Cupid's Match | Wattpad Books Edition

Chapter 10

Cal abruptly stands and gathers the three arrows, slipping them back into the case over his shoulder. When he heads toward one of the doors, I get up and follow. The mood's clearly shifted.

"Everything okay?" I ask as we walk down the dimly lit school corridor, which is decorated with flyers for team tryouts, auditions for the drama club's production of Romeo and Juliet, and a couple of pink posters for the Forever Falls school dance, which I'm pretty sure Charlie stuck up.

Cal keeps his eyes fixed straight ahead. "Yes."

He doesn't speak for a moment and I find myself staring at the bow and arrows slung across his shoulder.

"You need to be more careful," Cal says suddenly, as we walk outside. He makes his way around the angular building toward the parking lot and I fall into step beside him.

"What do you mean?"

He glares at me, exasperated. "With Cupid. Day one of meeting him and you're already his mentor." He shakes his head. "As I said, the path of your match has already been put into motion. You will be drawn to each other. And Cupid, if he realizes who you are, will create reasons be alone with you. But you must fight it. You mustn't create more opportunities."

"I wasn't the one who put the path of the match into motion."

Cal looks a little sheepish for a moment, then pulls out a key from his jeans pocket and points it straight ahead. A double beep sounds and the two side doors of a bright red Lamborghini slide upward.

"That's your car? Way to fit in with the students, Cal. I take it being a cupid pays well, then?"

The corner of his lip briefly quirks. "It has its perks." He slides into the driver's seat. "Want a ride anywhere?"

I was planning on walking across town to the Love Shack, one of Forever Falls's only places to hang out. I said I'd meet James and Charlie, and there's usually a good crowd out on the first day back at school.

"Sure," I say, making my way to the passenger side. "You know the Love Shack?"

Cal nods as he smoothly reverses and pulls out of the parking lot. We pass the houses dotting the quiet roads, and I look out the window, suddenly feeling awkward at the close quarters. Soon we approach the cobblestone town square and Cal pulls up beside the alley between the florist and the diner. The Love Shack sits at the end of it.

As he presses a button that opens my car door, I look at him tentatively.

"Do you want to—"

He holds up a finger, silencing me, as he puts his cell phone to his ear.

"Curtis?" he says urgently.

I roll my eyes. Cal seems to act like everything is an end-of- the-world situation and I wonder whether I should just leave him to his call.

His eyes narrow. "If the Records of the Finis isn't in our archives, then maybe it's in one of the other Matchmaking Service branches." He lowers his voice. "No, do not involve anyone else. Let me know when you find it."

He clicks off the call and puts the phone back in the pocket of his jeans. He looks at me, confused. "Well? We're here," he says.

I suck in an irritated breath. "I know, Cal. I was asking if you wanted to come? You can get to know some new people. James, Charlie . . . it could be fun."

A fearful look passes over his face at the mention of my best friend, and I recall her chattering to him in class earlier. I can hardly think of a more unlikely pair; him stern and silent, her dizzy and loud.