Chapter 18
ELOISE
Most of the partygoers had already left, but I was determined to wait for Cupid, especially as he'd promised me food and a trip back to his flat now that the party was over. It had been a good event, but this was the part I'd been looking forward to the most ever since I'd stepped foot in the building.
"Eloise!"
I turned to see Cupid hurrying towards me. He'd undone his bow tie and looked all the more dashing for it. "Hi."
"I'm sorry, I got caught up dealing with the party shut down."
"It's fine," I promised.
"I know, but I still feel bad." He leaned in and kissed my cheek.
I rested a hand against his chest, feeling the racing beat of his heart. "Please don't."
He put his hand over mine and gave it a squeeze, making me feel surprisingly connected to him despite the short amount of time we'd been dating.
Some partygoers cheered from a little way down the street, and I did my best to ignore them. It was a normal sight for after an event, even a high-profile one like this.
A light breeze sent a shiver through me and made me wish that I'd brought a coat with me.
Cupid shrugged off his jacket and handed it to me. "Here."
"You'll get cold," I protested.
"It's fine," He promised, holding it out to me.
I slipped my arms into it, pulling it closer around me. "Thank you." It smelled of him, and I took a moment to fully appreciate that. I had the man beside me, but there was still something intimate about wearing his jacket because it was cold. "So, food?"
"What were you thinking?" he asked.
"Well, we're not far from your flat, so maybe we should stop by the bakery if it's still open."
"It should be," he said.
"Good. Then we can go back to your flat and do nothing for all of tomorrow."
He cleared his throat. "There is something we need to do tomorrow."
"Oh, I wasn't counting sex, that's definitely something we're doing," I joked.
"No, not that." He took a deep breath. "Aine knows about us."
"What? How?" I expected there to be some panic in response to the words, but it didn't appear. I guessed I was never foolish enough to believe we could hide what was going on from a goddess whose entire domain was to do with love.
"She implied as much before the party started, and then again later on," Cupid responded.
"Oh." I wasn't sure what to make of that. She was in charge of the entirety of Jinx, she had the power to fire me for whatever reason she wanted and that could include dating the head of her matchmaking department. "What do we do about it?"
"We fill in some forms," he assured me.
I let out a sigh of relief. "That's it?"
"Yes. We'll fill them out and take them to HR on Monday, then everything is sorted. I know it's a big step."
"Well, I suppose we've already spent Valentine's Day together," I said, slipping my hand into his as we walked down the street.
"I don't care about Valentine's Day," Cupid responded. "If anything, I'd rather not celebrate it at all."
"I know," I assured him. "I don't particularly care for it either, it's just what most people would call a big step."
"True. This one wasn't so bad." He paused and turned to pull me to him, wrapping his arms around me. "And if next year's is like this too, then I suspect it could be bearable."
"High praise," I teased.
"It is, just ask any of the other gods."
I laughed despite myself. "I don't intend to spend much time thinking about other gods."
"Even the ones Sasha is trying to set you up with?"
"I don't think she was serious about that," I murmured. "If anything, I suspect she was trying to get me to admit that we're...what are we?"
"Well, technically, as of Monday, I think we're officially in a relationship," he said. "At least according to HR."
I laughed. "Sasha implied that she thought I was trying to hook up with you."
"She did?"
I nodded. "I think that's why she was trying to get me to comment on so many other gods, she wanted me to admit that I was interested in you." I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I suppose on Monday, she'll know for sure. It's not going to stay quiet once we've been to HR."
He chuckled. "Definitely not, no."
"Okay, well then, I guess that it's decided."
"Mmm." He leaned in and captured my lips with his, kissing me surprisingly deeply for the fact we were standing in the middle of the street. I pushed myself against him, wishing we were already back at his flat, even if we needed to make a detour for food first.
"We should try to keep it quiet a little bit longer," I murmured into the kiss. "Just so that I can keep you to myself."
He chuckled, the sound vibrating through me. "Of course."
"Good." I leaned in and kissed him again, enjoying the feel of his arms around me and the reality of what was going to happen between us now. I knew that it wasn't a mistake to agree to something serious, even if it did feel soon.
"Come on, let's go get some food and then we can get back to mine," he said.
"I like the sound of that."
"Though we should probably spend at least some time in your flat so your neighbours don't think you've gone missing or something like that."
I laughed. "I can assure you, they haven't even thought of it. And your flat's better. Except for your coffee machine."
"I'll upgrade it for you," he promised.
"You really don't have to. I'm not here to suddenly change your life," I reminded him.
"I know." He kissed my nose and took my hand, leading me further down the street.
I felt like I was floating, and I knew that this was the start of something wonderful.
Thank you for reading Matchmaking With Cupid , I hope you enjoyed it!