It's Complicated

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I'm seated at the breakfast bar and have my arms folded to my chest, not particularly pleased that I even agreed to Vinny's 'brilliant idea'. Vinny is seated next to me smiling at God knows what he's smiling about. Feenyx, the red-haired fire nymph, is seated right before us at the other side of the table, looking at us with her hands intertwined together waiting for either one of us to speak.

"So..." She drawls out. "are we going to jump right into it? Cause one of you is giving me the look Hades gives Zeus whenever Hera finds out about his bastard kids and has to deal with the lot of them in the Underworld while the other is giving off the vibes Poseidon gives when he finds Zeus' BS amusing."

"She kinda right though. You do tend to be as grumpy as Hades." Vinny says nudging my ribs.

"Stop that!" I snap at him, slapping his arm away.

"Anyway, a fuck buddy of his recently got engaged and he's mad about it."

"Toni is not my fuck buddy!" I retort defensively.

"She ain't your girlfriend either, homeboy." He says, earning a scowl from me.

"What kind of relationship did or do you have with this woman that's making you this type of way about her marrying someone else?" Feenyx asks.

"Well..." I trail off, casting my eyes down on the granite table.

Toni has always been more than just a fling and a crush for the past two years I've known her. But I also know that my relationship with her - if I can even call it that - never had a label. The conversation on the status and nature of our relationship was never brought up. We were never public about it because she didn't feel comfortable making it public. No one besides Vinny and Sid knows about our relationship.

"It's complicated," I answer, exhaling a sigh.

"Complicated how? Is it Hades and Minthe complicated or is it Zeus and every woman he's slept with complicated?" she asks.

"It's more like a Hephaestus, Aphrodite and Ares complicated but with a twist," Vinny says.

Feenyx throws him a curious look. "Explain."

"Ares and Aphrodite are in a dysfunctional marriage where they take a hiatus from their marriage. Aphrodite decides to hook up with Hephaestus to cope with her loneliness and her husband's absence. Ares decides to come back and work things out with her. Aphrodite gives him a second chance and stays with him because she thinks he'll change."

Feenyx turns to me, her eyes as wide as saucers. "You're in an entanglement with a woman with co-dependency issues?"

"It's not an entanglement either," I answer, already feeling tired and annoyed by this conversation.

"Then what the fuck is it? 'cause it sure as hell doesn't sound like a relationship to me." She points out. "This is textbook knowledge that even Zeus and Poseidon will tell you that this here is an entanglement and they're the last people to even be considered as relationship experts with all the affairs they've had for the past millennia."

"Oooh," Vinny exclaims as I roll my eyes.

"Why would you put yourself through this mess - for a soon-to-become married woman of all people?"

"It's not like her fiancé's even making an effort in the relationship and has proven to be incompetent as a partner. I mean the prick can't even keep the relationship going or make time for it to save his own life!" I exclaim, throwing my hands up. "I was always there for her when he wasn't. Instead of sitting down to solve their issues, he just leaves and comes back when it's convenient to him to make sure she's on a tight leash."

"And this has been going on for two years," Vinny adds.

"Two years?!" she exclaims.

"Two years." He confirms. "It's become a vicious cycle."

Feenyx heaves out a sigh as she rubs her temples. "I need a glass of wine."

"It's not even six p.m." I knit my eyebrows while Vinny gets up and strides to my cabinets.

"Yeah, fuck that. After hearing your kerfuffle, I definitely need it."

"See, Urie? Even a Greek deity can see how messy your situationship is." Vinny says, placing the glass in front of her and pouring the wine.

"Thank you." She says, taking a sip. She makes a face at the glass. "Bleurgh! Dionysus makes better liquor than this. But when in Rome." She takes another sip.

"So, what's your game plan?" Vinny asks, sitting back down next to me.

"My boss usually deals with breakups, divorces and one-sided relationships quite well, but your boy's issue is a uniquely complicated one that's way out of the God of Love's pay grade." She says. "Not even Aphrodite would know how to go about it."

"So, there's no fixing it," I conclude, slumping my shoulders feeling dejected. I honestly don't know what I was hoping to come from this especially when not even the deities that specialise in Love know how to fix it.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't get it twisted, pretty boy. Just 'cause I said that it's a uniquely complicated mess don't mean that there ain't no solution or a way to fix it." She says. "We haven't even tried anything, so don't throw in the towel just yet.

