Author's Notes: I tried my best to catch any grammar and spelling mistakes, but most likely did not get everything. I apologize in advance if mistakes are found.
Arthur's body had quickly entered 'flight' mode as he made his way out of the engineering offices and started to hurry further down the nearest hallway. He had no idea where he was going, he just wanted to be far away from what was happening.
The office spaces started to decrease in frequency and soon before he knew it, he had made his way through a set of double doors that lead to a pristine white hallway. He looked ahead and could see more double doors further down, but what caught his attention the most was the familiar bathroom sign on a door just a few more steps on the right.
Arthur made his way over and roughly pushed the bathroom door open. He was relieved to find that there was no one else inside and hurried into the nearest stall. He took a seat on the toilet and held his head in his shaking hands. It was at this moment that he became aware of his breathing, coming out in short, quick pants.
"No. No this can't be happening. Not again!" Arthur shouted to himself and grabbed at his wrist tightly. His watch, that had been blank for years, was now displaying the all too familiar zeros. The sight of them made his stomach churn with anxiety. Why is this happening again? And why here of all bloody places?!
"Okay lad let's try to calm down and think this through." Arthur ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath to steady himself. "It's broken, and has been for awhile. This isn't the first time you have been through this. It's a fluke, yes, that makes sense." He could feel himself starting to calm down as he continued to speak to himself in the privacy of the small enclosed space of the bathroom stall.
"Of course this would happen in front of one of the engineers. God this is so embarrassing." He helped his face in his hands again and sighed. He couldn't even imagine what Alfred was thinking right now. His 'supposed' soulmate basically ran out on him and god if I wasn't so broken then-
"Well he is one of the engineers who make these blasted things, I'm sure he will be able to figure out the situation soon enough." Arthur quickly stopped his uncomfortable thoughts and stood up from the toilet. "Let's just make our way out of here, get a nice drink and forget this ever happened."
When uncomfortable situations arose, acting like they didn't happen was Arthur's go to method of coping. This was only exacerbated when he would turn to alcohol to help muddy his thoughts and memory. He knew it wasn't healthy, but he had been partaking in this habit for years and was not going to stop now, especially after this recent event.
Arthur let out a long breath and exited the stall. He was calmer now but a quick look in the large mirror that hung above the bathroom sinks, showed that he looked rather disheveled. His hair was even more messy than usual from running his hands through it and his complexion was quite pale.
"God, you look like you could fall over any minute."
Arthur moved closer to the mirror and started to tidy himself up, straightening his hair and splashing his face with warm water. Taking the time extra time to fix his appearance gave him a sense of more control over his current situation which helped further calm down his nerves.
He gave himself one last look in the mirror when he caught a glimpse of his visitor badge that was still pinned to his shirt. The once blue color was now glowing a bright red. Well that can't be good… I should probably drop this off at the front desk before I leave. He moved away from the mirror and grabbed his laptop bag that he had sat down on the floor earlier in his panicked haste and opened the door to head out of the restroom.
Upon opening the door Arthur was met face to face with a stern looking woman with long, straight, platinum blonde hair that trailed down her back. She was wearing a typical security uniform, with a blue button up shirt tucked neatly into navy blue dress pants, and a matching blue cap that was adorned on her head.
The woman's cold, blue eyes were glaring into his own, causing him to shift on his feet uncomfortably. There was a tense silence for a few seconds before Arthur couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up.
"Um, may I help you?"
A smirk adorned the woman's face at his question and she suddenly grabbed him by his shirt collar with her gloved hands and pulled him out of the bathroom entrance way. "I knew you couldn't hide in there for long you little rat." Her voice sounded foreign to him, with an accent he couldn't quite place.
Arthur let out a quick gasp as he had been pulled forward. His surprise quickly turned to anger and he tried to push away at the women's hands that were gripped tightly around his shit which he knew was causing it to wrinkle.
"Now see here, you can't just manhandle me in such a manner!"
