"So…we're supposedly soulmates."

"Supposedly…"

Your soulmate plays with her cutlery. You purse your lips and scratch at the skin beneath your watch. Alex had insisted every time you went on a date to wear it, in case you want to…do stuff afterwards. Alex likes to embarrass you with stuff like this all the time and it's…nice, but still, it's embarrassing. The kryptonite hurts, too. It's a constant drain and you have no way to stop its effects until you get back to her flat to put it away in its lead-lined box.

"What do you do for a living?" You try to get the conversation flowing, voice cheery but audibly nervous. Rao, I couldn't have been less obvious?

Cat gives you a surprisingly strange look, however. "I run my own business. You?"

"Professional tutor," you reply, relaxing slightly. "I mostly work with high school students, but I've got a small group of university students that come to me for help and some middle-school kids."

"What do you tutor them in?" Cat questions, eyebrow rising. "I'll assume you went to college if you tutor university students."

"Hmm, yeah, I've got a few degrees," you skirt around that part. "Mostly science and mathematics. The older ones, uh, astrophysics."

Cat, who had been sipping her water, coughs a little, grabbing a napkin to press to her mouth. You flush a little, waiting for her to reply.

"Astrophysics?"

"Physics of space," you explain briefly, before swallowing. "So…what do you do in your free time? I like books and museums."

"Books and museums…" Cat mutters, "My free time is sparse. I have a son, you see. I like to spend the majority of my free time with him, when he's not with his father in Las Vegas."

"Oh!" You start, eyes wide. "You have a son? What's his name?"

"Carter," Cat replies slowly. "If we decided to…see each other again, then you'd have to meet him."

"That's fine," you say, thinking about another Carter you know – you tutor him in advanced mathematics every second Tuesday and Thursday evening. "What's he like?"

Cat visibly tenses, before taking out her phone from her handbag. "He's special. He has a social communication disorder." She goes onto her phone briefly, before holding it up. You blink in surprise.

"…would Carter's father happen to be called Lucas Miles?"

Cat takes her phone back sharply. "Excuse me? How do you know that name?"

You reach for your own phone, taking it out and swiftly going to your own album, bringing up the selfie you took with Carter a few months ago. Handing your phone over, you wrap your fingers in your napkin, holding it tightly as Cat stares.

"You're Carter's tutor," she surmises quietly. "Well. At least we know he likes you. He's been wanting me to meet you for a while now. You're brilliant, apparently."

Flushing again, you shake your head, taking back your phone when offered. "I'm not, really."

"But you are. You got Carter to open up. He likes you." Cat says, eyeing you now. "No wonder he got excited when I told him the name of my supposed soulmate. He said we should go out tonight, convinced me to agreeing to it, the hellion."

"He's amazing," you say, before looking down sharply. That was too much, probably. Definitely.

But Cat hums, sounding happy for the first time this evening. "He is. So – astrophysics? How did that happen?"

You look up and see her face, her lips quirked up pleasantly, genuine interest sparkling in her eyes. Your heart flutters and you think, maybe.