A/N: So this is a new story in my soulmates series! Please enjoy it!
.
According to the tabloids and talk shows, actor Alfred F. Jones had it all. As far as the general public was concerned, he was living the life. But things weren't always as they seemed. Deep down, he was missing the one thing he knew would make his life complete. And that one thing was her, Alice Kirkland. Nothing in his life would ever seem right until he had her for himself. That he knew for sure.
Alfred wasn't like most people he knew. He had an impeccable memory. In fact, it was so good that he could remember every past life he had ever lived. They started out around medieval era up until the present day. He had done research on it and found he wasn't the only person in the world like that, which made him feel wonderful. Though there was only one thing that made him different from the others like him. He had never mixed up any of his lives.
In each life, there was only one common denominator. That common denominator was Alice. To most people, she had come off as plain, boring, and a bit of a bummer. But to Alfred, she was a goddess. A blonde-haired, glasses-wearing goddess with eyes like emeralds. He didn't care what anyone else thought of her. To him, she was perfection personified.
"Mr. Jones, listen," his manager, Annika Väinämöinen told him one afternoon. "I don't think I can be your manager anymore."
Alfred, who had been lying back with his eyes closed was suddenly sitting upright and alert. "What? Why?" His eyes focused on the Finnish woman on the other side of the coffee table. "Is everything okay? What happened, Annika? It wasn't me, was it?"
"Remember the gym we went to in that last city we were in?" Annika slowly asked him.
"Yeah," Alfred answered. "We both got our own personal trainers there, and you were really quiet after your session. I didn't ask about it because I felt it was none of my business."
"Alfred, I know you hired me because I'm like you," she stated. "I remember my past lives just as well as you remember yours." She took a deep breath when Alfred nodded. "He was my personal trainer at that gym, Al. My soulmate is back in that city. I finally found him, and I need to go back to him."
He bit his lip and nodded. "I understand," he answered, masking the hurt in his voice the best that he could. "Thank you for your time with me, Annika. You made me feel understood and less alone."
Annika frowned, holding back tears. "Oh, Alfie," she sighed before getting up and hugging him. "As my last act as your manager, I promise you that I will find Alice."
"Oh, you don't have to-"
"I've already started looking," Annika answered, cutting him off. She pulled out her phone and pulled up a picture. "Would this happen to be her?"
Alfred's eyes widened in awe at the long, golden tresses and the sparkling emerald eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. "That's her," he breathed.
"You know, she went to school for business," Annika stated. "In other words, she's more qualified to be your manager than I am." Her large, violet eyes sparkled with joy. "Just say the words, Alfie. She has an online resume just waiting to be picked up."
"You really mean it?" he asked.
"If I get my happy ending, you sure as hell are going to get yours," she answered with a wink. "I'll go make some calls and set up your Happily Ever After."
"Annika, you're seriously the best," Alfred enthused.
"I know I'm awesome. Praise me more," she answered before exiting the room with her phone to her ear.
Alfred raked his blond bangs back with his hand before letting them fall back over his thick-rimmed glasses. That made him decide he needed a haircut before meeting Alice. He wanted that day to be perfect. Everything about that day had to be perfect. At least he knew everything she liked and disliked.
He closed his eyes and laid back onto the couch like he was before. "Alice Kirkland, it will be a pleasure to meet you," he happily sighed. "Again."
.
Two Days Later
There was a sharp knock on Alfred's apartment door that startled him out of his daydreaming as Annika as Annika ran to answer it. He made sure to sit up straight, knowing that it was Alice on the other side of the door. His heart began to pound as he heard Annika greet her and welcome her inside. Alfred didn't realize he was holding his breath until Annika walked in with Alice and barked, "For God's sake, Alfred, breathe!"
Alice's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Does he have breathing problems I should know about?" she asked in a clipped, English accent.
"No, he's just a moron," Annika answered, rolling her eyes. "Alfred, say hi to Alice."
The rehearsed speech Alfred had created to introduce himself to Alice flew completely out the window as he gazed at the English woman before him. "Hey, I'm Alfred," he finally said.
"How do you do? My name is Alice Kirkland," she greeted. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Jones. It comes to my attention that you are seeking a new manager?"
"That is correct," he answered with a nod.
Alice adjusted her glasses. "Dare I ask why the position is now open?"
"Annika is eloping with her personal trainer," Alfred simply answered.
"Alfred Franklin Jones!" Annika yelped, pelting him with a throw pillow. "You're not supposed to tell people that!"
"Well I refuse to lie to Alice," he stated.
Alice's expression softened upon hearing that. A man who had just met her already refusing to lie to her? How could that be? All men ever did was lie to her, especially her rat of an ex, Francis. What was with Alfred? Did he really mean that?
"That's still not a reason to inform her of my personal life!"
"But you're not denying what I said," Alfred teased back.
"I'll take the job," Alice piped up.
"What?" Annika asked. She looked over at Alice in surprise, freezing in her position of whacking Alfred over the head with a magazine. "You'll take it? You're willing to put up with him?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Alfred demanded.
"I'll take the job," Alice repeated.
"Then you're hired," Alfred answered.
She blinked in surprise. "That fast?"
"You've got potential," he explained. He winked at her. "Welcome to the big times, little rookie."
Alice's face turned a bright shade of red as she clasped her hands tightly in her lap and looked down at them. "Thank you, Mr. Jones!" she managed to reply.
"No, that won't do," Alfred told her. "Here in this business, 'Mr. Jones' is way too formal for my liking. Please call me Alfred instead."
