Where to Find You [calum hood soulmate au]

Scarlett

This morning was a mess. It was the day after the new year, and it was safe to say we partied a little too much last night and the night before. I had fallen out of bed fifteen minutes before my alarm went off. Brynn spilled coffee on my legs as we ate breakfast at the bar in the kitchen, and Carson had stained my only white work shirt. Now, I had just found out I was getting to wait on the counter for work which meant I would probably only walk away with a few dollars by the end of my shift. Could this day get any worse?
The morning was understandably slow since breakfast didn't have a wide variety. Brynn got the few tables that were walking in while I waited on the coffee drinkers sitting at the counter. Once breakfast had cleared out, I had made a total of five dollars; Brynn made thirty-two and that was just breakfast. Ugh, I hate this day.
The lunch rush hadn't hit yet. I served a few people with to go orders, getting tipped better than this morning. It was a little bit past eleven when an older couple came to sit at the counter. I focused on them since they were, technically, my only customers. Brynn wasn't alone on the floor. A guy named Marty was helping her wait tables since he was typically in the kitchen but wanted to get a taste of being in the dining area. He had a few fumbles, and he almost dropped a whole tray of drinks, but he managed to save it somehow. I had started laughing in anticipation of the scene of drinks all over the floor, but stopped since nothing happened. It probably wasn't nice to laugh. Eh, who cares? The couple had also noticed the near fail causing them to strike up a conversation with me.
"Do you ever wish you weren't waiting tables?" The woman, Beth, asked me. I shot her a small smile.
"Of course. I just graduated a few weeks back. There's just not a lot of jobs around here." They both nodded at my response before Dave spoke.
"Back in my day, we started working when we were kids and became managers by the time we were twenty! No education needed!" I kept talking to them as time seemed to drag on. Eventually they left, leaving a twenty on the counter as they went. Maybe this day would turn out to be alright after all. I realized I spoke too soon when Debbie called me into the back.
"I need you to do inventory for me. We're placing an order tomorrow morning, and I have an appointment in a minute. I'll be back later, so leave the list on the counter before you leave." It took so much for me to not roll my eyes and sag my shoulders before she left. I hated inventory. It took so long to do, but I was the only one she trusted to do it, so I was always stuck doing it.
I finished inventory just in time for the lunch rush to be over. All the tables were empty but dirty. I grabbed a towel as Marty acted as a busboy, and Brynn grabbed a broom.
"Anything interesting happen while I was locked away?" I asked the other two. Brynn laughed at the utter distaste
I showed in my words.
"Yeah, actually. Some out of towners came in. A group of guys, about our age, super nice, cute, and excellent toppers," Brynn informed me. "Oh, and they had accents!" She continued.
"See what I miss when Debbie banishes me?"
"You were not banished. She thinks you like doing inventory as much as she does. Nothing personal, boo." I stayed quiet knowing that she was right. We continued cleaning up the dining area. Marty collected all the dishes, and headed to the kitchen to wash them. Brynn left to go find a dustpan which would be a difficult task since Debbie puts it somewhere else every day. They left me all alone wiping down tables. I moved on to the next booth when I noticed a pair of sunglasses sitting on top of the condiment container each table had. I quickly placed them on my head making a mental reminder to put them in lost and found later.
I kept cleaning with no sign of Brynn or Marty. They take way too long to do simple tasks. It was quiet for a few more minutes as I subconsciously bummed along to the song playing over the speaker. I didn't even notice the front door opening or the person walking in, but I did notice the chills meeting my skin and the shiver down my spine. I quickly focused on the song on the speakers, no matter where I go, I'm always gonna want you back. It's always this song. Groaning and throwing the rag on the table I stomped my foot on the ground once.
"Who even sings this fucking song?" It was at that moment when I heard another voice that I realized I wasn't alone.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I didn't recognize the voice, but he didn't sound happy at all. I remembered the sunglasses on my head. They're his aren't they? He doesn't have to be so rude about it though. I quickly reached to grab the glasses off my head before spinning around.
"Shit! Sorry! Thes-" I cut myself off when I saw him. My face giving him a look questioning what he was doing. He had pulled a chair out from the table and had his pants leg pulled up to reveal a tattoo. I looked up to meet his eyes, both of us hesitant. My eyes diverted to his leg where I read the words. As if meeting his eyes didn't tell me enough already, my cheeks flushed a deep red as I read the words, "Who even sings this fucking song?"
—————
It was as if time stood still when I looked at the man in front of me. I noticed his bleached hair with the black roots peaking out ever so slightly. His deep brown, mysterious, yet, welcoming eyes, and the partial smile on his face with the slight blush on his cheeks. This was a moment that took both of us by surprise, but we could feel the instant connection. The smile on my face widened to a point where it almost hurt. His voice brought me out of my thoughts, oh, his sweet, sweet voice.
"Sorry, but I've got to catch up with my mates. I'll be seeing you again though," I nodded my head at him realizing that I had his had his sunglasses in my hand making a move to hand them to him. He shook his head at me, putting his hand up to stop mine.
"Keep them, babe. They probably look better on you anyway." His smile had changed into a smirk across his face.
"Such a charmer, huh?" I noticed his hand was still touching mine, and the feeling was unreal. It was perfect, meant to be. He quickly grabbed a napkin out of the holder pulling the sharpie out of his shirt pocket. He scribbled down a number before handing it to me. He grabbed my arms lightly to hold me in place as he placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. He turned to jog towards the front door, his hand on the handle as he shot a wink over his shoulder, "Call me!"
I laughed and shook my head at his antics watching him go until he was no longer in my sight. I glanced down at the napkin in my hand before shoving it into the pocket of my jeans. I pushed the chair he was sitting in back into its proper place then went back to wiping down the tables, replacing the glasses back atop my head.
"You wouldn't think a dustpan would be in a cabinet above the sink in the employee bathroom, but you'd be wrong." Brynn looked annoyed as she walked over to the pile of trash she had swept up on the floor. "That's fine. Just don't talk to me. Cool," Brynn was looking at me expectantly, and I quickly pushed back all the thoughts racing in my mind before sending my best friend a small smile.
"That's the worst place for a dustpan to be," I replied. I didn't really care where it was, but I knew that was what she wanted to hear.
"Thank you! I don't understand Debbie sometimes. Love her but she is crazy."
We continued cleaning, saying our goodbyes to Marty as he left for the day. Two other waitresses had walked in as we were restocking condiments and sugar on the tables signalling that our shift was over. Brynn and I split up once we left work since she had to go to the college to register for her next classes while I went straight home.
I went into my bedroom to change my shirt since my bad luck did continue for a bit longer this morning when Marty had run into me as I had a full glass of soda in my hand. I had worn a yellow works shirt today so the spill was definitely noticeable for a while. I put on one of my older college t-shirts and grabbed the napkin that was burning a hole in my pocket. I had met my soulmate today, and I didnt even know his name.