‘Not you again.’ Those were the words that ran through Liam's mind the moment he opened the door, but thankfully, he didn’t say them aloud. "Gavin," was what he actually said. 

"Do you have time for a consultation?" the strange man from last week asked, though the way he glanced over the blond's shoulder made it clear he'd already pictured himself inside, regardless of Liam's answer.

"Of course." Liam stepped aside, allowing him to enter.

Gavin stopped a few steps in, his attention drawn to the glowing sign on the wall. "Hey, you changed the quote on the message board," he said, pointing at it.

Liam glanced at the board, even though he already knew what it said. The words "Where there is love, there is life" taunted him each time he walked by.

"We change it every day," he explained to Gavin.

"Are there really that many quotes about love?" The tall man raised an eyebrow, his tone clearly not one of delight, but rather one of disbelief, as though the idea struck him as absurd.

"People love love," Liam replied. "We use quotes from books, movies, celebrities, and even from our clients. When someone finds love through us, they can leave us their own quote."

It was a tradition his aunt had introduced and took great pride in. Until recently, Liam had adored it too, but now, with his heart still aching from a tough breakup, he had no interest in words about fated love.

Gavin shook his head at his answer, still in disbelief at how seriously people took love, clearly not understanding the beauty of it like the usual clients of Cupid, Inc.

Liam knew it would be better to wrap up this conversation and get to the point of the man's visit. "We can move to my office," he suggested to Gavin, then, without waiting for a response, he headed in that direction.

Just like last week, they took the same positions. Liam sat behind his desk, and Gavin sat across from him.

Before the blond could ask a question, however, the tall man beat him to it. "I just realized you didn't introduce yourself last time," Gavin said.

Liam's eyebrows shot up. He wasn’t the only one who hadn’t introduced himself. Gavin had come in, demanding help, and hadn’t even shared his name; Liam must have read it off his application. Clearly, the strange man had forgotten that detail.

"My name is Liam Cooper, I'm the co-owner of Cupid, Inc.," he introduced himself simply instead of saying anything he truly thought.

"Gavin Johnson," the man replied, despite Liam already knowing his name.

"Nice to meet you," Liam said out of politeness. "So... how are you feeling after your date?" He cut to the chase before Gavin could ask anything else and change the subject again.

However, he certainly hadn't expected an answer in such a dramatic tone. "It was boring." Gavin leaned back in his chair, as if the weight of his words was pressing down on him. 

"How so?" Liam tried to maintain a professional attitude and refrain from drawing conclusions before hearing the whole story.

"Every time I asked her something, she gave me a one-word answer. I almost started clapping when she finally answered me with two words," Gavin began to explain, folding his arms across his chest.

"Did she ask about you?" Liam asked.

"With one word?" Gavin raised an eyebrow.

"You?" Liam suggested as an example.

"Touché." Gavin nodded, surprised by the blond's clever response. "She asked me something like that a couple of times, I think. I stopped listening to her after a while since I didn't learn anything worth hearing anyway."

"Maybe she was just nervous or shy," Liam couldn't resist pointing out. "Not everyone’s an extrovert, despite being on a dating app."

"I know that," Gavin assured him in a tone that should have told him he'd already considered that possibility. "But she was the same way in the messages. But there, at least sometimes, she answered me with a funny GIF."

His response was almost understandable. But only almost. There was one thing Liam couldn’t fathom at all. "If you knew she was responding like that and couldn’t find much to talk about, why did you agree to go on the date?"

Gavin shrugged. "I picked her for the week," he explained.

Liam waited to see if he would add anything, but when he remained silent and just stared at him, he realized he would have to work with that bit of information.

Clearing his throat, the blond decided to steer the conversation back on track. "What caught your attention on her profile in the first place?"

"She was sexy, worked in the same industry as me, and there was nothing in her profile that screamed red flag at first glance," Gavin listed.

"So you’re looking for someone with a similar job?" Liam picked up on one of the details.

