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littlemissaddict · 4 years

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New Years Kiss

Summary: Julie and Luke meet at a ski resort and their relationship grows. (Requested)

Word Count: 3K

Julie shivered as she got out of the car, pulling her coat tighter around her as the snow fell, she walked to meet her dad at the trunk helping him get their luggage out. It was still early but the sky was dark, probably because of the snow clouds she thought as they made their way up to the entrance of the winter resort that they were staying at for the week meaning that they would be here for New Years. Julie didn’t really want to spend it at home because it would because it would be the first year without her mom and Christmas at home was tough enough without her so she hoped the change of scenery would ease the pain slightly.

She stood in the lobby with Carlos while her dad checked them in and got their room keys. Looking at Carlos she realised he was on his phone, she knew she wouldn’t get anything out of him while they waited so she let her eyes wander around the room seeing lots of other families like themselves just arriving and others who were dressed in winter gear heading out, she guessed to the ski slopes that surrounded the resort. One person in particular caught her eye, he was young maybe a year or two older than herself with dark eyes and floppy brown hair but what drew her attention to him was the fact that he was in a sleeveless top looking as if he was dressed for the beach rather than the snow storm that was blowing on outside. Julie pulled her gaze away quickly when he turned his head as if sensing that someone was watching him, although she wasn’t quick enough that she missed the smug smile on his face when he caught her. Luckily for Julie her dad came over with the keys and led them away before she could embarrass herself further.

“So they're having a New Years Eve party it could be fun for you two to go” Ray says as they get to their room, somehow they have managed to get one that has two separated bedrooms which means Julie gets one to herself and Carlos shares with their dad.

“Maybe” Julie says going to put her bag in her room but Carlos seems excited at the idea.

The next couple of days they spent around the resort, Carlos wanted to try all the activities that were on for those who didn’t want to ski and Julie went with him. Every now and then she would catch sight of the boy without sleeves and wondered how he was dressed like that surely he was cold as everyone else including herself were wearing jumpers, even though it was warm inside you could still feel a chill everytime a door opened, she wanted to ask him but didn’t know how to approach him.

New Years Eve came and they were getting ready for the party the resort were throwing, they were holding two apparently one for kids that was going to be finish earlier on the night and one for adults that was going to go on late until the morning the poster had said, Julie wasn’t sure if she was going to stay awake that long. They had decided that they would go to the kids one and then when that finished they would meet up with their dad and ring in the new year together. When they went down to the party Carlos had found some of the kids he’d made friends with the past couple of days and left Julie to go with them, Julie decided to sit and watch the karaoke they had on. At first she was confused about how they picked who sang but as the song ended the two kids left the stage and two spotlights moved around the room picking out unsuspecting kids who, some she noticed rather reluctantly only got up because their friends encouraged them to, and sang with the stranger that joined them. Every so often they would have to repick because the chosen kid refused to get up but Julie was kind of entranced by it all, this would be interesting she thought.

After the next song the lights floated around the room, one landing on her and she took a deep breath as she had hardly sung since her mom had passed finding that all the passion she’d had for music had disappeared with her. She stood up slowly making her way to the little stage that was set up only realising when she got there who she was singing with, the boy with no sleeves, she noted how confident he looked and felt herself falter which he must have noticed.

“You got this” he smiled encouragingly at her and she couldn’t help but smile as they took their places behind the mics because his smile was infectious. The music started and the boy sang first, he was good Julie thought watching him, he made it seem so natural and effortless like he belonged on the stage. When he’d finished his part Julie pulled her eyes away from him to look at the words on the screen in front of them and taking a deep breath she began to sing, letting the music flow through her. He joined in moments later for the chorus and she let her gaze wander over to him again finding him already watching her, by this point they had drawn a small crowd of kids and glancing down into the crowd Julie found Carlos a proud smile on his face as he watched her and that’s the moment Julie thinks about how much she misses singing and performing. When they finish the song there's clapping and cheering from around them and the boy, whose name she is still yet to find out, clasps her hand and pulls her arm up before leaning forward and bowing while bringing Julie with him. They make their way off the stage and Carlos runs up to them.