With a quick motion and with strength he was not expecting from the woman he was thrown against the wall outside the bathroom, his head hitting it with a bang and causing him to curse out in pain. He was then roughly turned around and felt his arms being pulled behind him.
"What the bloody hell is going on?!" Arthur turned his now throbbing head to look at the woman with a glare. He could only guess he was being arrested by security based on the fact that his visitor badge had changed color, but did he really have to be treated in such a manner?
"I'm detaining you." The woman gave a simple reply. She tightly held Arthur's hands behind his back with one one hand before she reached down and grabbed something out of a bag on the floor. Suddenly Arthur could feel something being clamped around his wrist. Was he being handcuffed?
"I can see that!" Arthur spat back. "But under what charges? I have done nothing wrong, unless using the loo is a crime now?"
"Nothing wrong?" The woman gave a laugh as she finished putting metal handcuffs on Arthur's wrist. "Don't paly dumb with me. You broke almost every rule for guest visitation and then proceeded to trespass into the engineering lab. I know what you are really after here. I just can't believe how naïve you thought our security was."
"Engineering lab?" Arthur blinked and gave a quick glance around the room. The sterile white walls and tiled floors did give off the vibe that he was in a very different place then the hallway and lobbies he had been shown before.
"You can stop the acting."
The woman turned Arthur around to face her again, the smirk on her face wider. She was acting much like a predator relishing in the triumph of capturing their prey. "I know you tricked that idiot man from the service department to leave you alone only for you to make your way here."
"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Arthur argued back confused. Sure he had convinced Toris, his escort from earlier, to leave him alone but it was not so he could willingly sneak around.
"How many times do I have to tell you people, I am not a criminal. I'm a reporter for god's sake!"
Arthur then strained against the cuffs, hoping he could maneuver his way out of them, or at least make them less tight, they were starting to irritate his wrist. However he was quickly met with a sharp shock of pain that traveled from his hands and half way up his arms, the muscles there starting to twitch from the sudden electricity that was sent through him.
Arthur let out a yelp and looked at the women with wide eyes. "Did you attach bloody tasers to me?!"
"Something like that." The woman replied, the smirk never leaving her face. "Just the standard shock cuffs. I would advise you not to struggle. The more you do the stronger the shock."
"That's inhumane! This has to go against my rights!"
The woman was about to respond when suddenly there was a buzz sound that came from a device pinned to her chest. She quickly tapped it and spoke.
"Speak."
"Natalia I can see what you are doing. Take those damn cuffs off him and escort him back to the engineering offices. You know we are only allowed to use those in emergencies."
Arthur was quick to recognize the voice from the device, it was from Vash, the head security officer he had met earlier in the day.
"This is an emergency." The woman, Natalia spoke back calmly. "This rat was sneaking around the engineering lab. I know he tricked his way to get here."
"I doubt he tricked anyone. He is here to interview Jones. From what I can see from the camera footage there was some sort of misunderstanding and he lost way back to the lobby. I got confirmation from Jones himself of the situation."
"If you saw the camera footage you would also know that he convinced Toris to leave him unguarded. You think it is a coincidence that this man, this 'reporter' happened to lose his way to the labs? I am not fooled like you are Vash." Her voice was harsh and getting louder with increasing anger.
"Regardless, you were not given clearance to use force or to use the shock cuffs. Now if you don't escort him back to the engineering offices I will write this down in your file, and you can't afford another write up."
"Now let's wait a tick, there is really no need to take me back to the engineering offices." Arthur decided he should speak up now before it was too late. There was no way he was going to willingly go back and face Jones. Not after what had just transpired. "I was planning on leaving shortly anyway. If I can just make it back to the lobby-"
"No, if we are to follow standard procedure he should be taken to the security holding bay and then scanned and detained for questions." Natalia argued back, shooting a glare at Arthur to try to silence him.