Gavin just shrugged again, letting him know he wasn't taking this as seriously as he should. For someone who was looking for love through an agency focused on true love, he didn’t seem to have any enthusiasm, or at least anything resembling interest, at all.

Once again, he confirmed Liam's first impression of him—that he was just wasting his time. But he was still a client of their agency, and that was how Liam was going to treat him.

"Maybe you should be more open to new things. Some people are drawn to those they have a lot in common with, while others are attracted to their exact opposites. You don't know what suits you until you try it," he suggested.

"Do I look like someone who's never been on a date?" Gavin raised an eyebrow.

Liam almost told him that if he didn't want to listen to his advice, he shouldn't have come here, but he stopped himself. Gavin was a paying client, and after a two-week break, Liam needed new clients.

"I'm not saying you haven't been on a date before. I just want you to consider whether the people you usually ask out aren't too similar," he explained, then quickly added, "There's nothing wrong with having a type, but sometimes, when you focus too much on what you want rather than what you need, someone great can slip through your fingers."

Finally, Gavin seemed to give his words some sincere thought. The blond was still on tenterhooks, though, waiting for his answer.

"So next time, I'm supposed to pick someone I wouldn't have chosen otherwise?" Gavin asked at last.

"You can," Liam answered first, letting him know that it was still his decision and that he was only offering a suggestion. "But always pick someone you're genuinely interested in, whether you have something in common or not."

The tall man nodded and seemed to reflect on Liam's words again. His gaze flicked around the room before locking onto the blond across from him, his eyes narrowing. In that instant, Liam suspected he was about to say something unexpected—and he was right.

"Have you ever even tried it? Your app?" Gavin asked.

"Of course," Liam immediately confirmed. "We had beta testers, but to make sure everything worked properly, I was one of the first testers, too. I know how the whole process works, and I made sure firsthand that nothing could go wrong."

It wasn't exactly true, but since the app itself wasn't to blame, Liam decided to leave out how much his heart had suffered after testing it.

The fact that Liam fell in love so easily was, in his opinion, his worst trait. His aunt, on the other hand, had always insisted it was the best thing about him—that it showed he had a big heart. But after the number of times it had been broken, Liam strongly disagreed.

Even now, he was a living example of what happened when someone fell head over heels in love and ignored all the red flags. James had warned him that Daniel would only break his heart, but Liam had ignored him—and paid the price.

Gavin cleared his throat, snapping him back to reality, and as soon as their gazes met, Liam realized he had been so lost in his gloomy thoughts that it must have shown on his face. Before the other man could ask anything, however, he tried to salvage the situation.

"Each client has their own unique experience. It depends on what your expectations are and how you approach the whole thing. Some of our clients have completely given up on normal dating and take it as their only chance at love. Others have it the other way around and just take it as an experiment," he explained.

"And you're okay with that?" Gavin asked.

Liam nodded. "We always advise our clients that they should tell their potential partners their expectations beforehand so there's no misunderstanding. Plus, we also meet with them in person so we can consult with them about the next steps if they seem to have come across someone who wants either more or less from their relationship."

"And what if that someone just wants sex?" the tall man asked the next question.

This time, it was Liam who narrowed his eyes. "We're an agency for love, not sex. I know sex is part of relationships, but we focus more on the emotional connection. I'm sure that's mentioned on our website and all our ads." His tone was firm, letting Gavin know that if all he was looking for was sex, he was in the wrong place and had wasted his money on their app.

Gavin held his hands up in front of him in a defensive gesture. "It was just a question."

"Good." Liam nodded. "So, do you think you can be more open-minded when choosing your next date?"

Gavin looked momentarily surprised by his change of subject, but then he nodded. "I can try."

Liam was pleased with his answer, and after a moment, the two men decided to wrap up the meeting. Gavin had promised to follow Liam's advice, and for now, the blond was satisfied with how smoothly things had gone and that Gavin seemed to have decided to cooperate.

 Spoiler—it really just seemed that way.