Something Better

"I have a spare bedroom if you need it for a while." Her heart pattered loudly in her chest, imagining that her crush would live with her. Nat owned a two-bedroom apartment near downtown and not far from Rissa's hospital.

"Are you sure? I would hate to inconvenience you, but you live so close to the hospital." Rissa had a smile, but the concern was evident in her red-brown eyes.

Nat's heart rate seemed to double; she hoped it wasn't evident to Rissa. Maybe this was a horrible idea for her, but she wasn't about to refuse more time with her bestie. "Just one word of warning, this is my comfy outfit when I get home from work."

"I remember from school," Rissa said with a smile.

Clarissa -- About a week later

"I think that's everything." She smiled at her brother as they got her mattress up to the third floor; it was one of the few things that did not fit on the elevator. The winding stairwell was not too much fun with the heavy foam mattress, but it was not that much of a hike. "I still owe you pizza and a six-pack."

"Nah, Ris, you just get to help me move at the end of the semester." He said with a smile. Keith was her half-brother from her mom's second marriage. He was a few years younger than her and had been a part of her life for almost as long as she could recall. Keith was graduating after a fifth-year victory lap in school. His father, her bonus dad that she was close with, was looking forward to him coming to work at his firm in the summer.

"I think the beer and pizza would be cheaper, but it's a one-bedroom apartment; how bad could it be?" She replied with a smile.

"You clearly don't see how Monica packs." Monica was his fiancée. The family liked her and was thrilled she said yes over the winter holidays. They had set a date for the wedding a year from June. The raven-haired young lass was schlepping a forgotten box in the door behind Keith, though she did get to take the elevator.

Monica gave him a playful slap on the arm. "Don't let him fool you; his stuff is well over half of the apartment."

"Well, thank you both. I'll be ready in May for your big move. Do you two want to stay for a bit? I'll order pizza."

"No, thank you. Mon has a get-together with her friends tonight. They want to celebrate the engagement." Keith had a huge, proud smile on his face. "Tell Nat and Chester bye from us when you see her."

Natalie had been helping them unload the truck, but her dog Chester needed to go for a walk. He was a fluffy, medium-sized one-year-old retriever mix rescue dog. Chester reminded her of the dog they had as kids, only far more compact and tri-colored. Clarissa missed having a dog; it would be great to have him around.

"You might see her on your way out of here." Rissa gave her brother and Monica a hug a piece before they turned to leave. Clint had been allergic.

"See you later, Sissy Rissy." Keith was the only person on earth that could call her that without making her blood boil. Not even her older sister was allowed. It was just something he started doing as soon as he could talk.

"Thank you again." She closed the door behind them and set to the task of unpacking. Natalie's apartment was modern and simply stunning. Dark-tinted glass windows were reflective during the day and could be turned almost wholly opaque at the touch of a button. A good thing as the primary resident of the space often didn't wear clothes. They were only on the third floor, but they had a fantastic overlook of a small park, likely where Nat and Charlie were now.

Rissa's bedroom was similarly glassed-in but pointed toward another apartment instead of the park and didn't have a balcony. The floors had the appearance of hardwood but were ceramic; it helped prevent scratches from Chester. Radiant heat made it warm under her feet when she kicked off her shoes. Her queen-sized bed looked much smaller in the vast space than her old apartment. After internally debating for a minute, she decided to hook up her TV first to put on some inane remodeling show while unpacking. Someday she would own her own place like Nat, then she too could make her own questionable remodeling decisions. She had just gotten her bedding and pillows on her bed when Chester came running excitedly into the room, leash still on and tail wagging at a breakneck pace. He jumped right up on the bed and rushed over to beg for attention from Ris, which she happily supplied.

"Chester! Leave our new roommate alone!" Nat came chasing after him. She was smiling brightly, cheeks a little red from the biting wind. Chester leapt off the bed but otherwise seemed to ignore her, sniffing every box in the bedroom, his tail whipping happily. "You need some help unpacking, Ris?"

"Sure, if you want to, you are already doing so much for me." Really all she wanted was a little time to talk with her best friend; the help unpacking was just a welcome bonus.

