Divine Complement

3 - Casual Conversations

They say fear is an unpleasant emotion cause by the belief that someone can cause pain.  Or just being scared in general.

Fear was an understatement of what I felt.  I felt like I would be better off dancing off of a cliff into a pit of knives.  I think that would hurt less than dealing with the after effects of a soul mate.

I never even read the nonsense in that book, but I have witnessed enough times in this society where when you stop breathing, you have found it.  The soul mate, the one meant to be yours.

I clutched my chest, and tried to breathe.  But it wasn’t coming.  It felt like I was drowning.  I felt like my life was being ruined and I had no idea how to prevent it from happening.

My eyes pulled the Usain Bolt and I tried to focus on my journal, scribbling mindless things as I felt his intense gaze on me. 

This was not supposed to happen, nope.  I felt like choking myself with my shoelaces.  I was not supposed to find a soul mate.  It was against my religion.  My nonexistent religion.  I am more than positive that some stranger inside this coffee shop has witnessed this whole fiasco.  But shockingly, no one was staring at me with wide eyes when I looked around.

I sunk in my seat as he grabbed his beverage and started walking in my direction.  Jesus Christ, there was a whole coffee shop to go sit in an empty booth, why come near me?  Soon enough, I felt the tile of the floor against the bottom of my Vans.  Then he leaned down and looked under my table. 

There was that restraining feeling in my chest again.

“Um, it’s totally none of my business, but why are you on the floor? Are you okay?”  He asked, amusement flashing in his eyes.  I was nearly dying and he had the audacity to find humor in this situation.  Well, I was on the floor and I probably looked like I was a fish out of water.  Still not funny.  I gathered my thoughts together and pulled myself back to my seat.

“Yeah, I’m peachy,” I squeaked out.  He nodded his head and I turned my attention back to my open journal.  I was expecting him to leave, praying he would.  He did not leave.  Instead, he slid his quite tall frame right in the seat across from me.  I inwardly groaned and had to refrain from wanting to bash my head against the window.  He eyed my body language as I straightened my posture.

I got the first good look at him, and I think the man upstairs was on my side when my soul mate was chosen.  Or whoever was behind this mess.  As much as I didn’t like this soul mate process, I was almost okay with this person sitting in front of me. 

His face was beautifully sculpted and he had these extraordinary eyes I have never seen on anyone in real life before.  His left eye was a deep shade of green, while his right eye was this golden brown color.  They were the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen in my years of living on this planet.  They were odd, and didn’t match like the ones that I have seen, where the eyes were blue and green, or different shades of the eye color.  They seemed, almost familiar. 

His brown hair with several blonde streaks scattered around in it and his fair skin tone made his eyes stick out.  His arms were quite muscular.  Then, I realized he was wearing a short sleeved shirt.  

How are all guys so warm all the time?  Can I have a guy’s body heat?

“Aren’t you cold?”  I blurted and inwardly cursed myself.  He seemed taken back at my sudden outburst, but then he smiled.  “You have a pretty smile,” I blurted again.  I thought now was an appropriate time to slice my hands off.  He raised an eyebrow, and smiled a little bigger.  He had dimples in both cheeks.  Fucking dimples.

“Well, thanks for that random compliment, stranger.  No, I’m not cold really; I just stopped from work to get a coffee for my drive home.  I wasn’t expecting to sit or anything.”  It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him.  I’ve never seen him here before.  Now he was stopping for a coffee from work?  I did say I was a regular.

“So, why did you then?”  I kicked myself in the throat.

He chuckled.  Did he find my struggle to make a casual conversation funny?  “If you don’t want my presence here, just say so.”  He took a small sip of his coffee.  “Oh hey, a cookie.  Can I have a bite of it?  I mean, it’s totally okay if I can’t.  It just looks so good, even if it’s half eaten.”  I glanced at my half eaten cookie and nodded slowly.  He happily took my cookie.

“Coffee is gross.  Well, it’s not gross if you like it.  If you like it then it’s obviously good.  I tried coffee once, when I was like five.  It was gross and I refuse to drink it unless I have to.”  Why was I talking so much to this stranger?  I couldn’t stop blabbering.

“Just rolling off the statements, cool.  I like people who can carry conversations.  Coffee isn’t bad, you were only five.  I’m sure your taste buds have evolved. Here, try mine.”  He slid me his coffee, and I hesitantly took it. 

Was I about to drink after this person?  What if he had a disease, or backwashed?  Before I could stop myself, I put the coffee cup to my lips and let the liquid slide through my lips.  It was good.  I took another sip and handed it back to him.  He laughed a little and went to drink it again.  “You know, for a random I just met, you’re pretty cool.  I think that we could become mates, you know?”  I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.  His eyes went down to my journal.  “May I?”  I nodded as I took a sip of my hot chocolate.

“Don’t critique it, it’s nothing major.  I was just doodling.  I like to come here and just sketch out the surroundings, or write down things I hear.  It’s relaxing, to say the least.”  I felt… comfortable.  He grabbed my pen I had and wrote something.  He closed my journal and we sat in a comfortable silence as we watched the outside surroundings.  Then, it got quiet. 

I heard his breath hitch. 

“Er, maybe I should go!  Not that I didn’t like being here with you and all, but I think my foot is sad.  Yeah. That’s it.  Bye!”  My eyes widened as I watched him practically run out of the coffee shop. 

I tried to process what happened as I checked my phone.  I had five texts from Marietta.  I didn’t bother to reply and saw that it was barely nine o’clock.  I sighed and gathered my things. 

I walked out quickly to my car, as the bitterness in the air was doing no justice.  I remembered that he wrote something in my journal.  I opened it to the page and found what he wrote.

‘Brennen // 312-343-4725’  I smiled to myself and closed my journal.

When I got home, I walked in a completely silent and dark house.  My parents must have already gone to their room. 

Sighing loudly, I put my stuff down in my room.  I grabbed some clothes and went in the bathroom, studying my appearance in the mirror.

My light brown hair was a mess.  My eyes were spooked, and my face was a little pale.  Shit, shit, shit.  I took my shirt off and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw that there was no mark on the back of my left shoulder.  I studied my shoulder still, as you can never be too safe.  But I still saw nothing, and I let out a hearty laugh.  I finished undressing and jumped in the shower. 

The shower was relaxing, considering how not even fifteen minutes ago, it felt like my life was about to be over.

//

GRATATA.  

Last chapter I'm posting for tonight.

➳m.