The Love Club

My lack of response must be making Niall uncomfortable. He clears his throat, dropping his hand while he watches me expectantly. Now I realize I should probably say something.

“My help with what?”

It’s a stupid question, but it’s the best I can think of under the circumstances. He half-smiles.

“I don’t really have the time to scout out a proper girl, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to have one around. I’d like your help with that.”

I bite down on my lip, eyeing him from where I’m standing four feet away. The challenge hangs in the air, but I’m unsure whether or not to take the bait. Just as I’m about to tell him this, my mobile beings to ring in my pocket.

“Excuse me,” I mumble as I pull it out. I turn my back to him as I raise the phone to my ear.

“Mina Underhill.”

“Mina? It’s Willem. I’m at the café, but I can’t find you...”

“Shit,” I mutter to myself, turning abruptly. Niall looks startled.

“Are you here...?” Willem asks on the phone.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. With my grocery shopping and Niall showing up on my doorstep, I completely forgot about my interview with Willem.

“I’m so sorry. I got distracted and lost track of time. I can be there in fifteen minutes?” I offer.

“Where are you right now? I can just come to you...”

I’m already slinging my purse over my shoulder, but I pause at his suggestion. Niall is watching me from the corner of my kitchen, averting his gaze with his arms crossed over his chest like he’s uncomfortable with the situation.

“Are you sure?” I ask hesitantly. Willem’s deep rumble of a laugh reaches echoes through the phone line.

“Absolutely. I’ve already come this far, haven’t I?”

My shoulders untense. I repeat my address to him, giving vague directions on how to get here. After repeating my gratitude multiple times, I finally hang up and look over to where Niall is waiting, leaning against my granite countertop.

“Boyfriend?” he asks.

I shake my head, a soft chuckle falling from my lips.

“Don’t have time for one. It was a potential match for a client. I was supposed to meet him now at a café a couple blocks away...”

He frowns.

“I didn’t mean to keep you. If you want to give me your number or have me leave mine, we can discuss it later?”

Gatsby is watching me from the countertop behind Niall, where she hopped up a few minutes ago. She’s licking her paw, but she has that look on her face like she’s disappointed in my manners. I sigh, acutely aware that once I finish with Casey and Willem, I have no other prospects lined up.

“Do you have to be anywhere in the next hour and a half?” I ask.

He shakes his head in reply. I place my hands on my hips, sucking in a breath.

“I’m curious about you,” I admit. “So if you don’t mind entertaining yourself in my living room while I interview Willem in here, you’re free to stay and we can work something out after.”

He smiles at me, pushing his weight off the counter before reaching behind him to pick Gatsby up in one swift movement. She lets out a mew of surprise, but doesn’t claw at him as he folds her to his chest.

“We have some bonding to do, Catsby,” he tells her as he heads in the direction of my living room.

I roll my eyes as I turn back to the grocery sacks. Frantically, I begin to shove everything into its rightful place. A few minutes later, I hear a knock at my door.

Willem smiles up at me as I move aside to grant him entrance. He’s handsome; blond hair and blue eyes, much like the boy in my living room, except with hair perfectly parted to the side. He’s wearing a plaid button up tucked into a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, and I can already sense how connected he is to Casey, despite the fact that they’ve never met.

He offers me his hand and I take it, introducing myself formally. I begin to apologize once again for my absence, but he’s already waving me off, so I gesture to my small kitchen island and he takes a seat.

“This is so weird,” he finally tells me, and I start to laugh.

As a matchmaker, it’s important to have a pool of people to set clients up with. Since I’m a bit luckier than the average matchmaker, I resort to seeking them out through social media or dating sites. It can be offputting to some, but most are intrigued by the idea that I’ve spent countless hours scouring the internet for someone who could potentially be their soulmate. People seem to trust me more than they would a website’s algorithm.

“I know it’s a bit unusual, but I could tell how well you’d get on with Casey,” I say.

“Casey?” he asks.

“My client, Casey Sellis. I know I’ve kept the details vague, but I’m interested in hearing more about you before we talk about her.”

This is a tactic I often use. Giving too much detail on Casey will distract Willem from being himself. Often, these potentials will find themselves describing what they think I’d like to hear in order to be set up with my client. It’s much more honest when they’re kept in the dark.

Willem sucks in a breath, folding his hands on the tabletop. He’s nervous and I can’t quite blame him. He’s being interviewed to go on a date with a specific woman, a woman I’m not shy about admitting is looking for something serious. When I first e-mailed Willem, I was pretty straightforward. It was obvious that I meant business, that I truly believed he was just the guy I was looking for.

In my living room, the TV switches on, and I jump. Willem looks equally surprised, glancing over his back through the cut in the wall where the far end of my living room is visible. A football match is on and I frown.

“Do you have company?” he asks me.

I’d completley forgotten about the Irish pop star snuggling with my cat. I’m not very good at multi-tasking, which is unfortunate in my field. I have a lot on my plate, but I have to schedule everything I do in order to make sure it gets done. My focus is only good at working on one thing at a time, which is why it was so easy for me to forget inviting Niall to entertain himself for an hour so I could finish up my work with Willem.

“It’s a potential client,” I explain. “Ignore him.”

He wets his lips, nodding while he returns his focus to me. I smile encouragingly and he parts his mouth to speak.

And then I’m falling in love with Willem.

This is what it feels like, every time. It feels like falling, though I’m not the one its meant for.

I guess that’s why I do what I do. Sure, I’d probably end up with this cupid gig regardless because there’s no escaping that feeling in my gut when my eyes land on someone in a crowd and I know who they’re meant for, but doing this as a profession gives me the opportunity to do it actively.

