Lock & Key✔️[l.t. soulmate short story]

Kealleigh. (Kee-lee)

I cannot believe I'm almost 18, my mom has been freaking out all day because she's sure that I'll get my soulmate tattoo tomorrow.

I'm not sure how much I believe in the whole "soulmate" thing, but my mom does and that's enough for me to try.

So many things can happen to go wrong with soulmates, and I've learned about some of these things from my mother. When she met her soulmate, she didn't hesitate to begin her life with him. The only problem being that soulmates are assigned at birth, they're not assessed when the person has matured and there's no way for them to be. By the time my mother and father were 17, and she'd fallen in love with him, they were expecting me. But just two months shy of my birth, my dad was killed in a car accident.

It's hard to feel bad for him, because I know that it was his fault. You shouldn't drive when you're intoxicated, my dad knew that. He may have only just turned 18, but he did know better. His mistake cost the lives of not only him, but they took away another families child in the process. My mom has kept positive none the less, she always speaks highly of both him and the soulmate markings. I only know of him and what happened in the last moments of his life because of my grandmother. My Nan let me know all about him, as soon as I was old enough to understand and not blindly defend my father based on my mothers stories of him.

Now I was so close to beginning my own story, whether it'd be a romance or a tragedy I wasn't sure. But I was damn ready to find out.

"Mum?"

"Yes, munch?" I roll my eyes at her nickname for me.

"What if I don't get one?"

"What do you mean Lee?"

"What if I don't have a soulmate at all? Does that happen?" My mother seems to have a look of realization before quickly masking it with a sad smile.

"I've heard of it happening, Lee, but it won't happen to you. All the women in my family have gotten their tattoos the day of their eighteenth birthday, no matter what age their soulmate was at the time. You know that, and it won't falter now." She says, using her right hand to grab my chin in comfort. She smiles at me before speaking once more.

"Don't worry, sunshine. You'll wake up tomorrow and find a tattoo, now what say we go get you a dress for your party tomorrow?"

"Mum, I know we don't have the money for it." My moms face falls ever so slightly before she purses her lips.

"Well, I actually had one in mind that I was going to hem tonight to fit you." My eyes widen and she puts her hands up in mock defeat. "But if you'd rather wear something else, be my guest."

"Mum," I say slowly, dragging out the name. "What is it?" She simply looks at her nails, picking at her polish. "Mum! Come on!" I laugh.

"Alright, alright. Follow me, c'mon." She stands for our place on the couch and goes into her bedroom down the hall. Our house is a small building, the kitchen, living room, and my moms room are on the main level. We have a small basement big enough for the laundry machines, and then an attic that we've changed into my bedroom.

"Well," my mum says as she opens her closet, "here it is." She gestures to a dress hanging on the inside of the door to closet and I cover the lower half of my face with my small hands.

"What're you gonna do to it?" I look at her in awe and she chuckles.

"It's not too big a deal, I was thinking we could either trim it or do a tuck so that its more like a cocktail dress, and shorten the sleeves." I held the soft navy fabric of the long dress in my hands, admiring it. It was basically a shiny blue sweet heart dress, except with a sheer lace top, making it have a high neckline. The skirt of the dress was very long, making it elegant, but my mom could pin the ends to the inside to make it shorter for a party. I'd seen her hem and sew clothes before and it was honestly one of her greatest talents, though she'd never admit that it was a big deal.

"Thank you so much mum." I let go of the fabric and threw my arms around my mother, her being a few inches shorter then I am. She hugged me back tight.

"Anything for my girl."

My stomach swelled with warmth at how much my mother does for me every day, it being just her and I. And then as I headed upstairs, I felt my stomach flip at the thought that I may wake up tomorrow with a soulmate tattoo, and then it wouldn't be just us two any longer.