“I’m sure I will. A new experience, a new tattoo,andit’ll point to my soulmate? Seems like I won the lottery today.”
She grins as she hands me a little hand mirror. She holds up one herself so that I can use the two of them to see my new ink.
When my eyes land on it, my stomach sinks. Well, I guess I should have known better than to think I’d have a soulmate out there somewhere. I’m not really anormalbeing, right? I was birthed from the Earth itself.
On my left shoulder, I find a set of wings that appear to be consumed by flame. The wings themselves are black and the fire around them are shades of red and orange. They look almost exactly like my wings when I let them out of the ethereal plane. They’re beautiful, that’s undeniable, but they’remine. How could that possibly be linked to my soulmate?
“Thank you,” I find myself saying, passing the mirror back to Tilly. “They’re beautiful. Truly.”
Tilly tells me how to care for my new tattoo before she’s carefully covering it up with plastic. I put my shirt back on, pay Tilly, and then head down the way, back to my wandering. My chest hurts, but that’s okay. The feeling will pass. Now that I know, this kinda takes some of the weight off, in a weird way.
I don’t have a soulmate so I can just learn to be content with myself.
I can do that. Of course, I can do that! Life is still as exciting as ever, even if I don’t have a soulmate. I’m still content. I’m still happy. I’m still overly excited to experience everything and anything.
Picking up my bags, I start wandering through the mall again. I want to save The Devil’s Sweet Tooth for last because I’ll use the last of my spending money there. I hope they have something fun going on.
Just like that, all thoughts of soulmates and being destined to be alone forever leave me, replaced with curiosity and warmexcitement. I stop at every single booth that litters the middle of the mall, wanting to talk to everyone, wanting to see what they’re selling. Everyone is so happy to chat with me, to explain what it is they’re doing here.
When someone’s eyes light up, something inside me flares to life. Their excitement only serves to build my own. Naturally, I am fire, but the people around me fan those flames even brighter. It’s like they toss logs onto the fire inside my chest until fire is catching all around me as well.
The next booth I stop at is selling handmade ceramics. They’re so beautiful. I can tell they’re hand made because they’re not perfect but that only adds to their beauty.
As careful as I can be, I pick up a little mug. The handle is just a little bit too thin and there’s a weird lump on the opposite side. It’s painted with this shimmery red color that makes me smile because it reminds me of my hair.
“Hi,” someone says and I look up.
My entire body freezes as I stare into the eyes of the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.
His eyes are the prettiest shade of brown. There are dark circles underneath and I’m suddenly hit square in the chest with concern, wondering if maybe he hasn’t been getting enough sleep. He’s about as tall as me with thick, messy black hair. He looks like he has perpetual bedhead he can’t quite control yet it somehow suits him so well. He’s dressed in gray jeans and a light blue sweater that fits him just right. When he smiles, I feel like I might actually swoon.
Wow.
“Hello,” I say back, a grin stretching across my lips. My chest is a flurry of emotions, all pinging against each other like a ping-pong ball heading down the stairs. I’m flustered and overwhelmed but so goddamn happy at the same time.
The mug in my hands is completely forgotten.
Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I see a pair of wings. Not a pair like mine, but angelic all the same. A moment later, someone is bumping against my back.
The ceramic in my hands slips and no matter how quickly I move, it’s too late. I stare down at my feet as the mug hits the ground and shatters.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
My stomach sinks to my toes, my heart leaping up into my throat. I cannot believe I just did that! I just dropped someone’s hard work! Someone took the time to craft these beautiful items and I carelessly dropped one. Fuck, I feel so stupid.
I am reckless by nature, but that doesn’t mean I would ever be so reckless with someone else's things.
I slowly look up, ready to be told off, ready to be scolded. I’ll make this right somehow. I’ll make sure he knows how sorry I am!
A hand touches my arm and my body locks up for a second time, this time for a completely different reason. I meet this handsome stranger’s eyes, finding nothing butwarmthwaiting for me.
My body feels like a live wire, ready to spark with life. Why does his touch make me feel like this? Why does his touch make me want to drop to my knees before him? Gods, my head and my chest feel like a mess of indecipherable feelings.
“Hey,” he says, barely above a whisper. “Are you okay?”
I wince. “I’m fine,” I say quickly. “I amsosorry. I don’t know what happened. Please, let me pay for this mug.”
