Love at first sight?

ZIAH

When a child is born, four words appear on their skin. Most parents demand to have the words checked even before the vitals and the Apgar scores. These words are placed underneath the palm in small letters. The four words are the first four words that will be spoken to them by their destined mate.
For an unfortunate few, these words will never be spoken to them and they'll settle down with someone other than their soulmate. If they're lucky, the person they're with won't find 'the one' and leave them for what's 'meant to be'. 
'The one' is not an easy task to pursue. First, comes the task of finding them, hearing the words written on their wrist and realizing it's their soulmate that they're talking to. Then they have to get 'the one' to like them.
Some have words like 'excuse me there miss' or 'have we met before' and the unlucky ones have words like 'out of my way' or 'just leave me alone'. The words written in a scrawl on Ziah Astor's wrist are 'can I help you'. Now it could be a generous 'hey, do you need any help' kind of thing but she had a feeling she didn't get that lucky. Not that it mattered that much anyway. Ziah was a big believer that love isn't all it's cracked up to be. Maybe if people weren't branded with someone else's words she would feel differently. How was she supposed to be able to pick who she loved when her love life was already set in stone? It just didn't seem like the decision she wanted to make. Most of the girls around her would fantasize what their soul mates will look like, who they'll be, and how everything will work out perfectly. Ziah didn't. She hated that she doesn't get a choice on who she's destined to be with.
What if she hates him, what if he's rude, or arrogant? Why should she set herself up for perfection when she could get the opposite?
So instead of fantasizing and waiting her whole life for love that may never come, she chose to busy herself with important things. Important things like a small café on the corner of 10th and Washington.
When she was younger she knew she wanted to have her own restaurant. It was never a question of what she wanted, rather if it was even possible. It wasn't just the money. Maybe if Ziah had been older when her dad had told her she was a fool for pursuing her dream, she would have brushed him off as the drunk asshole he was. But she was ten. How can you expect a ten year old to not listen to the only important man in her life?
Between her parents fighting and the drinking problem that only seemed to grow, Ziah made food. It was the only way to get her mind off the terrible things happening around her.
Pastries and cupcakes for the special days where only silence could be heard, and on the rough days full of yelling, pasta she could knead and eggs perfect for scrambling.
Ziah had no one special to teach her when she was younger, there was no bittersweet story of her passed on grandmother who shared her culinary experience and her recipes, Ziah had just always had a knack for creating delicious meals. So when it was time for her to start up a career or go to college, culinary school was the option that grabbed her attention.
She knew her café would be filled with pastries, ice cream, sandwiches, pasta, soups, and salads, what she didn't have was a location.
Therefore it was decided she would return to the rainy state of Oregon. While other girls seemed to be stuck in their dreams of the men they'd end up with, Ziah went and made her dreams come true.
"Hey honey!! How's the hunky boy you met up with last night?" Josie came through the door sweeping the curls on her head to the side. Lighting up the room with her bold voice she smiled and winked at Ziah.
Her deep caramel skin and the mess of black ringlets piled on top of her head made Jo look like a goddess. She was the kind of girl who was in love with love, and wanted to live vicariously through other people's tales of dates and relationship adventures.
"Jo I told you, he's just a friend," Ziah rolled her eyes at the question.
"You say that now."
"Did I mention that he's gay?"
"Oh." Josie slumped down in her chair looking disappointed. "Well that takes the fun out of that."
"Yes, well I warned you. Now if you'll excuse me I have customers to get back to."
"Just get me the usual." Jo told Ziah with the wave of her hand.
"One plate of diabetes coming right up Jo." It wasn't fair that she could eat a donut, a cream cheese pastry, and coffee with two sugars every morning and still look like a model. For Ziah a salad could mean another two pounds.
As she made her way back to the kitchen she thought about the guy she had been with last night. It was true indeed that he was gay; there was no doubt about that. But she wasn't thinking about his sexuality, or the chances of her finding a guy as great as him to spend the rest of her life with, not at all.
Ziah was thinking about how this guy had already met the love of his life, Aiden. While it wasn't convenient at the time, Aiden not being confident in his sexuality and well, still being a senior in high school, the two had worked everything out. It was true that people could be happy and in love. It just didn't seem possible for Ziah. It hadn't worked for her parents, and she was sure it wouldn't work for her either. All she could hope was that she never met her so called 'soulmate'. It would be easier to go through life and not have to deal with whatever train wreck that would turn out to be.