“That was amazing” he smiles before looking down at their still clasped hands which Julie notices and pulls her hand away earning her a confused look from her brother “Are we going to find dad now” he asks.

“Yeah you go ahead and I’ll be along in a minute” she smiles watching as Carlos nods and heads off through the crowd then she turns to the boy beside her “You’re a really good singer” she says and he flashes her a smile.

“Yeah but it was nothing compared to your voice though, the power that you have, you’re like a human wrecking ball” he says excitedly. Julie raises her eyebrows at him amused and she notes the way a slight blush creeps up his face. “I’m Luke by the way”

“Julie” she replies as they walk away from the stage and back towards the back of the room where it’s a little bit quieter so they can talk.

“Can I ask you a question?” Julie asks when they sit down and Luke gives her a confused look but nods “Are you not cold? Because every time I’ve seen you for the past two days you’ve had a sleeveless shirt on and it’s bloody snowing outside” she rambles making Luke laugh.

“Nah I’m fine, I’m always warm” he replies when he’s calmed down. They stay there for the rest of the night talking, she finds out that he’s here with his parents and that he’s in a band which his parents aren’t very supportive of which surprises Julie and she tells him of how her parents always encouraged her and Carlos to pursue whatever made them happy. Although she does tear up thinking of her mom, Luke somehow knows what to say just to make her smile and listens to her as she tells him about her.

“She sounds like an amazing woman” He says quietly and Julie agrees. They sit in a comfortable silence until someone announces that it’s five minutes to midnight and Luke perks up again. “Shall we go watch the fireworks?” he asks standing up and holding his hand out to her.

“Only if you’ve got a coat” she teases, taking his hand and letting him pull her up from her seat. He shakes his head at her mumbling something that sounds like ‘of course I have a jacket’ which makes her chuckle. A few minutes later they’re wrapped up and stood outside with a crowd of other resort guests waiting for the countdown to the new year and the firework display. Luke reaches for Julie’s hand and squeezes slightly as the countdown begins, the both join the chorus of cheers as the fireworks go off.

“Well I should probably go and find my dad and brother” Julie smiles pulling away from him and Luke nods “Happy New Year Luke” she says leaving him with a wave, a giddy smile on her face as she makes her way through the crowd of people.

It’s just before lunch when Julie is woken on New Years day, she finds her dad and Carlos watching tv they’re both dressed and look like they’ve been up for a while. Her dad greets her with a hug and a kiss to the top of her head as she joins them, she knows that she’ll have to get dressed shortly so that they can go and get lunch but she stays with them for a while. When they make their way down to lunch, Julie’s surprised how many people are up considering how many of them went to bed early hours that morning. She spots Luke when they sit down to eat, he flashes her a smile and waves which she returns as her dad speaks.

“So I heard you had a good night last night” he says with a knowing smile and Julie doesn’t know if he means the singing or the fact that she hung out with Luke for most of the night. “Carlos told me you sang again, I’m just sorry I missed it” he said

“Don’t worry dad, I’ll make sure you’re there next time” she reassures him just as their food comes, they talk about their plans for the rest of the afternoon while they eat, deciding just to go back to their room and watch films as they still have couple of days before they go home. As they’re in the lobby heading back to their room, Julie hears her name called and turns to see Luke, telling her dad she will follow them, she goes over to meet Luke.

“Hey”

“So I was thinking as I leave the day after tomorrow, do you maybe want to hang out again tomorrow?” he asks, nervously rubbing the back of his neck and Julie replies with a nod “Cool uh meet you here at 10” he suggests and Julie agrees before going to catch up with her dad. Luckily he doesn’t mention anything about when she gets back to the room but she has a feeling Carlos may have told him about Luke as he gives her a suspectful glance.

Julie makes it to the lobby the next morning about five minutes early but to her surprise Luke’s already there waiting for her. “Morning” he greets when he spots her.

“So what did you have planned?” She asks coming to a stop in front of him, taking in his appearance she guessed that they would be going outside as he had his coat thrown over his arm and orange beanie on his head and she noted the way his hair curled out from the back of it where it was slightly longer, fighting the urge to run her hands thru it she waited for him to answer.

