What he doesn’t tell Arthur is the person he’s meant to fall for is actually his boss.
It’s not the usual destiny path; most love matches happen during serendipity, a chance encounter with a stranger that suddenly feels like it was meant to be. Nine times out of ten, Eames makes sure people fall in love with the person they’d never lay eyes on otherwise without his interference.
Although “interference” is such a nasty word. Eames prefers “light shove in the right direction.”
But in Arthur’s case, he’s known his boss for years. He met Dominic Cobb as a fresh-faced college graduate willing to work his way to the top, and Cobb had obliged him, making Arthur an intern until he proved himself. After six months, Arthur was on the payroll and a full-fledged architect at twenty-three.
For the last six years, there’s been nothing but admiration and respect between Cobb and Arthur, with the occasional late-night fantasy on Arthur’s part. Cobb’s wife left him a few years ago, but he recently started dating again. Every so often, he and Arthur will grab drinks during happy hour after work at the bar down the street.
And on Saturday, the two of them are going to--quite literally--collide with one another whilst Arthur is on one of his long weekend runs and Cobb is out biking. He’ll nearly run Arthur over, knocking him off his feet, and will be contrite enough to offer to buy Arthur lunch.
The rest is destiny. Well, and Eames’ help, of course.
Sure, it sounds like something out of a romantic comedy, but all of Eames’ matches have the same breathless haze of romance. He’s witnessed too many first blushes and coy smiles to really think twice about them. There’s nothing special about it, nothing really unique about the process of love. In the end, everyone falls the same.
~
“Where are you going?”
Eames pauses with his hand on the door knob of Arthur’s office door and raises an eyebrow. “Thought I’d call it a day. I do tend to keep my own hours, although this nine to five business has it’s charms.”
“So you just...vanish into thin air?” Arthur waves his hand around vaguely, looking slightly embarrassed to even be suggesting such a thing.
It’s rather adorable.
“No, my dear, I’m in human form right now. The whole ‘vanishing’ thing doesn’t come until after I’ve completed my work. ”
Arthur frowns at that, mouth twisting to one side as a physical display of his brain attempting to wrap around the concept of a god running about in as an average mortal. “But the invisibility--”
“I never said I was invisible, only that I allow people to see me when I want them to see me. There’s quite a bit of difference.”
“So you’re just gonna go...wherever it is you go and plan out how to continue to reek havoc on my love life?”
“If by that you mean toddle on home to the lovely rented flat just down the street and perhaps watch a few hours of ‘Dancing With the Stars’--amazing show, by the way, brilliant--then I suppose so, yes. Although I fail to see how that equals havoc reeking.”
Arthur points a finger at him, eyes narrowed. “You say that, but I don’t believe you. How do I know you’re not going to just go into stealth mode again and follow me home?”
Eames gives him his best lascivious smile. “Are you insinuating that you’d like for me to follow you home?”
“No, don’t do that, don’t--” Arthur huffs and stands up abruptly from his desk chair, grabbing his leather messenger bag. “I want to keep an eye on you. You’re going to the bar with me.”
“Why, Arthur, all you had to say was--”
“I’m meeting Cobb, my boss. There’s a new project idea I’d like to pitch to him. And you’re going to sit and be quiet and not meddle with people’s heads, got it?”
“Absolutely.” His grin turns innocent. Eames could not have planned this more perfectly if he tried.
...aaaaaand the rest
What he doesn’t tell Arthur is the person he’s meant to fall for is actually his boss.
It’s not the usual destiny path; most love matches happen during serendipity, a chance encounter with a stranger that suddenly feels like it was meant to be. Nine times out of ten, Eames makes sure people fall in love with the person they’d never lay eyes on otherwise without his interference.
Although “interference” is such a nasty word. Eames prefers “light shove in the right direction.”
But in Arthur’s case, he’s known his boss for years. He met Dominic Cobb as a fresh-faced college graduate willing to work his way to the top, and Cobb had obliged him, making Arthur an intern until he proved himself. After six months, Arthur was on the payroll and a full-fledged architect at twenty-three.
For the last six years, there’s been nothing but admiration and respect between Cobb and Arthur, with the occasional late-night fantasy on Arthur’s part. Cobb’s wife left him a few years ago, but he recently started dating again. Every so often, he and Arthur will grab drinks during happy hour after work at the bar down the street.
And on Saturday, the two of them are going to--quite literally--collide with one another whilst Arthur is on one of his long weekend runs and Cobb is out biking. He’ll nearly run Arthur over, knocking him off his feet, and will be contrite enough to offer to buy Arthur lunch.
The rest is destiny. Well, and Eames’ help, of course.
Sure, it sounds like something out of a romantic comedy, but all of Eames’ matches have the same breathless haze of romance. He’s witnessed too many first blushes and coy smiles to really think twice about them. There’s nothing special about it, nothing really unique about the process of love. In the end, everyone falls the same.
~
“Where are you going?”
Eames pauses with his hand on the door knob of Arthur’s office door and raises an eyebrow. “Thought I’d call it a day. I do tend to keep my own hours, although this nine to five business has it’s charms.”
“So you just...vanish into thin air?” Arthur waves his hand around vaguely, looking slightly embarrassed to even be suggesting such a thing.
It’s rather adorable.
“No, my dear, I’m in human form right now. The whole ‘vanishing’ thing doesn’t come until after I’ve completed my work. ”
Arthur frowns at that, mouth twisting to one side as a physical display of his brain attempting to wrap around the concept of a god running about in as an average mortal. “But the invisibility--”
“I never said I was invisible, only that I allow people to see me when I want them to see me. There’s quite a bit of difference.”
“So you’re just gonna go...wherever it is you go and plan out how to continue to reek havoc on my love life?”
“If by that you mean toddle on home to the lovely rented flat just down the street and perhaps watch a few hours of ‘Dancing With the Stars’--amazing show, by the way, brilliant--then I suppose so, yes. Although I fail to see how that equals havoc reeking.”
Arthur points a finger at him, eyes narrowed. “You say that, but I don’t believe you. How do I know you’re not going to just go into stealth mode again and follow me home?”
Eames gives him his best lascivious smile. “Are you insinuating that you’d like for me to follow you home?”
“No, don’t do that, don’t--” Arthur huffs and stands up abruptly from his desk chair, grabbing his leather messenger bag. “I want to keep an eye on you. You’re going to the bar with me.”
“Why, Arthur, all you had to say was--”
“I’m meeting Cobb, my boss. There’s a new project idea I’d like to pitch to him. And you’re going to sit and be quiet and not meddle with people’s heads, got it?”
“Absolutely.” His grin turns innocent. Eames could not have planned this more perfectly if he tried.