Letters to Julian (A Cupid Inc Novella) (5 page)

“Unless you’ve stuffed him under the counter, I imagined as much. I’m fairly observant, I am.” Though more than
an employee, he wouldn’t exactly call Bridget a friend. Still, his fondness of the little fox shifter and her feisty attitude was the only thing that kept him from throttling her on an almost daily basis. “Go away.”

“Okay.” Bouncing off the barstool,
she slapped the magazine down on the counter and flounced away toward the back of the store. “Oh, by the way,” she called over her shoulder. “I figured since you didn’t have any interest in going out with Julian for Valentine’s Day that you wouldn’t mind if I helped him find someone who might actually enjoy his company. I sent him off to see Chrys at Cupid Inc.” Then she wiggled her fingers over her head and giggled. “Later, boss man.”

In his haste to chase after her, Ridley knocked over the display rack with a crash, sending the contents scattering across the floor. “You did
what
?”

Bridget poked her head back into the main room. “Well, you didn’t want to go with him. What does it matter?”

“It doesn’t.” Oh, it mattered. It mattered a lot. Just the thought of someone else’s hands on Julian, their mouth kissing his, the images formed a painful knot in his stomach. “I mean, he can do whatever he wants.”
No, he can’t.

“Good.” Bridget nodded firmly. “Is that all?”

“Watch the store.” Marching back to the front door, he wrenched it open without bothering to retrieve his jacket. “Oh, and clean this mess up.” Halfway down the block, he realized he had no idea where Cupid Inc was located. Oh, he’d heard Bridget go on and on about the place and the little fairy who worked there and how she’d met her fiancé there over a year ago. Though she’d tried a dozen times in the past few months to get him into that office, Ridley had steadfastly refused.

Stomping back to The Book Attic with his mood growing more volatile by the second, he shoved the door open and bellowed Bridget’s name.

“2323 Lovers Lane,” she answered back calmly. “Have fun.”

“I hate her,” Ridley mumbled to himself as he set out again to find Cupid Inc. “I really hate her.”
He had no clue where Lovers Lane was located within the city, and the GPS on his phone proved useless. Maybe he’d heard her wrong.

Ridley walked several blocks, winding his way through the crowded city with no idea of where to go. He didn’t know how far he traveled or how long he’d been wandering aimlessly, but just when he was about to give up, he passed a dark, dead end alley with a weathered sign proclaiming it to be Lovers Lane. The buildings appeared deserted and in serious need of rehab, and he didn’t know any lovers who’d want to take a stroll down the lane
. He shuffled to the end of the alley, surveying each brick building as he passed.

The very last building had no distinguishing features to make him think it had been inhabited in the past decade, but the address carved over the door matched the one Bridget had given him. “You have to be kidding me.” Feeling like an idiot, he climbed the stone steps to the door and frowned at the fresh coat of red paint. “Okay.”

Pushing the door open, he entered into a brightly lit office with more red and gold than he’d ever seen in his life. Sure he was hallucinating, Ridley turned and walked back out onto the landing, blinking at the dank, disgusting alley and the row of abandoned buildings. Shaking his head, he reentered the office, this time, finding it decorated in cool shades of blue and silver. “What the hell?”

“Oh, you are a big one.” A petite woman with long blonde ringlets bounced forward to greet him.

Ridley had never seen a bigger mess of a person in his life. Though very pretty, the woman’s wardrobe needed a serious makeover. Her blue and silver striped stockings matched the room’s décor but little else. “Is that a tutu?”

“Why, yes it is.”
She brushed down the hem of the green ruffles and readjusted her black and gold corset before shoving her hand toward him. “I’m Chrys.”

“Uh, Ridley.”

“Welcome to Cupid Inc, where love finds you.” Skipping back to her desk, she rummaged through the top drawer and came back with an ornate letter opener. “Hand please.”

“Actually, I’m looking for someone.”