“I was thinking we could go skating” he said with a quirk of his brow as if he was asking her it as a question more than telling her. Julie nodded and waited for Luke to put his coat on before they headed outside. Getting their skates on and getting onto the rink took longer than Julie thought it would but they got their eventually clinging to each other for support and laughing their heads off. Once they were on the ice Julie skated forwards gracefully but when she realised Luke wasn’t there with her, she turned to find him clinging on to the side watching her.

“Have you skated before?” she asks and he shakes her head, “You know I thought when you asked if I wanted to go skating then you’d at least know how to skate yourself” she teases watching as colour flares on his cheek but she can’t tell if it’s from the could or if he’s embarrassed.

“Hey I can ski and snowboard, I didn’t think skating would be this hard” he says in self defense and Julie skates back over to him holding out her hand for him to take which he does, holding her hand tightly as he skates next to her albeit very wobbly. Luke gets better after a while once he finds his balance and he doesn’t need to hold Julie’s hand anymore however he doesn’t let go. Julie doesn’t say anything but she enjoys the feeling of her hand in his and she can feel the warmth of his hand through their gloves. Later on when they’re handing their skates back they decide to walk around outside for a bit before heading back inside.

“We should hang out more, you know when we get back home” Luke suggests but Julie raises her eyebrows at him.

“Do we even live anywhere near each other?” she asks with a chuckle when he laughs when he realises that he doesn’t know where she lives, he just assumed they lived near each other. As it turns out they live about a two hour drive from each other which is not ridiculously far but not close enough that they can hang out with each other after school.

“Okay but we should at least swap numbers so that we can keep in touch and then maybe plan something so that we can meet up on a weekend or something” he says a hopeful smile on his face and Julie can’t help but smile at him as she reaches into her pocket to pull her phone out to hand to him. They part ways shortly after that as Luke still has to pack ready for him going home and Julie was meeting her dad and Carlos for lunch but he makes sure to give her a hug before he goes which leaves Julie feeling giddy, she only realises when she gets back to her room that she may have a small crush on the him.

---

The first day back at school Flynn can already tell that something is different with Julie and she doesn’t hesitate to ask her what changed. She listens intently as Julie tells her about the trip, singing karaoke and when she tells her about Luke she can feel her cheeks flush as Flynn watches her with a knowing stare.

“Awe my girls back,” she says excitedly pulling Julie in for a hug, she’s glad to see that her friend is back to feeling more like herself again “and you’ve got a crush and his names Luke” she teases as she pulls away laughing as Julies cheeks flame again but she doesn’t try to deny it as she knows it’s true.

Julie finds herself constantly texting with Luke when she’s not in lessons and when she’s at home she’s mainly on facetime with him, they usually talk for hours even though they’ve been texting all day. Although they don’t manage to meet up really until they’re both done with school for the summer and they have two weeks together as Luke’s staying with family that live about ten minutes away from Julie. In those two weeks Julie finally introduces him to her dad and Carlos and they’re both excited to meet Luke but Ray just really wants to thank him for helping Julie get back into music. As the year goes on Julie finds that friendly comments between the two of them slowly morph into flirty comments and she can’t help but wonder if Luke has feelings for just like she does for him but she doesn’t say anything. Towards the end of October Ray surprises Julie and Carlos telling them that he’s booked for them to go back to the resort for New Years again and Julie is straight on the phone to Luke excitedly telling him they’re going and the excitement only increases when Luke confirms that he's going back as well.

As they pull up to the resort, Julie messages Luke to let him know that they’re there as she knows he arrived earlier that morning. She tries to keep her steps a normal speed as she follows her dad into the lobby, her eyes searching for Luke. When her gaze finds him she sees that he’s already making his way over to her and she throws her arms around him as soon as he’s in reach and buries her face in his neck as he tells her that he’s missed her. When they pull apart he greets her dad and Carlos and invites them for dinner with his parents later which they accept.

