Cupid's Game Against Destiny

Chapter 2: Players

CUPID

October 2, 2019

After three days when Psyche visited me, I decided to follow her suggestion about creating a game.

The title of the game is Love Search: How To Make Someone Fall In Love In Fourteen Days Or Else You Will End Up Being Single Forever. Natawa na lang ako ng malakas sa isipan ko, o diba? Title pa lang 'yan ha? Ang galing ko Talaga, dapat bigyan nila ako ng award sa mga ganitong bagay. Ako lang 'to, guys, si Cupid lang 'to.

About the players, hindi na ako lalayo at dito na lang din ako mismo kukuha. And for our first player—

The door opens hitting the hanging door chimes creating a melodious bell sounds.

"Good morning, Cooper." The lady lazily greeted me as she approach the counter.

"Good morning, Amor." I greeted back as I continue wiping the cafe utensils.

"Ako na naman ang nauna?" she asked while scratching her left eye.

I gazed towards the cafe clock behind me. 7:05 am.

"Always." I answered while giving her a smile.

"Cooper, yung usual ko lang na order, matutulog lang ako, gisingin mo lang ako ha? doon lang ako." she said while pointing towards the single table located to the innermost of the cafe.

I started making her order, Expresso Machiatto.  Kumuha ako ng isang slice ng red velvet cake and blueberry cheesecake at nilagay sa iisang platito bago tuluyang ilagay sa maliit na tray kasama ang expresso niya.

"Amor." Pagod ata talaga siya, madalas isang tawag ko lang gigising na agad siya pero ngayon, she didn't even budge on her sleeping position. Nakasubsob talaga ang mukha niya sa kanyang mga braso na nakapatong sa mesa.

"Star."

"Yes, wala pa namang tao."

Hindi na niya ako pinatapos mukhang alam niya na ang sasabihin ko. Lumabas ako sa counter dala dala ang tray at binitbit papunta kay Amor.

Nilapag ko muna ang tray sa mesa bago ko siya ginalaw kaunti.

"Amor, gising na."

She slowly opened her eyes and started stretching her arms.

"Thank you, Coop."

"Welcome."

Kinuha niya ang laptop sa kaniyang bag, sinaksak ang kanyang earphones at nilagay sa kanyang tenga. Bago ako bumalik sa counter, nakita ko pa siyang bumukas ng isang folder na may pangalang KDRAMA, sa desktop niya, at bumukas ulit ng isa pang folder na may pangalan na Love In The Moonlight.

Princess Amor Doble, twenty-three years old, a fresh graduate but not that fresh because she's currently working as a call center agent with a graveyard shift.

Relationship status: single since birth. As of the moment, she have fourteen crushes, excluding her celebrity crushes but if you add all in all, she already have sixty-one crushes. From Lee Minho, Hu Yitian, Lee Jongsuk, Tay Tawan, Lin Yi, Harry Styles and etc. Self proclaimed asawa niya na ang mga 'yan, pero sinasarili niya lang dahil tamad siyang makipagbangayan.

She doesn't have any flirting experience, a hopeless romantic who loves binge-watching romantic series, mapa-Kdrama, Chinese drama, Thai Lakhorn, Western and more. Kahit gaano siya kapagod sa trabaho niya, she always find ways to watch her beloved dramas. She's the perfect example of a sleepless elite.

Of course, she is also the perfect person to play my game, Love Search: How To Make Someone Fall In Love In Fourteen Days Or Else You Will End Up Being Single Forever.

Mag-iisang oras na simula nang dumating si Amor. Nagdadagsaan na rin ang mga costumer ng cafe na madalas mga estudyanteng halatang puyat dahil malapit na ang final examination nila para sa unang semestre.

"Cooper."

"Oh! Amor."

"Isang usual order ko ulit pero this time caramel macchiato ang ibigay mo sa akin."

Hindi katulad kanina may buhay at sigla na ngayon ang mukha at pananalita ni Amor.

"Okay." sabi ko sabay bigay ng okay sign.

Nang maibigay ko ang order ni Amor, umalis agad siya at nagsimulang manuod ulit sa sulok.

Nasaan na ba kasi yung isa? I'm so excited to start already.

Sinubukan kung abutin ng aking paningin ang mga tao sa pila pero wala pa rin yung isa.

"Excuse me po."

Napatingin ako sa taong mag-o-order na. He's looking at the piece of sticky note he's holding.

"Yes."

He then looked at me. Ahh! kaya pala wala sa likod kasi nasa harap.

"Dalawa pong strawberry smoothie..."

He started enumerating his order and I...

Kingston Huiden, 19 years old, a clumsy first year Political Science student. He's smart, handsome, talented in singing, painting and etc. for short he is a complete package, but you should handle him with care because this package is very fragile. In layman's term: MARUPOK.

He's also a hopeless romantic, with somehow a record breaking fourteen exes, twenty-one heart breaks with five major heart breaks, participated in seventy-two blind dates, which obviously initiated by him. He's always the under-de-saya type. Right now he's already three weeks single and already mingling. His favorite place for blind dating is here, in Moon Bloc Cafe. Kaya kilala ko siya at kung gaano siya karupok kahit sa simpleng blind date lang. He's the best example of a person with high IQ but low in EQ.

He's also fitted to play my game: Love Search: How To Make Someone Fall In Love In Fourteen Days Or Else You Will End Up Being Single Forever.

I close my eyes as I touched my nose bridge, title pa lang ng game maganda na masyado paano pa pag-nilaro na? Ako lang to, Si Cupid lang to, ang mastermind ng pinakamagandang laro sa balat ng universe ang Love Search: How To Make Someone Fall In Love In Fourteen Days Or Else You Will End Up Being Single Forever.

Hayysttt! Title pa lang na Love Search: How To Make Someone Fall In Love In Fourteen Days Or Else You Will End Up Being Single Forever, paano pa kaya pag nilaro na nila ang Love Search: How To Make Someone Fall In Love In Fourteen Days Or Else Y You Will End Up Being Single Forever.

"...at dalawang strawberry Shortcakes."

Pagmulat ko ng mata ko nakita ko siyang nakatunganga sa mukha ko.

"Nakuha niyo po 'yon lahat?"

binigyan ko siya ng awkward na mga ngiti.

"Hihihi! Sorry pero pwede paulit." sabi ko na lang.

"Don't bother." Napatingin ako kay Star na may hawak na ballpen at kapirasong papel. Sinulat niya siguro ang order ni Kingston.

"Anyare sayo, Cop? You're spacing out. Ako na muna bahala rito."

"Thanks, Star."

Star started to prepare at nag-assist lang ako sa kanya. Matapos ay naibigay din namin ang order ni Kingston. Bumalik siya sa table kung saan naghihintay ang kanyang bagong ka-mingle. Napatingin na lang ako sa oras, eight-thirty pa lang pero may ka-date na siya.

I guess I should start the game?

I snapped my fingers, and everyone stopped moving, as I temporarily froze the time. Umakyat ako sa counter at umupong parang si Buddha.

I snapped again my fingers, and my hair turns red and also my brown eyes turns to red. I don't want to change my outfit so I turned my white apron to color red with a pink heart pierced with arrow in the middle of it, as a design.

And for the third time, I snapped my fingers again, I brought Amor and Kingston in a hyperspace I created that replicates the interior of Moon Bloc Cafe. Pero tatlo lang kami rito.

Again, I snapped my fingers and they started moving, the first thing they did, tiningnan nila akong parang mga tanga dahil sa gulat.

I should be kind to my players. "Welcome, chosen players."