The Cupid Complex - 1. Chapter 1

Gabriel’s shadow flickered against the wall as he lit the last candle on the mantle. It had taken him all afternoon to decorate his small apartment. In addition to the candles that now illuminated the entire living room and bedroom, red streamers lined the doorways, and cardboard hearts and Cupids adorned the walls. The coup de grace was a bouquet of red roses sitting in a vase on the coffee table, alongside a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice, and a plate full of chocolate-covered strawberries. More roses were strewn randomly throughout the apartment, and a trail of rose petals led from the living room to the bedroom. The bedroom was similarly decorated with candles and rose petals that littered the bed.

Gabriel was quite proud of himself. He loved holidays—Valentine’s Day in particular. He constantly overdid it with the decorations, but he always thought his friends or boyfriends didn’t seem to mind. He smiled as he imagined the look on Brad’s face when he saw the apartment. They had only been dating for three months, but he really liked Brad. He fit the description of tall, dark, and handsome to a T. His personality matched his looks, and he was great in bed. Gabriel wondered how he got so lucky.

He checked his watch. He had thirty minutes until Brad was supposed to arrive for their date. Plenty of time to change into the outfit he had selected for the evening. He hoped that Brad would like it; he had carefully planned what he was wearing.

After he changed, Gabriel put the roast into the oven and then retreated into the living room and sat on the couch. The roast would take a couple of hours to cook, and all he had to do was heat up the sides, since he had made them earlier that day. He figured that would be plenty of time to work up an appetite. He shifted his weight to make himself more comfortable after imagining just how they would work up that appetite. He had visions of licking pools of champagne off his boyfriend’s stomach and eating those strawberries in a manner not fit to be seen in public.

Gabriel bounced his leg nervously. Tonight was the night he planned on telling Brad how he felt. So far, neither one of them had used the “L” word. It was time to change that. The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile as he thought about their first date. Normally he hated blind dates, but his co-worker had insisted.

“C’mon, Gabe. You’ll love this guy. If he wasn’t gay, I’d date him in a heartbeat!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. Why did women always say that? “You know I don’t like being called Gabe. And I hate blind dates.”

“I’ll even pay for dinner. I mean it…you won’t regret this.” Abby grinned and stared at him evenly.

“I already do…” he mumbled, then held out his hand.

Abby raised her eyebrows. “You’re actually going to take the money?”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Hell yeah. The least you can do is pay for dinner after setting me up for dating hell.”

She laughed as she dug some cash out of her wallet. “Here you go. I guarantee you’ll have a great time.”

Gabriel was not feeling as confident as his friend and co-worker when he entered the restaurant. “I’m here to meet Brad,” he told the maître d’.

“Yes, right this way sir.”

He was led to a table near the back of the restaurant, in front of a large stone fireplace. His mouth gaped open when he saw the gorgeous black-haired man already seated there. Gabriel tried not to get his hopes up. There had to be something wrong with him. Why else would such a stunning man be on a blind date?

The man smiled and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Brad. You must be Gabe.”

Gabriel nodded and shook his hand before sitting down. He was so rattled by Brad’s appearance that he didn’t even correct the use of his name.

“Abby wasn’t kidding. You are adorable,” Brad said, winking an eye.

Gabriel blushed. “Thanks. She didn’t tell me much about you.” He fiddled with his napkin for a moment before blurting out, “You’re gorgeous. Why do you need a blind date?” His eyes widened, and he put his face in his hands, mortified by his lack of manners. He realized that it was not Brad that needed a blind date, but himself. The hot man was probably already planning on putting his ‘emergency – gotta go, but it was nice to meet you’ plan into action.

He looked up when he felt Brad take his hands into his own. “Hey, relax. I just moved to the area, and Abby took it upon herself to be my social coordinator. No pressure, ok? Let’s just see where this goes.”

Gabriel smiled and nodded.

He had ended up having a great time once he relaxed enough to be himself. The evening ended with a kiss and the promise of a second date. That second date had now blossomed into three months, and Gabriel was looking forward to what the future held in store.