"Natalia, I already told you it was a misunderstanding. Just take him back to Jones. That's an order!"
"I am going to take him to security and-"
Suddenly the double doors at the end of the hallway opened up with a loud bang, causing Natalia to stop mid sentence. Both she and Arthur looked over at the tall, broad, pale man who was now walking towards them.
The man was wearing typical office attire, but was also sporting a white lab coat, with a matching white scarf wrapped around his neck. He had short, light blonde hair and violet eyes that were focused on the two of them.
"What is with all this commotion? I believe I have always requested silence in the labs while I am working, yes?" The man spoke with a similar accent to Natalia. He was giving a smile but the atmosphere around him gave off the indication that he was clearly annoyed.
Natalia's mood seemed to completely shift as she perked up upon seeing the man. "Oh broth- Ivan. I apologize for distributing you. I am just taking care of a little pest problem. I will be escorting him out of your hair shortly."
"Pest problem?" Ivan turned his attention towards Arthur and looked him over. "Is this man causing you trouble?"
"Ivan is that you?" Vash's voice called over from Natalia's speaker device on her shirt. "Damn it just keep out of this. This is strictly a security matter. Natalia, escort Kirkland back to the engineering offices right now!"
"Don't I get a choice in this?" Arthur spoke up, getting more agitated by the moment. "I am not going back to that bloody office. I just want to leave! Now if someone could take these shackles off me I would be more than happy to exit the premises!"
"Kirkland?" Ivan paused as he recognized the name. "You are the reporter that was supposed to interview Junior Jones, yes? How did you end up here?"
"I just got lost, this place can be very confusing. What kind of place has elevators that go sideways anyway!" Arthur was about to struggle against the handcuffs again but then thought better of it. "Now if I could just be released?"
"Natalia, take the cuffs off him already!" Vash ordered from the speaker.
Natalia rolled her eyes before she harshly grabbed Arthur's shoulder and forced him to turn around. She swiftly unbound his wrists and then put the metal handcuffs out of sight. Once freed Arthur let out a sigh of relief and started to message his hands, willing the numbing feeling in them to go away.
Ivan stared at Arthur for a few minutes before he gave him a smile. "I can only imagine that Junior Jones has caused an issue during the interview. You seem rather upset, I can escort you down to the lobby if you would like?"
"Ivan I am giving Natalia strict orders to escort him back to Jones how many times do I have to tell you to keep your huge nose out of-"
"The rat now has an escort and will be leaving the building. While unconventional I see no problem with the situation. Ending communication." Natalia made a move to turn off her speaker.
"I am your commanding officer and you-" Vash's loud voice was suddenly stopped as soon as the speaker was shut off with a soft beep. Natalia then gave a nod to Ivan before she turned and walked down the hallway and through the entrance doors leaving the two men alone.
As soon as Natalia was gone Ivan let out a breath that sounded like he was relieved, and turned to look at Arthur. "Please forgive her. She takes her work rather passionately. And although she is a little overwhelming she is good at what she does."
"You don't say." Arthur retorted back dryly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Now if you could please show me to the front lobby?"
"Yes of course. Please follow me. I promise it will be a short trip." Ivan took the lead and walked them out of the engineering lab and down another hallway. It wasn't long till Arthur saw the familiar elevators from earlier and he could feel his tension easing.
I'm almost out of this nightmare. Just a few more minutes and then you can go home and forget this entire thing happened.
Ivan pressed the nearest elevator button and once the lift had arrived he motioned for Arthur to get in first. Once they were both inside and the doors were closed, Ivan pressed the button for the first floor and hummed along to the soft elevator music playing in the background.
Arthur watched the floor numbers slowly tick down on the side monitor inside the elevator. He could feel his stomach clench as the numbers reminded him of his watch and current situation. He tore his eyes away before he could give himself another chance to start a panic attack.
"I do not know what Junior Jones said to you, but I do apologize for him." Ivan spoke up as if he could sense Arthur's unease. "He is someone who I have discovered lacks manners and can be quiet childish. I can not stand to be in the same room as him either."
