Lonnie grinned when her phone chimed again. She knew it was probably Jay, who was bored out of his mind. The two of them texted almost all the time in the three weeks since they'd met. It had started with an exchange of pictures of weapons and from there had grown into good conversation.
Almost everyone who knew her was aware that she'd met her soulmate. The mark on her skin, which had remained rainbow coloured for about an hour, was now gold. She often found herself running her hand over it as she thought about how surreal this all was.
For once in her life, however, she was pleased that Aziz was too busy to hang out often because that man had taken every chance he could to tease her about this and if he saw her staring at her mark as often as she did, she'd never hear the end of it.
Lonnie picked up her phone, checking the messages to find that it was indeed Jay, who was apparently bored and wanted a partner in his game.
I just got home. She replied. Give me ten minutes to log on.
As she sat on her sofa and began logging on, she couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face. She loved this part of her day. Jay was one of the best gaming partners she'd ever had. It was so much fun. They'd hung out in person a week ago and they'd somehow ended up back at her flat, playing Mario Kart, of all things. Jay was definitely one of the most fun people that she knew.
Soon, she was online and through her headset, she could hear Jay yelling profanities as they went around and slew their enemies.
They started up their usual conversations as soon as Jay realised that she was online and went through a few rounds together. Then Jay's voice suddenly turned a little awkward.
"So, listen," he said, "Uh, I told you my sister is getting married in December, right?"
"Yeah, you did," Lonnie confirmed. "Why, has she gone all Bridezilla yet?"
Jay laughed. "Well, she's a little particular, but not quite Bridezilla zone yet. No, actually, I was going to say that she's kinda getting after me about getting a date for the wedding because I RSVPed with a plus one."
Lonnie's heart started beating a little faster. Was this him asking her to be his plus-one? They were just friends, right? Jay hadn't given any indication that he'd thought of their bond as anything other than platonic. Maybe he was wondering if she had any friends he could bring. She'd watched him be flirty with several girls on the one time they'd actually met up in person.
"You RSVPed with a plus one despite not having a plus one?" Lonnie asked.
"I figured I'd find someone just before the wedding but Evie wants numbers for catering as soon as possible, so she needs to know what my plus one would want to eat."
"That sounds like a reasonable concern," Lonnie replied, slamming her thumbs into the buttons on her controller. She swore as her in-game persona sustained considerable damage.
"It is," Jay agreed, a few choice words of his own then slipping out as his character almost died. "Here's the thing, though. I can't exactly ask someone I don't really know to go to a wedding with me. I mean, that's a little much. Especially seeing as it's still a month away."
"Okay, are you asking me for a solution or are you asking me to be the solution?" Lonnie asked, nearly throwing her controller as her character died.
Jay's groaning that followed told her that he also died. "Be the solution," he admitted, "It would be easier and, you know, I like spending time with you and it's not like you'll expect anything from this. Also, Evie is dying to get to know you. And she very strongly hinted that she wanted you to be my plus-one."
Lonnie thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, sure. I love weddings."
"Really?"
"Yeah, absolutely," Lonnie replied. "It's incredible to watch two people who love each other so much declare their commitment to each other in front of their family and friends."
"Okay, but I should warn you that Evie is a romantic and so will probably give very unsubtle hints that she thinks our connection is romantic."
Lonnie gave a little laugh. "Yeah, you've mentioned that she does that from time to time."
She then heard some muffled yelling, likely Carlos, followed by some slightly louder but still muffled yelling from Jay, who'd obviously covered his microphone with his hand.
"Carlos says that Evie wants to meet you before the wedding," Jay said, with a sigh.
"Great!" Lonnie exclaimed. "It'll be much less awkward for me if I vaguely know her first."
"You're weirdly excited about this."
"I told you. I love weddings."
Jay laughed and it caused Lonnie's heart to skip a beat. She mentally told herself off for this. She wasn't supposed to fall for him. It was clear he only wanted something platonic from her and that was perfect. He was a fantastic friend and they'd become really close in the past few weeks. Her heart shouldn't be reacting like that. She shouldn't be falling for him if the bond was platonic. She knew this.
Maybe this wedding was a bad idea. But she'd said yes now. She couldn't back out. Jay had asked to come as a favour and she wasn't about to let him down.
-A Passing Touch-
Jay felt slightly nervous as he knocked on Lonnie's door. She was finally going to meet the rest of his chosen family and it felt important. Probably because they were soulmates, he figured. After all, he was the last of the four to find their soulmate. It was a big deal.
The problem was that Jay had already told them that he was certain it was a platonic bond. But he wasn't certain. He'd never wanted to be around a person more. Not even the three he thought of as siblings, all of whom he was certain he couldn't live without.
