2007
He was forty-nine, but he still looked twenty-two. He was getting so close to fifty, only another few months. He worked for the same technology company he had been at for nearly twenty years, slowly climbing the ranks. He'd been the front man of many of the company's products, including its most recent and soon to be most famous.
A device that took a sample, skin, blood, whatever worked and figured out how old a person was physically. Alexander had never actually used it, never found a need to, but knew from tests and sales that it worked. It was meant to tell people whether or not they had found their soulmate by how old their body was. If Alexander used it, he would find out that his body was twenty-two years old, like it had been since 1984.
He had a boyfriend, a forty-three-year-old man named Philip. He was a half Chinese, half American who worked as a freelance artist. They'd met about eighteen months before hand at his exhibition. Sarah had dragged him along for a relaxing night out away from Scott and their two kids and the two had bonded almost immediately.
There were a few dates after that before Alexander eventually asked him out properly, they'd been together ever since. He wasn't sure if they were soulmates, he did love Philip, but not as much as he expected he would if they were soulmates. He'd talked to Sarah about it, but she hadn't been much help.
He wanted to use the device he'd helped make, but he was so scared of the results, of finding out that they weren't soulmates and he was just as alone as he always had been. He didn't look any different, not that he could tell, and Philip has said that he couldn't tell either. Alexander wasn't sure if that was because they had gotten used to how they looked or if they just weren't what Alex hoped they were.
He was so sick of waiting and even when he finally found someone he loved, he wasn't sure if it was right. He'd done research over the long years, hours spent reading thick books and scouring the internet and it hadn't amounted to much. It was normal to find someone and fall in love with them without them being soulmates. It just happened; love was a normal thing. It didn't help that he couldn't tell who his soulmate was without waiting a couple of years. His device would fix that, if only he actually used it.
Sarah, now forty-eight, didn't come around to see him as often as she used to, as often as he would like. She had two children to look after and many more friends to see than just him. He missed her but wasn't completely sure she shared the sentiment. They hadn't had a night out together in months or spoken in a few weeks. He didn't know why, perhaps the friendship had just began to fade after so long.
He was on his way home from work, tired from a long day of meetings and planning. After the production of his age device most of his job had become meetings with executives to try and sell the thing and decide what he was going to produce next. He missed exploring technology and wanted to go back to it. There were new phones and computers being produced during every single meeting he was in, and he wanted to be a part of their development. Instead he was stuck at a table with boring men and women in suits staring at him like he was something sent by God.
Philip would already be there, cooking up pasta for dinner for the two of them. They had given each other keys to their houses a few months ago and were getting close to actually moving in together. So much of his stuff was at Philip's house and a lot of Philip's belongings were at his tiny one-bedroom house. They may as well have been living together already.
He made it home quickly, so lost in his thoughts that time and distance seemed to fly by. He pushed the door open, smiling at the delicious smell of the pasta sauce his boyfriend was making, his stomach rumbling in response. He hadn't realised just how hungry he was.
"Alex? That you?" a deep voice called from the kitchen.
"Who else would it be?" he replied with a laugh.
"I dunno, a really quiet robber?" the other man suggested, chuckling at his own words. Alexander wandered into the small kitchen decked out with the messy ingredients of pasta. Philip was a good cook, but an extremely messy one as well. His back was facing him, bent over the stove as he stirred the pasta sauce.
"I'm pretty sure all robbers are quiet, but okay," Alex laughed, wrapping his arms around the other man and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"Hush," Philip said, grinning at him. "How was your day?"
Alexander groaned and took a step back. "Long. Tiring," he answered, rubbing at the stubble on his face. "I'm so sick of meetings."
"Then ask to do something else," Philip replied as though it was the simplest thing in the world.
"I'm trying, but they really want me in these meetings," he said. "I think they want me to be able to upgrade the damn thing, which I don't even know if I can do. I don't even know if I want to." He let out a tired sigh, moving to lean back against an empty kitchen bench.