He jumped when he heard the doorbell, and smoothed his outfit before inhaling deeply and opening the door. He smiled in what he hoped was a seductive manner, and held up his bow with the Nerf heart-shaped arrow. “Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.”

Brad’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the sight of Gabriel dressed as Cupid, complete with wings and halo. And diaper. Or what looked like a diaper. In his mind, it didn’t really matter. The bottle of wine he brought fell to the floor with a dull clatter and rolled against the wall. “Uh…you have got to be kidding me…”

Gabriel’s brow furrowed and his cheeks flushed bright red. This was not the reaction he had hoped for.

To his credit, Brad at least attempted to stifle his laughter before it erupted into side-splitting guffaws. “Oh my God, the guys are not going to believe this!” He held up his phone and snapped a picture. “Sorry, Gabe, but no…just…no,” he said before turning and walking down the hall, his laughter echoing behind him.

Gabriel stood in the doorway, trying to process what had just happened. As he lowered his arm to his side, the Nerf arrow discharged, although Gabriel wasn’t aware of his actions.

“Um…I think this belongs to you.”

He looked up into emerald green eyes tinged with a hint of amusement. The eyes belonged to a face that displayed a hint of a smirk, even though it was trying to look sympathetic. The man held out the arrow.

“Thanks. I’m going to go die of humiliation now,” Gabriel said as he took the arrow and closed the door. He removed his outfit, throwing it in the closet before putting on a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt. He numbly proceeded to extinguish all the candles and turn off the oven before returning to his bedroom. No tears…he thought to himself before he flopped down face-first into his pillow. He immediately sat up and furiously wiped away the rose petals that clung to his face. He threw off the bedspread in a huff and climbed under the sheets, pulling his extra pillow close.

He wasn’t about to ruin what little dignity he had left by crying over an asshole who couldn’t even dump him politely. A sob escaped him, and he broke down, taking deep gasping breaths when the lack of oxygen overwhelmed his body. His pillow was soaked with his tears by the time he fell into exhausted sleep.

Abby dissolved into a fit of snorting laughter the minute she saw Gabriel at work the next day. He glared at her before stomping into his office and slamming the door. He heard a soft knock followed by the door opening.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Abby asked, making a thinly-veiled attempt at suppressing her laughter.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Gabriel mumbled. He fumbled with some papers on his desk, pretending to be engrossed in his work.

“Oh c’mon…we’ve all done stupid shit in the name of love before. It’s not the end of the world.”

He narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. “This is all your fault, you know. You’re the one who set us up.”

“It’s not my fault you decided to dress in adult diapers.”

“Just go away. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You do know that everyone’s seen that pic, right? You’re not living this down any time soon…Cupid.” She dissolved into laughter again.

Gabriel’s face was bright red with anger and humiliation. “Get out of my office,” he said tersely.

“Oh lighten up. This is hysterical!”

“Lighten up? Screw you, Abby! I was ready to tell him I lo—“ He stopped abruptly. “I guess we had different ideas of where this relationship was going,” he mumbled.

Abby’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, Gabe. I had no idea you felt that way about him. From what he’s been telling me, this was just casual.”

“Yeah, well he never told me. Please leave me alone now.”

Abby nodded and left the office. She felt bad for her friend; now the look on his face in the pic that Brad had sent her made sense.

Gabriel couldn’t remember the last time he felt so depressed. It wasn’t just the loss of Brad. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself he was more in love with the idea of a relationship than the man himself. He had torn down all his Valentine’s Day decorations and thrown them out. He didn’t even feel like decorating for Easter.

He opened his mail slot and leafed through its contents woodenly. Bills. That’s all he ever got in the mail.

“You look different without your wings.”

Gabriel jumped when he heard the deep voice. The man who had caught his arrow was standing next to him with his own stack of bills in his hand, looking at him with an amused expression.

“Yeah, um…wow. So you live here, huh?”

The man nodded. “I’m Avery. I moved into 3B a couple of months ago.”