On New Years Eve, Julie finds herself singing karaoke again with Luke, the same spark between them as the first time they sang and when they head out for the countdown to the New Year Julie finds her hand clasped tightly in Luke’s as it had been most of the time they had spent together. As the first firework goes off Julie finds herself being pulled into a hug by Luke, his face close to hers, their lips almost touching until she reaches up to pull him closer finally letting him know how she feels and joy spreads through her as he kisses her back.

“Happy New Year Julie” he smiles as they pull away from the kiss but their bodies stay pressed against one another.

“Happy New Year Luke” she replies with a wide smile on her face as she looks ahead to the future, whatever they were now they would make it work, long distance and all.

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #julie molina #luke patterson #jatp julie #jatp luke #juke #jatp juke #julie x luke

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bonkaisecretsanta · 7 years

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Trigger Point

Happy holidays @fuckitimfangirling from @goldscribbles! This is an unconventional take on the soulmate trope. I've never thought about this idea before, so I found myself with a lot of questions and tried to work through them in this piece. I'm not sure if this is what you were looking for, but I did my best and hopefully you like it!

Kai steps out of the dim room into the hallway squinting at the light, his body loose and pleasantly aching from the massage.

“How are you feeling?” a soft voice asks.

He looks at his massage therapist, a short young woman with dark hair, who is holding a glass of water in her hand. Something is off with his vision. He rubs his eyes, but the slight blurriness still lingers.

The woman smiles, extending the glass to him. “Take your time. It can be hard adjusting to the light.”

“Thanks.” He takes the offered water from her, their fingers barely grazing, and color explodes across his retinas.

“Mr. Parker? Mr. Parker!”

He’s surprised to find himself on his knees (when did he fall?), his pants damp along his shins as it presses into the soaked carpet. She’s holding him by he forearms, and he finds his grip on her is equally tight. Her skin is no longer gray, but a warmer color he doesn’t know. The contrast between his skin tone and hers is more dramatic than he previously thought. What does the rest of her look like? He manages to drag his eyes up and what little air is left in his body is knocked out when he gazes into her panicked, vibrant eyes.

“Sir, are you alright? Oh god—”

He tries to tell her about the colors, but he’s lost control of his tongue and can only sputter helplessly. When he feels her pulling away, he panics, tightening his grip on her. “N-no. Wait.”

“Mr. Parker, I’m going to call for help. I’ll be right—”

“What’s your name?” He’s sure she told him an hour ago, and he could kick himself for forgetting something so important.

“Bonnie,” she answers with a forced calm. “Do you remember where you are?”

“How old are you?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re just so young.”

She tenses up. “Mr. Parker, I should be the one asking—”

“Call me Kai,” he says, desperate to remove the formalities between them. His eyes dart all over her face, taking everything in. “It’s you. I can’t believe I finally found you.”

She eyes at him warily. “Okay, Kai. I think you’ve just had a stroke. I need to call an ambulance to get you checked out.”

He laughs breathlessly. “What?”

“You fell down suddenly and couldn’t speak.”

“I was shocked.”

She tilts her head. “About what?”

“The colors, Bonnie! Don’t you see them?”

Bonnie yanks herself out of his hands and steps back. “No, I don’t.”

The colors dim.

“Jo! Come deal with your other half,” Luke shouts as he drops Kai’s dead weight on the living room couch.

Alaric sighs, before picking up the twins. “C’mon girls. Uncle Kai had too much grape juice again.”

“Nuh uh. ‘s agave,” Kai mumbles into the cushions.

“What did Kai do now?” Jo sighs, walking down the stairs.

“Luke could’ve been talking about me.” Alaric pouts. “I married you.”

“And that was the best decision you’ve ever made.” She pecks her daughters on their heads, before kissing him. “But the drunk on our couch is the guy I shared a womb with, so technically speaking, he’s the only one who fits the description.”

Luke grins. “It’s a twin thing.”

“Well, your other half mentioned tequila so have fun with that part of your life.”

Jo gasps in disbelief. Alaric saunters upstairs to the nursery.

“Why on earth did you let him have tequila?” she demands, stomping over to Luke and smacking him on the head.

“Ow! Hey, I didn’t let him do anything. By the time I found him, he finished half a bottle worth of shots.”