And it wasn't just wanting to be near her all the time. It was the fact that whenever she laughed, his heart did funny things in his chest and every time he saw her in person, he was pretty sure that it stopped for a moment.
They'd met up in person a few more times since she agreed to come to the wedding, which was now two weeks away and he'd very quickly realised that Lonnie was someone he felt safe and comfortable with in a way that he never had with any of the girls he'd been out with. He even opened up about his childhood and, though she tried to hide it, Jay saw Lonnie shed a tear as he talked. He usually hated the sympathy that he got if he talked about his childhood, but from Lonnie, it was more than just sympathy. Seeing that tear made him think that it may have actually pained her to hear that he wasn't cared about the way he should've been. He was sure that no one had cared for him that much, except maybe his three siblings.
He also found himself caring about her more than he'd cared for anyone. She'd caught a cold a couple of days after she'd agreed to go to the wedding with him and he found himself wanting to do anything he could to make her feel better. Whenever she'd had a bad or slightly tough day, he'd put in a little extra effort to make her smile, in a way he never had before, even when he couldn't see whether or not she was smiling.
It scared him slightly, the fact that he was falling for her. He hadn't expected to, not even in the slightest. But he was. He just didn't know what to do about it. He couldn't ask her out. She'd only agreed to be his plus-one because she happened to really like weddings and she was doing him a favour.
His thoughts were interrupted by Lonnie opening her door and oh, boy, he was definitely in trouble. She looked stunning, wearing a gorgeous short blue and pink dress with blossom patterns over it and a black belt around her waist. Her hair was curled and she had a silver headband in her hair. And then, just to top it off and stop his heart altogether, she smiled at him.
He thought he might get used to her smile, and maybe he will, but definitely not for a long time. Her grin lit up her whole face and, oh boy, he was definitely falling in love with her.
"Hey," she said, grabbing her handbag to slip over her shoulder.
"Hey," Jay replied, finding his voice. "You look good."
Lonnie grinned again and Jay's heart stuttered again. It was going to be incredibly inconvenient if that kept happening every time she smiled.
"Thanks," Lonnie replied. "I like your jacket."
Jay glanced down at the red jacket with black sleeves he was wearing. "Thanks. Evie made it."
"It suits you very well, even if it does have sleeves."
Jay laughed. "Well, it is a little cold out. Speaking of, aren't you going to be cold?"
Lonnie shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." She reached to the side and took a long black wrap coat from the side then slipped it on. "See?"
Jay smiled and waved his hand in an "after you" gesture towards the stairwell behind him. Lonnie smiled and walked out of her flat, locking it behind her before heading down the stairs with Jay behind her.
They arrived at Mal and Evie's flat, where Evie had prepared a lovely dinner, and Lonnie was an instant hit, as Jay knew she'd be. The only people there were the 'Core Four' (as they nicknamed themselves in secondary school – no one could remember why, but it had stuck) and their partners. That made Jay feel slightly awkward because the others were in some form of romantic relationship with the person they'd brought and Jay was not.
Jay watched as Lonnie slipped into their group dynamic easily. It seemed as though she belonged there as much as anyone else did. Even when he heard the conversation turn to Evie's wedding, as it so often did, Lonnie was not left to feel like an outsider. She definitely won some points with Evie by gushing about some of the various details and was even invited into Evie's room to look at the wedding dress (Evie had designed it herself but so far, only her bridesmaids had seen it, so this was a huge thing).
As he watched the girls disappear off to the other room once the food was all gone, Jay felt Ben's hand fall on his shoulder in what felt like a sympathetic clap.
"You know," he said, "You could just tell her."
Jay frowned at him, confused. "Tell who what?"
"Tell Lonnie that you're falling in love with her," Carlos chimed in.
"I'm not-" Jay stopped, realising there was no point in denying it. "No, I can't."
"Why not?" Doug asked.
Jay sighed and put his head in his hands. "She just sees me as a friend. I'm not going to ruin that by wanting more."
Carlos raised an eyebrow at him. "You can't know that for sure, Jay. I thought Jane only saw me as a friend too."
Jay shot Carlos a glare. "That's different. Your bond showed itself later on and was quite obviously a romantic thing once you figured out the trigger. For me and Lonnie…our bond could be platonic. She's never mentioned if she thinks it could be romantic."
"Nor have you," Carlos pointed out. "Look, we're not saying outright tell her that you love her, just ask her out."
Jay shook his head. "I'm not going to say anything. Not until she gives me some kind of indication that she feels it too."
