I lie in bed and stare up at Penelope's ceiling, not quite ready to get out of bed. She's already gone out, having to run some errands for her friend's wedding, but I've lingered in no rush to leave. The bed smells like her and I'm content here. My bed only smells like the conditioner I use when I wash the sheets. Not nearly as enticing.

A dark shadow appears in the corner of my eye about the same time as a purring noise hits my ears, and I turn my head to stare into a pair of amber eyes.

"Hello, Steve."

Unsurprisingly, he doesn't answer, only keeps staring at me from where he's crouched down on Penelope's pillow. I reach over and carefully stroke him, unsure of whether he'll swipe at me, but he seems content to lie there and be petted.

"What do you want?" I ask. "Food?"

He perks up at this and as I get out of bed and pull my clothes on he stands up and stretches, and when I leave the bedroom, he hops down and follows me. I find his bowl and kibbles in the kitchen and pour some, watching while he eats. I'm loath to leave, already missing Penelope even if she's only been gone for a couple of hours, but I should get back to my apartment and feed my own pets.

Last night was amazing. Too amazing. I try not to think about it, but images of Penelope in bed with me flash before my eyes. Not thinking about her is easier said than done. With a last scratch on his head, I leave Steve on his own and walk across the hallway to my place.

Unlocking the door, I push it open and stop short when I see Andris lying on the couch. What the...? He jerks awake when he hears the door close. I might have slammed it a little harder than necessary. Sitting up, he stares at me, bleary-eyed.

Raising an eyebrow at his unkempt state, I move into the kitchen and start the coffeemaker.

"What happened to you?" I ask as I get two cups from a cupboard. "Did you change your mind about the blonde?"

"Who?" He yawns, dragging his fingers through his dark locks in a futile attempt to tame them. "Oh, yeah. I had a few more drinks but in the end, just didn't feel like it."

"Yeah," I say casually. "She's no Fate."

His head whips around, his dark eyes boring into me. "What was that?"

I smirk. "I said she's not Fate. Not quite the same, is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he mutters as he stands and comes into the kitchen to take the cup of coffee I hold out to him.

"Sure."

Giving me a shrewd look, he says, "I noticed you didn't come home last night."

"Why did you not go home last night?" I counter. "You rarely stay down in the mortal realm."

He shrugs. "I may have overindulged and didn't want to end up in the wrong place."

"Well, I see you made yourself at home. It's not like you need a key, I suppose." I'm relieved Penelope and I stayed at hers. Having Andris appear midway through our night would have been awkward to say the last. Not to mention it would have been difficult to explain a man appearing out of thin air in my living room.

I feed the bunnies and open their pens so they can roam freely. Wanting to send Penelope a text to see how she's getting on, I fish my phone out of my pocket only to discover it's out of battery. Grabbing the charger, I curse when I see the state of the cable.

"Leonard," I grumble with a glance towards the chocolate-colored bunny. "What have I told you about chewing on my cables? This is the third one!"

If Steve ignores me when I talk to him, it's nothing compared to the bunnies. I might as well be a potted plant for all they care. I grab another cable—I've learned to keep a backup—from a drawer in the kitchen and plug it into the wall so I can charge my phone, before I sit down with Andris and our coffees at the small breakfast table.

He's watching the bunnies as they're enjoying their food. "What are you going to do about them when you leave?"

My eyes return to the pets. "I haven't thought about it," I admit. "They were never really part of my plan. Thanks for that."

At my sarcastic tone, he chuckles. "Maybe you could bring them with you. They can be our mascots."

"Have you heard what happened when they brought bunnies to Australia?"

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"Just saying you shouldn't import animals where they're not indigenous. You never know what might happen."

He grins. "Like introducing Cupids in the mortal realm?"

I shrug. "We're not indigenous, are we? And as such, we do have some advantages over humans."

"I quite like that they can't resist us."

"I've noticed," I remark dryly. "But we're also favored by Luck. How do you think I can afford to be in the mortal realm?"

"Honestly hadn't even thought about it," he admits with a sheepish grin.

"I bought a lottery ticket."

"That's brilliant!" He laughs. "Maybe we should all just come to the mortal realm."

"No, that's my whole point. Like the bunnies in Australia, we'd wreck their ecosystem."

He takes a sip of his coffee. "Fine. Be like that."

"Like what?"

"I think they call it a party pooper."

Deciding it's time to change the topic, I take a moment to send Penelope a message as my phone has finally returned to the land of the living. Once that's done, I watch my friend as he sits quietly, enjoying his brew. It jolts my memory back to the previous evening in the bar.

"Do you know why Fate was being weird last night?" I ask. "The way she talked about Penelope's and Trevor's match percentage seemed off to me."

Andris shakes his head. "No. I've heard rumors that we get the simplified numbers, but I have no idea what they've been simplified from."

Taking a sip of my coffee, I ponder this new information. I've never heard of that before. But I also used to get quite caught up in whatever match I was currently working on. I think humans call people like that workaholics. I like to think I'm just dedicated. Hopefully, I will be on top of my game again soon. Somehow, the thought doesn't fill me with the same excitement it has in the past.

I check the time. It's already noon, so I must have slept in longer than I realized. "Lunch?" I ask, and Andris nods gratefully.

He remains unusually quiet and broody as I fry up some eggs and bacon. Our moods aren't entirely unlike, but at least I'm still partially riding the endorphin wave of having made love to Penelope last night. Andris just looks miserable, and I suspect he has ridden no waves in the last day. Popping two pieces of bread in my toaster, I watch him silently.

"Want to talk about it?" I wasn't going to ask, but he looks so miserable I can't help myself.

"There's nothing to talk about." He visibly gives himself a mental shake and forces a smile onto his face. "Let's focus on getting you back in the good graces and away from those horns. I take it our plan is proceeding perfectly?"

I let out a non-committing noise as I arrange our plates with the food. It's proceeding a little too well for my liking. The wedding is in a week, and that's when I send Penelope heartbroken into Trevor's waiting arms. Everything seems posed for me to do so with little trouble. She said she'd talk to him today, and I suspect they'll easily remain friends. They certainly should, with their match numbers. So when—I swallow with some difficulty—when I break up with Penelope, she will most likely run straight to him.

Not wanting to think about it anymore, I put the plates on the table. Suddenly my mood seems no better than Andris's. Great. A knock on the door interrupts my somber mood. I leave Andris in the kitchen area and walk over to open it. Seeing Penelope on the other side perks me up better than anything. When I open the door fully and step out of the way, she comes inside in a flurry, her hands filled with shopping bags. I can't believe how happy I am to see her. She's only been gone a few hours.

The thought is sobering. How much will I miss her when the match is complete and I have to leave?