"Just let me get Ches some water. Snack time!" She announced; Chester seemed to run in place for a couple of strides before he gained purchase and sped into the front room.

Clarissa grabbed a big box of books and pushed it to the bookshelf. She was an avid reader but quite happy that she had an e-reader at times like this; books were so heavy when packed. Still, the e-reader wouldn't make her fully relinquish her collection. Just as Ris got the last book put on the first shelf, Natalie reappeared. This time she was missing all her clothing. Her tall friend really did look great sans clothing. A vivid flash of a now recurrent dream, the maid in her favorite sexy story licking her pussy, distracted her for a moment as she couldn't help taking Nat in.

"I thought I better get this over with." Natalie looked a little flustered, blushing as she spoke.

Her best friend always looked so confident and calm in her birthday suit. Why is she embarrassed? "I suppose I need to get used to it again." Rissa smiled; she really didn't mind. This was their first time being actual roommates, but she had hung out enough at Nat's that she should be accustomed to it by now. "Just pick a box and get started; I am sure you know where most of it belongs." Natalie had hung out at Rissa's place more than enough to know where things actually should be placed.

They went into a comfortable flow, joking, talking, and being their usual, unguarded silly selves. Nat's nudity was all but forgotten. That was until she picked up a specific box and opened it. Ris probably should have marked the parcel in a way to set it aside, but she had been in a hurry. She needed to get out of Clint's apartment as soon as possible; it wasn't home anymore. "Where do you want these?" Natalie was beet red as she turned the container to show the contents to Rissa.

The box held Clarissa's small collection of sex toys. "Uhh..." She aped Nat's bright red appearance. She chose the latter between rushing over to the container and calling more attention to it or plowing through the embarrassment. "Top drawer of the nightstand."

"That's where I keep mine. You have a nice variety." Natalie seemed to be taking the same approach.

"I have been mostly in charge of my own orgasm the last few years," Rissa said with a shrug.

"That bad, huh?" Nat took each toy out of the box and set them nicely in the drawer. Rissa had been expecting her to open the nightstand and either throw the container in or pour the contents in. She seemed to be taking reverent care of each, though.

"Sadly, Clint just stopped trying at everything. The sex was so good when we first got together too."

"That's sad."

Rissa told naked Natalie too much about her depressing descent into the break-up. The pair had survived the lockdown, though, for Clarissa, that had been a burst of long hours and tense hopes that she didn't bring the virus home from work. After the lockdown passed, when Clint returned to work at his office instead of their apartment, he seemed to stop trying. Their relationship languished, decaying until it couldn't support them any longer.

"I'm sorry, Rissa."

Natalie -- A week later

Something smelled delicious as Natalie stepped into their apartment. She could get addicted to coming home a few nights a week to a home-cooked meal, even if she knew it was her turn to do dishes. Ris did like to use a considerable amount of cutlery and pans. It was worth it, though; Clarissa was an impressive chef. That was one of the few things Nat did not seem to have a talent for; she ordered in on her nights to produce dinner.

"Hey, Ris, it smells great!" Chester was dancing excitedly, tail moving in a blur of excitement; no matter how long she was away, he was always eager for her return. Though, he may have loved Clarissa more than his mom. Natalie couldn't really blame the pup; Ris was charming. He had taken to sleeping at the foot of her roommate's bed instead of her own. Nat missed the fluffy footwarmer.

"Trying something new. I hope it works out." She smiled up from the stovetop in the middle of the kitchen island. Even in comfy clothes, Rissa was a fantastic beauty. The thin material of her top left no doubt that she was bra-free, nipples peaking the white fabric. Even in pajama pants instead of yoga pants, her booty looked great.

"I have every confidence it will." Nat smiled perhaps a little too broadly. Nat had a brief flash of how she wanted to spend every day. Not Rissa cooking every night, but that was a welcome bonus. Coming home to Clarissa looking comfortable. It would be perfect if they cuddled in each other's arms on her black leather sectional, but that was just a fantasy. "How long until it's ready?"

"Ten minutes?"

"Good, I can take Ches out." Nat started over to the closet with Chester's leash.

