Only Just A Name (Phan)

Prologue: Phil's POV

"Phil? Phil, are you sure you're okay?" my girlfriend Grace asked me kindly, squeezing my hand in a sort of comforting way.

I pulled my bag over my shoulder and nodded. The school holidays had finished so quickly. I honestly wasn't ready to go back to school.

We walked into the school grounds and made our way to our lockers, sitting down on the concrete path. As I looked around, boys were tackling each other in intense games of rugby and girls moved around in flocks discussing fashion tips and whatnot. Well, that's if you wanted to be extremely stereotypical. If you wanted to see past all of that and get to some real life people (aka me and my friends) then the world becomes less structured and more... us. Basically, welcome to the real world.

I dragged my mind out of my thoughts and placed my attention back on my girlfriend. Her brown hair was knotted into a messy bun, small disconnected wisps falling down in front of her face. Her eyes were like a small hearth, the colour of tree bark and chocolate. They shone with kindness and understanding but they were also clouded: full of smoke from her own flames. Surrounding her eyes were a pair of simple black reading glasses.

She was wearing a simple blouse and a thick grey woollen jumper that covered her wrists entirely and a black knee length skirt with black tights and leather school shoes. She carried a small brown satchel with her that contained a blue leather bound book and her glasses case.

She smiled softly and tucked her wisps behind her ears. Grace wasn't the type of girl that was obsessed with her own appearance but, like me, she still contained those few insecurities about herself. I fiddled with the left long sleeve on my own shirt and sighed.

Seeming to get what I was hinting at, Grace ran her hand along my left wrist. "It's the tattoo, isn't it?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah... I'm sorry-"

"No, don't be," she smiled. "Seriously Phil, I know you're scared and you feel guilty, but this is a big thing! You should be glad you've gotten your first letter. Stupid me: being young and all."

I shook my head. "You'll get your first letter soon. And trust me; it isn't as big and exciting as it sounds."

"I'm just so curious," she muttered with a small smile. I pulled her in for a hug, my head resting on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," I whispered. "You'll know soon enough. And I'm sure that he or she will be the luckiest person in the world."

"Thanks Phil," she smiled softly. She pressed her lips to my cheek. "You're the best."

We stayed like that for a few moments, just holding hands. I was so grateful that Grace was not only my girlfriend, but one of my best friends. It was kind of a shame that the letter on my left wrist wasn't a 'G'.

I should probably explain the letters.

If you didn't already know, when you turned sixteen, you got a tattoo. "Wow!" you might be thinking, or maybe "But I don't want a tattoo!" Whatever you're thinking, it's not that.

You don't get a pretty flower on your hip or a huge, fire-breathing dragon across your back. You get a letter on your wrist. Not just any letter, though.

On your sixteenth birthday (oh, how horribly cliche-sounding), you get the first letter of your soulmate's name 'tattooed' onto your wrist. Well, on the wrist of your soulmate's dominant hand. And it's not like you go to the tattoo parlour and get it tattooed on your wrist or something either. It just appears. And there's nothing you can do about it.

Over time, the rest of the letters appear, spelling out your soulmate's full first name. It was a different pace for everyone. My parents had said that the letters appeared over the course of a few months, but my friend Louise told me that her parents told her it took many years. I'd heard people say that it depends on how much time you spend with your soulmate.

My letter appeared on my left wrist on the 30th of January this year. I didn't know anyone left handed though. I wasn't even left handed. I guess that was why I haven't gotten another letter for almost seven months.

This wasn't exactly the best for me. Imagine being a teenage boy and having "D" on your wrist, and not being able to hide it because it's summer and too hot to wear jumpers! Everyone who was sixteen years and older still managed to hide them to avoid embarrassment, including me. School uniforms helped a lot, you could say.

And on top of that, I constantly felt like a disappointment to my girlfriend because of this.

Her name didn't start with a 'D'. It started with a 'G'.

She wasn't left handed.

She wasn't my soulmate.

Grace seemed to read my thoughts as her face studied mine. "Phil..." she reached her hand out and cupped my cheek with her right hand, "We're going to be fine. I know your letter doesn't match me and I'm okay with that. Stop feeling guilty, you'll always be my best friend."

"Thanks, Grace- I love you." I smiled hugging her again.

"As I love you, Philip," she teased, kissing my forehead, "Whether I am your best friend, soulmate or your temporary girlfriend, I'll always love you."

A/N @thatonegeekgirl thank you for writing this chapter!