“Of course you are! That’s why everyone comes here.” She threw her arms out to the side in a grand gesture as she spoke, sending the very pointed letter opener flying across the room to stick into the wall. “Oops.” Hurrying to retrieve it, she tripped over nothing more than air and went sprawling across the rug on her stomach. “Oh, dear.”

Ridley turned his snort of laughter into a cough. “Do you need help?”

“No, no,” she panted as he struggled to her feet and straightened her clothing. “I’m okay.” With a grunt, she jerked the letter opener out of the wall and turned back to Ridley with a bright smile. “Hand please.”

Lifting both eyebrows at the plaster still stuck to the tip of the glorified knife, he fisted his hands and held them behind him. “As I said, I’m looking for an elf by the name of Julian. Has he been here today?”

“Julian. Julian.” Chrys tapped her chin, bringing the letter opener dangerously close to her eye. “Nope, doesn’t ring a bell. No elves here today.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ridley offered his thanks, nodded his farewell, and headed back to his store in much better spirits.

Chapter Four

It took Julian two days to work up the courage to visit Cupid Inc. Part of him had hesitated in hopes Ridley would change his mind and choose to join him for the play. Once he’d realized they hadn’t even gotten to the point in their relationship where they’d exchanged phone numbers, he’d given up the hope of hearing from the dragon and had been forced to reevaluate.

Julian had never asked for more, but he wanted it. He wanted so much more than talks over tea twice a week and friendly notes inside a book. Still, he hadn’t pressed, hadn’t put pressure on Ridley to give him the things he desired.

Ridley had been the one to take that next step, and while Julian had been happy to follow the man’s lead,
he’d known in his heart it wouldn’t work out. Whatever Ridley’s hang-ups about relationships, he wasn’t ready to let them go. Oh, he had no doubt Ridley cared for him, but the guy couldn’t even admit his feelings to himself, let alone to Julian. 

Yes,
he’d had been willing to give Ridley the time he needed, but now, he wondered if it had all been for nothing. At some point, he’d become enamored with the illusion of a relationship and had only seen what he’d wanted to see. Julian didn’t want to play pretend anymore, though. He wanted the real thing, and he couldn’t keep waiting for Ridley to become emotionally available.

Standing on the front stoop of Cupid Inc, he sucked in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and turned the doorknob. “Here goes nothing.”
Entering the small office felt like walking into a Hallmark greeting card, and Julian gaped at the hearts and flowers decorating the room. “Hello?”

“Hello,” the perky receptionist called back as she hurried around her desk. “I’m Chrysanthemum, but you can call me Chrys.
Please
call me Chrys,” she finished dramatically. “Welcome to Cupid Inc!”

“Aren’t you adorable?” She had a certain charm about her, and Julian decided instantly that he liked the spunky fairy. “A friend said you could help me find a date for Valentine’s Day.”

“That’s what we do best!” Giggling, she reached into her mass of blonde curls and pulled out a jeweled hair pen. “Hand please.”

Hesitantly, Julian placed his right hand into her palm. “What are you—ugh!” Jerking his hand away, he stuck his middle finger in his mouth and sucked on the small wound. “You stabbed me.”

“Necessary,” she hummed, carrying the hair pin back to her desk where she smeared the drop of Julian’s blood over a thick, blank piece of parchment. Only a heartbeat later, the blood vanished, replaced by a list of questions in dark red ink. “Gotta love magic,” she mused and thrust the questionnaire toward him. “Fill this out and bring it back to me.”

“Okay then.” Julian plucked a plain Bic pen off the desk and uncapped it. “Out of the curiosity, how much is this going to cost me?”

“You can’t put a price on love, silly.” Then she shooed him away and returned to sit behind her desk.

Turning back to the sitting area, Julian blinked a few times when he realized the lace hearts and color
ful flowers had transformed into floating cherubs and golden harps. “Gotta love magic,” he mumbled, echoing the fairy’s sentiment. After settling into one of the squashy armchairs, he read through the list of questions, chuckling at some of the more absurd inquiries, like the one that asked if he’d ever had sex on the first date.

