Stupid Cupid

11: The Double Date - Part 3

- Win's POV -

Aaaw, the humans are holding ha— wait.

No!

No, Win!

Aargh. I'm still not used to being on the opposite side of love!

Win, get a hold of yourself right now!

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

I look at Bright and see him holding my wrists. It dawns on me that I have just slapped myself. 

"Nothing, nothing," I say, giving Bright an assuring smile and trying my best to hide my embarrassment. 

"Another annoying habit you've picked up from humans, huh? Tsk," he remarks. 

Bright furrows his brows as he holds my jaw, and I hold my breath. He caresses my cheeks with his thumbs, and my body feels immobile as I can only look at him. 

"There. Does it feel better now?" Bright asks, gazing at me with his wide, cat-like eyes. And there it is again—my heart. 

It's beating so fast that I feel it skip a beat. 

Over the past two decades, I sense that something has changed in him. I can't pinpoint what it is, but I know he has become... softer? Warmer? 

No, not in his physical presence. He still has cold skin and a stoic face. He still whines when I ask him to buy me something and says I'm annoying. But lately, especially after this disaster, he makes me feel... things. 

Feelings that are foreign to me—an Amos. I understand what they are, but I refuse to acknowledge that they are happening to me. It can't be. I'm not human. I can't be in love—I can't feel that way. 

Maybe he is just feeling guilty? Maybe he pities me, which is why he is acting this way? Yes, that seems like the most plausible explanation right now. He doesn't—no, of course not. Azralis aren't capable of such emotions. Right? 

"Hey, Win! You okay?" 

I blink multiple times as Bright brings me back to reality. 

"Y-yeah! I'm fine, I'm fine!" I smile at him as I pull away from his hold and focus on the two humans who are relevant to my job right now. 

Right. Tawan and Thitipoom. They should be my focus. I have a job to finish—or rather, a job I need to undo. I can't afford any distractions. 

Bright catches up to me and walks alongside me. I can feel his gaze on me, but I refuse to look back. 

Tawan and Thitipoom are already choosing a movie to watch. I decide to focus on Thitipoom's mind instead of my own. 

Ha! Just as I've guessed. 

"Bright, they're choosing a romantic movie. You know what to do, right?"

I look at him, and he is still gazing at me like I am the most fragile thing in the world. It's as if I am a puppy, and he is my owner, worry etched across his face. I shake my head.

Seriously, Win, you've been with the guy for hundreds of years now. Why now?

"I need to focus," I whisper to myself. I compose myself before turning to face him.

"Bright."

"Huh?"

I purse my lips. The way he hums softly makes me feel a bit softer, too. No, Win! Focus!

"You know what we have to do, right?"

Bright stares at me for a few seconds before nodding his head. "Yeah. We need to make their first date the worst date ever so it becomes a bad memory and makes them dislike each other."