Gabriel nodded in acknowledgement. He avoided Avery’s eyes, not wanting to see the ridicule he was sure was there. “I gotta go. Nice to meet you.” He fled up the stairs. Nice to meet you? He thought. How lame can I get? I already met him in the most humiliating way possible.

Once inside his apartment, he threw his mail on the table, then flopped onto the couch and turned the TV on. He needed some mindless entertainment to take his mind off his miserable life.

He had been surprised to learn that Avery lived in his apartment complex. Apparently he’d been too wrapped up in Brad to even notice his hot, new neighbor.

*****

Gabriel wished he hadn’t decided to try and bring all his groceries in from his car in one trip, as he twisted and shuffled the bags around in a futile attempt to unlock the door to his apartment complex. A whiff of pleasant cologne briefly distracted him before his load was suddenly much lighter.

“Let me help you with those.” He exhaled in relief as Avery took half the bags from his arms and opened the door.

“Thanks. I don’t know why I thought making one trip was a good idea. Just being lazy, I guess.”

“You should have just put your wings on and flew them up.” Avery’s voice was teasing, but Gabriel’s face flushed bright red.

“Yeah…um…I’m never doing that again,” he mumbled.

“I’m sorry…If it bothers you, I won’t keep teasing you about it. It’s just really hard to resist.”

Gabriel opened the door to his apartment and led the way to the kitchen where they set the bags down on the counter. “I really appreciate the help. You’re a lifesaver.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m happy to help.” Avery motioned to a magnet on the refrigerator. “So you’re a Game of Thrones fan?”

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, even though I don’t usually like violent shows. Go figure. Maybe it’s all the eye candy. I wouldn’t mind teaching Jon Snow a few things.”

Avery laughed. “That show does have some nice eye candy. Have you read the books?”

Gabriel shook his head. “No, but I’d like to someday.”

“You should. It’s interesting to see how it differs from the TV show.”

They launched into a lengthy discussion about the series as Gabriel assembled a lasagna and garlic bread. Avery was enjoying the time he was spending with who he hoped was a new friend, but didn’t want to overstay his welcome.

“I should probably get going. I’ve taken enough of your time.”

Gabriel tried to hide his disappointment. “I don’t have plans for tonight and have plenty of food. You’re welcome to stay for dinner. We can watch Game of Thrones and you can point out all the differences from the books.”

Avery smiled. “Sounds great. On one condition…”

“Name it.”

“You tell me your name.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t told you my name?”

“Nope.”

“I’m Gabriel; it’s nice to meet you.” He held out his hand. Avery shook it and smirked.

“Fitting, although I wouldn’t have pegged you as an archangel.”

“Ha. Ha. Are you done with the angel jokes now?”

Avery laughed. “Not by a long shot.”

Gabriel grimaced. “Great.”

When the food was done, they brought their plates into the living room so they could eat while watching season one of Game of Thrones. The first episode had just started when Gabriel’s phone rang.

“Hey Matt, I’m glad you called… I’m eating dinner with a friend.” He laughed. “Yes, just a friend. Can we do tomorrow night instead? Great…” His voice lowered flirtatiously, “I’m looking forward to it. See ya then.” He disconnected the call and lowered the phone to the couch. He was so wrapped up in his call that he missed the fleeting look of disappointment on Avery’s face.

“Please tell me that wasn’t the guy from Valentine’s Day.”

Gabriel frowned. “No. I never heard from him again. I met Matt at the gym yesterday, and we exchanged numbers.” He was embarrassed to tell Avery the truth. Matt had responded to the Grindr profile he had created the week before.

“Sorry if I’m stopping you from your date.”

“You’re not. I’m enjoying our discussion.”

Avery smiled. “Good, so am I. This lasagna is fantastic, by the way. You’re a great cook.”

Gabriel blushed. “Thanks. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed.”

“I can boil water for pasta, but even that can be iffy sometimes. I pretty much live on take-out.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to invite you to dinner more often then so you get some decent food.”

Avery laughed. “Sounds good to me.”

