Amélie
The courtyard was filled with white and pink and red. Coming back from the holiday break meant that everyone was refreshed and buzzing about. Amélie was no exception. This was her final quarter in Heart U. By the end of the year she’d already be settled in her new job as a Cupid One at one the most prestigious love companies. Like plenty of others or was her dream to finally sport fully formed dreamy angel wings, rather than the trainers they all had while enrolled in school. Which meant she needed to focus these last few months.
She glances at her schedule to find “Enemies to Lovers: how to cross the bridge” listed as her next period. That was perfect. She’d already taken “He’s just too into you: school bully turned heartthrob” last year and had been intrigued in the idea of a how love can take unexpected forms. Though last year, it had just been theory and examples. This year, they were getting real life charges. Or at least that’s what the professor promised during orientation.
Practically skipping all the way to the classroom, she felt nothing could bring down this mood of hers.
The room was loud as the majority of students were chit chatting about their vacations. She was nearly taken out by a pair of white fluffy wings belonging to Jerica, her closest friend since starting this school. She was easily one of the prettiest and nicest cupids around. Today her hair was kept in tight braids close to the scalp, creating an intricate swirling heart with the hair. The braids ended in a thick pink tresses that came down her back. Her matching pink uniform made her look like love personified, which she supposed to the humans she would be.
“Amélie!! My sugar berry!! I missed yoooouu!”
Jerica flings herself against her, nearly taking them both to the ground. They both scream and giggle, talking quickly about their separate vacations. Their words tangled and twisted around each other like ribbons on a valentine decoration, neither knowing where they started or where they ended. There were a few people that just shook their ends at them but she didn’t really care. They understood each other and that’s all that mattered.
“And then Aunt Linda- Oh! You need to meet someone,” she stops herself mid sentence before turning to the side to showcase the cupid who had been previously just another background decoration for Amélie. Now they they were in focus she saw a woman a little shorter than her and much more curvy. Buxom you might say. Large, round glasses, twin puff ball buns, and a soft looking cardigan made her look the picture of sweetness. Beside her, Jerica beams. It was a look a cupid could pinpoint a mile away. Love.
She can’t wait to be introduced. “Awww!! Are you Jeri’s girlfriend? How could you not tell me??” She turns back to her friend, a glare on her face.
“Well now I have! Meet April, my little love bunny.” Jerica smooshes the woman’s cheeks with her fingers, which April takes in stride. She seemed just happy to be there. That made Amélie smile a genuine smile for the girlfriend. She knew that they would be good for each other just from that interaction. She could almost cry seeing how disgustingly cute they were together.
The soft tone of the bell alerts everyone it was time to settle down, to which a problem occurred in Amélie's brain. Her best friend was now, obviously, going to sit with her girlfriend. Looking around the room, people had already chosen their seats for the most part. She was starting to worry that she might have the wrong room.
That is until her eyes land on the singular seat left in the class. Right next to Lyros: her sworn enemy. He doesn’t so much as look up at her.
She didn’t think he was evil. She just didn’t like how he could coast through everything. He didn’t seem to actually care about the prestige that this school held. To someone who had to study every night to just get passing grades, it was insulting. He seemed to just know everything about love. She watched the k-drama homework, same as everyone else, so why did he have to shine brighter than everyone in the room?
It didn’t matter. She could survive sitting next to him for one semester in order to get her education. She slides into the seat beside his, as Jerica shoots her an apologetic look. She shoos her away just as the professor walks in the room.
“Good morning, class. I hope you’re all ready for a challenge this semester. I’ve been busy working with some of the big names out there to get some of their hardest clients to crack.” He’s mid thirties, long blonde hair tied in a bun, a well-groomed beard and broad shoulders. Just her type.
Nothing like Lyros.
His long blonde hair was too warm, like honey. And he was too broad in the shoulders. How was anyone supposed to hug him? Out of the corner of her eye she can see the glint of metal. She almost rolled her eyes. He had at least four piercings when she’d last seen him. Surely, the tongue piercing would chip her teeth.
“These seats you’ve chosen will be the ones you have for the rest of the semester. And the occupants therein will be your partners for the entire project.” He starts handing out pieces of paper.
See? Nothing like Lyros. He would never use the word therein- wait did he say partners?
She hears a shifting of fabric as her desk mate leans over to her side. She tries her best not to launch herself into the moon. “Guess we’re stuck together. I’ll carry most of the weight, don’t worry.”
She nearly snaps her neck to glare at him. “Excuse me?”
“Is there a problem?” Professor Fenwick stands over her, a disapproving look on his face, the syllabus outstretched. The class is silent, save for a few giggles. She casts her eyes downward, mumbling an apology. This is the last thing she needed to happen. She needed perfect marks to get to the temp position she had her eye on. Being the cause of the first day disruption was very low on the list of preferred qualities in a new hire.
“Sorry Professor, I was talking to her.”
Jesus Christ could this guy stop being so fucking perfect? Amélie takes the stack of stapled papers as the other is given to Lyros. Fenwick makes a sound of affirmation and continues his walk across the room and his talk.
“As I was saying: if you’ll take a look at the profiles in front of you, you’ll notice the soul mate mark at the top of the papers. Your partners beside you hold the other half of the soul mate mark. You will be in charge of your own charges but will have to work together with your partner to come up with the best way to handle the combined case. No easy task but an important one to have when out in the field.”
There’s some time as they all read over their packets and the class irrupts into conversation, the room buzzing with energy. Meanwhile, Amélie is shell-shocked. Her client is a war princess in the opposing country as her soulmate. Not only would this be difficult but it was going to be almost impossible without spending every waking moment not at school on this. She looks to Lyros, whose face is as impassive as ever. It makes her want to strangle him. She shakes her head. She would just need to bear it for a while. She could do this.