He filled out his name and contact information first, then moved on to the basic description of himself such as hair and eye color. The rest of the form required a bit more thought, however.

Describe your perfect date.
Discussing books over tea and scones.

What is your current relationship status?
It’s complicated.

Have you ever experienced multiple orgasms? Would you like to?

Julian snorted, which turned into a quiet chuckle, and before he knew it, he was laughing so hard tears streamed down his cheeks. “No and absolutely,” he gasped as he wrote down his answer.

Sexual orientation.
Dick please. Twice on Sunday.

All in all, it took less time than he’d anticipated to complete the questionnaire, and when he looked up, he found Chrys standing in front of him with an outstretched hand. “All finished?”

“How did you…never mind.” Passing over the form, he stood to follow the fairy back to her desk, but he made it only a few steps before she spun around and slapped a piece of shiny, red foil against his chest. “What’s this?”

“Your date ticket.”

“It’s blank.”

“Give it a minute.”

Julian held the ticket up to the light and squinted at it. “Are you sure about this? I mean, Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. How can you possibly find me a date by then?” Even as he spoke, elegant, golden script began to appear on the bright red foil. “Conservatory Garden in Central Park at four.” Not a customary first date, but Julian liked it. “Who is my date?”

“You’ll find out when you arrive.”

“Well, how will I know who he is? Just start asking random strangers if they’d like to spend a romantic date with me?”

Chrys placed
a hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles. “Well, it will be the other person in the garden with a red ticket, now won’t it?”

Okay, he guessed that made sense. “I’ve never been on a blind date before,” he admitted. “What if it sucks?”

“Just tear your ticket in half.” Chrys made a ripping motion with her hands. “It’ll take you right home.” She lifted her left hand and snapped her fingers. “Magic,” she added with a wink.

Though excited by the prospect of meeting someone new, Julian admitted having an escape plan made him feel much better. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to employ it, but it seemed much more efficient than trying to wave down a taxi and spending the entire ride home miserable because he’d blown another opportunity.

“Thank you.” Folding the ticket in half, he tucked it into his jacket pocket and shrugged. “I guess that’s it? Nothing else you need from me?” Call it a personality flaw, but he liked to have all of his ducks in a row before jumping into new situations feet first. “I just show up at the Conservatory Garden at four tomorrow afternoon to meet some random guy.” He hoped it was a guy. Otherwise, he’d have a whole new set of problems to wade through. “If the date is awful, one little rip, and I’m back home safe and sound. Does that about sum it up?”

Chrys bobbed her head, making her ringlets bounce around her face. “The date ends when you tear the ticket or at midnight.” She tapped at her lips with a long, purple fingernail. “I always forget that part. If you don’t share a kiss before midnight, the date is over. Poof!”

“How very Cinderella.” While he enjoyed sex as much as the next guy, Julian didn’t usually put out on the first date, not even something as chaste as a kiss. “We’ll see.”

More than his natural
aversion to acting like a total slut, though, a small part of him held on to the hope that things could work out between him and a certain emotionally challenged dragon.

* * * *

Julian was late.

Ridley watched the ticking hands of the clock while pretending to
not
watch the clock. It was all very exhausting. When nine o’clock came and went, he pacified himself with plausible reasons for Julian’s tardiness. By the time ten o’clock rolled around, the worry and uncertainty had set in, and he could barely focus on his tasks. Not until his lunch break did he finally admit to himself Julian wouldn’t be coming into the store like he had every Thursday for almost four months.

Ridley muddled through the rest of the day on autopilot, but his thoughts constantly strayed to Julian. Even when he closed the store for the day and retired to his apartment, memories of his idiotic behavior continued to torment him. After three beers and a lot of tossing, he did manage to fall into a fitful sleep
, where, even there, his dreams taunted him with depictions of Julian’s soft, pliable body bared before him.