Love Bound 1: Wings [YA Fantasy/Comedy]

Chapter 13: Fish

"Are you ready?" Matias turned to her with one of his heart-melting smiles; a twinkle in his eyes; his handsome face lit perfectly by the full moon that was out tonight.

Not that Cammy was noticing all this... wink, wink.

If they weren't standing in the middle of her backyard, holding hands and about to fly off to destinations known—Becca and Reggie—Cammy might have thought it was all very romantic. Her heart was definitely not hammering in her chest, and there was no way she was hyperaware of the firm grip holding her clammy hand.

And she sure wasn't daydreaming that this might have been the moment where Matias—if he were interested in her—would swoop down and kiss her for the first time. A kiss warm and sweet, and it would make the rest of the world fade away in the background, all glowy—like those cheesy informatics Mr Sultan had shown her.

But this wasn't one of Mr Sultan's reels, and Matias wasn't a guy who could be interested in a simple girl like Cammy. Could he?

"Are you okay? You look a little nervous, Cam." Matias shook her hand to get her attention. She obviously was far off in dreamlands.

Cammy tried to smile, but all she could think about was the tiles she'd broken on the way to Becca's that morning. Ready was a goal post miles away and out of sight...

How many more tiles am I gonna break? Oh, my god, what if I can't make it all the way there? What if I land on my ass like a nincompoop again? And all in front of him!

Cammy absently swiped her bottom with her free hand as if dusting herself preemptively.

Matias's hand squeezed hers. "Hey, look at me."

Cammy did. Oh boy. She shouldn't have. His eyes, a warm hazelnut with flecks of gold about them, were as deep as the ocean and she got lost.

"I can understand you're nervous about the flight distance, but I'm here, right by your side, all the way. Okay? You get tired, you get nervous, we can take breaks and walk a bit. You can do this, Cammy. Just gotta believe."

Matias nodded towards her house, where her parents weren't obviously watching them from the inside. Cammy saw the curtain fall into place and almost rolled her eyes. What were they so excited about? Her imminent mortality? Or her epic failure?

"You know they mean well, but they are parents. They are always going to worry about their little girl—"

The words 'little girl' burned a hole in Cammy's heart. Matias definitely wasn't interested, not in her mind. She tried not to show her emotions and simply stared at his hand holding hers.

"Look at me, Cam."

I don't want to. She met his gaze reluctantly.

He took her other hand and gripped them both firmly. He peered into her soul—at least that's what it felt like to her—and he said, "They believe in you. I believe in you. You can do this. You're a Cupid, love, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. A Kamdev. You're better than most of us and you don't even know it."