She kneels next to the motionless body. “If you throw up on my couch, I will skin you alive,” Jo threatens.

Glassy gray eyes squint up at her. “Sissy…?”

“This is not how executive vice presidents act, Kai!”

“Stop yelling.” Kai pushes himself up, rubbing a hand down his face. “I’m not wasted.”

Luke snorts. “Half a bottle of tequila says otherwise.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t trying to be.” Kai glares at his brother. “Beat it, kid. The adults are talking.”

Luke rolls his eyes but heads toward the exit. “Gladly.”

“Don’t forget to tell Liv to come to dinner for next week. Mandatory attendance!” Jo shouts, making Kai wince. She takes a good look at him, and from the way her face crinkles up, she’s not impressed. “Care to explain why you’re trying to drink this town dry?”

He presses the heel of his palms into his eyes. The lights were making his temples throb. “It’s called a coping mechanism.”

“No, it’s called alcoholism. Specifically alcohol poisoning. I can’t even picture the state of your liver right now.”

Frustrated with Jo’s nagging and the blinding light emitting from the nearby lamp, Kai grabs the offending glass object and hurls it across the room, shattering it against the wall.

“Kai!”

“Much better. It was too bright in here.”

“My kids live here, your nieces, and you break my lamp because you don’t have enough living brain cells to figure out the flip switch?”

“Well I guess you have to add another fuck up to my tab then, don’t you? Bad uncle. Bad brother. Horrible boss.” He stands up laughing like it’s the funniest thing in the world. “In fact, I’m so shitty, my soulmate isn’t really mine. I’m riding a goddamn rainbow, and all she sees is some old creep in black and white.”

Jo purses her lips. “You’re not an old creep.”

“Thanks, Sissy. Great pep talk.”

She pushes him down on the couch and sinks onto the cushion next to him. “I’m not going to lie to you.”

He smiles dryly. “How’d a good girl like you end up with a defect like me?”

She grabs him by the chin and forces him to look at her. “Hey. Stop that. You are a nightmare to be around most of the time, but you there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“You diagnosed me as a sociopath when you were in med school.”

“And as long as you stay away from torture and murder, everything will be great.”

“Better seat Joey as far away from me as possible next week.”

“He broke your pager when he was six, and we’re all on iphones now. You need to let that go.”

“Joey has an android.”

“You literally don’t care about that.”

“Just stating a fact.” Jo huffs, but doesn’t say anything. Kai continues in a softer tone, “Just like dad did. The defective twin.”

She nudges him with her shoulder. “Hey, he didn’t mean it. Dad just didn’t know how to handle you. None of us did.”

“He meant it. Used to say there was something wrong with me. He told me there’s no way I could have a soulmate. Said it so casually, too.” Kai clenches his jaw. “Guess he was right all along.”

“You said you saw colors with this girl. That’s enough to prove him wrong.”

“She didn’t.” He rubs his face.

“Tell me about her. You didn’t even give me a name.”

“Bonnie. She’s beautiful and young. Too young. Probably still in college. Christ.”

“Well you still drink like you’re in college. That’s common ground.” she jokes weakly. “Why don’t you visit her again? Find out if you have other shared interests.”

“Forget it. Maybe I’m wrong. There was some weird candle burning in that room, so it could’ve been a hallucination. Or a stroke.”

“There’s only one way to find out.” She stands up and walks out of the room. When she returns, she hands him a card with six gray boxes drawn on it. Below each box was a list of three words: hair, eyes, and skin. “We’re both getting massages tomorrow morning at that spa. I requested that you have Bonnie. When you see her, if you see colors again at any point, I want you to mark each of her features on this card, and I’ll tell you if you’re right or not.”

“I’m not going.”

“Of course you are. You want to see her again.” Jo slaps him on the back before walking away, pointing at the broken lamp. “Clean that up.”

“Mr. Parker, it’s nice to see you again,” Bonnie greets him, her smile stiff.

She’s colorless. The sight of her knocks the breath out of his lungs.

When he doesn’t respond, Jo steps in. “Hi there. I’m Jo Saltzman. Thank you so much for taking care of my brother when he had that episode last week. I think the stress of the job must’ve gotten to him.”

