Soulmate's Words

Chapter Three

"I... I'm Emma. What about you?" I blushed, noticing my stutter acting up.

"Tom. So, you mentioned a friend?"

"Yeah. She convinced me to come with her, and then ran off to dance as soon as we arrived. I haven't seen her since, which is definitely not what I hoped for." I sighed.

He laughed, and I looked up at him. Something about him seems familiar... "I'm guessing you didn't really want to come?"

Smiling, I shook my head. "Nah, I'm not much of a crowds person. I wanted to celebrate at home with a book and some juice pouches, but Cassie loves being around people." I giggled a bit. "And I can never resist a puppy-dog look."

"Celebrate?" Tom asked curiously.

"It's my birthday. She let me stay home last year, because we wanted to watch the ink appear, but this year, she insisted."

"Well then, happy birthday. This must be an amazing present," he responded with a grin. "I can't stay long, but I'd like a way to talk to you. Would you mind swapping numbers?" I swear he flushed a bit, though it was hard to tell. His face was still hidden in shadow.

I nodded, reaching for my purse, before remembering I had left it at home. Tom realized what my predicament was, and patted his jacket pockets. Procuring a pen, he gestured for my arm.

"May I?" I straightened my arm, trying to hold still as the pen tickled my skin. When he finished adding his number next to his first words to me, I took the writing utensil, and wrote my number on his arm.

"I'm very glad Cassie convinced you, Emma. I'll call you later. Happy birthday again, and good night," he said, turning to glance out at the crowd.

"Good night, Tom. Thank you." I waved, and watched him leave. For some reason, Tom raised his hood before stepping out the door.

The moment he was gone, Cassie flung herself into the recently vacated seat. She studied my face, and wiggled her eyebrows.

"So, who was he?" she probed. "Because you're blushing over a guy, and I haven't seen you do that since seventh grade."

A massive grin split my face, and I extended my arm for her to see my soulmate quote, and the number added beside it. I would've loved to have my phone with me then; her expression was priceless.

"You found him! Oh my gosh, you're so lucky! Okay, we're leaving now, and you're gonna sit down with your phone and text him. What's his name?" I could tell Cassie was freaking out at the moment.

"Settle down. And his name is Tom. It was odd, though. He stayed in the shadows the whole time, but somehow he looked familiar, like I'd seen his face somewhere before..." I trailed off, thinking it was stupid.

"Well, maybe you've passed him in the streets before. Let's go text Tom," she urged.