in a world where everyone has a predetermined match, JJ Maybank and Edie Montgomery want nothing to do with theirs. it has to be a cruel joke; the universe forcing two people to love each other when they don't know how.
(soulmate au)
A week had passed since the annual tennis tournament. 7 days since Edie had last spoken to Anna. 7 days since Edie had last seen JJ Maybank.
Each day passed by even more slowly than the next. The teenager only left the Montgomery estate to go to Madame Mercier's house. She only left her room for meals. She hadn't even used the grand piano in the ballroom for her daily practices and had instead confined herself to the small, upright Yamaha in her bedroom.
But Edie wasn't depressed. Rather, she found that confining herself to such a routine eliminated any possible distraction. If she didn't hang out with her friends, she wouldn't be sucked into parties. And if she didn't frequent the streets of Kildare County, there was no chance she would run into her soulmate.
She knew Kate and Topper were concerned about her well-being. It was evident from their daily texts, and phone call attempts. She responded to them but made clear that she needed space alone. Anna had not divulged the reason behind their argument, which Edie was grateful for. She felt particularly bad for being so distant with Topper, as he had been there for her at one of her lowest points the previous week.
To top it all off, her mother had been even more scrutinizing than usual after Edie had showed up to the estate escorted by Topper, puffy-eyed and soaking wet from head to toe. It now seemed that every dinner was filled with some kind of thinly veiled insult.
Is that a new shirt? You know cool tones wash you out.
Are you sure you need another brownie? You're not getting the exercise you used to since you quit sports.
Worst of all had been dress shopping with her mother and sisters with Midsummers rapidly approaching. Margaret found something wrong with every dress she tried: too short, too long, too much cleavage, unflattering on her figure. Meanwhile, Georgia and Dixie had no trouble finding the dress of their dreams.
But Edie would take the cruel remarks from her mother any day over confronting her greatest problem of all.
Edie thought that by physically distancing herself from JJ, maybe the bond would grow weaker. Maybe she could revert to before they met when her soulmate's pain was an afterthought. But to her dismay, the effect had been the opposite.
With each passing day, the bond seemed to grow stronger. It had become so sensitive, she could feel the flick of a lighter against her thumb; the tickling of uncut grass between her toes. Edie worried what would happen if she continued to resist it. How much stronger could the bond grow? Would the longing in her chest become so painful, she won't be able to function?
