedy matchmaking.

  Cold weather never stopped the residents of Mountain Valley from enjoying a good, old-fashioned winter day, and I had trouble crossing the square without running into someone I knew. My heart flipped—in excitement?—about finding the right match. My stomach had oth
er ideas. It twisted at the same thought. I pursed my lips and tried to convince it to be more enthusiastic. No such luck. I rubbed it a bit to release the knotted-up tension. Amadeo bumped against me as he walked close by.

  “Anything wrong?” I heard him ask over the music piped through the square.

  “No, no.” I pulled my hand away and crossed my arms as I walked. “Everything’s fine. Why?”

  “You look like you’re gonna be sick.”

  I tightened my arms around myself. “No. I’m good. Everything’s good.”

  “Hmph. If you say so.”

  He didn’t sound convinced. I shoved my hands into my pockets and tucked my chin deeper into my scarf. With my eyes half-closed against the frosty air, I quickly led the way to the bowling alley.

  “I do say so, thank you very much. But you…” I prodded once more. “Are you sure you’re alright? You’re acting a bit strange. I mean, you basically told me that the first girl we saw was good enough. You aren’t getting sick, are you? You have been away from home for a long time, and maybe your love instinct, or whatever it is, isn’t at its full cupid strength.”

  He released an exasperated breath.

  “My love meter is perfect, thank you very much,” he replied with an edge of what sounded like frustration. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong. I’m not sick and I’m not injured,” he said, quickly adding, “Well, not any more injured than I already am because of the—”

  “Oh my God,” I yelled a little too loudly. A couple of women headed into the nail salon craned their necks as they stopped to stare. I offered a smile and a wave before lowering my voice. “Not this again. I thought we were past this. I cannot believe you’re still bringing it up. It was one little, tiny bump.”

  “Well, you asked,” he replied. “I was simply answering your question. I wouldn’t want to be rude or anything.”

  “I’m sorry I asked,” I snapped. “Let’s just go to the bowling alley. It’s only another block. Come on.”

  Double Decker Lanes was almost at full capacity. No surprise, considering the outdoor temperature was dropping by the hour. I walked down to the last two lanes where a bunch of kids from the drama club were laughing and messing around. Amadeo followed close behind me. I tripped as he gave me a flat tire.

  “Will you be careful?” I hissed. “You’re gonna make me fall.”

  “Boy, you sure are touchy today.”

  I was touchy? I forced myself to appear relaxed. My jaw shook at the effort. Just as we were so close to completing his mission, I found myself wanting to strangle him. Could he be more annoying? I reached deep into my emotional well and pulled up some patience.

  “Do you notice anyone of particular interest? Are you picking up on anything?” I asked in a strained voice.

  “Oh, bowling! I’ve always wanted to sneak a closer peek as to what happens to those pins at the end.” His voice was filled with the first bit of excitement I’d heard from him all day.

  “Amadeo. Focus,” I said sternly. “We’re here for one reason and one reason only.”

  “Megan, c’mon, let’s bowl,” he begged.

  “We can’t go bowling, Amadeo,” I flared, throwing up my hands in frustration, then bringing them down quickly when the attendant looked my way with a strange expression on her face. “You can’t be seen in this place. Have you lost your mind? Won’t people be suspicious if a bowling ball throws itself down the lane?”

  “I know that, but you could rent a lane and do the bowling, and I’ll check out what happens to those balls after they knock down the pins.”

  “Oh my God, we don’t have time for this. Seriously, we have work to do.” I tapped my foot.

  “It won’t take long.”

  “Amadeo, I am not going to rent a lane by myself. It’s ridiculous.”

  “I may never have the opportunity to bowl on Earth ever again. Please, I never ask anything of you. Do you want to be the one who denied my one simple request?” he said. “Though, I shouldn’t be surprised if you do. First, you break my shoulder, and now you’re breaking my dreams—”

  My head nearly popped off my body. Never asked anything of me? Seriously?

  “Where is this coming from?” I stormed. Did the deadline not matter to him anymore?

  “Please, Megan,” he said again. “I’ll be able to tell Luvina all about it when I return. And she has such a curious mind.”

  Ugh. He was so playing dirty.

  “Fine. I’ll get a stupid lane. Just please stop with the guilt trip. I can’t believe you’re making me do this when we still have so much to do. And I cannot believe you brought up your daughter.”

  “Oh, thank you. Thank you,” he said cheerfully. “I promise I will never mention our little incident again. Well, at least for today.”

  I huffed as I walked up to the counter. Jimmy Berns was working the register. He had sat next to me in trigonometry last year.