The young British girl looked up at her male companion. "I-I'll do my best," she told him. How could she just simply call this god of a man by his first name? It was definitely going to take a lot of practice to be able to do so! She could feel both people's eyes on her, so she looked up and nearly melted. Alfred was giving her a concerned look. "I-I mean, I'll do it!" she corrected herself.
"That's the spirit, Alice!" Alfred encouraged. He gave her a thumbs up and a wide grin. "You can do it!"
"You're right," she said, feeling her confidence being boosted by his kind words. "I can!"
He smiled at her. "I will not accept no for an answer from you, Alice Kirkland. Got that?" Alfred winked at her, smiling his most charming smile at her. "Since you're my new manager, you have to be confident in yourself and who you are, just like how I am."
Alice looked down at her feet. "Right," she softly said. How was she going to be confident while being Alfred F. Jones's manager? How could she accomplish a feat like that? She had never felt confident in herself before, so how could she ever be over-the-top with confidence like he was? There was no way that could ever work. But she had to believe in herself. If Alfred believed in her, then maybe it really was possible.
"I should probably get going," Annika said. "I need to get to my hotel. Check-out is early in the morning, but I'll be sure to stop by and say goodbye to my favorite actor." She leaned down and kissed both of Alfred's cheeks. "Love you, Alfie. I'll see you later." She smiled at Alice. "I'll see you later, Alice. It was a pleasure to meet you."
"You as well," Alice said, blushing. She was surprised that Alfred's old manager had kissed him like that and even told him that she loved him. Were they ever going to be that close? Oh, God, she hoped so! "Have a good night, Annika. And thank you for the opportunity."
"Not a problem at all," Annika answered with a smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I will see you two when I see you." She wiggled her fingers in a farewell wave and smiled at them. "Buh-bye."
And with that, Annika was gone, leaving Alfred and Alice alone together. The male looked over at the female with focused blue eyes before opening his mouth to speak.
"Are you hungry at all, Alice?" he asked. "We could go and grab a bite to eat if you'd like." Alfred reached onto the coffee table and grabbed the car keys that were on there. "I've got a car."
"If you wouldn't mind," Alice softly said, suddenly feeling how hungry she was. "That would be wonderful. I would greatly appreciate it."
"Sure thing," Alfred answered with a grin. He stood up and offered Alice a hand to help her up, remembering how in past lives she had always told her that a gentleman always helps a lady up.
Alice looked up at him, astonished. "Th-Thank you," she said, taken aback. She grabbed his hand, feeling how soft and warm it was as he helped her up. "You are so kind, Alfred." Her cheeks were flushed as she smiled up at him.
"It's not a problem at all," Alfred answered with a kind smile. "A gentleman should always help a lady up after all." He winked at her. "At least, that's what I've been told." His smile was contagious, causing her to smile with him. "You have a beautiful smile, Alice. You should really smile more often."
"You really think so?" she asked, feeling her face grow even hotter by the minute. "Thank you, Alfred. You're too kind." If things kept going like this, she would be falling for him in no time, and how would that look on her part? She shook her head and mentally told herself to snap out of it. There was no way she could allow herself to fall for the charms of Alfred F. Jones, no matter how wonderful he truly was.
.
Over dinner, they talked more about themselves and got to know each other better. Alice learned that Alfred had a golden retriever named Lucky back at his parents' farm in Ohio. It made her oddly happy to hear that he grew up on a farm. That fun fact made Alfred seem like he was more normal than most celebrities.
"Tell me more about you," Alfred said, leaning across the table toward her. "Tell me about who your heroes were when you were growing up, what your hopes and dreams were, things like that."
"Who was my hero?" Alice softly asked herself, staring down at her plate. She thought and thought for a moment before finally coming up with an answer. "My hero was Sherlock Holmes. He could solve just about any case, and I wanted to be a detective just like him when I was a young girl."
"Why not Nancy Drew?" Alfred asked, grinning at her.
"Oh, heavens no!" Alice scoffed. "Sherlock Holmes was much better." She smiled back at Alfred. "Nancy Drew was only a child. Kind of like the Scooby Doo gang or whatever."
Alfred nearly snorted. "You're really comparing Nancy Drew to Mystery Incorporated?" he asked. He couldn't keep his laughter contained. "That's awesome! You're really something, Alice."
She looked over her shoulder to see people staring, probably having never seen Alfred laugh like this before. "Alfred, people are staring," she softly said.
"Sorry," he apologized, calming down. "This is just one of the most entertaining conversations I've had in a long time, and I greatly appreciate it!" He grinned at her from across the table. "I hope that we have many more like it."
Alice felt her lips pull into a soft smile. "I hope so too. That way I know we'll get along just fine."
"Oh, I already know that we will," Alfred answered, winking. "Just trust me on this. I've never had a better feeling about a person than I do about you."
"Oh, is that so?" Alice asked, amused. "Well I can't wait to see how well all of this works out then." She raised an eyebrow. "If you're sure your feeling is correct."
"I've never been wrong before," he assured.
Alice felt her heart beating madly in her chest. She couldn't be falling for him already! That was preposterous! How could she be falling for him already? It wasn't fair! Why couldn't she have some kind of special power to make him fall for her just as fast?
"Is everything okay, Alice?" Alfred asked, giving her a concerned look. "You're being pretty quiet tonight. I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable."
"You're not," she assured, smiling at him. "I just have a lot on my mind. I want to be a great manager is all." There was no way he could ever find out that she had fallen for him. No way in hell.