Wherever You Are | c.h. | Soulmate AU

1

AN: In honor of Wildflower being released here's chapter one! Updates will begin regularly by next week 🖤Ily!
-Sav

"Do you think there's something wrong with me?" I ask my sister, Milly. She's perched on the porch swing beside me, the early summer breeze blowing her blonde locks behind her hair.

"No, Bex." She sighs and I purse my lips in response.

"I just don't get it. This system is supposed to make everything easier. Get tattoo, find person, fall in love, live happily ever after. It's supposed to eliminate all of the wasting time and hurt that the generations before us had to deal with. So why am I still here with this blasted tattoo that doesn't look any darker than it did the day I got it."

"Bex, you're being dramatic you know it's darkened and now it's whole at least. Besides I only met Justin so quickly because we're from the same town. You've always been adventurous of course the man meant for you wouldn't be from the freaking suburbs."

"No, with my luck and the look of this fucking tribal tattoo he's a party boy in Jersey out fist pumping somewhere." I scoff with an eye roll.

"Come on, Bex. You've gotta tr-"

"Trust the system. Yeah, yeah, I know." I say interrupting her sarcastically.

"Bex..." Milly says.

"You just don't understand." I say, my voice growing softer.

She sighs beside me and a wave of her blonde hair falls on my shoulder as she tilts her head towards me.

My hand absentmindedly drifts upward until it reaches the dark patterns that cover my shoulder blade. The intricate tribal pattern filling the shape of a music note.

Why did my tattoo have to be so weird? Not that the whole soulmate system was in any way normal.

I mean, I understand the premise and the reasons the creators of our system sought to implement it. Who wouldn't want an easy identifier to lead you to the love of your life?

It's just, frustrating when it feels like everyone else in the world already seems to have found their person and then there's me. Eight years with my tattoo and nothing.

I wonder occasionally what my soul mate's tattoo looks like. What he, or she, has on their body that's supposed to lead them to me.

My biggest fear I guess is that they, whoever they are, don't buy into the system. That they are one of the few who refuse to participate and thus by default I'll be left soul mateless.

I don't want to be alone.

I sit up from my spot on the swing, my brown hair flowing behind me and kicking up a small burst of air that feels nice amidst the otherwise humid surroundings.

"You okay?" Milly calls after me and I nod, heading inside my house and falling on the couch.

"Bex, if you're okay I'm going to head home. Anything I can do for you?" She asks.

"No, I'll be fine. Just the Sunday blues getting to me like always."

"Yeah, well, at least it's June and you don't go back to work until the end of August."

"Yeah, the one perk of being a teacher." I reply with a laugh.

"Justin and I are going to dinner tonight, you want to join?" She asks and my curiosity is piqued.

"Where you going?" I ask and she gives me a knowing look.

"We can get Mexican if it means you'll go with us." She says rolling her eyes as I give a satisfied smirk.

"Fuck yes." I reply quickly, cheese dip is always enough to bring me out of a funk.

"I'll text you when we're on the way. We'll swing by a pick you up."

"Sounds good!" I call as I hear her slip out the front door, the sound of it shutting behind her echoing through my now quiet house.

"Where the hell are you?" I wonder out loud as I trace my finger over the ink markings on my shoulder, they have gotten darker this year which is a good sign, but patience has never been my strongest virtue.

•

"How does it feel the last man standing?" Ash laughs as he plops down beside me on my couch, the loose strands of his dyed black hair bouncing from the motion.

I shoot him a glare that stifles his laughter and he sighs.

"Come on, Cal. Lighten up."

"That's easy for you to say. You found your soulmate. It's not you and me in this anymore. You have your person and I'm still fucking alone." I complain.

"Cal.."

"I'm not trying to be a dick I'm just frustrated." I say simply.

"Cal, I had to wait almost ten years to find my person, it'll happen. Just give it time." He says trying to be a good friend but it's not working I'm too annoyed. Too unhappy that this fucking system was ever invented.

"I wish I'd been born before all of this. At least then I could have been okay with just forcing a relationship with someone and calling it a day. Now every time I try to be with anyone I just feel like a prick because I know someone somewhere out there is waiting to meet me." I sigh.

"Unless she's just left me soul mateless."

"That's pretty rare and you know it," Ashton rationalizes.

I purse my lips, he's not wrong.

People choosing to forgo the system entirely is rare at best. There's a sense of responsibility to meet your soulmate that seems to be universal. No one wants to let someone down.

I know I don't.

I release a frustrated groan and fall back against my sofa.

"Tour starts in September that's a huge opportunity to meet her, or them, whoever." Ash says with a flourish of his hand.

"I just wish I understood what the fuck my tattoo even is. It just looks like random lines and shapes." I sigh.

"You've been saying that for like six years. I can't believe you haven't had any one try to figure it out for you."

"I feel like that's cheating." I rationalize. "When I meet my soulmate I want to be like 'Hi! So great to meet you, this thing on my arm is so obviously about you and I figured it out all in my own and it means..." I let my words trail off and make a gesture with my hands indicating that in the real life version of my scenario I wanted to have more to say.

"Okay, mate. Whatever." Ashton laughs. "You going to Michael's DJ set tonight?" He asks.

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe I'll get lucky and meet my person so I won't always be the eternal seventh fucking wheel." I mumble.

An: Ugh first chapters are the hardest but I hope you guys are intrigued!!

I can't wait to share Bex and Cal's story with you whether this is your first book of mine or your sixth!

Ily
Sav🖤