Chapter 10

Joshua impulsively sat up upon seeing Destiny's face in front of him. He leaned on his headboard, and the impact of his head hitting the wooden headboard was quite intense he felt pain at the back of his head. "Ow!" He touched his aching nape. "Are you okay?" Destiny asked worriedly. She is sitting at the side of his bed. "What are you doing here?" Joshua asked instead. He wanted to ask how she was able to get inside his room, but he suddenly remembered what kind of being she is. Thinking about it, he is actually not sure what kind of being she really is. "I'm here to give you your first mission." Destiny handed him his Cupid Phone. Joshua took the phone. "Do you do this in all missions?" "Just the first one," Destiny answered. "Or if it's a special mission. You'll know when that happens." Joshua opened his Mail app and saw his first mission. The unread message has the subject "Grand: Carlo x Edmalyn." He looked at Destiny. "Grand?" "Yes," answered Destiny. "That is easier. Promise!" Is it really easier? Joshua read the mission given to him. ____________________________________________________________________________ Dear Cupid, Welcome to your new mission! Below are the details about the mission you are assigned with. Carlo Reyes, 28 Carlo is a freelance photographer and videographer who has his own studio. He is well known in the whole region, and is starting to gain popularity in other regions with his talent of capturing the most precious moments on his films. Edmalyn Mallari, 26 ____________________________________________________________________________ Joshua stopped. Edmalyn Mallari? Is this the Edmalyn Mallari he is thinking? He clicked on the link on her name, and the page was diverted to Safari, where he saw the web page containing the personal information of that Edmalyn Mallari. "No way!" Destiny frowned. "Is there a problem?" "Edmalyn Mallari! It's Tats!" "Yes," Destiny answered with a nod. "Tats. That's her nickname." "She's my classmate in high school." Joshua is on panic mode. "Yes. So, what's the problem? Wouldn't that be an advantage? Because at least, you already know her. She already knows you. You can easily approach her. You can easily talk to her." "That's the problem," Joshua said. "It won't be easy, because we're not close. I can't easily approach her." "Then don't do it now, but in the future. But since you will be the guardian of their love story, it will be easier if you become friends. Take it slowly. It's up to you what strategy you will do." Joshua suddenly can't think of anything to do. He tried to remember what he and Ria did yesterday. Everything seemed easy, but that was because Ria thought through all those missions before they executed them. "Can I ask Ria? My Cupid Mentor?" "Of course!" Destiny answered. "She can help you, as well as the other Cupids. You can also ask the Guardians, the Reapers… Though take it easy with the Reapers. They're very busy so they are kind of… 'cold.'" Joshua has no plans of talking to any Reaper. The last thing he wants is to communicate with a dead person's spirit. "Okay, so I'll leave you now. Ria will take care of you." Destiny snapped her fingers, and in an instant, she suddenly vanished. Joshua is getting used to those strange things so he didn't react drastically just like before. He just stood up and went straight to his en suite to take a bath. He went down to the first floor and heard his mother in the kitchen. He decided to tell her he's leaving. "Ma, I have to go." "This early?" his mother asked. "Uh…" He struggled to find an answer to her question. He remembered Ria telling him not to lie. "I just need to do something important. Regarding my high school classmate. There's… I just need to do something." "Is it James?" his mom asked. "No… Another classmate." He needs a diversion. "Is the breakfast ready?" "Yes. Eat before you leave." He sat on a stool on the island counter that serves as their breakfast nook. Fortunately, his mother stopped asking where he is going. "By the way. When will you see Caith?" his mother asked. "Hmn… maybe next week? We will choose who will be my date on the premier night." "It's good that you will see each other before she leaves. She will be in Dubai for two weeks, right?" Joshua just nodded. Surprisingly, he hasn't thought about his girlfriend for a few days. It's been two weeks since he last saw her. Normally, he couldn't stand not seeing her even just for a day. Well, maybe this Cupid thing is really a good diversion. After eating, he left and headed to Ria. He doesn't know where her house is, so he used his Cupid Phone to locate it. It's not that far from their subdivision. It's not located in a premier subdivision, though the neighborhood still looks quite affluent. The guard at the gate did not let him in at first. Joshua told him he is Ria's friend, but the guard said he needs to call at the house first to confirm it. But before he was able to call, Ria's driver went to him. "He's a friend of Ma'am Ria," the driver said. The guard finally let Joshua in. The latter thanked the driver and asked where Ria is. "I'm not sure if Ms. Ria is already awake, but Ma'am Gloria is in the living room. I'll take you to her." The driver took Joshua inside Ria's house. He was just starting to appreciate the grandiose house of the Nelmidas when he saw Gloria Nelmida in the living room. Then, it suddenly hit him. Ria's mother is famous on her own. She's a renowned fashion designer, mostly of gowns and suits. Joshua was starstruck. "Hey! I know you! Joshua Socorro, right?" She held her hand to him. Joshua took it and they shook hands. "Yes, Ma'am, and I'm a fan." "I'm a fan as well! Your last movie, I really loved it." Joshua felt happy hearing that. "Thank you, Ma'am." The driver left Joshua and Gloria alone. Gloria asked Joshua to sit down on the sofa while she sat down on the club chair. "I didn't know that you're friends with my daughter." "We're classmates in high school." "I see… Oh my! I think, she's not yet awake." Gloria asked one of the maids to wake Ria up. "You know that girl, sometimes she sleeps at three A.M. Sometimes two, and that's the earliest she sleeps." It's past nine already. Joshua secretly wished Ria is awake now. Otherwise he doesn't know how to avoid her mother's questioning and he might say something that he shouldn't say. 