Snuggle Application

ELEVEN

MAY

"Good morning." I returned, as I sauntered over to the counter and sat. "I didn't know you could cook."

"I am not surprised," Edmond chuckled, proceeding to c***k an egg into the sizzling pan. "You know, rich people aren't stuck-up snobs whose only talent happens to ensure that people around then are miserable. I am actually a good cook if I dare say."

I wouldn't dispute the good cook part. Edmond looked like he knew what he was doing and he seemed to truly enjoy it. The stuck-up snob part was a different story altogether. He had been a snob all through my first night here. There was no way he was suddenly a jolly person overnight. "Are you sure about the snob part though?" I asked as he strolled over to the coffee maker and turned it on. "You did fire me because you were bunmed a girl dumped you."

Edmond remained quiet. The machine poured a stream of hot liquid into two mugs, and Edmond added two packs of sugar and two fiddly little containers of cream before facing me again. “Coffee?”

"Now that is the Edmond I remember." I took it from his hands with a smile. I watched as he waltzed back to the cooker and served the content of the pan. He pushed one in front of me and I took a good look at it. It was a beautiful mess of red, green, avocado, and eggs. "Looks delicious. What do you call it?"

"A vegetable scramble," Edmond replied, chomping on a huge piece.

I took a few bites myself and I had to admit it was very good. Although I could still barely enjoy it given that Edmond wouldn't stop staring. It was subtle but each time he did, it never did escape my sight.

"So..." Edmond eventually coughed out, garnering my attention. "How was your night?"

So this was what bothered him, I thought. Edmond wanted to know if I had any recollections of what he did earlier today. Or perhaps I was teaching a little too hard. There was a chance he was just trying to strike a conversation. We had twenty-nine days together. It wouldn't be unwise to get to know one another.

"Great actually." I lied. "Yours?"

"It was okay," Edmond replied, coughing again. It was beginning to seem it was out of old habits than necessity. "So... I'll be leaving soon for work and I was wondering if..."

"If?" I urged.

Edmond sighed. "-If you would like your job back. Now before you say anything, I'm just going to go ahead and say this. I was not wrong to fire you. You slacked and it was entirely your fault but I also have to mention that if I was in my right state of mind, you would probably only suffer a cut in your salary. So...this is kind of my apology."

"But you didn't say sorry." I wheezed earning a very dismal look from Edmond.

"You really are impossible. Do you want the job or not? We both know the labor market hasn't been kind these are months."

"I know," I assured him, taking a long look at the steaming cup of coffee in front of me. "You know when you first let me go, I cried my eyes out. The world can be a real d**k and I knew that. Not to mention my life went to hell when Snuggle came into the picture. I would have gladly taken the job again if it was yesterday but today...things are different."

"Are you certain things are different or is it just your pride talking?"

Without the proper context, it did sound like pride. I could barely even believe I was refusing a well-paying job. One which I had the correct credentials in for a fleeting myopic dream I made when I was fifteen. Snuggle had really gotten to my head.

"I want to believe things are different," I told Edmond as I took a sip of my coffee. "Have a great day at work."

Finishing my plate, I dumped the dirty plates into the sink and returned to my room to consider my options. I read through the list again. The demands. No matter how small the consequences would be, seemed like a big deal to me. I wondered what I would look like if I bleached my hair blonde. My guess was it would look pretty unprofessional. However, bleaching my hair was the only task that appeared the easiest to accomplish. I took a deep breath, pushing off all the negative thoughts and choosing to remain positive. Rediscovering myself was what this was.

My phone all of a sudden chimed. I picked the phone and looked at the caller ID. Caller unknown, it said. Yet without hesitation, I hit the accept button.

"Hello," I croaked.

"Hello, Mrs. Wolfe." A familiar voice said.

"Who is this?"

"It's Cupid. Just calling to congratulate you on making the brave choice. That counts as stepping out of your comfort zone. So that is one item crossed off your bucket list. Snuggle can't wait to see what you will accomplish next."

"Wait..." I had to cut in. "How does Snuggle even know what choice I made? Are you guys spying on us?" Even if there was a chance that they were. It didn't make sense. I hadn't carried my phone to the kitchen.

"Of course not. We respect the privacy of our couples. Mr. Walters simply filled us in. "

"Why...would Edmond do that?" I stammered. It shouldn't but it felt like a betrayal. It might have been unspoken but we made a promise to stick by one another for thirty days. I just couldn't understand why Edmond was filling the enemy in this scenario with information. Unless there was something he stood to gain.

"It was the task Mr. Edmond was handed. To offer you your previous job and relay to us your answer." Cupid acquainted me. The woman truly had no filter. I wasn't even sure what I was expecting. Did I truly believe Edmond was a misunderstood billionaire with good intentions? This was not a fairytale, I had to remind myself. Edmond Walters was a businessman at the end of the day. Of course, saving his own skin would be the priority. I was the fool to think this was a partnership. The man would leave me in the dust the moment the trial stint of this farce marriage was over. Edmond Walters was not my friend and it took Cupid to remind me.