"She's your plus-one to a wedding," Doug pointed out. "That's not indication enough?"
"She loves weddings," Jay replied with a shrug. "And she's doing me a favour."
"Okay," Ben replied. "I think we all agree that you should tell her but you know what, it's your life."
"Exactly," Jay replied, clapping his hand on Ben's back in thanks.
"Okay, okay," Carlos said putting his hands up in surrender. "I'm dropping it now."
The girls then came out a couple minutes later and sat back down at the table, where everyone stayed and chatted for a little while longer. The way Lonnie fit so perfectly with their little mismatched family made his heart ache with longing. He knew for certain now that he was falling in love with her.
Slowly, but surely, people began to make their way out of the flat. Jay watched Ben give Mal a quick kiss goodbye and couldn't help the slight jealousy that rose at the simple display of affection. He desired something like that more than he believed he should.
When Jay and Lonnie left, Jay couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Lonnie had brought a coat. A part of him wanted to be that cheesy, chivalrous rom-com-type-guy who would sacrifice his own jacket for the sake of the leading lady's warmth. Jay imagined that she would look amazing in his jacket.
Jay quickly squashed these thoughts, focusing instead on Lonnie as they made their way back to her apartment. Once there, Jay found himself glancing at her lips when she turned to say goodbye after unlocking the door.
He quickly took a step back and smiled at her before bidding her goodbye and leaving. He had to get hold of himself. If he was determined to not act on these feelings he had to stop feeling them before he did something to ruin their friendship. He couldn't, wouldn't, risk losing her over this.
-A Passing Touch-
The day of the wedding arrived and Lonnie had just touched up her make-up for the final time when the doorbell rang.
"Coming!" she called out, putting her make-up bag away. After a quick once-over in the mirror, she nodded to herself and headed to the door.
Upon opening it, she found Jay, looking incredibly handsome in his white shirt and navy blue sports coat and matching slacks. His hair was also all neatly gathered in a bun on top of his head, which, Lonnie couldn't deny, she found very attractive.
"Hi," she said with a small smile. It grew wider as she realised that Jay seemed a little flustered by her appearance and was looking her up and down appreciatively. Lonnie decided to give him a few more moments, knowing that the long-sleeved pink dress she'd picked for the wedding suited her extremely well. Also, she kinda liked the fact that it grabbed Jay's attention like that.
"Um, hey," Jay said, after a couple seconds, clearly snapping out of his thoughts. "You look...wow."
"Thanks. You look handsome yourself."
Jay's usual easy grin returned to his face. "Well, that's a given."
Lonnie rolled her eyes playfully and grabbed her coat. The two of them then headed to the venue in Jay's car. The first thing Lonnie took notice of, as they were ushered to where the family of the bride would sit, was that the only person sitting there was Ben.
She sat down next to the guy, exchanging polite small talk before turning back to Jay.
"Carlos, Jane and Mal walk in with Evie. Other than that, we're her only family," Jay informed Lonnie quietly before she had a chance to ask. Lonnie was slightly surprised by how well he could read her face, but that surprise was slightly overshadowed by the pain she felt on Evie's behalf. "But it's okay," Jay reassured her. "Evie always jokes that Doug has enough family for the both of them." He nodded to the other side of the venue, where dozens of people were sitting together.
Lonnie spared them a quick glance before turning back to Jay. "Well, I think she's incredibly lucky. Having you and the other two in her life must be worth a thousand cousins."
Jay stared at her for a moment and Lonnie couldn't help but wonder if he was going to kiss her. She wanted him to, that was for sure. Ever since the dinner at Evie's, it felt like something had shifted between them. This wasn't even the first time that she'd thought he was going to kiss her. She couldn't help but hope that maybe he was falling in love with her as she had him.
Jay cleared his throat and pulled away slightly. "Thanks."
Lonnie smiled at him and gave his hand a quick squeeze before returning her hand to her lap. She then turned back to Ben and began conversing with him once more.
Soon, the ceremony began and it was beautiful. Evie looked absolutely stunning, Doug looked like he couldn't believe it was happening and neither could take their eyes off of each other throughout the whole thing. Lonnie definitely cried a little through the vows and Jay looked so incredibly proud of his sister.
The reception afterwards was incredible. The dancing was fun and the food was incredible. Lonnie danced with Jay, as well as with the others whom she'd already met and a few whom she had not (mostly Doug's cousins, of which there were a lot).
Lonnie and Jay usually sat down during the slow dances though, which Lonnie didn't mind too much. Her feet were a little sore from wearing heels all day and she enjoyed watching the couples dance together. However, after dancing to a number of fast-paced songs, when the fourth slow song of the night came on, Lonnie turned to Jay and held out her hand.
