Universe of Soulmates

"Everything But"

"So, what are you going to work on for the next couple weeks?" Liam asks. As one of the more popular therapists in the city of Ennear, it is nearly impossible for his patients to have weekly visits, but everyone loves his methods and praises him online. There are always patients coming and going and Liam loves it.

He couldn't imagine anything better than what he's got. His family, consisting of two little girls and his wife; his job; his health. Nothing could be better. The only thing was that he couldn't see in shades of green—it was just replaced by some shade of grey—because he's never met his soulmate. For someone in his forties, it was extremely uncommon, but his wife hasn't met hers either. It's actually how they ended up together.

"Meditate every day for thirty minutes." The kid in front of him, who couldn't be more than twenty, is struggling to cope with the stress that college kids face. Liam knows how stressful it can be after struggling through it himself. Getting a Ph.D. isn't all fun and games.

"Good. And, if you ever feel like the stress is overwhelming, go to that website I told you about last session." The college student nods, thanking him for all his help and heading out to do homework and go to parties. He was Liam's last appointment for the day, so all he has to do now is answer some emails and make sure there's no last-minute additions.

"Dolly, are there any more appointments?" Liam asks, peeking his head out of his office to see an empty lobby and Dolly at her desk.

"One more at five thirty. Did you want me to get you any food?" Dolly asks, prepared to order a sandwich from a place down the street if he says yes. She and Halley are his only two secretaries at his practice, with only an accountant and marketing advisor outside of the three of them.

"Sure, that would be great. I'll be in my office if you need me." Liam heads back into his office, relaxing at his desk while he waits for his dinner. He does, unlike some husbands, let his wife know that he's eating at the office and not to wait up for him. After all, with an appointment at five thirty, he won't be home before seven. Between traffic, closing up the office, and waiting for paperwork to be filled out (which never, ever gets done before the appointment), even a half hour is tight.

But, the hour passes quicker than Liam expects, because he doesn't even realize it's five thirty until a reminder pops up on his computer. He got and ate his dinner, but the concept of time passing seemed to be lost from his mind.

"Hudson Ford?" Liam opens the door to reveal a new addition to the lobby, this time one that is a man who is two or three years younger than he is. "Please, follow me."

"Hi Dr. Pierce. Thanks for, um, meeting with me." Liam notices that the man in front of him, despite being forty years old, is extremely nervous. The therapist reads through the questionnaire filled out by the man in front of him, noting certain responses and taking them into account before asking his first question two minutes later.

And, after an hour and ten minutes—exactly how long Liam expected the appointment to take—there is not much progress on Mr. Ford's end thanks to his anxiety and his fear of opening up to a complete stranger. It wasn't anything Liam hadn't encountered before, just something he hadn't encountered before with a man of his age.

By the time Hudson Ford is home ten minutes later, it occurs to the both of them that they can see another color. Unlike Liam, Hudson couldn't see in shades of blue, so seeing the sky as something other than a light shade of grey was insane to think about. For Liam, it was seeing the potted plants as something more than the slate grey he'd come to be familiar with that threw him off.

"Hi, is this Hudson Ford?" Liam is a little nervous himself to call a brand new client, but he doesn't have much of a choice; this could be his soulmate. "This is Dr. Pierce."