"Oh this has nothing to do with Mr. Jones personally." Arthur was quick to say back. "Just a misunderstanding is all…"
"Hmm… a misunderstanding that would make you want to not go back and to leave?"
"Yes, well…" Arthur looked down at the floor unsure of what to say. He was suddenly starting to feel very nervous. He was unsure, but it felt like the general atmosphere was getting tense again.
"I just think it is strange that you do not want to finish your interview."
Arthur's eyes widened at these words. How did this man know that he had not finished speaking with Alfred. There was no way that he could have seen what happened right?
"Oh we did finish!" Arthur quickly lied. "Yes, I was just in the process of leaving and got turned around and-"
"So you were leaving and got lost in the engineering lab?" Ivan turned and smiled at him, in almost a childlike manner. "I am curious what kind of misunderstanding would cause someone to run away and end up in a high security area… Yes I think I will have to ask Junior Jones about this." He then reached out and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder, a little too roughly for his liking.
"Do not worry. I will clear this all up. However, I hope that you now understand that the engineering lab is strictly prohibited to guests. I advise you that if you return you pay more attention to your badge, yes?"
Arthur could feel Ivan's fingers press into his shoulder more tightly. He could tell he was being threatened but he couldn't quite understand why. He clenched his fists at his sides before looking up and glaring challengingly back at the harsh, violet, eyes that were staring at him.
"Thank you for the advice. I will keep it in mind."
Just then the elevator doors opened up with a soft ding. Arthur took this chance to break the eye contact and make a move towards the exit. But before he could take a second step forward he was forcibly pushed from behind. The sudden motion caused him to stumble out of the elevator, nearly losing his balance and tripping over himself. Once he got his bearings Arthur whipped around and saw Ivan smirking at him.
"It was nice meeting you Mr. Kirkland." Ivan gave him a wave before the elevator doors shut and Arthur was relieved to finally be alone.
"Not likewise…" he mumbled under his breath before he made his way over to the front desk to check out and turn in his badge. After that was settled Arthur had to force himself to walk and not run in an undignified manner towards and through the exit.
When he finally made it outside Arthur made a point to get as far away from the SoulTech building as he could. He only made it a few blocks before his shaking legs told him he needed to sit down somewhere. He quickly located a bench along the walkway and sat down now suddenly feeling the pounding headache that he most likely received from being thrown against the wall earlier. He reached up and rubbed at the spot wincing as he felt a small bump forming.
What the hell was that all about? Why was he threatening me? Why was I treated so aggressively? Arthur's thoughts were racing as he recalled everything that had happened. Does any of this have to deal with the watches?
Thinking of the watches once again reminded him of the incident that took place when he met Alfred Jones and a frustrated groan escaped his throat. He recalled the exact moment their watches went off and his anxiety tried to spike again. The stress of the day was starting to really affect him, and he quickly decided that he would have to deal with all these thoughts later but definitely not right now.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone and quickly found the contact that he was looking for. He took a few seconds before sending a message.
"Are you up for drinks tonight? I can buy the first round."
Arthur didn't even bother to look away from his phone, as he knew he would get a response right away. After only a few seconds his phone displayed the reply.
"Shit eyebrows, you do know it is only Monday right?"
"I am very aware of what day it is. However, I didn't realize that you cared about that. Last time I checked you liked getting pissed any day of the week."
"LOL. Yeah I don't care."
Arthur rolled his eyes at the short reply and began to type up another but was surprised to read the next message that was sent to him.
"But I know you do. Is something going on? Are you upset about Francis again?"
Arthur in-took a sharp breath as he read over the name of his ex-soulmate. He didn't need to be thinking about him right at the moment especially with all of the other thoughts buzzing around in his head.
"Yes and no to answer your questions. Just show up at the usual pub around six. I have something that I thought you might want to hear anyway."
