1993
Alexander watched as Sarah paced back a forth and tried to keep her hands out of her freshly styled hair. He was thirty-one and she was only thirty, but physically she was older than him. She had started aging again around a year ago, after only seven years. So quick in comparison to others, to him.
Most found their soulmate between the ages of thirty a fifty, some being lucky enough to find them after only a few years. Sarah was one of the lucky ones. She had met Scott a year beforehand, while her and Alexander had gone out for lunch. The clumsy man had tripped and nearly spilled all of his food on the pair of them.
He had apologised profusely and offered to pay for their lunches. Alex being Alex accepted that offer. He may be working at a well-paying technology company, but he was definitely not going to pass on a free lunch. Sarah had somehow been charmed by his awkwardness and had given him her number.
They had figured out they were soulmates, or had assumed at least, when Scott had broken his arm at work. There hadn't been too much damage, but more than enough for the doctors to figure out that the clumsy man had found his soulmate.
Alex had been supportive when Sarah had come to him and told him that she thought Scott was her soulmate. She didn't want to injure herself to find out, she'd been too scared, so instead Alexander had suggested that the pair go through with the Ceremony.
If they were wrong and Scott and Sarah weren't soulmates, the Ceremony would not work. They were expensive, and many people were usually invited, so the idea of getting it wrong in front of so many people had scared Sarah. She'd been so adamant about having the Ceremony, about not wanting to wait to see if she was aging again, that Alexander had helped her arrange it with no questions asked.
She wore a beautiful blue dress that hung loosely to her body. She hadn't wanted some big thing with a train or anything that resembled a ball gown, just a light blue dress that reached her ankles and fitted her well. The blue was traditional, it's origin Alexander no longer remembered. He was sure he had been taught it at school at some point, but he couldn't remember for the life of him.
"Sarah," he started. She stopped in her pacing, staring at him with wide eyes. She'd just finished having her makeup done; all nude colours, brighter makeup never seemed to suit her no matter how hard her tried to make it work. Her hair had been kept down and blue and white flowers had been weaved into it. Alexander had never seen her look more beautiful. "It's going to be fine."
"What if I was wrong?" she replied, clenching her fists repeatedly. "What if he's not my soulmate?"
"Do you think you're wrong? Does he?" Alexander asked, moving to grab at Sarah's hand.
"Well... No," she said. "But we didn't make completely sure when we organised this. We could have easily met someone new at the same time and not realised it. I don't know! I just..."
"You're nervous," he stated, squeezing her hand. "You're going to be fine. You're going to go out there, do whatever it is you do at these things, and you'll be soulmates. You're not wrong. I've seen you two together. Trust me, you're definitely not wrong about this."
"How long?" she asked, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.
"Fifteen minutes," he answered. "Are you ready?"
"I don't know, I guess so," she said with a sigh. "Sit with me."
Sarah pulled him over to the tiny couch that sat in the room they were getting ready in, resting her head against his shoulder and gripping his hand tightly. They didn't say anything, just say in a comfortable silence. Left alone with his thoughts Alexander's mind drifted to the horrible jealousy he'd been feeling since Sarah and Scott figured out they were soulmates.
It had happened so quickly, and he was still sitting there, waiting for his to come along. It had only been nine years, but he wanted so desperately to meet his soulmate. He was happy, so happy, for Sarah and Scott, how could he not be? But that didn't stop the jealousy worming its way into his mind and his heart.
He could deal with it. He would never tell Sarah what he was thinking, it would only make her upset. She did stupid things when she got upset. He would be there for her when she started a family with Scott and grew old. He would be there for her when she died, something he realised only the week before was now a very real possibility.
He had always assumed, for some stupid reason, that he and Sarah would have forever together. He thought that it would take them a couple of decades to find their soulmates, not a few years. He wasn't ready to accept the fact that Sarah could very easily die now, even though there was a low probability of it happening.
Sarah's mother came in after a while, gushing at how beautiful her daughter looked and telling them that it was nearly time. Taking a deep breath, Sarah stood, pulling Alexander up with her. He squeezed her hand tightly and gave her a reassuring smile, starting to feel a little nervous himself, like second hand anxiety, if such a thing existed.
Sarah's mother grabbed her other hand and the three of them walked slowly from the room, Sarah's mother questioning her about her wellbeing the entire time. The happy pair had opted for a traditional Ceremony, blue dress, done at a church, the works.
The church they had picked was one Scott attended every Sunday. It was beautiful, the stained-glass windows depicting angels shining bright colours against the plain grey stone. Wooden pews led the way to the front of the church, where a giant stained window of Jesus on the cross overlooked the entirety of the church. Scott stood at the front with the priest and his parents, back facing the entrance.
