Wherever You Are | c.h. | Soulmate AU

7

I pull the door of the address my dad has given me open and step inside.

"Hello?" I call out, my footsteps echoing through the hallway as I wait for any indication as to which way I should go.

My shoulder is aching, a dull burn that seems to only intensify the farther I walk down the hall.

"Bex! Walk straight!" I hear my dad reply and I follow his voice until I step through a doorway that opens up to a large white room occupied by my dad and four men about my age.

"Hi.." I say nervously, my gaze drifting over them before landing on the one with shaved black hair and caramel skin.

You can hear the sound of a pin drop. Times seems to stand still. Everything else fades away. His eyes, dark like chocolate and yet somehow still inviting, alluring, meet mine and my mouth is suddenly as dry as the Sahara.

Is this it? Surely this has to be it. My shoulder throbs from the point of my tattoo, my heart feels like it could beat out of my chest, my palms are sweaty, and I can practically see the sparks flying between us.

He seems just as perplexed and overwhelmed as I am.

After a moment it occurs to me that we're just stood here staring at each other, everyone else unaware of what is happening between us.

"Um," he stutters our, coming out of the daze and extending his hand to me.

"My name is Calum." He says, his cheeks flame and I bite my lip as I take in how attractive he is and raise my own hand to him. His muscles flex due to his lotion and I lick my lips. He's fucking gorgeous.

"I'm Rebecca, but everyone just calls me Bex. Nice to meet you."

It feels like actual electricity courses between us as our hands meet, our eyes snapping up and locking into one another.

"So, this tattoo of yours, what is it?" I squeak out, suddenly wanting to confirm with my eyes what my mind and heart already know.

"Um, this is embarrassing. I don't actually know. Your dad," he gestures over and I'm suddenly reminded my dad is even in the room, that he was the one who called me here. "Your dad told me it has to do with chemistry?" His eyebrows furrow and his face takes on a serious look.

"Do you mind?" I ask gesturing to his arm and his eyes meet mine once more as he nods silently and extends his arm to me and I immediately know which one of the many tattoos he's talking about.

"It's um, it's a chemical structure. This is the structure for serotonin."

"And what's that?" He asks genuinely seeming interested, his tongue slipping form between his lips, wetting them and drawing my attention to his perfectly pink lips.

"It's the uh, it's basically the chemical structure of happiness." I say softly, my thumb rubbing over the marked skin.

"So if that's mine, what's yours?"

"Cal, I see you guys are having a moment but I don't know if it's polite of you to ask her about —"

"Shut the fuck up Ashton." The man, Calum, my soulmate, says sharply. "I think I have a right to ask my soulmate what her tattoo is." He says with a smile playing on his lips.

"Wait, fuck, really?" The man with black hair asks.

"Yes." I reply firmly, my eyes never leaving Calum's.

I spin slowly, using my hands to gather my hair and pull it over my shoulder that doesn't hold my tattoo.

I feel his presence behind me, the heat coming off his body alerting me to his close vicinity as my nose is overwhelmed by the scent of him, woodsy with a trace of the smell of smoke.

I startle slightly as I feel his finger touch my inked skin, following the outline of the music note and taking it in.

I turn back to face him as his touch disappears.

"Fuck, you're really it, huh?" He asks incredulously, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile. "I've been waiting on you for what seems like forever." He says sheepishly.

"I could tell you the same thing." I laugh.

"Um, one second." He says holding up a finger and glancing over to the other men still present having been privy to this surreal moment. "Boys, do you guys mind if I, like, cut out early?" He asks.

I don't know what I'll do if they don't agree. Stay and wait for him to be able to leave? I can't just walk away now that I've found the man I've been looking for for eight years.

"Yeah, mate. That's way more important, we'll do this tomorrow as long as that's okay with Anthony." They say, nodding their heads over to the reporter he had obviously forgotten about. My dad who just witnessed our entire first interaction.

"By all means. I'll come back tomorrow. And you..." he says his finger pointed in Calum's direction and I'm prepared for some super threatening dad comment but instead he nods a soft smile on his face and says "take care of my girl."

"Bye dad!" I call after him.

"Shall we?" He asks me, gesturing for me to head for the hallway.

I comply quickly his hand finding its way to the small of my back, the electricity that shoots through me with every touch is exhilarating and for the first time in a really long time the future is looking exceptionally bright.

"So, where should we go? I just wanna talk and get to know you. I have so many questions." He says softly and I consider his question.

"Um, is a park or coffee shop too risky? Aren't you kind of like, known?" I ask, genuinely curious but afraid to offend him.

"Um, usually it's safe but you have a good point. I don't want us to be interrupted. Would you be totally opposed to continuing this at my house? I have. Cute dog." He says, his wide smile returning revealing crinkles by his eyes and an adorable dimple.

"You had me at cute dog."

An: softness. Yay they met!

Ily
Sav 🖤