*****

Gabriel found that depression was a curious thing. While his life appeared to be on a pretty good upswing, he also had moments of profound sadness which nothing seemed to chase away. He was desperately lonely. The loss of Brad had affected him more than he realized. He wanted a relationship but was afraid of getting hurt again. He started what he considered ‘dating’ a lot of men, although the more accurate phrase would be ‘hooking up’. There was a different one every week or every few weeks, depending on how long they stuck around. While Gabriel found temporary relief from loneliness in these men’s arms, his depression still lingered under the surface, threatening to pull him in if something didn’t change.

The one bright spot in his life was Avery. Sunday had quickly become Gabriel’s favorite night of the week. Every other week he cooked dinner for Avery, and they watched the new episode of Game of Thrones. On opposite weeks, Avery insisted on supplying dinner, so those nights became take-out nights since Avery had proved that he wasn’t exaggerating his lack of culinary skills. Gabriel worried about what would happen once the season ended, since he enjoyed the time he was spending with his new friend. He needn’t have worried, though. Avery suggested making Sunday night ‘movie night’ instead, much to Gabriel’s delight.

Gabriel’s life saw another upswing during the summer. The company he worked for hired a new HR manager – Denny. Gabriel was immediately drawn to the man. He was what Gabriel considered ‘cute’. Not gorgeous like Avery, but adorable in more of an Elijah Wood type of way. It seemed that they were scheduled for the same lunch break, because it wasn’t long before Gabriel had a steady eating companion. He soon found himself enjoying lunchtime as much as he enjoyed his visits with Avery. His friendship with both men was doing wonders to lift his depression, and he found that life was starting to look up.

Denny enjoyed cooking as much as Gabriel did, and the two men regularly brought the other lunches comprised of leftovers from meals they had prepared the night before. They also exchanged recipes and discussed shows they both enjoyed watching on the Food Network. It was inevitable that their friendship evolved to include time spent together outside of the work environment.

Denny invited Gabriel to his apartment for dinner and a movie, and the other man agreed happily. They settled on a Friday night, since Gabriel was not willing to give up any of his Sunday Avery time.

Denny prepared a meal of stuffed pork chops with homemade applesauce and roasted vegetables. It smelled heavenly when Gabriel entered the apartment. His heartrate increased when he saw the lit candles on the table and the single red rose lying on his plate. He liked Denny – a lot – but he had a strict rule about dating co-workers. He had tried it in the past with disastrous results.

The look on Gabriel’s face was all Denny needed to see to realize he had made a mistake. They had never explicitly talked about relationships, but Abby had told him that Gabriel was single. He thought they had a connection that went beyond friendship, and he was crushed to find out that he was wrong.

Gabriel smiled and handed him the bottle of wine he had brought. “Everything smells so good.”

“Thanks. I remember you telling me that stuffed pork chops are your favorite.”

“Yeah, they are. Denny –“

“I’m sorry, Gabriel. I must have misread our friendship. I thought there was something between us.” He looked away, ashamed of the tear falling down his cheek. He flinched when he felt Gabriel take his hands and lead him to the couch.

“You’re not wrong, Denny. I really like you. It’s just that I have a strict policy against dating co-workers. They never tend to end well.”

“Is it because of Avery? I swear I thought you were single…Abby told me you were. But the way you talk about Avery…is he more than just a friend?”

Gabriel sighed. The two men he wanted more than anything were both off limits and that realization stung him very deeply. “No, he’s just a friend. I will admit that I had hoped for something more when I first met him, but that ended when I saw a picture of him with his ex-girlfriend in his apartment.”

“Are you sure you won’t reconsider your policy? If we break up, I’ll quit. You’ve been there longer than I have and –“

Gabriel shook his head. “That’s really sweet of you, but it’s not fair to you to have to leave such a great job if things don’t work out between us. I really value our friendship and don’t want to jeopardize it.”

Denny smiled and nodded. “I won’t say I’m not disappointed, but I don’t want to lose your friendship either.”

“I’m glad. So when’s dinner ready?”

“Should be ready now. Want to help me dish up the sides?”

“Sure.”