"Imma need to meet this Trisha lady and see what she's really about before I can plan a strategy for your problem." She cups her chin.

"Toni." I correct her.

"Who?" she looks at me with an arched eyebrow.

"Toni - that's her name. Not Trisha."

"Don't bother trying to correct me when it comes to names, honey. I forget every five seconds because I don't care enough to remember." She tells me.

"I like her," Vinny comments with a grin.

"You like anyone who shares your dislike towards Toni." I remind him, casting an unamused look at him.

"I may also need a place to stay while I'm helping pretty boy over here. Preferably somewhere close so I can keep an eye on him."

"Woman, I am thirty-one years old - not five." I sass at her.

"Dude, you're a thirty-one-year-old with the IQ and brain cells of a five-year-old," Vinny says.

"I do not!"

"You whined for three hours straight when we went hiking. You even whine when I try to get you to get out of your apartment. This is literally what he sounds like when I ask him to go out." Vinny clears his throat. "'I'm so tired, 'Why do I gotta' 'But I don't wanna go out. I wanna stay home and simp over Mikasa from Attack on Titan and C.C from Code Geass.'"

Feenyx bursts into r. I bury my face in my head letting out a bemoaning groan as I feel a wave of embarrassment at Vinny's attempt at mimicking me. The feeling of wanting to be swallowed whole by the earth has never been so prominent until now.

"But since you're looking for a place to stay, Urie has a spare room you can use," Vinny suggests.

I lift my head from my hands, my eyes widening like saucers at his suggestion. "What?"

"Sounds good to me." She says, conceding to his suggestion.

"I know right? Very convenient."

"I agree."

"NOW WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!" I yell, catching their attention. "I agreed to you being my cupid - not you moving into my apartment."

"Well, the thing Eros's job as a cupid, he has to be around his clients like 24/7. Kinda like how guardian angels do it. And since I'm basically filling in for him while he's away, I don't have much of a choice." She explains, shrugging her shoulders.

I turn to Vinny with a pleading look on my face. He raises his hands and says, "Don't look at me. I don't make the rules."

"Can you for once in your life help me?!" I nearly shriek.

"She might help with the rent." He offers with a shrug.

"HOW AND WITH WHAT MONEY?!" I explode. "I'm pretty sure Ancient Greek currency don't pay or buy anything on Earth!"

"Quite the opposite actually. Plutus actually made it possible to change Olympian currency into human currency while the Gods roam around the Mortal Realm. Our money is worth about one hundred thousand human money."

"Cha-ching! Greek Gods are loaded." Vinny comments.

"Either way, I ain't up for having a stranger live with me. How am I going to explain this to my landlord?"

"Tell you what, how 'bout I look for other places within the area while I stay with you? You can just tell your landlord that you have a friend who's willing to help you pay rent. I'll be out of your hair when I find my own space. Sound good?"

I press my lips into a thin line as scepticism lingers on my face. I don't know what to feel about her staying with me with everything that has happened. I'm not even sure if I even want to consider allowing her to stay with me while she's being my cupid.

But a part of me feels obligated to help her out since she's also extending the same courtesy to me. Besides, she just wants a place to stay and will eventually move out either when she finds a place to stay or when she fulfilled her service of helping me. Hopefully, it won't take long.

"Fine, I guess I'll let you crash her and talk to my landlord about it." I relent. "But if you're going to be staying here, I expect you to be civil."

"Don't worry, pretty boy. It's your house, your rules. I'll make it worth your while." She grins.

"Right," I answer dryly. I turn to Vinny. "If this fails, I'm blaming you."

"Fair enough." He chuckles, raising his hands. "Well, I gotta book it and head home, but it was lovely meeting you Feenyx."

"Likewise... uh... I don't think I got your name." she laughs awkwardly.

"Vincent Nam, but people call me Vinny."

"Is it okay if I call you Vi-Vi?"

"Sure, we're all friends here."

"Bitching."

Vinny and Feenyx both exchange smiles and handshakes before Vinny makes his way towards the exit. "See you at work Urie. And Feenyx, I'll see you when I'll see you."

I hear his footsteps followed by the door opening and closing, announcing his departure.

I sigh and get up. "Come on. Let me show you to your room."

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