- Eros -

I trailed their car to some recording studio place and there was obviously security there.

I managed to sneak in with some fake staff passes from the last camera crew job Payne made us do.

The place was huge, there was a main building that seemed to be where the offices were. The buildings that surrounded that were most likely sets for recording or filming or whatever else humans did for entertainment.

Destiny parked at a VIP lot and I drove round to find a spot where she wouldn’t see me. After parking, I went inside and took a look around the office. It was very starry. Not your typical standard office layout, the interior looked something like the inside of a Universal Studios theme park, with lots of signs and lights and doors to offices and rooms.

I spotted Destiny’s room, a huge star lit up her door with her name shining in neon lights. It felt like I landed in Las Vegas.

Her door opened and I slipped behind a wall, seeing Destiny walk out in her long khaki suede coat with a simple white suit on the inside. She placed her sunglasses on her head and I stared at the beauty as she read a stack of papers. She stopped walking and turned in my direction, I quickly hid away from view and only turned around again when I heard her heels click away.

I feel so fucking pathetic now. But I wanted to see her the way she was, during the day in all her sweet glory.

Of course I could sit comfortably in my study at home and watch her from my pairing system, stalking her every move with my heaven cameras. But this was somehow more satisfying, knowing she was close to me.

I watched her as she went into a meeting room and I stood outside, wondering if I could somehow sneak in or if I should just have a walk around the place.

“May I help you?” My back froze from the voice and I steadied myself before turning around.

It was Destiny’s manager.

“I’m looking for Meeting Room 5,” I answered confidently.

I hope I remembered correctly which room Destiny entered.

“Ah it’s just on your right. Are you an actor or?” She trailed off and my mind started racing.

“I’m here to observe her lesson, if that’s okay? I’m not exactly keen on acting but my manager said I could come and have a look on how actors get into the role for some inspiration. I heard Destiny is a good role model,” I tried to smoke my way through and Elaine was clearly not grabbing until I mentioned Destiny.

“Of course! Destiny is perfect as an example! Come on in then, you must be a newbie actor huh? They’ve found themselves a really good-looking one,” she laughed her way in as she dragged me into the room.

Some meeting room it was. The tables and chairs were in the centre of a huge set and lights were everywhere in that black space.

“Sit tight, she should be coming out soon. I’ll go talk to some of the Producers,” Elaine informed and made me sit in a chair.

Almost everyone sitting around me were holding clipboards with papers and were studying some stuff on their phone. They look so serious.

I turned to the grey-haired guy next to me with a cap and black-rimmed glasses, “What is this for?”

I pointed to the paper and he gave me a look, “Lesson material, it’s a script from Destiny’s last movie.”

“Do you have an extra copy?”

Before he could answer, I felt a thick wad of paper slap my face and Elaine glared at me, “Quiet! Take this, for someone so handsome you’re so unprepared.”

I raised an eyebrow and took the paper from her. What is wrong with her?

Destiny strode out then, the whole room was watching her. That beautiful girl whom I’ve kissed before.

I mentally slapped myself, this wasn’t right. But I was going to enjoy myself.

Destiny smiled at her class, there were maybe twenty of us there. I sunk into my seat.

“Good afternoon everyone, thank you for taking time off to come here. I’m sure a lot of you want to improve your acting abilities for whatever course of work you may want to pursue. I am honestly not one of the best actresses out there but I'll do my best in helping you guys."

There was some whispering and Elaine snapped her fingers to get everyone to focus.

The small class quietened down and Destiny cleared her throat, “There are techniques in acting, but I want to teach you the more human parts of it. Directing and creating your own scenes and emotions.”

I smiled, she sounded crazy. I loved that about her.

She started her lesson. She got some volunteers up to demonstrate what she meant and whatever not. She was really good at both teaching and acting, I was surprised why she didn’t just become a teacher.

When we neared the end, she settled everyone, “Acting is superficial, but when people watch you, they are not watching just the character you are playing. They see you, your emotions, your movements. When people act naturally, they say it’s good acting. Basically now, you don’t have to play the character, you have to play the character naturally. You have to become that character.

Of course, one thing you have to remember, never lose your humanity. As actors and actresses, you have to switch your facial expressions on and off like a switch. When you’re on set, you see everything through the character’s eyes. But off set, be yourself. It’s hard to find people who can be real nowadays. So please, be as real as you can with me. I love when people shine from within, they're beautiful that way.”

Her tone sounded sad when she said this, then her eyes landed on me and I could swear I heard her heartbeat accelerate. Or maybe it was mine. She smiled beautifully anyway, “Thank you all for coming, I wish all of you the very best.”

A round of applause and I checked my watch, it was evening and I had to go to the club soon.

Destiny was occupied with the students going up to ask her stuff, some even asking for her autograph. I got up and left the room, I could feel myself falling for her even more.

