Chapter One Theo and Violet
“What do you want to be when we’re older?”
“Everything.” She breathed. Her fingers curled against the edge of the dock letting out a long sigh. She looked out onto the water as if to picture all the things she could be.
“Theo and Violet have been best friends for 15 years. They grew up together in a small neighborhood and have been inseparable. Theo has been in love with Violet for the entirety of their friendship, Violet is clueless.”
How cute. I thought while looking at the two, Best friends who fall in love.
“Everything?” He swam up to the edge of the dock and latched on, looking at her expectedly.
“Yeah, everything.” Her eyes met his briefly and I heard the loud bang in his chest. Too focused on the way her golden eyes reflected the sunlight, he didn’t notice his pruny skin as he threw himself on the dock next to her. Theo and Violet didn’t know it yet, but I sat only a few feet behind them listening to their conversation, thoughts, and heart beats. What a strange thing it is to be a Cupid.
“Theo,” She groaned, “you got water all over me.” He looked down on her lap and snorted at the small puddle sinking into her jeans.
“Sorry, V. But what do you mean by “Everything.”” Violet sighed once again and laid down on the wooden planks beneath her. Her feet tickled the lake waters.
“I mean that I can’t just be one thing. My mind is too wild for that. I want to be an author, a singer, an actress, a baker, a psychologist, a flight attendant. I want to work at a café, Theo, I can’t just stick to one job.” He laid on his side to look at her. He thought about touching her hair and kissing her cheek but he never did.
“You know you’d be good at all of those things right, V?” I heard the slightest quicken of pace in her heart beat and smiled. She wasn’t used to people speaking to her like she could rule the world flawlessly. Little did she know, that she already ruled. Maybe not in this world, but in Theo’s, she was a queen.
“Violet has been in love once. It ended terribly and she hasn’t trusted her feelings since. Theo has been with a few girls, none of which compare to Violet in his mind. Due to the fact that Violet no longer trusts her feelings she can’t decipher what it is she feels for Theo. This leaves them both in confusion.”
Violet looked at Theo. She didn’t speak, just looked. Theo didn’t dare to interrupt her intentional silence but wished the small laps of water against the dock were a little louder so he wouldn’t feel so awkward.
“You know, Theo, I think you’re the only person who really believes I could be anything I dreamed to be.” Despite her statement sounding over dramatic, it was astoundingly true. Violet wasn’t close to anyone but Theo. Her parents never cared enough and neither did anyone else. Theo knew this, but he wished he didn’t.
“You’re my best friend, V. I believe in you more than I do myself.” I felt the pain drip from his tongue like water from a faucet as he said the words “best friend.” His chest tightened and he looked at her hoping she’d see in his eyes that she was so much more than a friend. Please, he thought, please see that I love you so much. It physically hurt me feeling his pain and hearing the pure desperation in his thoughts where he pleaded for Violet to requite his feelings.
“What does the almighty Theo want to be when he’s older?” A small grin adorned her face as she sat up to match Theo’s position. The movement made his breath hitch and I almost laughed. This boy really loves her.
“I actually don’t know.” His answer surprised her and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She opened and closed her mouth searching for the right words to string into a sentence but she couldn't find them.
“You don’t know?” She asked, still confused. He took in a deep breath and the beat of his heart quickened. Slowly, I got up from my position and walked over to them. I felt a smile creep on my face. They're soulmates and only 1 out of the 2 knows. I thought blissfully. I get to be the reason the 2nd finds out.
“Well, if there was one thing I could be…” Yours. He thought, I’d be yours, yours, yours.
“I-I-I uhm. Well, V, I’d ugh… I’d be…” I squatted down to their level and reached up to touch their shoulders, giving them both one hard look before I activated their arrows. Violet’s dark hair littered the dock, her hand smushed her freckled cheek while the left side of her body pushed against the gray wood. Theo laid opposite of her. His cheeks were pink and his hair was bleached from the sun, his mind raced as he fumbled for his words.
“Yours.” He whispered. “I’d be yours.”
“Nice job, Amais. Your first assignment went well. Violet and Theo will live happily now thanks to you.” Everything in the hall seemed so polished compared to where I had just been. There was no dirty green grass, no burnt brown sand and no old graying wood. There was no color, complete whiteness.
“Thanks?” He started walking again through the pristine white hall and I assumed that I was to follow him like the first time. His feet gracefully walked across the floors. His silent confidence poured out of him in puddles and filled the hallways.
“Your next assignment is Eli and Lauren. They may be a little more difficult but I believe you’ll be able to handle them as swiftly as you did Theo and Violet.” We turned left into another hallway which I’m sure wasn’t there a minute ago. Another door waited patiently at the end.
“The envelope containing their information and current status is at the end of this hallway. When you’re ready, open the door and enter same as you did last time.” I walked cautiously to the end, unsure as to why he didn’t walk with me to the door. Before I left I turned to him.
"I have a question." He nodded and folded his hands in front of him.
"What happens to Violet and Theo? It wasn't in the envelope." He tapped his fingers against eachother and looked at the door behind me.
"They fall in love, obviously." I rolled my eyes and for the first time he smiled. "They have 3 kids. Violet goes to school to become a pastry chef. She opens up a small shop and it does well. Theo becomes a therapist but at home he's a teddy bear who teaches their kids how to play guitar. They're together till the end. Now go." His voice was lighthearted but I could tell that he wanted me to go, so I did.
Like he said, a beige envelope with the names “Eli and Lauren” in black ink lounged on the floor before the door.
“Remember, Amais. You can’t fall in love.”