Bonnie glances at Jo and relaxes. “Oh no worries. I completely understand.” She turns back to Kai and tilts her head toward the hallway. “If you’re ready, we can get started, Mr. Parker.”

He clears his throat. “Sure.”

Jo pats his chest, pressing on the card and pen he placed in that pocket. “I’ll see you in an hour.”

Afterwards, Jo studies her brother’s face as he walks back to the reception area. His hair and clothes are rumpled, but there’s a tightness to his expression. He holds her gaze for a moment before pulling out the wrinkled card and marking it. When he reaches the front desk, he slips to her as he reaches for his wallet to pay for their sessions.

She looks at it, and fights a smile.

Bonnie emerges, and waves at both of them. “Have a great day you two. We hope to see you again.”

Kai turns automatically toward the girl. “Thanks, Bonnie. I’ll definitely be back.” He hands her the small tips envelope, and Jo catches the way he straightens when Bonnie’s fingers touch his.

“Thank you!”

It’s a quiet drive to Kai’s house. Jo tries to engage him in conversation, but Kai remains silent and stares out the window. She parks in front of his driveway, keeping the doors locked.

“You were right, you know,” she says. “Bonnie has green eyes and brown skin.”

“Let me out, Sissy.”

“Kai, talk to me.”

He unbuckled his seatbelt and stares straight ahead. She notices the muscle pulsing in his jawline. If he keeps clenching his teeth, he'll wear away at his teeth. “Why did you mark this box with a star?”

He doesn’t answer at first, keeping his eyes on the line of cars in front of them. When she gives up and reaches nearly pushes the release on the doors, he murmurs, “That’s the closest thing to your eyes.”

Jo swings her gaze back at him to find his attention on her. There's a tickle in her nose and eyes that tells her she's on the verge of tears. It's something she often forgets. While most people were born seeing colors as a child before everything faded to gray with puberty, Kai always lived in black and white.

“Yeah. They're blue, just like Mom. Liv and Luke also have it. Joey’s are brown like Dad, kind of like Bonnie’s skin tone, but darker. You have blue eyes too, but it's not the same shade as mine. It’s more gray.”

“Of course it is,” he says laughing humorlessly. It breaks her heart, because he doesn't stop laughing. The longer it goes on, the more it sounds like crying. But his eyes are dry and he still has that unnerving smile on his face.

She unbuckles her seatbelt to turn towards him. “We're going to figure this out, Kai. I'm here, I promise. You're not damaged, you just need to work a little harder.”

He cups her face, staring deeply into her eyes, before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “You've always been a crybaby.”

There's a soft click, and the moment, she's alone in the car with tears trailing down her face.

A thought strikes him at night. Given her profession, Bonnie must touch at least thirty bodies a week. What if she finds color with one of them?

In the morning, Kai fires five employees, including an employment lawyer who tries to stop him.

Because he’s a glutton for punishment, Kai sets up a weekly appointment with Bonnie. Ever since he found her, there’s a living itch underneath his skin that only her touch can ease.

“Mr. Parker?” Bonnie greets at him. “Ready for your massage?”

As he lays face down on the cushioned massage table, gritting his teeth against the sensation of her elbow digging a path along his spine, he feels like he can breathe again.

Afterwards, when she hands him a glass of water that tense smile, he feels the tension return to his body. The impulse to shake her and demand that she looks at him properly overwhelms him momentarily. He’s dizzy with want, especially when her lingering touch on his skin allows him to see the world fully. Why couldn’t he have this?

His dad’s voice rings in his ear: I doubt there’s someone out there for an abomination like you.

There is someone meant for him. He’s staring right at her. The problem is that he isn’t meant for her.

His dad must be laughing in his grave.

Still, Kai can’t stand her being nervous around him like the employees at work. He thinks about what Jo would do in this situation, and immediately feels uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he does it.

“I’m sorry about the time I...lost my head here. It wasn’t my intention to freak you out.”

