Cupid's Dilemma

This Is Not How a Romantic Story Should Begin

Hermes was making his daily round across Mt. Olympus looking for a god to pester when he spotted Cupid sitting forlornly in one of Aphrodite's gardens. He fluttered excitedly towards the handsome matchmaker and made his presence known by hugging the other god from behind. Cupid did not even flinch but simply let out a long-suffering sigh.

"What could be the problem my dearest?" Hermes asked as he felt the other settle into his embrace.

"The Fates has already laid out that these two men were to fall in love but they have somehow deflected all my attempts to bring them together and I'm running out of time" Cupid explained in distress as he imagined the three goddesses sitting by their loom while cursing out his name for having created such a terrible blunder. His mother will be furious.

Hermes's face lit up. He loves a good challenge. "Don't fret dearest. I, Hermes, god of trickery, is here to help you"

Far away in the mortal world, two men could be seen talking inside a crowded school cafeteria on an early Monday morning.

"First, you decided not to attend our Senior's prom and now you're telling me that you won't be joining our Senior's trip?" Kay asked New out of frustration.

"I just think that these activities are a waste of time and money. Also, I am in the middle of preparing for an important interview for the summer job I've been wanting to get since last year" New replied matter-of-factly. It was easy for him to come up with the decision to not join their senior activities as he has never been interested in anything else other than his studies.

"But, it's our senior year!" Kay stubbornly argued "This is our last year in high school. After this, we won't be seeing most of the people we spent our youths with. We will all be traversing different paths. We will all be embarking on new challenges. We will all be growing farther and farther away from the innocent boys that we are today. Let us at least share one last beautiful memory together." Kay dramatically delivered his speech with large gestures that caught the attention of the students near their table who then applauded indulgently.

Kay, who was fueled by the praise he got, stood up and raised his right hand in the air and shouted heartedly "Senior trip, here we go!"

New remained calm all throughout Kay's mini performance. He has known the boy since they were in diapers and has seen him grow from an adorable and bubbly baby to a hyperactive and loud big baby. After his family, New loved his best friend the most.

"I appreciate the passion but my decision is final" New stood up and gathered the dishes into his tray in a hurry before Kay could voice out another round of complaints. As he was about to turn around to leave, he bumped into someone going the other way and all the contents of his tray were hurled to the floor.

"Shit" New cursed out of reflex.

"I'm so sorry" Tay apologized to the person he accidentally collided with. He was in a hurry to get to a meeting with the committee handling the Senior's trip that he was not being observant of his surroundings and committed his sixth accident for the day. Six is an awful number, he thought frantically.

Tay started muttering absentmindedly. "This is awful. This is awful. This is awful" he said while picking up the scattered dishes on the floor.

New heard the boy's frantic whispers and felt guilty about cursing. "It's okay. No one got hurt" he said to console the other as he helped in gathering the dishes.

Tay looked up and finally saw that the person he bumped into was New, his schoolmate since kindergarten. He nodded at the other and silently finished what he was doing.

"I have to hurry now. Again, I'm sorry" Tay said before leaving promptly. New carried his tray to the counter like nothing happened as Kay shouted an enthusiastic "Goodbye Tay!" to his friend who's walking briskly towards the administration building.

"Seeeeee" Cupid whined and pulled out his curly hair in frustration "In a perfect romantic story, after crashing into each other like that, Tay and New would have looked at each other in slow motion as their hearts beat rapidly and their surroundings fade into oblivion or they could also bicker and throw insults at each other which could have been the perfect beginning if one preferred a romantic-comedy" He explained exasperatedly.

"Hmm" Hermes said distractedly as he watched Cupid's long fingers as it combed through his hair. "Your hair looks so soft" he whispered.

Cupid appeared to have not noticed the comment and went on with his tirade, "They could at least have a reaction by being at each other's presence and not this kind of apathy. I should be more aggressive" He pounded his fist on his palm in a show of determination and looked at Hermes for reassurance.

Hermes enthusiastically nodded at the other god's direction and gestured his two thumbs up comically. Cupid laughed and flew away to plan his next move as a giddy Hermes fluttered behind.