Broken Connection

2

I rushed to get my apron on in time to clock in. One of the stipulations of our job was that we had to be in our full uniform before we could clock in, but we also couldn't be late. Luckily, our uniforms were jeans, a comfortable company t-shirt, nonslip shoes, and a burgundy apron that I actually found quite cute. Maybe it was because it was burgundy.

The soreness from my bruises made changing clothes a slower process than normal, but I managed to punch my time card just a few seconds before the minute on the clock changed. I grabbed my serving tray from the rack and stumbled out into the open space just behind the counter, bumping into my coworker at the register.

"Has it been busy today, Hyuck?" I asked him.

He knew about my soulmate problem, it was kind of hard to hide for very long, so he didn't bother to ask about the bruises.

"Slow as always. I'm surprised they haven't fired one of us. There's only like three people that work here, but the owner could probably get away with having just one part timer," He grouched.

I wasn't particularly friendly with many people. Most of the people around my age only wanted to be friends because I was one of the lucky ones with a soulmate.

No one quite knew why some people had soulmates, but there were all sorts of wild myths and rumors. One of those rumors hinted that we were destined to be rich and powerful, which made a lot of people want to be friends with us early on. That one was complete and utter bullshit, though. There were plenty of fated people who were poor and scared on the streets.

Nothing could ever guarantee you a good life. I would know.

I nodded to Donghyuck and he sent me one of his warm smiles. I always found it kind of weird how he could brighten my day with the smallest of actions, but I guess that was just what the sun was supposed to do.

I stopped at the first table I saw of people without drinks, smiling and taking their order. There were two guys at the table, both with serious looks on their faces.

One of the men was tall and lean. He almost looked like a bunny, but a slightly angry bunny. The other man with him was definitely more intimidating, even if he was slightly shorter. His hair was a bright green color, which should have looked stupid but frankly made him scarier.

They were polite enough in their orders, though. I quickly left the table, speeding back to the safety of Donghyuck and the glass counter.

I had almost made it back to the table with their order, two americanos, when the sting started. It was odd. I knew it was a soulmate pain, but I had never felt something like this before. It wasn't the sudden ache of a punch or sharp pain of a cut. It was small, but constant. It was also in what seemed to be a sort of pattern across my back and up my spine.

I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but I had enough of an idea that it made me extremely angry.

The men were looking at their phones when I approached their table, and the bunny man looked up at me with an apologetic smile.

"Can we actually get those to go? Our friend decided to be stupid and get a tattoo, so we're going to support his bad decision," bunny man explained.

I nodded, grimacing from the sting of needle tearing at skin, and walked back to the counter to pour their drinks in to go cups.

It had to be a coincidence, right? The fact that my soulmate and the friend of these two intimidating guys just happen to be getting a tattoo at the same time?

Hyuck gave me a confused look as I angrily snapped the lids onto the cups.

"What's wrong, Eve?" He asked, "You never act like this."

"Nothing, sunshine. My soulmate has just been pretty dumb today, that's all."

I gave him a small but genuine smile. He deserved nothing less for how amazing he is with everyone around him.

Knowing that, it shouldn't have surprised me that the two guys at the table greeted him warmly when they came to pay, or that he sent them off with a small 'I'll catch up with you later.' For some reason, I just couldn't see them being friends. Sure, he wasn't always happy and nice, no one could be, but Donghyuck had never intimidated me.

That night, when I got back to my apartment, I pulled off my shirt and stared over my shoulder into the bathroom mirror. There was a giant bruise in the shape of a wonderfully detailed dragon stretching and curving from the small of my back all the way to the nape of my neck. I knew that when I wore a collared shirt part of it would just barely peek out.

Sometimes I was just really done with my soulmate.