Unhappily Ever Yours

3.

"Where are you going Jonesie?"

The silence tags along as I chase him through the square and past hundreds of fellow dead folks and countless more angels. Most are wandering still I think but some are with their soulmates and their guardians.

Lining the square are four buildings:

ETERNAL AFFAIRS|

Responsible for all afterlife mishaps, soulmate disputes/changes/all-other-issues. The place to be if you're unhappy (though why would you be? It's Heaven.) and the worst place to be if you weren't actually supposed to be here.

SORTING|

The beginning of the end. Where you're reminded of how you died, how your loved ones reacted, and your greatest achievement up to the day you died (mine was definitely being the funniest person alive). Rules and regulations and all the need-to-knows. And also Happy Potter's heirful resting place.

FAMILY HISTORY|

The fun place - or not so fun place. It's your own opinion really. Here, you can retrieve records from your entire - and I mean entire - family lineage. All the way back to Adam and Eve. You also have access to any future recordings of new family members being added, and marriages, and even deaths. Meet some family you never knew you had because your mom's family hated each other and your dad's an only child!

The last building in the square is the least exciting in my opinion. Growing up a Christian, not by choice - sorry God, makes this last building my least favorite place to be. God's house. A church. Here in Heaven though, the angels sing and church is every day for those who still choose to worship God even in the afterlife. Though, for being in Heaven, you'd think I'd have seen God or Jesus by now. Spoiler: I haven't. 

Jonesie is still pretty far in front of me as we make our way to the Eternal Affairs house. He's incredibly tall so his walking stride is the equivalent to my jog. Surprisingly, I haven't lost him in the Sea of the Dead and its bordering ocean of angels. 

After what feels like ten more minutes of walking, I've caught up to him and we stand at the door with the silence creeping off of our backs. I know this feels unfair to him, but I just can't let go of what happened. He completely shattered me. Maybe I have changed. But he didn't stop to think about how his actions were going to affect me. 

"So, are you ready to go in?" I ask quietly. 

Still silent, he shakes his head but opens the door anyways. 

We enter a bustling room of people trying to get their own eternities fixed while others are weeping and pleading and some are rejoicing. 

Jonesie scans the room in front of us then grabs my wrist and drags me across the way. 

"Excuse us."

"Sorry."

"My bad," I try to be as polite as possible as we shove our way through the room. 

For someone who doesn't want to not be soulmates, he is one impatient dude. 

Finally, we make our way to a desk with a sign overhead that says RELATIONS. "Hi, hello. He wants to not be soulmates anymore, please tell him that it's not possible to do that and we will go back to our home and live happily ever after," Jonesie demands the angel sitting across from us. 

They stare back, stunned for a moment. Then they regain their composure and turn to their computer.

"Names?"

"Jones-"

"I'm just kidding, I know your names. Austin Owens, age 29, death by vending machine. And Jonesie James," their face turns soft, "age 23, death by-"

"Yeah okay, you know us. Please tell him that we can't do that."

Jonesie's eyes aren't as cold and hardened as the rest of his face appears to be. He means what he's saying. 

"I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but I can't tell him that. There is a way for deceased individuals to request a soulmate exchange. However, it isn't as easy as putting in an application and suddenly you're with the new love of your afterlife. It's a long and difficult process and it may have a good outcome, or it may end up not what you're wanting it to be. But, if Mr. Owens here truly does not want to be your soulmate, then I can go ahead and get you guys started with the process."

I'll admit, I'm a little excited to know that I wouldn't have to stick with this asshat forever. But the way this angel is describing things so vaguely, I almost want to suck it up.

"Actually, could you please tell us about the process first. Jonesie here likes to jump the gun without thinking." 

He squeezes my wrist tightly, and only then do I realize he's been holding it this whole time. I furrow my eyebrows at him and he rolls his eyes. "Austin is right. Maybe we should know what we're getting into first."

We take a seat and the angel obliges our request and explains the process to us.

The way it works is as long as both parties are in agreement, we sign a paper and then we will be sent to a judgement house in essence. From there, we play out our lives together. Going back through key moments, boring moments, and all parts in between. If it plays out similar or the same way, then the request goes through and new soulmates are issued. If things change and the two parties feel they are compatible again then the request becomes void and they return to afterlife as soulmates. It sounds simple enough.

"So, are you both willing to go through with this?"

Jonesie immediately nods his head and starts signing his part of the paper. 

I have to sit with it for a moment though. If this is the only way that I might get a new soulmate and finally feel at peace, then yeah, I might as well. But what if something changes and I'm screwed into being with him anyways?

Ugh.

Screw it all.

"Alright. Where do I sign?"