The constant pictures of wedding dresses scrolling down on the current blog your best friend browsed through on her MacBook made your lips in a tight and your temper starting to boil – even if it weren't your intension. Her red nail polished finger caressed down on her laptop while the two of you stared at the many different sections, the dresses displaying different kinds, different colours and different patterns.
"What about this one?" Your best friend asked and stopped in track, her finger touching the screen and traced around the patterns of yet another beautiful wedding dress.
Your eyes scanned the dress bored, looked at her shortly before a sigh escaped your lips and rested your chin on the palm of your hand. "It's pretty." You knew you had used that comment on the last three dresses but it was your honest opinion that counted and she must have known this wasn't really a thing for you do to.
"I don't know whether to go all in or find something simple. Eric says he doesn't really care because all he wishes is for me to be satisfied and happy. Which I of course already am but finding the right dress is important too." She flicked away the dress with her hand and scrolled further down, her eyebrows furrowing while looking at the bright screen.
"What about this one?" You asked, stopping her finger in track from scrolling further down and away from the dress that had caught your attention.
"This one?" She asked a bit confused and pointed her finger at it, "Isn't it a bit, I don't know. Too different?"
You furrowed your eyebrows by her question and licked your lips, "I think it's really beautiful." The dress was long sleeved, open shoulder and pattern with laces. It also outstretched the whole body, fitting tight and continuing further down by the feet and creating a spring water effect. The model was looking over her shoulder with a beautiful pony tail, the hair curled and her makeup natural but still eye catching.
"Take a picture of it." She commented and leaned back in her chair with a cheeky expression.
"What?" You commented dumb-folded and lifted your right eyebrow in confuse.
"I mean, so you know what to look for when the day comes."
"If the day comes." You corrected her with a skeptical glare and glanced back at the screen in front of you. This dress was the perfect one for you but you didn't want to take a picture. Honestly you wished you hadn't seen it. Getting a reminder of something that would never occur made your whole body tense up and your body shook by the thought.
"Come on Y/N, don't be like that! We both know he is out there somewhere." She scoffed by your attitude and grabbed a hair tie resting next to her laptop, swung her hair down to collect it into a ponytail.
"No, we don't. You know yours is because you've already found him." You argued and she looked up at you red in the face from the reversed position.
"And because of that I'm one hundred percent sure you will find yours to. Remember when we both were single and thought we would end up as Mrs. Petinua who lives downstairs? Remember how I was a crying mess because somehow the reality of ending up alone hit me, and I ordered pizza? Remember who the pizza guy was and how we ended up here?"
"Yes, I know the pizza story, I know how you were a sobbing mess over the phone and the next day you almost fucking announced that you were getting married to a pizza delivery guy." You crossed your arms and rolled your eyes.
"Yes, and in fact this little small pizza guy from Pizza Hunter down by the street happened to have MY name on his wrist." She lifted up her wrist to show where the inked tattoo had been since she turned 18, now being just a scar. You squeezed your eyes to get a better look of the traced scar tattoo, Eric's letters fading in with the blue veins.
"That doesn't mean just because you're lucky I will too." You mumbled and leaned back in your chair, blowing air up towards the hair that had fallen down in your face. She smiled softly with a sigh and leaned over to remove the irritating hair in your eyes. "I know Y/N." She said seriously.
"Maybe the world made soulmates to the ones who deserved it. Maybe it's all just a lottery and I happen to be the joker or the small ball without any number on it. Come on, can't you see it? I've been having this name for two years now and nothing has happened. Every single person I've spoken to has met their soulmate within months."
"Some wait for years." She sipped on her lukewarm latte.
"Yes, but I don't want to wait any longer. I might as well just stop believing in this. What is a soulmate anyway?" You ran a hair through your hair annoyed and felt your heart pounding by subject. You grew irritated by every single day that passed by. It wasn't a struggle at first but when everyone close to you all of the sudden started a new life with someone else it was hard to cope with the loneness alone.
"A soulmate is the person you're closest to. The one you see as your best friend, as your partner and as your life source. The one that makes you become a better person by yourself because they inspire you. The one you know you'll live the rest of your life with because no matter what you will love this person."
"But how can someone commit themselves? To someone they've never met. The ideal soulmate should be someone you've known for years, someone who knows everything about you but still look apart from the flaws. The one that always have believed in you even if somebody else has. I don't want destiny to choose who I'm gonna be with by this stupid tattoo on my wrist. This guy doesn't know me, AT ALL!"
"Y/N, I understand your furiousness and I know it's so hard to believe in when you're so hopeless and not in the situation. But I swear, the moment you lock your eyes with this guy you'll never want to look at someone else again. Even if you guys don't know each other you'll catch up within hours. It's magical."