"Dance with me?"
Jay looked unsure. "I don't really know how to slow dance, Lon."
Lonnie smiled, "Then I'll lead. Come on. Just one?"
Jay still looked slightly hesitant but he nodded anyway. "Okay, fine. Just one."
Lonnie led him through the steps, gently directing him as their feet moved along the floor. Soon enough though, it became less of a dance and more of a slow, swaying spin. With her heels, Lonnie was slightly taller than Jay by a couple of inches, but their eyes remained locked the whole time. As the song came to a stop, Lonnie took a step back.
"Do you want to go outside?" she asked. "It's getting quite warm in here."
Jay nodded and the two of them made their way through the crowd to go and stand outside.
Lonnie went out and looked forward at the darkening evening before them. The trees surrounding the building where the reception was being held were all decorated in fairy lights. It was beautiful and gave the surrounding area a soft glow that felt...romantic. Maybe that was what gave her the confidence to turn to Jay and begin speaking.
"I wanted to talk to you-"
"Can I say something-" Jay had begun saying at the same time. They both stopped and laughed.
"Can I go first?" Lonnie asked, smiling at him.
Jay nodded and gestured for her to go on.
"I'm in love with you," Lonnie said, figuring there was no point beating around the bush. "And I know that now probably isn't the best time to confess this because it's a wedding and weddings are romantic which tends to make people feel more romantic but I've been thinking about it for a long time. I also know we haven't known each other long but I can't help how I feel. If you still think that our bond is platonic though, that's okay. I'm more than happy with that. I just wanted to lay all my cards out on the table."
Jay gaped at her, his eyes wide as he seemingly tried to process what she was saying.
"Okay, normally I'd be the kind of girl that wouldn't expect an answer but please say something because I'm getting a little nervous here."
That seemed to snap Jay out of whatever he was thinking because he suddenly surged forward and captured Lonnie's lips in his own. Lonnie was taken by surprise so she didn't kiss back at first but very quickly found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss.
When they pulled away, Lonnie let out a little laugh. "So I guess you're going to say yes if I suggest we go on a date soon?"
Jay chuckled. "I'll take you on a date now if it means I can do that again."
Lonnie laughed, "Tomorrow will be fine. But you can definitely do that again."
Jay grinned and kissed her again, holding her impossibly closer as she grabbed the lapels of his jacket.
When they pulled apart, Jay stared at her for a moment. "You know, you kinda stepped on the toes of what I was going to say."
"Oh?" Lonnie replied, raising an eyebrow.
Jay grinned, taking her right hand and kissing the palm of it softly. "I love you too."
Lonnie's smile grew for a moment before suddenly, there was a strange sensation in her chest, like a slight burning. Jay dropped her hand as his hand went to his own chest, clearly having felt something similar. Lonnie found herself resting her right hand over her heart as the sensation subsided.
"You felt that too?" Lonnie asked.
Jay nodded, looking confused. "Yeah, what the hell…" he trailed off as he stared at her hand.
"Jay? You okay?" Lonnie asked, concern growing.
"What…where's your soulmark?"
Lonnie gave him a confused look before glancing down at her hand and seeing that the mark that had been on her hand her entire life was suddenly gone.
"I...I don't know. I've never heard of a soulmark just disappearing like that."
Jay looked really worried. "This doesn't make any sense."
"Okay," Lonnie said, "Let's not panic. We don't know what's happened. How about we go check for yours? I'm pretty sure that Evie said that this venue has a small changing room because she wants to put on a different dress before she and Doug drive off for their honeymoon. I'll go ask her if we can use it."
Jay nodded, "Yeah, okay, good idea. Or I could go check in the men's room."
Lonnie shook her head. "If it really is gone, I think I'm going to need to see it for myself. Because this feels like a bad dream."
"Yeah, okay."
The two of them quickly made their way inside. Lonnie was relieved to see that Evie was sat down and, after telling her how wonderful the wedding was, she briefly explained what had happened. Evie was very understanding and pointed her in the direction of the changing room.
Once there, Jay practically tore off his jacket. Then he stopped before he could start unbuttoning his shirt. "Lonnie, what if it is gone? Do you think that we should take it as some kind of sign that this is meant to be platonic?"
Lonnie raised an eyebrow at him. "That's not how soulmarks work. Especially seeing as ours had to do with our first meeting."
Jay nodded. "Yeah, okay, you're right." He then slipped into his usual smirk. "Too bad this is why you see me shirtless for the first time, eh?"
Lonnie just raised an eyebrow. "Well, if it upsets you that much, you only have to take one sleeve off."