'Rules, Joshua. Remember the rules,' he told himself. "By the way, did you have breakfast already?" Gloria asked. "Yes Ma'am." "Do you like coffee? Or maybe, tea? We have some tea from Japan. We recently went to Japan, if Ria hasn't mentioned yet." "Yes, she didn't," Joshua said. Gloria asked one of their maids to prepare tea for Joshua. Then she told him stories about their trip to Japan, stopping only when the maid who checked on Ria came back. "She just woke up, Ma'am. She said she will be ready in ten minutes." "That is not true," Gloria said. "Most probably, thirty minutes." Joshua grimaced. True to Gloria's words, Ria joined them after almost twenty minutes. Ria greeted the two. "Good morning…! Josh! You're so early!" "It's almost ten AM!" Gloria told her child. "You're the only one who hasn't woken up yet." "Ma, you know I'm night shift," Ria said. "Night shift! You're abusing yourself again, huh? You will really get sick if you don't stop." "That won't happen, Ma…" Ria said softly. "Don't be so sure," Gloria said. "Mom, I'm hungry," Ria said sweetly. "Fine! I'll prepare your food." Gloria stood up. "Excuse me, Joshua." "Okay," Joshua said. The two Cupids were left in the living room. Ria sat down on the club chair where Gloria was seating earlier. "Your mom really prepares your food?" "Yup, all the time," Ria answered. "She's the only one who touches my food." "So, you're spoiled," Joshua teased. "Maybe, but definitely not a brat," Ria said. "So, what brought you here?" "I already have my first mission." Joshua handed her his Cupid Phone. "Great!" Ria took the cellphone and read the email. "O! So, it's Tats." "Yeah… It's Tats." "Why do you seem so problematic?" "I don't know," answered Joshua. "I feel like… it's like I'm sneaking behind her back." "I think that's too much," Ria said. "You're not doing anything wrong to her. You are even helping her have her happy ever, right?" 'Maybe…' Still, Joshua could not avoid feeling nervous. "It's okay. That's normal. During my first mission, I was also very scared. And like you, I also went to my Mentor." "So you'll help me?" "Of course!" Ria answered. Joshua somehow felt better. "Thanks. I really don't know how to start." "Let's see…" Ria contemplated for a while. "You have to somehow approach them. In a way, you have to be friends with them, or at least one of them. Like Billy and Tati, this is a grand mission. You will be the guardian of their love story. So, the level of social interaction between you and your mission is higher than those in One-Shots or Recurring missions." "But, it doesn't have to be Edmalyn." "You're right," Ria said. "It could be Carlo. Let's see." Ria read the background of Carlo on Joshua's Cupid Phone. "He's a photographer, a videographer. He has his own studio. Hmn… Maybe you could get him to do a project for you." "Maybe on a movie that I will be doing? Cameraman, or even as an editor?" "I don't think he's that kind of, uh… camera guy? He's an artist. Photography is his passion. He does some exhibits. Oh! Maybe you could buy a picture from his previous exhibits." Joshua watched as Ria analyzed his mission. "Sorry… That is my mission but you're the one planning on how to do it." "It's okay. Consider this as an extension of our training session. I wasn't able to teach you how to do this. And don't feel so guilty because during my first mission, I also asked helped from my mentor. And I tell you, what a trouble I had been to her." Ria giggled. Joshua smiled. "Anyway… so, the easier approach for this mission is through Tats. Because at least, you were classmates. And based on her profile here, it seems she has quite a number of broken heart moments." Joshua frowned. He realized he should have read the mission thoroughly before he went there. He doesn't even know the background of his two prospects. "The last one was very recent." Joshua remembered that time when Edmalyn went to Pure Act Café. He saw her drink some Martini, and he wondered if that was the time her heart was broken, as what Ria said. "It would be weird if I just approach Edmalyn and tell her I'll help her with her heart breaks." "You can do it without telling her, but remember – you have to do everything as smoothly as possible. As discreet as possible, that is." "Do you have any idea how I could do that?" "Well, you could ask the help of her family, her relatives, or her friends. And speaking of friends, there is this someone that is a very close friend to Edmalyn, who I'm pretty sure you know as well. In fact, this person is actually her best friend." Joshua thought about what Ria said. It wasn't that hard to decipher. "I don't like what you're hinting here." Ria smiled. "Well, I guess you finally realized who I'm talking about." She's right. Joshua knows all too well who she's talking about. Just thinking about that person sent shivers down his spine.