"Magical my ass." You scoffed and removed the sleeve of your shirt that always seemed to cover up your tattoo. It had become a habit to wear long sleeved shirts. You didn't want to look at it at any point of the day. It only created horrible thoughts in your mind.
"I don't even know it it's just a nickname!" Your hands flied in the air to express yourself.
"His name is Calum how the fuck could that be a nickname? Colomba? I doubt the destiny will write a nickname on your wrist, thát would have been a pain in the ass." She shrugged her shoulder and glanced down at the tattoo, the name Calum written beautifully but to you it was hell on letters.
Your lips tightened up by her words and you glared at her shortly as her attention drew back to the laptop. Silence clouded over the two of you while she scrolled down on the laptop, going through a few pictures while she hummed to herself a happily tune and that was when you lost it.
Like she had said. He wouldn't just show up immediately and somebody had to wait for the miracle to come. But without having belief in miracles – soulmates for the matter – you didn't want to wait while playing fucking hide and seek. Who said you needed to wait for someone? Then rather erase everything and start out a new life. A life where your future wouldn't depend of a simple name tattooed on your wrist.
Standing up to her sudden surprise you placed your mug down and ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm leaving."
She furrowed her eyebrows by your announcement. "Now? Where are you heading?"
"I have no idea." You mumbled and turned around to head towards the door without a followed goodbye. But little did you know where your feet were dragging you.
The thunder was thundering loud and growling in an echoing manor by the many apartment complexes, the sky pitch black but not a single star on the sky. Further away the moon was faded by the many dark clouds, the lightening sometimes shinning up like an electric shock in many different colors. If it had been a different occasion you would have been scared shitless but it nothing seemed to matter.
The walk down the streets seemed so dark and empty by the lack of people but because of late night time there wasn't a single sight of another person. You had no idea whether the tattoo shop was open but it was worth trying. You had passed it many times when you walked down the familiar street. It was eye catching. But you never went in there. Before today.
A bell ringed as soon as you were welcomed into the shop, the thunder replaced with the faint tunes of Absolutely by Nine Days playing in the background. Nobody was in sight but the sign was open and with the door unlocked you concluded that somebody must have been here.
Your hand caressed over the desk placed right in front of the door, the light wooden surface cold against your skin. You furrowed your eyebrows and took a look around, debating with yours whether to leave or stay a few minutes but your mind changed when a tall guy came down the stairs from the back area.
"Hi." He commented politely even though he seemed slightly confused by a sudden costumer at ten pm.
"Hey..." You mumbled a bit off, your eyes gazing around the many tattoo ideas hanging on the ceilings like beautiful artworks.
"Do you have an appointment?" He asked casually and moved his finger over the mouse on his MacBook, the screen going from dark to show a simple background. His eyes flicked towards you with a small smile, his dark blue hair falling into his shinning emerald eyes.
"No, actually, I came here spontaneously." You admitted and he cracked a smile by your words. He shut down the computer and grabbed a sketchbook resting beneath his desk, throwing it right next to you and grabbed a pencil.
"I like that. What do you want me to create you with?" He rested his elbow next to the sketchbook and ghosted the pencil over the paper in habit. You chewed on your bottom lip while thinking. This was the part of your spontaneously idea that you hadn't thought through. What were you going to get? It had to be something rather dark to cover up the five lettered name but it still had to look cool and not rushed.
"I need something that symbolizes independence." You nodded your head in confirm to your words. You had no idea what but he was the artist and might had an idea to what you had in mind.
"I know this might sound ridiculous but one of the many plants that symbolize independence is actually plum trees." He paused and laughed silly by his own suggestion, "But we do everything we can to turn something boring like that into a hardcore tattoo."
"I'm up for it." You said sternly. You didn't want to think this through. You needed to get this away urgent. There was more hope in plums than there ever would be in this stupid name.
"Awesome. I love your enthusiasm." He cracked a smile and opened his laptop, googling plum trees until he found a decent picture that showed a few plumps on a branch, leaves sticking out in the empty spots.
"Seems legit." You admitted when he showed you the screen and he drew patterns along the sketch paper, starting with the outlines and adding up with the details. You watched him closely while he did his artwork, his tongue resting between his lips while he concentrated, his eyes flicking between the paper and the screen of the photo.
"Actually, I need it as a cover up. Do you think it will go?"
He stopped in track and looked up at you, "Where are we talking and how big the current tattoo you want covered?"
"It's on my wrist and not that big. It's a name." You lifted your wrist up fast to show him the ink and he squeezed his eyes to get a better sight of it. He stared at it for some seconds almost like if he was reading the name repeatedly but afterwards he nodded his head to your previous question.
"That will be easy. An old ex-boyfriend?" He stated and asked almost cheekily.
"No, though I wish it was." You admitted and removed the tattoo from his sight, your hand going through your hair life a comb. He nodded his head with a small smile and went back to drawing the tattoo, his eyebrows furrowing once in a while because of his concentration.