The people that filled the pews stood and the organ began to play as soon as the trio were seen at the entrance. Usually by tradition, Sarah's parents would have walked her to the front of the church, but Sarah's father had passed only two years prior. Instead, Sarah had asked Alexander to walk her in his place.
Alexander didn't pay attention to much as he walked Sarah up through the pews, only the feeling of his hand in hers, the grip tight with Sarah's nervousness. He knew people were staring at them and that the organ was playing whatever music it usually did during a Ceremony, but he saw and heard none of it.
He caught Scott's eye and realised that he was just as nervous as Sarah. He gave the man a reassuring smile, knowing it probably wouldn't do much to alleviate his worry. It wasn't long before the trio had reached the front of the church and it was time to pass Sarah over to Scott. Alexander and her mother gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before dropping her hand and allowing her to walk over to Scott.
As per tradition Alexander sat in the front pew on Sarah's side of the church, her mother taking her place next to him. Sarah had moved to face her soulmate, grinning at him widely. Alex marvelled at how beautiful she looked; he didn't think he'd ever seen her look so beautiful before.
The priest began to speak, but the words drifted through Alex's mind like bubbles through air. He'd never seen a Ceremony and knew he ought to be paying attention to it, to Sarah, but he couldn't find it in him to listen to the words.
Sarah and Scott joined their hands and the priest tied them together with light blue fabric that matched Sarah's dress. The point of it was to join the two together completely, physically and spiritually. Sarah was still smiling, but she looked even more nervous than before. If the joining didn't work, then the two wouldn't be soulmates. This was the moment that would determine the rest of their lives.
The priest was still talking and if Alexander had been listening before, he definitely wasn't now. He was too focused on Sarah, on the hope that the three of them had been right. Any second now and they would know. He could feel the air grow tense around him, the weight of a hundred people waiting to know if they were soulmates.
Sarah let out a gasp, startling Alexander and many others in the church. Scott laughed and pulled her closer, their tied hands not allowing for a proper hug. It took Alex a moment to realise what was going on. According to his parents and many others who had been through a successful Ceremony, there was meant to be a rush of intense emotion that meant the pairing was correct. He never did fully understand how it worked. He'd been taught in class when he was a kid, but the science behind it didn't matter to him
All he wanted was the feel that rush of emotion, to know just how intense it was.
Tears began to stream down Sarah's face and all Alex wanted to do jump up and hug her, but he didn't know if it would affect the Ceremony and definitely did not want to find out. The priest was rejoicing, congratulating the couple with wide arms and an even wider grin.
The church broke out in loud cheers as the priest untied Sarah and Scott's hands. The couple embraced and Alexander found his hand being grabbed by Sarah's mother. The older woman was crying, her other hand covering her mouth and wiping at her eyes. Alexander tightened his grip on her hand, feeling a smile pull at the corners of his mouth.
The rest of the Ceremony went by quickly. Sarah and Scott shared a quick kiss before turning and grinning at their guests. Sarah caught his eye and gave him one of the biggest grins he'd ever seen. The priest congratulated them and gestured for them to walk back down the aisle. The guests stood, clapping and cheering as the couple made their way past and once again Alexander felt a wave of jealousy pass over him.
He knew one day he would find his soulmate, but he couldn't help wanting to find them now. He was sick of watching people walk around with their soulmates, looking happier than he had ever felt, and now Sarah had found hers too. He was left behind, alone, while everyone else was finding their soulmate.
The most he could do was be happy for her. He wouldn't be much of a friend if he was angry about her finding a soulmate, he'd be a horrible person if he did that. He pushed away the jealousy, deciding to bring it up some other time, once Sarah had gotten used to life with her soulmate.
He didn't get a chance to speak with her again until the party later in the night. He'd made a speech, expressing his love and admiration of both Sarah and Scott. He told silly stories from their teen years, reminisced over the happy times, congratulated on how quickly they found each other. Sarah cried, which he had kind of hoped for, it meant his speech was good.
Others made speeches, Scott muttered and mumbled his way through one, admitting to not being good in front of crowds. Finally, everyone was told to relax, dance, and have a few drinks. It wasn't long before Sarah came running for him.
"Part of me still can't believe it," she cried as she wrapped him in her arms. "I was so nervous, but it was all okay. I have my soulmate, Alex, I have him!"
"I know!" he replied. "I told you it would be okay, didn't I?"
"Yeah," she laughed. "I should have listened to you."
Alexander huffed out a small laugh, pulling her head against his shoulder, "I'm so happy for you," he whispered, tightening his grip on his best friend. Her hair tickled his face and her breath was soft against his neck. "I'm so happy."