Philip turned off the stove, moving the pan to a different hotplate. "Look," he started, making his way towards Alexander. "Just stop thinking about it. We're going to have a nice dinner, ignore the mess I made in your kitchen again, and go see a movie. It'll be a good night, just focus on that, okay?"
Alexander smiled, pulling Philip closer to him and pressing his head against his shoulder. "Okay," he whispered, laughing when his stomach made a loud grumble. "You'd better feed me soon though; I don't know how much longer I'll last."
Philip moved away with a laugh, serving up the spaghetti and pasta sauce quickly and setting them at Alex's small two-person table tucked away in the corner of the small main room of his house. The main part of the house was made up of both the kitchen and the living room, with the bathroom, laundry and single bedroom branching off from it. The table was tucked against the counters that faced the couch and television, hiding like something that shouldn't be seen.
Philip poured them each a glass of red wine, making a remark how he wasn't actually trying to be romantic, he just really liked red wine. Philip never failed to make him laugh, even with the simplest of statements. The way he spoke them just made him laugh, his joyous way of speaking making Alexander happier than anything.
He ate quickly, groaning at the taste of the pasta. It always was the best meal Philip made. He was good at just about everything, but his pasta could win competitions. He gobbled it up, ignoring Philip's laugh and remark about him being a slob. He always was a little messy when he ate Philip's food. He changed out of his work clothes when he finished eating, settling for a plain blue shirt and black jeans that hugged his legs tightly.
"You ready to go?" Philip asked when he came back out. He was rinsing off the dishes they had used, sleeves of his grey button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows. Alex tilted his head, staring at his boyfriend's butt in the tight blue jeans. "Really, Alex?"
"Look, don't judge me," Alexander replied with a laugh. "I'm good to go, just waiting on you."
It wasn't long before they found themselves at the busy shopping mall, eyes wide and stomachs full. It was nearing Christmas, and everyone was rushing around trying to buy last minute gifts. Alex was one of those smart people who bought gifts gradually throughout the year so that he didn't have to run about a few weeks before the day.
He didn't know what movie they would be seeing, Philip had told him that it was meant to be a surprise. He didn't really care what they were seeing, he just wanted a break from the stressful work he was dealing with. Philip made him wait by the entrance to the cinema while he bought the tickets and popcorn, poking his tongue out at him while he waited in line.
They ended up seeing I Am Legend, which Alexander had been dying to see since the trailer had been released. He cried, he laughed, he sat there in shock and anticipation, Philip's hand grasped tightly in his own. His popcorn was eaten quickly and was gone before he could even notice. He knew Philip had laughed at him a couple of times, but he didn't care, he always had loved movies and going to the cinema.
Afterwards the pair walked through the still busy shopping centre. It was reaching ten o'clock at night and people were still rushing about. There weren't as many as before but still enough that getting through the centre took some effort. He didn't mind too much, it had been much worse other times he had been shopping, so he was grateful for at least a little breathing room.
"Was there anywhere you wanted to go?" he asked Philip, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers.
"Maybe the book store?" the other man replied. "I bought more paints yesterday, so I don't need to go into the art store."
"You want to go in there anyway, don't you?" he said. He knew Philip loved to look around the tiny art store that was tucked away at one end of the mall, even if he didn't buy anything.
Philip laughed, looking down the ground with a light blush, "Yeah. You know me so well," he said and pulled him in the direction of the art supplies store. They walked in silence for a while, listening to the muffled music and the chatter of the people around them. It was comforting in a way, walking with Philip and watching the world around him. He felt like he had absolutely nothing to worry about.
They passed by a store that sold phones and laptops, as well as whatever other pieces of technology they could get their hands on. A man stood at a small stall out the front, the sign stating that passers-by could test out whatever technology the man had with him, some kind of promotion to drum up business during the Christmas season. Alexander wondered why they were open so late but paid it no more attention.
"Hey, you guys!" a masculine voice called and for a second Alexander was ready to be insulted about holding hands with another man. He didn't have to worry about it much, but it did still happen. He looked over his shoulder at the man from the stall, who was waving to them politely. "How would you like to try this out?" He held something up in his other hand and Alex rolled his eyes.