"I might need my coworker to do it, he has more experience in covering up old regretted tattoos. But don't worry he's an amazing artist you'll love his work." He said when he finished the last details of the drawing, taking a look at it before his eyes drifted up to meet yours.
"That's alright." You shrugged your shoulder, not really caring who was going to make your tattoo. It just had to be done. He nodded his head accepting to your words and headed back into the back area, "Mate, we've got a costumer who needs a cover up. I think you'll prefer to do that."
Within seconds a new guy came out of the back area, and your eyes half widened. His hair was dark brown tousled, only wearing a grey tank top along with a pair of black skinny jeans. His tattoos were prominent and black around the skin of his collar and left arm. He blew out a dark grey cloud of smoke when he walked inside and laughed by the other guy yelling something at him.
"Hey, pleasure to meet you." He greeted with a bright smile, reaching his hand forward to shake yours. You smiled at him politely and shook his warm hand, the sudden contraction between cold and warmth sending a buzz through your veins.
"So my colleague Michael says you're getting a plum tattoo?" He asked to make sure, and you nodded your head agreeing. God this must have sounded so ridiculous but the guys only flashed a smile by your actions and looked down at the drawing Michael was currently inking into blue in the back area.
"Cool. I like when people do something different than the usual dandelions and birds flying on the back. Come with me over here." He drummed the pencil Michael had been used twice against the wooden surface before leading you towards one of the leather tattoo chairs, motioning you to sit down. You looked at him in the corner of your eyes as he headed towards his equipment, using a rolling table to drag it towards your chair.
"I think this is the first time we have a lady spontaneously coming in and wanting a plum tree." He grinned and looked at you with curiosity in his eyes. You shrugged your shoulder and took a look in the mirror in front of you. "I just need to get this covered up immediately."
"I'll do my very best. Sometimes it can be a huge challenge but from what Michael said this is gonna be an easy one." He promised and smiled down at you almost lovingly. You loved his energy. He seemed so pumped about small things but still managed to act cool about it. The way he would squeeze his eyes and smile down at you almost like an old penpal.
"I'm pleased to here." You admitted and your eyes glanced down at the tattoo. This would be the last sight of it, forever. Finally.
While the guy worked out his equipment and added black color to the needle, Michael came back with the fully result of the tattoo, drawing with blue color to make sure that the artist would follow the lines and see where he was going to draw. You reached your hand forward when Michael softly grabbed your waist, carefully pressed the transparent paper against your skin and waited until it had sunk in.
"No backing down!" He exclaimed and you laughed at him when he removed the paper from you, showing how the tattoo would be when it would be covered up. A satisfied plastered on your face features and you smirked into the mirror while waiting for the brown haired guy to become ready for making the tattoo.
"So, what was the reason to covering up this tattoo?" The guy asked and turned around on his chair to look at you, but his otherwise bright smile seemed to faint away by the sight in front of him. His eyes flicked between yours and the tattoo, looking like someone who had something on his mind but didn't knew how to express it.
"I just need to get it away." You responded simply.
"Is it an ex-boyfriend?" He asked with an almost awkward laugh, his cheeks flushing up in a deep shade of crimson red.
"No, it's just... I want it away." You mumbled the last part and scratched your arm in habit of nervousness, not really knowing how to explain it to him. He most probably wouldn't understand.
He frowned by your words and furrowed his eyebrows. He almost didn't want to look at the tattoo but decided to fiddle with the needle instead of doing the actual work. You looked at him with confused eyes, impatient and wanting him to start the tattoo but he seemed off and distracted. Almost like he was torn between doing his work or not wanting to do it.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked quietly, his eyes looking deeply into yours and you exhaled a breath before nodding your head yes. His eyes glanced down at the tattoo and he copied the same deep exhale as yours before he placed blue gloves to protect his hands and fingers.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Isn't it a soulmate tattoo?" He almost seemed like he regretted his question, frowning by himself and bringing up the words. Your whole body tensed up by his almost too personal question and your eyes flicked down to it.
"I mean," He shifted in his seat, "I would never cover up my soulmate tattoo for anything in life even if I'm working on getting a sleeve. I think it's something that's gonna stay with you for the rest of your life, why not let it be like that and accept it?"
"Because I don't want to believe in this. It's overrated. I don't like the idea of someone dictating who I can be with and not for the rest of my life. I think destiny has too much power in this situation. I don't want to be a part of it."
He furrowed his eyebrows by your words almost looking offended, and placed the tattoo needle on the rolling table.
"What about your soulmate? He's wandering around in the world with YOUR name on his wrist imagining how amazing his life is gonna be when he meets you but in fact he's gonna be alone for the rest of his life because of you!" His tone rose by each word he passed by.