He sent his response and then put his phone away not bothering to look at the reply. With his evening plans scheduled and his legs feeling more steady after some rest, Arthur got up from his seat and started to make his way home.
"Alfred can you hear me? Alfred?"
Alfred blinked from his thoughts and realized that Kiku was looking at him worriedly. He came back to his senses and gave an awkward laugh.
"Sorry about that Kiku. I, uh, wow! Can you believe what just happened? I found my soulmate!" He smiled and reached down and picked up his watch that had fallen to the floor, marveling at it in wonder.
"Yes it appears that way." Kiku gave a nod before he reached out and tapped Alfred's shoulder realizing he was losing the man to his thoughts again. "Though he ran off, we should probably alert security…"
That was right. Arthur had in fact ran away. Now that Alfred was thinking about it, Arthur looked completely terrified about the situation. He could have sworn he heard the beeping of Arthur's watch which meant that it was fixed and they were soulmates! But if that was the case why was Arthur so scared? And if security got to him he could only imagine it would get worse...
"Oh shit!" Alfred shouted out, his mind finally catching up with the situation. "Did you see which way he ran? Do you think I can catch him?" He knew that their security could be pretty… efficient.
Kiku shook his head. "I can only assume he headed towards the elevators, but I am not sure. I think we should call Vash and explain the situation."
"Right, yeah that is a good idea." Alfred agreed and he quickly headed into his office where he phoned Vash.
"Hey Vash! How are you doing?" He waited for a typical answer but was surprised by what he heard back.
"I know about Mr. Kirkland. I'm watching him now. I'll have someone escort him back."
"Wow, you really do watch those cameras all the time don't you." Alfred chuckled back. But then a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Wait, does that mean that you saw when-"
"When your watches went off? Yeah. I didn't see where Kirkland's fell but I saw yours. Also I saw you spill coffee on yourself. That will probably stain later."
"Oh…" Alfred could feel his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. The two of them were silent for a moment before he heard Vash curse on the other line.
"Damn it Natalia. Listen Alfred I have to go. I'll have Natalia take him back to your office okay?"
"Oh, uh, thanks Vash I really appreciate it!" He then hung up and went back to the lobby where Kiku was waiting.
"Vash said he will get someone to escort him back. So everything should be okay."
"That is good to hear." Kiku nodded and let his shoulders relax in relief. "I wonder why he ran. Perhaps he was embarrassed?"
"Yeah maybe..." Alfred ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh.. He was now starting to be flooded with questioning thoughts. I didn't scare Arthur right? Was he disgusted by me? No that can't be right… the watches wouldn't go off in that instance…
Kiku could sense that Alfred was becoming distressed and he motioned for him to take a seat in one of the lobby chairs. "I am sure everything will work out… Would you like me to wait out here with you?"
"No… I know you are busy. You should head back to work. But thanks Kiku." Alfred gave his friend a smile as he took a seat next to the engineering lobby entrance.
"Well let me know if you need anything. Though I do suggest based on these findings it might be best to reschedule the initial interview. I doubt that either of you would be productive with it at this point."
"Yeah, you are probably right." Alfred gave a laugh and then watched briefly as Kiku left and headed back to his own office.
It was hard to calm down his nerves as he waited for Arthur to return. What would he even say to the man at this point? How should they start the conversation? These nervous thoughts were making him antsy so he started to bounce his leg up and down hoping that time could speed up magically just like it had seemed to slow down right when his watch went off.
After waiting around for thirty minutes Alfred started to worry. He wondered if he should call Vash again. He stood up and started to make his way back to his office when the lobby doors opened up. He turned around with a smile ready to greet Arthur but was met with the tall frame of Ivan instead.
"Oh It's just you." Alfred couldn't help but deflate.
"What is wrong Junior Jones?" Ivan smiled at him. "You were expecting someone?"
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Alfred could feel his annoyance flare up at the nickname. "You should try to be more professional."