  “Hey, Jimmy,” I said casually, trying to hide my ire. “I’d like a lane, please.”

  “How many?” he asked turning to the register to ring it up.

  “Um, just myself today,” I said trying to exert as much confidence as I could. “Gotta practice those five baggers.”

  He peered at me through squinted eyes, his nose crunched up, creating four creases on its bridge.

  “I didn’t realize you were such a fan,” he said as he calculated my total.

  “Yeah, well, you never know. If bowling becomes a collegiate sport one day, I’ll be ready,” I replied. Ohmigod, stop talking.

  He just stared at me.

  “Um, yeah, sure.”

  After paying him and renting some shoes, I walked over to my lane assignment.

  “I hope you’re happy,” I whispered as I changed my shoes and signed in. “A little help would’ve been nice. You know how I panic when I have to improvise. Couldn’t you use some magic or something to erase his memory? Now he thinks I’m a total weirdo.”

  “Oh, Megan, you don’t need any help from me. You take weirdo to a whole new level,” he said. “That was one of the more entertaining exchanges I’ve been treated to in a long time. I mean, since your last one. You can’t make this stuff up. Pure gold. I can’t wait to tell the guys in the division about this.”

  “Let’s just do this and be done with it,” I said through my teeth. “You better pop on down the lane. I’m only throwing this ball twice. Got it? And keep your eyes open for potential matches.”

  Grumbling, I grabbed a ball and strolled up to the lane. I swung my arm back as I stepped forward. Releasing the ball just before the line, I grinned as it hurled down the center of the lane, thinking it wouldn’t be so bad if along with some pins, it also managed to knock a very pompous cupid on his backside.

  The ball hit the pin at the top of the triangle with enough force to knock the rest of the pins down. Strike. I walked back and waited for my ball to return. After it rolled into the holding dock, I grabbed it and repeated the process.

  Strike.

  I cocked my head to the side. Well, that was lucky. Maybe it was a sign that things would take a turn for the better. Feeling accomplished, I returned to the benches and switched out my shoes. I turned them in and waited by the vending machine for a few minutes before speaking.

  “Are you back yet?”

  “Yes, I’m here,” Amadeo said. His voice came from just behind me.

  “Can we please get back to work now?” I asked impatiently.

  “Yes,” he said. “Just one thing?”

  “What?”

  “It’s too bad cupids don’t use bowling balls to hit their marks, because you’d do phenomenally better if—”

  I walked away before he had a chance to finish. Invisible or not, I couldn’t help but turn back to shoot him a pointed look. Unfortunately, I missed the step down into the main area. Gasping, I toppled over. Could this day be any worse? Closing my eyes, I threw my hands out to brace my fall and was surprised as two strong a
rms wrapped around my body instead.

  “You know, we’ve got to stop running into each other like this,” Jay said playfully as he helped me stand upright. “Not that I mind.”

  “Um, Jay,” I said as I smoothed out my clothes and tried to calm my racing heart. “What are you doing here?” My eyes darted around to see if anyone noticed my moment of klutziness. Relief washed over me when no one appeared to be looking my way.

  “I was just here to meet with my little brother,” he said casually.

  “You have a little brother?”

  He smiled. “Not my biological little brother,” he began. “I mentor through Big Brothers. I was supposed to meet him for bowling today, but his mom just called to let me know he’s sick.”

  “I had no idea,” I said.

  “Why would you?” he replied. “You were always so focused on your own stuff and never asked, and I hadn’t thought to share. I mean, who wants to hear about it.” He gave me a shy smile before averting his eyes to his shoes.

  “I guess I was kind of like that.” I looked down and studied the dark blue carpet. A heavy pit hung in my chest as I acknowledged the truth in what he’d implied. I reached out and touched his hand, taking the tips of his fingers in mine and gently squeezing. His eyes searched mine. “I know I haven’t been the most approachable. I was always too busy, or at least I thought I was. I guess I needed to figure out a few things first, you know.”

  He squeezed back. My heart fluttered in my chest like a thousand monarchs were beating their wings at once.

  He’s such a good person.

  As our gaze held, I knew I needed to find the perfect match for him. He deserved it.

  “How come I’m just finding the real you right when you’re leaving?” he asked in a soft tone. His hand came up and brushed a wayward strand of hair away from my face. He tucked it behind my ear, his fingers lingering before pulling away.

  I swallowed hard as I took my sweaty hand from his and wiped it on my pant leg. My blood rushed through my body like a tsunami, and I shuffled back to catch my balance. His smiled faded. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and kicked his foot against the carpet.