In The End, I'd Do it All Again (J.D. x OC)

Tied Up in Knots (part 1)

Red String of Fate.

An invisible string that connects one person to another, a signal that these two were meant for one another, were made for each other. Their soul mate in other words.

There were believers and non-believers of course, as there was with most things in the world, although the former far outweighed the last. After all, there were some people born with the gift of being able to actually see these strings that connected every one to their mate, rare though they may be. To those who were unable to see considered this ability a gift, envious over the fact that they were unable to tell who they were destined to be with for the rest of their life or keep their friends from making a mistake. For those who bore the "gift" however thought the opposite, believing it to be a curse.

Well, such was the thought of one Miss Jayden Michaels at least.

All she could tell you was that high school was a fucking nightmare when word got out that she had the gift all because someone couldn't keep their damn mouth shut after overhearing her tell her best friend Stacey in confidence in what the two thought was an empty girl's locker room after gym class. She was the most popular freshman that year for sure until it became so overwhelming with the constant hounding day in and day out from every student in the school that Jayden and her family had to move to a different state to go to a different school just so she could study in peace (and it didn't help that those kids told their parents who told their friends and so on and so forth to the point where the whole town was coming up to her and asking - even demanding - that she help them find their soul mate in the middle of the street).

Thankfully, Stacey and her family came along with them (after the girl threw the biggest tantrum known to mankind until her parents just gave in because if not Stacey would wind up going to live with her friend one way or another) and the two girls had kept Jayden's ability to themselves and their family just so she could live in peace. And it was nice. They grew up together, graduated with Stacey as valedictorian of their class, and even attended the same local college in Columbus together all while the two girls ignored the fact that Jayden had a unique gift. Then during their second year at college Stacey met Jason and it got serious and stayed that way for the next few years, Jayden ignoring that ever growing curiosity of peeking at her friends' strings to see if they were made for one another.

She gave into the temptation however the moment Jason knelt on one knee in front of Stacey, in front of all their recently graduated classmates no less, and proposed right then and there.

Now here she was, sitting at a local cafe by herself three days later, glasses sliding down her nose as she stared down at her coffee cup, frown on her face, still reeling from what she saw. Jayden sniffed quietly, pleading with herself to hold back the tears that wanted to make themselves known as the image stayed stuck in her mind. She was pulled from her ever growing misery by someone clearing their throat. Blinking, Jayden glanced up, pausing at the handsome man standing before her. What caught her attention the most was his blue hair which funnily enough seemed to fit him very well, next was his brown eyes, followed by the nose piercing. And then he smiled in embarrassment, nose and eyes scrunching up to give him the cutest crinkles she had ever seen.

Jayden blushed, realizing suddenly that she had perhaps stared longer than necessary then was socially appropriate. "Um, yes?" she asked, voice wavering slightly.

The man's lips turned down into a slight frown, concern on his face. "I know this seems weird and sudden but are you alright?" he asked quietly, voice lowered as to not catch anyone's attention, not that there was many people here as the morning rush had ended some time ago and the lone barista had went into the back to keep themselves occupied.