Sirius got lucky, James muses. He'd found his soulmate at age eleven — but it could be chalked up to the fact that he is named after a star. And his soulmate had found him first, being the clever boy that he is.

And now, they are engaged to be married in about a month's time. But James is still soulmate-less.

Everyone tells him to "follow the constellations." But he has. And it keeps leading him in circles. And the night is shorter than it seems.

He keeps fantasizing about his soulmate. He obviously wants her to be pretty (his mother calls him shallow) and witty, be able to keep up with him. Having a kind heart is also a must.

(Okay, so this is more a list of requirements. He's quite picky when it comes to girls. He's not the type to date around.)

But he hasn't found such a woman and quite frankly, he's getting desperate and it shows.

At this point, he's just hoping that his soulmate is smart and finds him first, or he'll be an awkward hermit, the third-wheel for the rest of his life.


His mother is a socialite and avid knitter. She knits all kind of garments at the local knitting club and on the weekends, she drags him there. She claims that he needs exposure to all kinds of life.

Well, at least James knows now how he's going to parent his kid. First tip: don't take parenting classes. They infiltrate your mind with ideal parenting tips and then your kid comes and then you're like shit I'm screwed.

HIs mother had taken those classes and tried to parent him the ideal way, but he'd defied all those things and made her life hell. According to her, at least.

Don't get him wrong, his mother is nice. She's a good cook, has a good taste in fashion, even for adolescent boys, because of her fashion magazines.

Anyway, his mother lures him into their car with the promises of ice cream, and he happily complies.

It's a death trap. Deceit. It takes him about five seconds to realize where they're really going and he starts complaining, but his mother dispels his arguments craftily.

Needless to say, the rest of the car ride is spent in silence.


There is a new redheaded girl there. She smiles at them as they enter and her eyes linger on James a little bit longer. Recognition sparks in her eyes for the briefest second but dies immediately. James is confused. He's never seen this girl before in his life.

But oh, is she his dream girl. Crimson hair, emerald eyes, freckled cheeks, curvy, and holy shit she's gorgeous.

Fucking buggering sodding hell...


He sees her again and again at each of the classes he attends. She's there, sometimes with her mum, and she's actually interested in knitting. Not that there's anything wrong with it (cough, cough).

His mum's classes are in the morning, so he has uni on the weekdays. It's rather unfortunate, but the girl apparently does too.

(He almost regrets asking his mum about her; she gets that gleam in her eye whenever he mentions the redheaded girl. It's unnerving.)

One day, the girl pulls him aside. "Go out with me," she says abruptly and James is floored.

"I'm sorry?"

"You're my soulmate," she states. "I found you the other day, meandering around the woods at night and muttering things about bloody stars. And I just knew."

What in the-? "I knew someone was spying on me!" he blurted out and clapped a hand over his mouth. "But why are you telling me now?"

"I was trying to work up the nerve to tell you, because you're the coolest bloke I've ever met and I'm an awkward hermit," she says ruefully. "And you're completely oblivious - I've been dropping hints all this time and you've never noticed."

James stares. And he bursts out laughing. Irony is never lost upon him.

"Well, if we're going to be soulmates," he says, "then we should exchange names and numbers, no? And maybe then we can arrange that date."

She laughs. "That works."


...what is it with me and writing long things these days?

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Written for Romance Awareness Month - Each soulmate pair has a constellation, and the constellation that you perceive to be the brightest is pointing towards where your soulmate is.