"Why do you even care and why are you defending him? It shouldn't matter because in the end I'll never find him! I'll be the only one in this fucking world who's gonna be alone, raising dolphins in my garden while I plant my own fucking plum trees! And to be honest that sounds wonderful to me because I'd rather live that life than having my life depended on a fucking tattoo on my wrist!"
He shook his head disagreeing by your words and ran a hand through his thick hair, small straws showing a hint of blond color. "Honestly I don't believe what you're stating." He said in pure honest and crossed his arms.
"What?" You exclaimed like he was ridiculous.
"I think you're only saying this to get over your sorrows by the fact that you're stuck into the thought of never finding someone in your life! The fact that you have been living your whole life with expectations when you turned eighteen but disappointment hitting you when love found your friends but never you. You're just using this as a cover up to not seem vulnerable."
He was panting lightly by your words and he shook his head in disbelief when you shook your head disagreeing to his words.
"I'm not covering up to not seem vulnerable." You scoffed.
"I know you do, Y/N." He said more quiet, his eyes looking at you daring to see if he got some sort of reaction from you.
Your whole body froze and your lips tightened. You tried your best to not let your eyes widen but in the corner of your eyes you could see them become bigger. You exhaled heavily through your nose while looking at him with daring eyes. He couldn't be. This had got to be luck on his behalf, guessing your name.
He lifted his left arm up and turned it around, showing you his wrist. You read the name repeatedly in your mind, your eyes flicking between the tattoo on your wrist and your name on his. This couldn't be.
"Calum?" You asked with confusion in your tone.
"Yes?" He obeyed to your word, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to read your face expression that faded into nothing. You looked at him, between the tattoos but instead of saying anything else you stood up from your chair, not wanting to believe what was right in front of your eyes.
"I have to go."
Calum stood up from the chair fast in reaction, hurrying towards you and grabbed your arm before you could run away from him. "Wait, you can't just leave like that."
"Why not!?" You exclaimed, loosened your arm from his grip and spun around.
"We have each other names tattooed onto our wrists and you're just gonna walk away from that?"
"I just told you, Calum! I don't believe in soulmates!" You almost yelled sternly, looking at him with wide eyes. "And I don't care if I've had your name tattooed for two fucking years, how do you even fucking know it's me? So many in the world is called Y/N!"
"Well, I fucking do because I believed in this crap unlike you!." Calum fought back with furious in his eyes. "And I don't care how much you hate the fact that we were born like this but the way I felt when my eyes fell upon you for the first time told me that my meeting with you would be something different. That it wouldn't just be yet another girl coming into the shop! It was different. Didn't you feel it at all?"
"No, I didn't! I don't feel a thing! I'm numb!" You yelled, not even caring if Michael could hear you guys from the back area. It must have been pure entertainment.
"I'll give you something to fucking feel then."
He marched forward and cupped your cheeks, not spilling a second to place his plump lips on top of yours. You wanted to push at him, scream and yell for him to not dare to be near you but by the single touch of him you felt bliss. Going from down your feet in a small affection but growing bigger as the kiss was deepened.
His thumbs caressed your cheeks as he pressed harder against you, and even though your hands were stiff against your waist you still kissed him back with all the force you had, but when the both of you ran out of air, he pulled back breathlessly.
You looked at him surprised, breathing heavily like him, his chest rising up and down violently by each breath he took. None of you said anything but both seemed like you wanted to say at least something. Your mouth opened and closed, looking down at your feet confused before they met his eyes again.
Marching forward and taking him aback you wrapped your arms around his neck, your fingers going into his hair and his hands grabbed your hips when you placed your lips on top of his. Though the kiss wasn't as violent as before, but small pecks that lingered between each breathe you took. You didn't pull back at last but ghosted your lips over his as he leaned his forehead against yours.
"Fuck." He mumbled breathless with a raspy voice, his eyes scanning yours and somehow he noticed the warmth. Something he hadn't seen before now.
"Do you believe in me now?" He asked with hope in his eyes.
You opened your mouth to respond but it was prevented by the tickling sensation in your wrist, both you and Calum looking down at your name tattoos that shined bright like the sun. You held your breath while looking it intensely and it gave one last bright shot before vanishing, the otherwise black tattoo now just a simple scar, but still remaining the name of Calum's.
You looked up at him shocked and he cracked a smile by the sudden action, showing you his wrist where his also had the scar of your name on it.
Instead of responding, you placed your hand on his neck and placed your lips on his, giving in all the love you had in your life that had been hiding behind a rock on your heart. Calum smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around your waist to twirl you around, making you laugh into the kiss by his cute gesture.
"Whoa, what is going on in here!" Michael exclaimed surprised and you broke away from the kiss, "I don't think I'm ready to kiss costumers like that!" He pointed out and Calum laughed loudly by his comment, feeling you press your cheek into his warm chest ever so happily.