"I don't see anything wrong with it. You are in fact the other Jones in this office, yes? And you are the younger one. So you are Junior Jones."
Alfred knew that Ivan was just coming up with an excuse. The lead engineer loved to get under his skin. It was like this ever since Alfred had started to work at the company. He could only assume it was because Ivan felt that Alfred got special treatment because his father was the head engineer. Either that or Ivan was just jealous of him. Alfred was smarter than him after all, or at least he thought so.
"Whatever. Just leave me alone Braginksi. I'm busy today."
"Oh I know. You have an important interview today. Your father told me about it. I am glad to hear that it was finished."
Alfred's blinked at Ivan's words. "What? It's not finished yet..."
"Hmm that is strange. Mr. Kirkland informed me that he was finished with the interview."
"When did you meet Arthur? Is he still here?!" Alfred couldn't keep the panic from his voice. He hadn't driven his soulmate away had he?
"You know what I find even stranger?" Ivan hummed as he moved closer to Alfred. "I found him in the engineering lab. Apparently it was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstand that you seemed to cause. Junior Jones you remember that the labs are off limits yes? Only authorized personnel are allowed in."
"He was in the lab?" Alfred was confused. "But how? The sensors to the lab entrance would have closed off or his security badge would have called out an alert…"
"I think that was from Vash. He seemed to know about the intrusion." Ivan gave a wave of his hand to dismiss the thought. "Do not worry. I have done your job for you and escorted him out of the building."
"What?! Oh I have to go after him I need to clear this up-"
"I don't think that is very necessary. Mr. Kirkland seemed very upset. You know I do not think your father would like to know that the interview went poorly… or that fact that a reporter was found in the lab." Ivan's voice took a darker tone.
Alfred didn't like the direction that this conversation was turning and frowned back at Ivan.
"Braginksi are you blackmailing me?"
Ivan held his harsh gaze at Alfred before he glanced around and took notice of Kiku's office door and it being wide open. He then chuckled.
"Of course not. I am just reminding you of the rules. Though I would like to know what the misunderstanding was that caused Mr. Kirkland to want to leave so badly. But can you tell me that later, yes?" He reached out and patted Alfred on the shoulder and moved away disappearing into his own office.
Alfred watched Ivan walk away into his own office and didn't relax until the man was out of his sight. He let out a sigh and unclenched his fists. This incident was definitely something that the other was not going to let go. His thoughts then drifted back to Arthur and he let out a sigh. What was he going to do now? Alfred had managed to ruin an important interview, piss off Ivan, and upset his soulmate all in the span of an hour and half. Great work Jones…
Alfred glanced over at the time being displayed on the wall and decided that he was going to take an early lunch. There was no way he would be able to concentrate on his work now, not with the current state of his thoughts. He decided that an early lunch break was a good solution. He needed to go pay Bella back anyway so he quickly made his way out of his office and headed over to the Sweet Distraction Café.
When Alfred arrived at the café he was glad to see that it was less busy then this morning. Mostly likely because everyone was still at work and hadn't braked for lunch yet. He walked up to the counter and quickly caught the eye of Bella.
"They say thieves always come back to the scene of the crime." Bella gave him a playful smirk. She then messed with the main control for the payment screen before she motioned for Alfred to go ahead and make his payment.
"Yeah sorry about earlier." Alfred gave a small, apologetic smile. "I was really distracted…" His tone came out flatter than usual and he didn't have the energy to try to mask his emotions like he had tried to this morning. He then fished out his payment card from his wallet and tapped it against the screen until it flashed with a confirmation.
"Now that your outstanding debit is taken care of, can I get you anything else?" Bella asked, a little concern seeping into her voice. She couldn't help but glance at Alfred's wrist and noticed the missing watch. When Alfred shook his head to her question she hummed and then turned to her co-worker, a young, smiling, blonde haired man who was busy fixing some of the display arrangements.