It’s that rush of adrenaline I get, watching him as he speaks, playing with his fingers because he’s afraid of saying or doing something wrong. It’s the deep, relaxing rumble of his voice and the soft chuckle that escapes him anytime he remembers some funny anecdote he thinks would be helpful to tell in order to win me over.

When I find someone and really get it right, it’s me who is affected. It’s a temporary infatuation, but it’s real. Or at least, it will be for Casey when she meets him. It’s something that will disappear the moment he steps out of my apartment, but for right now, I’m in love.

“So how did I do?” he asks with a dimpled grin. I giggle, swallowing back the herd of butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It’s important for me to act professional at this point.

“You passed,” I respond, glancing at the clock. It’s been thirty-five minutes since he walked in my door.

“Can I hear about Casey now?”

“I’ll do you one better. You can take her out tomorrow night and she can tell you all about herself.”

He arches a brow playfully.

“You want me to go on a date with a girl I’ve never met and know nothing about?”

“I like to stay out of it as much as possible, honestly,” I say, pushing up from the chair to stretch my back. He’s watching me with interest.

“You’re a matchmaker who likes to stay out of it?” he questions skeptically.

“I like the hunt. I like getting to know two individuals and helping them find each other. I can’t take part in the rest, you forge connections on your own.”

He tilts his head at me thoughtfully while he listens. He’s standing up now, straightening his shirt. We both begin to move in the direction of my doorway.

“And if it doesn’t work out?” he asks as I pull the door open. He steps through it, but hesitates to wait for my answer. I shake my head with a small smile.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” I assure him. “It was very nice to meet you, Willem.”

“You as well,” he answers before disappearing down the hall.

I shut the door behind him, leaning my back against it to let out a sigh. Already, the nervous bubble in my stomach is beginning to disappate with his departure. I take a moment to re-collect myself, running a hand tiredly over my face. It’s only 1:30 pm and I’m already exhausted again. I consider sleeping, but know I have to deal with Niall and sift through all those e-mails I ignored this morning. I stare at my fridge longingly, knowing it’s too early in the day to start drinking yet.

Pushing my weight up, I collect myself and make my way through the kitchen to the living room. Niall is laying across my couch, Gatsby purring in his lap. He looks so at ease here, in this stranger’s apartment. It’s so odd to see one of the most famous faces on the planet relaxing on my sofa, petting my cat, and watching a football match. I consider snapping a photo to share, but then remember my acute lack of friends and decide against it.

“You’re right at home, aren’t you?” I ask, my weight supported by the doorframe. Niall glances at me over his shoulder and sits bolt upright, as if I’ve startled him. His face is flushing scarlet and I find myself grinning.

I cross the room to take a seat beside him as he reaches for the remote and turns off the TV. Gatsby glares at me for interrupting their session, but I don’t bother to look at her as I pick her up from between us and set her on the ground. She’s unhappy, but moves in the direction of my bedroom, probably to crawl up on my bed and settle in for a nap. I’m watching her with jealousy when Niall clears his throat.

“Chelsea swore by you when I spoke to her at the wedding. Said that if anyone can find me a girl, it’s you.”

I make no comment at this compliment. It’s absolutely true; my track record is spotless. I’ve never once set out to pair two people up and have it fall apart, not since I started putting an effort into seeking them out.

“Why now, Niall?” I find myself asking instead.

He leans back against my couch as he thinks this question through. He opens his mouth to respond, but then stops himself. I cross my legs as I wait.

“I guess seeing how Louis is with Eleanor and how Zayn is with Perrie... I just want that. I want someone to share all this with.”

He’s being sincere. I can tell by the way his eyes won’t meet mine, how they’re staring out the windows on the far side of my living room, scanning the London skyline as it breaks up the horizon. He’s embarrassed to be admitting this kind of thing, most boys are, but he’s also hopeful. He’s seeking help for a problem and who am I to deny him that?

“I want to help,” I say, and his eyes light up as he sits forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “But I don’t know what you have in mind.”

He grins at me, folding his hands together. There’s something in his bright blue eyes that make me regret saying anything in the first place.

“Well, that’s the tricky part,” he says. “I’m about to go on tour...”

He stops at the look on my face. I’m not sure what my expression says, but it must give my hesitancy away. Why the hell is he here if he’s leaving on tour? What good can I do him then?

“I want you to come with us,” he finishes.

He lets this sink in. I bite down on my lip, brows furrowed as I try to comprehend exactly what it is he has just said to me. He wants me to leave everything behind, my business, my life, my <i>cat</i> to chase girls on other continents?

“Before you say no, let me make my offer. I’ll pay you double your normal rate, plus all travel will be free. I don’t want this to leak out to the media, so you’ll have to go kind of undercover as my personal assitant. You’ll get a salary for that, too.”

I’m stunned into silence. I don’t come cheap, so the fact that he’s offering to pay double my normal going rate on top of a salary for a personal assistant is astounding to me.

I don’t really need the money. There are other cases I could take on. I could stay here, be with my cat, and keep up the tradition of mid-week dinners at my parents’ house, every Wednesday night.

But there’s another part that’s intriguing me about his offer. I’ve never done much traveling, and I have a sort of naturally curious personality. Besides that, I’m reminded that what little bit of a life I do have here, it isn’t all that thrilling.

I open my mouth to tell him no. Really, truly, those are my intentions. So I’m not sure who is more surprised when I accept the offer; Niall or myself.