His device, the AgeFinder. He didn't pick the name, and he actually hated it, but it was too late to get it changed now. The salesman waved it around like a toy, a large grin on his face. He appeared welcoming, but Alexander was sick of seeing his device around. He wasn't going to use it.
"Hey," Philip started, elbowing him in the ribs. "Why don't we try it?"
Alexander's eyebrows furrowed, "What?" he said. "Why?"
"Why not?" came the response.
"Come on guys, it's free!" the salesman enticed.
"I don't know..." Alex replied, eyeing his device with a sceptical look.
"Alex..." Philip started, turning Alex to face him. "If you're worried about it telling us we're not soulmates, don't be. I've been thinking it for a while, but I've been a bit too scared to say anything. I think we might be soulmates, I really do. I love you."
"I love you too," Alex replied, feeling a blush form on his face at Philip's words.
"Then what's the issue?" Philip asked, grinning at him brightly. "Let's try it!" Without another word Philip dragged him over to the salesman, who looked grateful to finally have someone to promote his business to.
"How are you guys going?" he asked, only getting mumbled 'good's in response. "That's great! How long have you two been together?"
"Nearly eighteen months," Philip replied with a smile, tightening his grip on Alex's hand.
"Oh, how nice," the salesman said, a look in his eyes telling Alexander that he didn't really care all that much. "Are you soulmates?"
"If we knew that we probably wouldn't be here," Alex answered, trying not to sound too annoyed about the question. It was usually considered impolite to ask if a couple were soulmates.
"True, true. Well, why don't you give it a shot?"
Philip shrugged and moved forward. He followed the salesman's instructions, pricking his finger and wiping the blood with a tiny paper tab. The tab was inserted into the AgeFinder, the salesman telling them that it took a few minutes to figure it out.
Philip held it in his hands, the device the size of his hand telling that it was calculating everything. "I can't believe you made this thing," he whispered to Alex. "It's amazing." Alex only huffed, not sure of how to respond. He never was good at accepting compliments.
As he watched, Philip's smile dropped from his face, his lips forming a suprised 'o'. His face paled and his eyebrows furrowed, wrinkles forming on his forehead. "Hey," Alex called, pressed his hand to Philip's shoulder and turning him towards him. "What's wrong?"
"Is there any chance these things could be wrong?" his partner asked, teeth biting down into his lip. He showed Alex the screen of the device with a shaky hand.
Twenty-two years and three months.
"...No..."
Twenty-two years and three months.
"I met my new agent three months ago," Philip whispered more to himself than to Alex. The words broke the forty-nine-year-old's heart, making it fall and become a heavy weight in his stomach that made him feel like he was going to vomit.
He had doubted it, he had, but for it to be right there in his face, glaring at him, he'd never felt such horrible sadness before. They weren't soulmates. Philip had found his soulmate while they were together and never even noticed. Had Alex?
Before he could think another thought, say another word, Alex grabbed the device, following the same steps Philip had only moments before. He ignored the other man, focusing only on the screen. The salesman had stopped talking to them long ago, sensing the strained awkwardness between the couple and moved on to talk to others.
Twenty-two years.
He hadn't aged. He didn't have his soulmate. Philip wasn't his soulmate. They wouldn't grow old together. Philip would find his soulmate, his new agent, and grow old with them. Alex would have to wait, like he had been. It had been so long, and right when he thought he might have found them, they were taken from him in an instant. It wasn't fair. His chest hurt, his stomach hurt, his eyes stung with tears that failed to fall.
"Alex," Philip said, his hands pressing against Alexander's shoulders and pushing him away from the salesman and the crowds that filled the shopping centre. "Alex, I'm so sorry. I thought we were... I thought I had been right. I'm so sorry."
He didn't respond, staring at Philip's face, trying to find the signs of aging. There was nothing, not a thing that could have possibly told him that Philip was aging without him. His eyes and face were so soft, so young, so beautiful. They weren't Alex's to stare at and admire anymore; that privileged belonged to Philip's soulmate, a lucky person.
"Alex, please listen to me. Alex?"