soulmates [m.c.]

chapter nine

I readjusted my hair for what felt like the millionth time, glancing at the clock above the mirror in our hallway only to find out that if I didn't get going in that particular moment I'd be late for my "meeting" with Michael. Even though "meeting" seemed to be way too formal for hanging out with Michael the circumstances surrounding it called for such a serious undertone. Even though Michael had never been much of a text person, the simple message "my place at 7" seemed a bit harsh for such a eloquent person like Michael, who could usually persuade people with just one short sentence. We had been friends for so long by now, I knew  something had to be up. Friends. The thought lingered in my head a bit too long for my liking.

I finally gathered the nerves to exit the house after grabbing my keys and heading to my car. I wasted no time getting into the car and stormed off to Michael's house, which was just a short drive. Checking the clock one last time before ringing the bell, I realised to my pleasure that I was still a bit early. I rang the door bell and waited. I stood outside for what felt like a decade, mentally slapping Michael already. I mean, it was 6:55 p.m. he should've been home by then.

Eventually, I was greeted by Karen, Michael's mother who embraced me in a loving hug. "I am so sorry, I didn't hear you, I was in the backyard!", she explained. "So I guess you want to see Michael, right? He isn't home yet, but if you want to, you can wait in his room upstairs. Or even better, let's grab ourselves something to drink and sit in the backyard! I haven't seen you in ages! You look amazing, have you lost some weight?" I just let Karen do her thing, not interrupting her babbling about the Florida vacation the family had planned in order to visit her sister. We sat in the backyard, drinking some ice tea when immediately, a wide grin appeared on Karen's face. "I've got an idea!", she exclaimed, clapping her hands frantically. "Didn't you always talk about going to the U.S. when you were younger? Why don't you join us? Michael will surely be delighted to have you coming with us", she jumped out of her seat, entered the kitchen, which was connected to the backyard with a small glass door and returned with an iPad. "See", she showed me the booking, pointing out the date. "We're departing on the 3rd of january and will stay for six weeks. I could call your parents tonight but I mean, you're an adult so they shouldn't really have a reason to not  let you go. Lesley also would love to see you again!". I could only vaguely remember Lesley since she had moved to Florida when both me and Michael were still quite young. Nonetheless, I had no doubt that she was just as lovely as Karen and the rest of Michael's family. To be honest, the only thing keeping me from immediately yelling "YES OF COURSE, I'M IN" was how different Michael had become. "Thank you very much for the invitation, I'll talk to my parents about it and ask whether I can take off such a long time at work", I explained, hoping she would be at least slightly satisfied with my answer and stop being so pushy. Because, even though I loved Michael and his whole family that has never been anything but welcoming towards me, Karen was such a happy-go-lucky person that it was sometimes a bit overwhelming to be with her alone.

I sneakily managed to check the time on my phone without getting caught by Karen who would've probably thought of it as disrespectful. It was now 7:35 p.m. and there was still no sign of Michael. Almost as if she could read my thoughts, Karen stated "he stood you up, didn't he?", a nervous sigh escaping her lips. "Look, I know you both are old enough to deal with this stuff on your own but Michael seemed quite hurt when he got home today. I really don't want to concern you in any way, but I think he likes you a lot. You've always been like a daughter to me and I just want you to know you're always welcome in this house. Just please, be gentle with Mikey, we don't want him to fall back into his old patterns.", she averted her sight into her lap, avoiding me completely. "I just hope he'll be happy one day" The sadness in her voice built a tough lump in my throat. "Actually, I do not believe Michael likes me that  way, he met someone else just recently, her name's Alex and-" I did not get to finish my sentence since the front door opened, revealing Michael, wearing his usual ripped skinny jeans along with an equally ripped Iron Maiden T-Shirt I had gotten him for his birthday last year. Delighted to see him, I walked towards the front door in order to greet him when a smaller silhouette appeared behind him. Alex.

I cleared my throat and waved at her awkwardly. I mean, what would you expect after I caught her with my best friend in bed? Of course that first encounter is going to be weird. Still, I tried to be as loud as possible without raising any suspicions among the two of them when I welcomed her with a "Hi, Alex" in hopes of Karen hearing me, which she gladly did. Her figure appeared behind me, introducing herself to Alex. Surprisingly, Michael interrupted her, explaining "actually, Alex was just about to leave, right?" to which she just nodded, said goodbye and quickly disappeared, but not without hugging Michael excruciatingly long, all while giving me a threatening look.

"We'll be upstairs, Mum", Michael announced without even greeting me properly. I followed him to his room, beyond annoyed by his behaviour. I closed his door behind me, crossing my arms infront of my chest. "So, what do you want?", I asked, eyebrows raised. "Where does that attitude come from?", my best friend asked, approaching me slowly. I exhaled loudly through my nose, fists forming. "Oh I don't know, maybe because you first ordered for me to be here at 7 p.m. and left me here waiting with your mother for 35 minutes only to return with Alex ? I really don't need any of this shit, thank you very much." I had to keep myself from screaming at him. Deep inside, I knew that this wasn't my usual behaviour just because someone was late; it was jealousy. Still, on the outside I blamed it on him being such a douche.

Michael got even closer to me now, his face inches away from mine. Just like this morning. I brushed the thought off and gently pushed him away when he kindly asked me to listen for just a second. "I met Alex because I wanted to clarify there's nothing going on between me and her", he explained, his voice nothing but a whisper, sending pleasant shivers down my spine. Somehow, I managed to act against my instinct of pulling him even closer, closing the tiny gap between us and instead pushed him away farther. "That's why she pulled you in for such a close hug? Alright Michael", I voiced my doubts. "Your mother asked me if I wanted to come visit your aunt in Florida next month", his face lit up with excitment at the mention of the trip, "but to be honest, I'm so fed up with your recent behaviour I really have to reconsider coming", I announced, turning around and leaving his house.