*****

To Gabriel’s relief, his friendship with Denny only grew the more he got to know him. They met regularly for dinner, in between Gabriel’s ‘dates’ and movie nights with Avery. Gabriel’s depression lessened more and more, and he even found himself dragging out the Halloween decorations in the fall. He cooked Thanksgiving dinner for Avery and some of his other friends who didn’t have any family in the area, including Denny. Denny immediately saw why Gabriel liked Avery so much. The man was hot and also had a great personality. He’d have to remember to ask Gabriel why Avery teased him about angels so much. He was sure there was a story there. They hadn’t talked about relationships since the night that Gabriel rejected him, but Denny still found himself hoping for more than friendship from the other man.

Gabriel put up a Christmas tree and even found himself getting into the spirit of the season. He bought Avery a Game of Thrones calendar and an Amazon gift card. Avery gave him a set of the books the series was based on. Gabriel was thrilled that his friend thought enough of him to buy him a Christmas present. He also exchanged gifts with Denny – they bought each other the same set of high-end cookware, much to the other’s delight.

*****

Gabriel scowled as he opened the door to his apartment complex and stomped up the stairs. He didn’t care that he was probably pissing off his first floor neighbors. The beginning of the month was always a stressful time for him because of the monthly paperwork he had to turn in at work. February was the worst of all because of all the reports he had due. His supervisor rode his ass about every little thing, and it was starting to wear on him. The foot of snow that fell during the day didn’t improve his mood either. Traffic was horrible, and it took him twice as long as it normally did to get home. To top off his already irritating day, his date for the evening had cancelled citing the bad weather. He had really been looking forward to getting laid. Now all he wanted to do was eat the take-out he just picked up, put on some comfortable clothes, and become vegetable matter in front of the TV.

His mood lightened when he noticed a package in front of his door with a red rose on top of it. Maybe Craig had decided to stop by after all. He looked around but didn’t see anyone in the hallway. Why didn’t he hang around? Gabriel supposed he could have dropped it by before the snow started. He entered his apartment and set the take-out containers in the kitchen before ignoring them and flopping down on the couch to open his surprise. He’d only seen Craig a few times, but they had great chemistry in bed. Gabriel had been hoping to start seeing him outside of the bedroom, and apparently the other man felt the same way.

He couldn’t help grinning as he tore the wrapping off of the package. Inside he found his favorite candy and a card.

Sweets for my sweet, enjoy your tasty treat.

He laughed at the cheesy poem, touched by the romantic gesture. He popped a chocolate into his mouth, then grabbed his phone and scrolled to Craig’s number. He composed a text, then hit ‘send’.

How’d you know my favorite candy? What a nice surprise to come home to. Thanks! Wish you were here so I could thank you properly. ;)

Gabriel practically skipped into his bedroom and changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt. There was a response to his text when he returned to the living room.

Wasn’t me. Must be some other guy you’re banging. Lol

Gabriel’s smile morphed into a frown. He didn’t think that they were exclusive but he had hoped.

You’re the only guy I’m seeing right now. If it wasn’t you, I have no idea who left it.

Craig’s response was almost immediate. Then I guess you have a secret admirer. Um…you do know that this is just casual, right?

Gabriel’s heart sank. So much for outside the bedroom.

Yeah, I know.

He had a feeling he wouldn’t be seeing Craig again. He sighed and headed into the kitchen to dish up his Chinese food. He didn’t have much of an appetite anymore, but he wanted to eat it while it was still hot.

“Those roses are pretty. Who gave them to you?” Avery asked around a bite of pizza. It was his night to provide food and to pick the movie. He chose Crazy, Stupid, Love, which Gabriel thought was an odd choice since they usually watched action/adventure flicks. There were now seven roses in the vase – one for each day he had received a gift in front of his door.

“I have no idea. I thought it was Craig, but he said it wasn’t him. Apparently, I have a secret admirer.”

Avery took another bite of pizza and chewed, looking at Gabriel with an expression he couldn’t read. “Craig?” he asked after he swallowed. “What happened to Rob?”

“Rob broke it off a while ago. He wasn’t interested in a relationship.”

