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I sniff. “And you’re just ugly all the time. Must suck. No offense, of course.”

He throws his head back in laughter. I watch him laugh with a smile on my face. When he’s done, looks back at me with a wide grin.

“Let’s take some shots,” he says, pulling me into the bar. We take a seat in the corner and give our orders to the waiter. Eight shots of tequila. We decide to only do shots to get the buzz quicker. Four shots are sure enough going to make me feel something.

“Tell me about your parents,” I say, wanting to learn more about him while we wait.

He smiles faintly. “My mom’s favorite color was pink. Every outfit she wore was some shade of pink. I never thought twice about the color until she died. Now every time I see the color, I think of her. It’s like a constant reminder. A good reminder.” He pauses. “She was always in the kitchen cooking. While she rarely said the words ‘I love you’, she showed her love for us through food.” This is the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen him.

“And your dad?” I ask.

He sighs. “We had a…difficult relationship. Even at a young age. He was tough on me. I remember coming home from school, proud of the B+ I received in math. He took the paper from me and said, ‘You shouldn’t be happy unless it’s an A’. He was harsh, but he wanted the best for me. I didn’t understand that until I had to face the world by myself.”

“Have you tried sneaking in and seeing them in Heaven?”

He shakes his head. “No. I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because when given the choice between Heaven or reincarnation…they chose to reincarnate." I think it’s amazing that souls designated for Heaven have a choice. I thought about reincarnation, but I’m trying to relax.

I hesitate. "But…how will they find each other in the next life?”

“They tied their souls,” he says softly, love glinting in his eyes. That’s so beautifully heartbreaking, and I feel weepy again. Aiden may never have them as his parents again, but they will always find each other.

“That’s so beautiful. To be sure of someone so much that you tie your soul to them forever.”

He nods. “Even if I don’t get to be with them, at least, in every lifetime, they will unconsciously search each other out.” Soul ties are a tricky, but amazing concept. They will always feel a pull towards each other. However, that does not guarantee that every time they are reincarnated, they will find each other. One of them could die early. They could get married before finding the other person. There’s so much that could go wrong, but there is still the chance that it could go right.

“I’m happy you had them. Even if it was a short period of time. I wish I had that,” I gently say.

“You’ll have it one day. Whether in this life or your next,” he assures me.

I smile at him, not replying because I don’t know what to say next. We silently stare at each other, saying a million things with no words. The silence is comfortable. I don’t feel the need to ramble to fill the gaps. The waiter brings our shots. We take up a glass and raise them in the air.

“To us. To letting go of the past. And to hopefully finding something as special as your parents one day,” I say softly, never losing eye contact with him.

“To us,” he says as we throw our shots back and reach for the next.

16

ABOUT DAMN TIME

Aiden teleports us back into the middle of his apartment. I’m a little tipsy, so the quick movements make me trip against him. As we both start to fall, he moves me to make sure I’m on top of him. We land on the ground, and he lets out a grunt. I look down at him and start to giggle. I try to move my braids out of his face, but I can’t see clearly enough to do it. He smiles and lifts his hand to my lips, rubbing his thumb against them softly, as if he is trying to trace the shape of my smile.

My smile slowly starts to drop as we gaze into each other’s eyes. With one hand, Aiden moves my hair onto my back. His hand slightly caresses my back, making me shiver. I look at his lips then lick mine in anticipation. I’ve thought about those lips every day since I laid my eyes on him. I run one of my hands through his hair, enjoying how soft it feels against my skin.

Before I realize what I’m doing, I am leaning down and pressing my lips against his. After a few seconds of feeling no reaction from him, I pull up and look at him. He doesn’t say anything. He just looks at me.

Feeling embarrassed, I look away. The drinks must be getting to me. I must have imagined the way he was looking at me. And it has been a while since I’ve gotten some.

I start to apologize. “I am so sorry."

He hesitates. “We can’t…you’re my lawyer and you’re…it’s just not right.”

I bite my lip, not saying anything. He may be right. If we were in the Living World, I would face discipline by mixing business with pleasure. But we aren’t in the Living World. What do we have to lose?

He closes his eyes and lets out a frustrated sigh. When they open again, there is a newfound determination burning in them.