"Tino, can you keep an eye on the front here? I'm going to take my break a bit early."
"Yeah sure! It's pretty slow right now anyway." Tino nodded back before he took Bella's place at the main payment counter.
"Thanks Tino." Bella smiled back gratefully before she moved around the counter and motioned for Alfred to follow her. She led him to a quiet corner of the café and motioned for him to sit down.
After they both took a seat at the small wooden table Bella gave Alfred a concerned look, before speaking up.
"You have been acting strangely since this morning. What's wrong?"
"Just about everything." Alfred let out a sigh and rubbed at his left arm. "Today really did not go the way I thought it would." He decided to open up to Bella. Talking about things with her always made him feel better. And he felt like he did kind of owe her explanation for his behavior earlier.
"What happened? Does it have to deal with your soulmate?"
"Yeah kind of."
Alfred then spent the next hour telling Bella all about his morning. He told her everything from looking at Arthur's watch profile, to meeting him in real life for his interview, Arthur's reaction and then the brief encounter with Ivan. He did leave out the finer details, such as Arthur's profile being flagged, and Arthur being found in a high security area. He was pretty sure he was not supposed to mention those facts outside work, and he didn't want his father being anymore upset with him then he probably already would be.
"Wow, what are the odds that your soulmate would be the exact person meeting you for your interview today. And just after you had glanced at his profile? It's so romantic!" Bella smiled at him.
"Yeah except for the part where he ran away from me." Alfred grumbled. "Do you think I somehow upset him?"
"Hmmm." Bella hummed in thought. "Maybe he was just shocked? He might not have been expecting to see his soulmate today."
Alfred thought for a second about Bella's words. It actually didn't sound so far-fetched to him. He knew Arthur's watch had been flagged for malfunction, so it was likely that the other didn't fully expect to meet his soulmate at all let alone during a work interview. Maybe Arthur had just been surprised and confused by the situation?
"You know I think I read about something similar on a blog I follow. Hang on, let me pull it up." Bella pulled her phone out of her apron pocket and started to tap and scroll for a few seconds. "It's actually a really cute blog, a bunch of people can write in with soulmate questions and get romantic advice. Ah here it is!"
Bella turned her phone around and showed Alfred the screen. The blog page layout seemed very simple. At the top in red cursive was the words "Ask Alice - Romantic & Soulmate Expert Extraordinaire".
Alfred couldn't help but laugh at the description. It seemed silly to him that a blog would be so popular. "Let me guess it's popular with pre-teen girls?"
"Hey, Alice actually can give useful advice for adults too, you know!" Bella blushed at Alfred's laughter.
"Oh really? Have you ever written to her?" Alfred teased.
"That is none of your business!" Bella's cheeks collared more and then she turned her phone back around and started to scroll through it again. "Anyway, this is about you remember? Let me find the post I'm thinking of."
Alfred couldn't help but snicker as Bella got embarrassed. He didn't think she would have been the type to write to a blog about meeting her soulmate, but he guessed everyone had questions or fears or doubts about it, much like his own. He drummed his fingers on the table while Bella continued her search.
"Aha found it! This one was posted a few weeks ago."
"Oh so you read this often then?"
"Alfred I am trying to help you here."
"Okay, okay sorry. What does it say?"
Bella cleared her throat before she started to read the post.
'Dear Alice,
I finally met my soulmate the other day! However, it did not go exactly as I thought it would. I was walking down the sidewalk carrying some paints over to my studio. I had a few cans stacked on top of each other because I thought they would be easier to carry that way. I put my favorite red paint on top not only because it is one of my favorites, but also because I lost the lid to the container, so I just covered the top with some plastic wrap.
Anyway, I was walking down the sidewalk when I bumped into someone! I couldn't see that clearly because of the paints I was holding. Well I guess I was walking pretty fast because as soon as I bumped into this person I tumbled forward and dropped all my paints. My red paint ended up tipping forward and the paint broke through the plastic wrap and spilled over the guy underneath me.