Jay laughed. "Okay, okay." He swiftly undid his shirt enough that he could slip the one sleeve off his shoulder. Both of their faces dropped instantly. His shoulder was clear of any kind of mark. Their soulmarks were gone.
Lonnie ran a hand over his shoulder and then looked back at him. "What do you think happened?"
Jay shrugged. "I don't know, Lon. I've never heard of this happening to anyone before."
Lonnie wasn't sure what to think, what to do. Suddenly, something else caught her eye. Just peeking out of the other side of his shirt was something strange. It looked like the beginning of a word of some kind. Jay had mentioned his tattoos but she was pretty sure that he didn't have one on his chest.
Curious, she gently moved the shirt out of the way, Jay's gaze following her hands. There, right above his heart, was her name, inked in the same gold that their marks had become an hour after their first meeting.
Lonnie raised an eyebrow at him. "Anything you want to tell me?" she asked, slightly amused.
"Yeah," Jay replied. "That wasn't there when I put this shirt on."
Lonnie's smile dropped quickly into a frown. She then remembered what had happened just before they realised her mark was missing. Quickly, she pulled aside the collar of her dress just enough to make out that above her own heart was Jay's name, in the same gold as hers was on his chest.
"Jay," she breathed with a laugh. She lifted her eyes so that she was looking into his. "They didn't disappear, they just changed. Because we confessed our love to each other."
Jay glanced between the two marks before rolling his eyes in a non-malicious way and scooping Lonnie up in his arms. "Of course, I end up with one of the most rom-com sounding marks possible."
"I guess you're forever going to be on my heart," Lonnie replied with a cheeky grin.
Jay rolled his eyes again with a slight chuckle before pulling her in for another kiss. "You're so lucky I'm in love with you."
"I know."
-A Passing Touch-
Jay held Lonnie's hand as they picked their way through the rows and rows of headstones.
"Here," he said, pointing to one of the most lavish-looking headstones. "She's here."
Jay and Lonnie knelt on either side of this grave, marked Iman Jafar. Loving Wife and Mother. Gone too soon but never to be forgotten. Jay laid down the bouquet of white carnations that he held in his hand.
"Hey, Mum," he said softly. He glanced up at Lonnie, who gave him an encouraging nod. "I haven't been here for a while. I am sorry about that. But I've missed you. I always miss you." He took a deep breath. "But I brought someone for you to meet. I've probably talked to you about her a hundred times before. Mum, this is Lonnie. My soulmate. And my fiancée."
"Hi," Lonnie said, smiling at the gravestone. Jay felt his heart flutter at the smile she gave like she was genuinely meeting someone alive and well and could see her. He was so thankful that she'd come into his life. So grateful that when he asked her to come and meet his mum with him, she'd agreed happily and hadn't made any comments about how strange it was that he would talk to the headstone of a woman he didn't even remember. "Your son is the most amazing guy I know, despite his father. I like to think he got a lot of that from you."
"I'm sorry I haven't brought her around before," Jay said. "I just...I guess I wanted to wait for what felt like the right time. And it definitely is the right time, Mum. I found my happy ending. I needed you to know that. Because while I remember almost nothing about you, I remember that the word 'Mum' always made me feel safe and I know you'd want to know that I'm actually safe and living now. Really living, not just surviving."
He paused for a few seconds, in which Lonnie took his hand and traced gentle shapes into it.
"I'm sorry," he said, now addressing Lonnie, "that it took until we were engaged for me to introduce her to you."
Lonnie shook her head. "It's okay, Jay. I never wanted to intrude on this. I'm grateful that you've brought me now, though."
"Dad didn't tell me much about her, except when he was ranting about how similar we were. One thing he used to say though was how pathetic my mark was and that my mum was wrong when she used to tell me it meant someone would hold me for the rest of my life." He smiled a little. "I think she'd be glad to know that she was actually right and that that person is you."
Lonnie smiled and shuffled over to him, leaning her head gently on his shoulder. "I'm glad too." She shifted her head so that her chin was on his shoulder and she was looking into his eyes. "And I can't wait to be the one to hold you for the rest of our lives."
Jay smiled back at her and gently kissed her forehead. He then turned back to the headstone and whispered a gentle: "I'll see you soon, Mum." before standing up, taking Lonnie's hand in his and making his way out of the cemetery again.
As he glanced down at his wife-to-be's hand, where her mark once was, he couldn't help but smile. His start in life was about as far from perfect as it could get, but with Lonnie's hand in his hand and her name on his heart, he knew that the ending to his story, far away as it may be, was going to be a much, much happier one.
Thank you guys so much for reading!
SparkyGurl