"I just took him to the park a half-hour ago," Rissa said as she was concentrating on sautéing something.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were trying to steal my puppy," Nat said with an amused smile. She walked over and hit the button to make the windows go opaque.

"I can't help it if he likes me better." Ris was all too proud of herself. "How was work?"

"Not too bad. I am seeing several flu patients coming through the practice, but it's been weeks since we had a covid case. I did get to let a husband and wife know that they were expecting their first for our OB-GYN; the good news is always a great way to wrap things up. How about you?" Natalie did all this as she shrugged out of her thick winter coat.

"Busy, surgery is ramping up again, even if we are experiencing another spike." Clarissa had taken an opportunity to become a surgical nurse about six months ago. "I was glad it wasn't my late night."

"You still like it there?" Nat unzipped her dress and let it fall. She hung it up on the hooks beside her coat. If there was ever a fire, Natalie had a dress nearby, so she didn't have to streak out of her apartment naked.

"Yeah, I am still not a fan of going in early for hearts, but we have a great group of nurses and techs. Our quotient of asshole surgeons is on the low side as well." Clarissa switched to stirring something in a saucepan.

"That's great, Rissa." Off came her bra, joining the dress on a hook. She strolled to the small closet that held her stacked washer and dryer and threw her panties into the hamper.

"I think I could get used to a beautiful naked woman decorating my home." Nat couldn't help blushing; she liked that Ris thought she was beautiful.

"You should join me sometime." Nat winked at her and then ran to the bathroom to wash up for supper.

"If I looked as good as you do, I would," Rissa yelled after her, a smile evident in her voice.

You look more beautiful than me. Natalie kept to herself. Playing house with Clarissa was fun but indulging in the fantasy that she could be any more than her best friend was unhealthy. What am I doing? She questioned her reflection in the mirror. She doesn't like girls, and even if she did, you are just her best friend.

The pair ate dinner and swapped stories about their days. Nat did the dishes while Rissa curled up on the couch with a book. When Natalie finished, she flopped down on the opposite side of the sofa; they watched some terrible reality television and spent their time making fun of the awful and unrealistic setup. The pair ended up close together on the large leather sectional, only separated by a fluffy balled-up Chester. Ris didn't seem to mind at all that Nat was naked.

When it was time to take the pup for his last walk of the evening, Clarissa tagged along. Nat had to fight the urge to reach out and grab Ris's hand; everything felt so perfect and easy. Walking back into the apartment, Nat just burst out. "I think I know the guy you should go out with." She had to take her mind off the impossible, no matter how intoxicating it felt.

Cupid 542 -- True Love Division, that same week

Getting dragged into the central office this time of year was never a good sign. Cupids should be doing great work close to Valentine's Day, not be diverted to a meeting. He had done relatively well in the holiday engagement season, but that did not tally him many points. It would be years until anyone knew if those relationships worked out long-term. He had a couple of divorces counting against his record last year. He still contended that those relationships were correct, but the couples gave up too quickly. Taking a deep gulp of air, 542 flew through the portal.

Cupids came in a wide variety of angelic and angelic adjacent mythical figures. The calling ran the gamut from mere infatuation to lust, to friendship, to the big leagues of true love. Each level had higher prestige in their order and took more skill to accomplish. It took 542 centuries to get to the big show. Real love wasn't just firing an arrow at one person and hoping things worked out. It took research to find two people that would really get along. He would provide the spark; it was up to the selected to prove the validity of the relationship. 542 loved the research, but perhaps he needed to work on his aim with the bow.

"Yes, I'm here to see the boss." 542 couldn't help his wings fluttering like a hummingbird; he was nervous talking to the front desk.

"You're the 10 am?" Said a beatific young cherub. Young being a relative term, she was likely several centuries old but had nothing on 542's two and a half millennia.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Have a seat; she'll be with you when she wraps up with her 9 am."

542 tried to relax; his feathered wings were buzzing against the chair. He was here at least once a decade for a performance review; he should be less nervous. He pulled out his notebook and went back to pouring through targets, potential soulmates that just needed a shove to get together. A couple here and there that just needed a reason to embrace destiny. He kept coming back to a pair he knew deep down were soulmates, but they just hadn't realized it yet. 542 couldn't help strategizing how he could give them the spark they needed to finally fall into each other's arms.

