The Ex And The Soulmate

I Dated Tony Stark.

I dated Tony Stark.

I know, hard to believe. But it's true.

This was pre-Iron Man, pre-Avengers. Back in college.

We weren't soulmates, we knew that. I had a scar on my hand that didn't appear on his skin when we first touched.

But this was college. Neither one of us cared about soulmates.

We dated for six months, that doesn't seem to serious now, but back then? For Tony Stark? We might as well have been married.

Until his parents died. He pulled away from me and I believed my friends when they told me he moved on. So I did too. I didn't reach out to him. I let my ego overrule my true feelings.

I regretted it every single day.

The years passed and I barely remembered our relationship. I remembered how I felt. I remembered his heartwarming smile. The way his brows scrunched up when he was deep in thought. How his rough hands felt in mine.

I watched him on the news saving the world. I always knew he was meant for bigger things than just being a playboy under his father's name and money. I was just glad he finally realized it too.

I doubted he remembered me. Of course I've seen his "dates" on every magazine, web article, and the daily news. I was barely a speck on his vast dating history. Which was fine, we weren't soulmates after all. But not a day went by that I didn't wish we were.

I was surprisingly reminded of him the day my parents died. A car crash. Just like Tony's. I didn't miss the terrifying irony of that. On top of all of my grief I was also carrying the regret that I didn't do more for him, now that I truly know how he felt. I did nothing, just allowed him to be alone. Like I was now. Alone.

The day I found out, I drowned myself at the bar. Luckily, the bartender was a decent man and knew I lived around the corner and called me a cab. The cab driver also happened to be a decent enough guy to get me inside. And I was entirely too lucky, because even the man at the front desk was also a decent man and got me into my home safely as well. There were a million ways that could have gone very differently for me. But I didn't learn my lesson.

I spent the next day at the bar as well. And sure enough, the day after that, too. I didn't drink as much, I got myself home on my own both times. The fourth day in a row at the bar, I came home to flowers.

Candace,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Tony Stark

I stared at the note in shock, this had to of been a joke. No way would Tony send me flowers. I doubt he would even remember my name if he saw me. How would he even know about my parents? This was a joke. A cruel, horribly timed joke. I threw the note in the trash but filled a vase full of water for the flowers. They didn't do anything wrong and daises were my favorite after all.

I went back to the bar. When I got home, I drunkenly decided to write Tony back, on the off chance that it wasn't a joke. I mailed it to the Stark Tower. I doubt he would even read it.

I spent the next few days... you guessed it! At the bar. This time a man approached me. We flirted and I believed we hit it off, but the bartender saved the day again. He told the man I was way too drunk to go home with him, and asked him to leave. The man gave me his number in case I wanted to call the next day, when I was sober. I thought it was sweet. I probably would have went home with him if it wasn't for the bartender. This man was a saint.

Really, he told me he had three sisters and he would hope someone would do their best to protect them and keep them safe. I called him my hero. He didn't seem to care, he just asked if I could get home by myself tonight. I did attempt to get him to come with me but I unfortunately left alone.

I got one block away before someone yelled my name from the alley behind me. I turned and saw the man from earlier. I smiled at him and waited for him to reach me. Until I saw the horrifying look of rage on his face. I tried to run, but it was too late. He already had his arms around me, his face suddenly screamed the epitome of evil. And yet, in my drunken haze from before, I would have gone home with him. I felt a needle stab into my arm. My last thought before everything went black: I could really use a hero right about now.

Back at Stark Tower

"Tell me this is a joke, Tony." Pepper slammed a letter down on his desk.

"Did you open my mail again, Pep? That's a felony, I've told you." Tony nonchalantly stated, still working on his suit.

Pepper scoffed, annoyed he wasn't even bothering to look at her. "First of all, it's my job. I would gladly stop opening your mail if you did it your damn self! And secondly, why the hell are you writing with and sending flowers to your ex girlfriend?"

That got his attention. "What?"

"Oh, now you look. Yeah, Candace. Apparently is writing you to thank you for the flowers. She's very sorry for not keeping in touch after your parents died. Thinks of you everyday, apparently! What lovely things for me to read. When the hell were you going to tell me, Tony? Going back to your old ways, I see!" Pepper threw her arms up and then crossed them across her chest.

Tony frowned and started to rub his temples, annoyed. Pepper's jealousy had been a reoccurring issue recently and Tony was exhausted with it. "Her parents died, Pep. In a car crash, just like mine. I sent her flowers and a note. All I said was I was sorry for her loss. That's all. What she said back is not my fault. I have zero control over that. Zip. None. In fact," Tony pressed on. "I don't even know what she said, because you have the letter. Can I have it now?" He held his hand out to her.

"Why? You're not really thinking about writing her back, are you?"

Tony sighed. "Pepper. I'm with you, we are in a monogamous relationship. Something I couldn't tell you when was the last time I did. But I am. For you. Do we really honestly have to do this because I gave someone, who hasn't been in my life since college, condolences after losing her parents?"

"No. We don't. Because I'm done. If you write her back, we're done Tony. I can't believe you would hide something like this from me, and act like it's normal. You have your choice." And she walked away, without another word, leaving the letter on the desk.

Tony rubbed his temples again and sighed. He stood, walking over to the letter and started to crumble it up to throw it away but hesitated. "I'll just read it." He whispered to himself. "I'll read it, then throw it away. No big deal."

Tony,
I hope this letter finds you well. I'm honestly not sure if you truly sent the flowers or if this is just a fucked up joke of some kind. But I wouldn't be the person my parents raised if I didn't write you a thank you note, just in case.
So, thank you.
I truly wish I did more for you after you lost your parents. I'm realizing now how you must have felt and I'm sorry I let you go through that alone.
Did you have problems getting in cars? I still can't. I hope that goes away soon.
I think about you everyday and hope that you're doing well. I watched you on TV when you announced that you were Iron Man.
I always knew you'd be more than a billionaire playboy.
I'm so proud of you, Tony.

Sincerely,
Candace Powers