“But you were?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Rob was ok. I really liked Craig though, so I’m bummed it’s not him. I was hoping for something more than ‘casual’. I haven’t heard from him since I started getting the gifts, so I guess it’s another one for the ‘lose’ column.”

“You do know that you deserve better than these random hookups, right?” Avery asked softly.

“I guess. I don’t have the best luck when it comes to men.” Gabriel grabbed another slice of pizza.

“Any idea who your secret admirer might be?”

“Not a clue. They seem to know me pretty well, though. I got a CD by my favorite band today.”

“Cool.” Avery popped the DVD in the player, and they settled down to enjoy the movie.

Gabriel continued to receive a gift with a red rose in front of his door every day. Every one of them contained a sweet note and was personalized to his taste in sweets or music. He even received a teddy bear, which he cuddled with every night since receiving it, imagining it was his secret admirer. When he received a cookbook by his favorite Food Network chef, a realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He flashed back to the first time he went to Denny’s apartment and the single red rose on his plate. He was still attracted to Denny and thought the other man felt the same way. Maybe it was time to rethink his no dating co-workers policy.

On the day before Valentine’s Day, he bounded up the stairs to his apartment, eager to find out what awaited him in front of his door.

He found a card with another rose taped above his door handle. He removed it and entered his apartment, ripping open the envelope before flopping down on the couch to read the card. The front of the card was adorned with a flying Cupid holding a bow and arrow. His thoughts immediately went to Brad and the debacle of last year’s Valentine’s Day. The only men who knew about that were Brad and Avery. It couldn’t be Avery because he was straight. Brad? His secret admirer? How could that be since he hadn’t heard from the man in a year?

The card contained a short note:

Be ready at 7:00 tomorrow night. Dress nice, but casual. No wings ;)

Gabriel was now convinced it was Brad. Disappointment flooded through him when he realized that it wasn’t Denny. He was very confused. Why would Brad suddenly contact him after so long? From what Abby had told him, he had met a guy and been dating him for several months now. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but the notes and gifts were so sweet. He supposed he’d get ready as instructed the next night and see what the man had to say.

There was no gift or flower waiting for him when he got home from work the following day. He wasn’t surprised, since he’d be meeting his secret admirer in a couple of hours. Gabriel tried to keep himself busy until it was time to get ready for his date, but he found his thoughts kept returning to Brad and their time together, no matter how much he tried to distract himself. He thought about Avery’s words – that he deserved better than the guys he’d been seeing. He’d actually thought about those words a lot since the night Avery said them. His friend was right. He did deserve better. And he deserved better than a guy who snapped a picture of him and ridiculed him instead of breaking up with him properly.

He showered and took his time getting ready. He had selected his ‘date pants’ – the ones that flattered his ass in all the right places – and a slim fit, red, button-down shirt. He styled his hair and smiled as he surveyed the results of his efforts in the mirror. He wanted Brad to know what he could have had.

He sat on the couch, bouncing his leg and ignoring the program on the TV, nervous despite his conviction to reject Brad. He heard a knock on his door promptly at seven o’clock. He inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a moment before letting it out slowly. He wiped his hands on his pants, then smoothed out his shirt before opening the door.

His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped in shock.

“Even though I told you ‘no wings’, I still half expected you to open the door in your Cupid outfit.” His secret admirer held out a Nerf arrow with a foam heart at the end. “I think Cupid’s arrow struck pretty true, don’t you?”

Gabriel nodded. He took the arrow and smiled. A tear formed in his eye and ran down his cheek, unnoticed.

“You really had no idea?”

Gabriel shook his head. “When we first met, I had hoped…but I thought you were straight. I saw that picture of you with your ex.”

Avery laughed and opened his arms, enveloping the smaller man. “You mean the one of my sister and me?” He lay his cheek on the top of Gabriel’s head, reveling in the feel of the man he loved finally in his arms. “I’ve always wanted to corrupt an angel.”

“You’re too late. I think I’ve already fallen,” Gabriel murmured into Avery’s lips before kissing him.