I left the building, the fresh evening air filling my lungs, it cleared my head immediately. I can’t be doing this.

“Eros!” I heard her voice call out and my body responded to her instantly.

I spun around and she ran up to me, a wide smile on her face, “Hey, what are you doing here?”

Stalking you, following you, loving you.

I shook my head, “I uh- I was just curious about what you were doing today.”

She raised an eyebrow, “You stalked me?”

I laughed, “No I did not.”

She cleared her throat and gestured around us, “So you somehow came here, into a private studio, got super interested in acting and just somehow ended up in my class?”

What she said earlier hit me, about how it was hard to find people who were real.

I sighed, “I wanted to see you.”

She watched me, “So you followed me here?”

I nodded, “Your lesson was, entertaining.”

She smiled and that bright thing settled on her. That thing that I couldn’t find in her pictures with Jordan.

Then it clicked, happiness. She lacked the glowing happiness in those photos.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

We stood there for a moment, my hands aching to reach out to her.

Her eyes were so warm in the evening light, her lips slightly parted as if waiting for something from me.

I reached out and held her face, "You're so beautiful when you're happy."

The clear innocence in her eyes vanished almost immediately and I wondered what I did wrong. She stepped back and away from my touch, my heart shattered.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this. I have a partner Eros. And you have someone else in your heart, stop doing this to us," she mumbled and my mind whirled.

"Wait Destiny, I-"

"There you are! Jordan said he'll meet you for dinner tonight- What's going on here?" Elaine ran out towards us.

Destiny smiled widely at her, as if her eyes weren't filled with tears.

"Ah of course, Elaine let me introduce you to-"

"Oh this guy! He's the newbie actor at your lesson earlier," she rambled on and I grumbled.

Destiny giggled even in her emotional state, "He's a newbie huh? Elaine this is Eros, the owner of the club we've been visiting. Eros this is Elaine, she is my manager."

I shook her hand and she gave me a sly look, "My goodness you sneaky bastard." Then she turned to Destiny, "I can see why you're attracted to him now-"

"And we'll be leaving, I have to meet Jordan, right Elaine?" 

Elaine nodded and a bitter feeling spread through me, what do I do?

"I'll see you some other time Eros," Destiny grabbed her manager and they left quickly.

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, willing the sick sour feeling in my heart to stop wreaking havoc in my body.

What did she mean by me having someone else in my heart?

My phone rang and I picked it up, “Yes Payne?”

“I’m here, can you come over now?”

“Yeah sure, I’ll be right over.”

I got into my car and drove off. My heart was hammering against my chest.

So many things about her I just couldn’t figure out.

Why isn’t she happy with Jordan? Is the arrow working on her? Why is she pushing me away?

I arrived at the club, the staff were preparing and I found Payne upstairs in the VIP section.

I strode up the stairs and he folded his arms, “Where have you been?”

I eyed him, “I was with Destiny, what’s your problem?”

He gave me a disapproving look but shook his head, “I have something more important for you to see.”

He took me back to my office and there was a really old book on my desk. Payne shut the door, “Remember I was telling you about your mother? And why she had such a strict rule about you not finding your partner?”

I picked the book up and rested in my seat, “No not really, just about my mother wanting to cast me down to Earth and never return.”

He rolled his eyes, “Anyway, I remember in my previous lives I was keeping information about all these things. The Greek Gods and what not. In the book you’re holding, it states some happenings of the Gods.”

I flipped through and scanned through a few pages, “Incest was banned, I know that. It’s utterly disgusting what the Gods did in the past.”

“Not just those Eros, there’s one talking about your mother. Your mother and her jealousy. She cheated on her husband, Hephaestus because he was horribly ugly. She was sought after by so many perfect and immaculate beings but Zeus ended up pairing her with the ugliest God. So she had a ‘thing’ with your dad, Ares.”

I coughed, “Way to talk about my messed up family Payne.”

“As I was saying, your mother saw Psyche. She found her so beautiful that she couldn’t bear it. She didn’t want the Gods to start fighting over Psyche like how they did with her. She wanted the attention for herself. That’s why she personally instructed you to go and pair Psyche with her partner. But you! You just had to have fun and run down to Earth to pair her when you could have done it from Heaven-“

“What’s your point? If you’re playing the blame game then I’m out.”

He sighed, “Only a woman that beautiful can attract you Eros, a woman more beautiful than your mother. When Psyche was paired, your mother’s jealousy and rage stopped. But now you are falling for Destiny, it means that your mother will soon find out that another human is more beautiful than her. Your mother might start that whole torture all over again.”

“But I paired Destiny, I did my job. It doesn’t matter how beautiful Destiny is now, no matter how jealous my mother will be. Because Destiny is paired.”

“Let’s just hope she stays that way Eros. You know how hard it was to pair Destiny. You know what your mother will do if she finds out you love her,” Payne warned.

I sighed, “I know Payne, I fucking know.”