This guy was already shouting at me in a language I only half understood, but as soon as he noticed the paint splattered over his shirt and pants he got even more frustrated. Between his shouting I could barely hear our watches go off.
As soon as I noticed and pointed it out to him, he seemed to get even angrier. His face turned such a deep red that I thought maybe some of my paint had gotten on his face. I tried to apologize and wipe at his face but he pushed me away and demanded that I pay for his dry cleaning. He then thrusted a business card at me and told me to contact him later for the payment before rushing off. I wonder if I made him late for work...
Even though this guy seemed kind of rude, I can't stop thinking about how cute he is! And even though we are meant to be together, I also can't stop thinking about how messed up our first meeting went… I bet he thinks I'm super clumsy… and maybe he ran away from me because he couldn't believe that someone like me is their soulmate?
Alice, I know first impressions are the most important. Is there anything I can do to change my soulmates thoughts about me? (Besides paying for his dry cleaning).
Thanks,
EnamoredTomatoArtist
"Okay I don't know how this is-" Alfred had started to argue when Bella finished reading.
"Hang on let me read the advice first!" Bella argued back before she continued to read the answer to the post.
'Dear EnamoredTomatoArtist,
First: I think you should look into getting a re-sealing device. They are handy at creating efficient instant casing for things that need to be sealed. That would prevent other paint spilling problems in the future.
Second: yes first impressions count, but last impressions are forever. Have you ever seen a trailer for a movie and thought it wasn't that great, but then decided to watch it and it turns out to be your favorite movie? When taking in that context, first impressions don't seem that great anymore huh?
Just because you messed up the first time meeting someone doesn't mean that you can't start over and try again. I think the best possible thing you can do is meet up with your soulmate again and explain that the situation was an accident and that you would love for the two of you to get to know each other more. Especially since you have been chosen to be together from now on. You could even take this opportunity to ask them out on your first date!
Third: I don't think that your soulmate dislikes you as much as you think. Why else would they give you a way to contact them? Just something to keep in mind. (Also you should still pay for his dry cleaning.)
Sincerely,
Alice
"See I think she gives out good advice." Bella gave a smirk as she looked over at Alfred. "Just because your first meeting with your soulmate didn't go that great doesn't mean you can't try again. I bet if you find a way to meet up with Arthur you guys can work things out."
Alfred was quiet as he took in the advice. He hated to admit it but it sounded like this 'Alice' person kind of knew what they were talking about. If he met up with Arthur again he could introduce himself properly and hopefully things would go better from there. Alfred already felt like he knew a lot about Arthur from reading all the information detailed on his watch profile, but he really wanted Arthur to get to know him. There was also this nagging feeling he had about Arthur's watch, he wanted to know more about it as well.
"I guess I could try meeting him again." Alfred smiled to himself as he was already making up plans. He could always pull up Arthur's address from his profile. He could take a half day at work tomorrow and try to meet him in the afternoon.
"That's the spirit!" Bella gave Alfred a pat on the shoulder. "If it goes well your first coffee date is on me." She winked. "Now I think we both need to get back to work."
"Yeah…" Alfred agreed and stood up from his seat. "Thanks by the way. I really needed this."
"Anytime Alfred." Bella gave him a smile before she bid him farewell and headed back over to the front counter.
With his mood refreshed, Alfred made his way back to work with a smile on his face. For the rest of the work day the only thing he accomplished was drafting up plans for his meeting with Arthur the following day.
Author's Notes: Sorry for the late update. I struggled a bit with this chapter, I kept re-writing it because nothing felt 'good' enough. I hope you enjoy what I have so far though. I have some plans for Ivan later on so I hope everyone doesn't assume he is the big bad guy in this just yet. Also bonus points to whoever can guess who Arthur will be meeting at the beginning of the next chapter!
Anyway I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Seeing all the reviews make my day. Until next time!
~Rose