After a few minutes, a very excited cupid flew out of their supervisor's office, doing barrel rolls as she sped out of the building. Maybe it won't be so bad. "542, we are ready for you." We, that didn't sound good. Why would Angela need other people there unless this was bad news? He chided himself silently for bouncing back and forth between extremes.

Cupids did not get a name of their own, only referred to as a number, until they did something to earn it. Angela had started a muse, another arm of their magical industry; when she inspired a series of authors to write great love stories, she switched divisions. While she had some success as a muse, she didn't earn a name until she started working as a cupid. 542 had once aspired to achieve a name, but as the years dragged on, he would just be happy continuing to work on bringing people together. His hits far outweighed his misses, but that wasn't good enough in this game.

542 glided through the door into the small conference room with trepidation. He tried to keep a calm and relaxed demeanor but seeing the manager of the division and the head of security seated at the table made his heart race. Scrawled on the whiteboard at the back of the room were the words 'Relegation' and 'Promotion' on opposite sides. His number was in the middle of the board, with a question mark beside it.

"542, I'll just come out and say it, you are in the bottom ten percent for the last decade. You know what that means, don't you?" The head of the division, an older angelic figure with red and pink hair, said with a bit of pity in his eyes.

"I'm going to be relegated back to infatuation." 542 couldn't help the look of horror and dejection on his face.

"Let's not be too hasty, Valentino." Angela held up a hand. She had always been the type of boss that led with the carrot instead of the stick. "Yes, he is just barely in the bottom ten, but we don't have to decide until after Valentine's Day." The holiday was the end of the year in the love division; it was the reason a love-based holiday existed for the less magical plane.

"We have a litany of successful cherubs and angels that need a place." Valentino sat back and crossed his arms.

"I agree, but I don't think 542 deserves a demotion. He's been so solid of centuries. I think we have all had a bad decade or two." Angela argued.

"Yes, and I got relegated back in Greece. It made me dig deep and become the angel I am today." Valentino dismissed her argument with an eye roll and a wave of his hand. "Besides, we don't have the magical budget for him to go out and fire arrows everywhere, hoping he gets a match. I know he's one of your favorites, but if we have to cut the budget, we need stars that can do more for less in our highest division."

"Let him finish out this last month." His boss always fought for anyone in her command

"That doesn't help with the bottom line. The C-suite is on my ass about the damn budget. If the other divisions pulled their fucking weight, we would have a surplus."

"You know what happens after Plague runs rampant? There is always a deficit." The older head of security finally joined in the conversation as he idly cleaned his fiery sword.

"How about this, no new first arrows." Angela tried to strike a compromise. First arrows provided the most spark, but they were also more expensive than inspiring little gestures that helped love to grow.

"Ha! I've seen his list of misfires. Good luck with that." Valentino barked a dismissive laugh, the red and pink in his hair seeming to flare to life.

"Then it won't be a problem." Angela looked irritated at her superior. "He just needs one of his missed connections to work out."

"We need the best of the best going forward. I will give him one more chance, but not if we have to waste any more magic." Valentino was angry, or was it frustration? Slowly he shifted to a more conciliatory tone. "Look, we all thought that Plague would be done with his rampage by now; the budget doesn't look like it is going back anytime soon."

"Excellent, a chance is all he needs. Do you two need anything else from 542?" They both shook their heads. "Then I would like to talk to him privately if you wouldn't mind."

"Don't squander this; we don't have the magic." Valentino needled one more time as he flew out.

"Do you have a plan?" Angela asked as she closed the door. A millennium ago, back when Angela had just been a randomly assigned number, like him, they had dated. It was more than a little odd that rules and regulations did not allow cupids to have long-term relationships, but rules were rules. Angela still had a soft spot for him.

"Always," 542 said with surprising confidence to himself.

"That's great." Angela flew over and sat beside him. "Are you concentrating on a single couple or multiples?" Angela always worried about him and his single-minded focus on true love.