“It’s not your fault,” she reassures him quickly. “These things tend to happen, no matter what age you are, although it’s rare for people under 45.” He has the sudden urge to tell her he’s definitely under 45, but stops himself. They have his birthdate on file, so she probably knows his age. “Um, you mentioned that you saw colors that day. I guess you haven’t found your person yet, huh?”

He takes a sip of water. “No, not yet.”

She makes a sympathetic tut. “That must be hard. I’m sure you will soon though.”

“Hm. Have you found yours yet?”

“No, but I’m also not looking right now. I need to finish my last semester first and then find full time work before I can think of soulmates.” She pauses, then laughs with a shrug. “Besides, if there’s someone fated for me, then we’ll cross paths eventually, right?”

Kai stares into her green eyes and smiles tightly. “So you’re a college senior? That must be exciting, being on the cusp of the real world.”

Bonnie is a twenty-two year old (he’s twice her goddamn age!) doctoral candidate for physical therapy. She’s working as a massage therapist for the extra cash. Hailing from a sleepy small town called Mystic Falls, she claims the most scandalous thing that happened was when her grandmother claimed to be the town witch after too many drinks at the school’s holiday party.

“What about you?” she asks, slotting her fingers between his. “What do you do for a living?”

“I work in an office,” he says, suppressing a moan as she presses the heel of her palm down and pulls his hand into a stretch.

Liv walks into his office unannounced on Thursday. She’s followed closely by his assistant.

“Mr. Parker, I tried to stop her,” he says anxiously.

Kai glares at them over the paperwork in his hands. “You’re both fired. Get out.”

The assistant looks ready to cry.

Liv rolls her eyes, and drops into the chair in front of his desk. “Stop being dramatic.” She glances over her shoulder. “Go back to your desk Ben. You’re not fired. Kai is taking his lunch break now and shouldn’t be disturbed.”

Ben nods eagerly and shuts the door behind him.

“Big brother.”

“I fired you. Leave.”

“I’m a shareholder of this company.”

“You’re a college junior with an internship.”

“Who owns five percent.” Kai scoffs at the number. She plucks the papers out of his hands and tosses them on the floor. “You need to stop firing people because you’re in a bad mood.”

He heaves an aggravated sigh. “This is an at-will company. If I will them to never step foot into this building again, that’s my prerogative.”

She crosses her arms. “Jo spilled the beans on your soulmate missed connection.”

Kai leans back in his chair. “And you’re here to do what? Give me a valedictorian speech about fate and tarot card readings?”

“I don’t need some magic trick to know that you’re a miserable person who will be less miserable once your situation with this girl is resolved.”

He flashes his teeth in a menacing grin. “Liv, just because you found a puppy to follow you around doesn’t mean you know anything about it. Now get out of my office before I have you thrown out.”

She narrows her eyes at him before looking away. Jo said Liv had blue eyes too, and through his anger, he tries to picture it. Her lips twist and purse, as if trying to stop the words from escaping her mouth. “Tyler didn’t see me in color when we first met.”

It feels like an out-of-body experience. He gives her his full attention, and really looks at his youngest sister for the first time.

“He had a girlfriend at the time, and we were barely friends. I didn’t know what to do, so I was a huge bitch to him. I thought that if he just stared at me long enough, he’d realize who I was.”

He leans forward. “What did you do?” His voice is strained and rough with desperation, but he doesn’t care. Nothing matters more to him than what Liv can tell him in this moment.

“It was Luke, actually. When Tyler got fed up with me and told me off one day, I hit rock bottom. Drank my way into an emergency room visit to have my stomach pumped. Two days later, Luke wrestled me into a therapist’s chair and made me confront myself.” Liv keeps her eyes on the ends of her hair, seeking out split ends. “It didn’t make Tyler situation better, but it helped somehow. He forgave me and we were able to become better friends. Then one day, he gets this dumb look on his face in the middle of our study group. He touched my hair, and kept repeating how bright it was.”

“You think therapy will help me.”

Liv meets his gaze finally. “I think that we have to work to become the partners our soulmates deserve.” She slides a business card across his desk.

“Are you going to hand me the contracts you threw too?”

She flips him off on the way to the door.

Kai has an appointment that evening.

“What’s got you so stressed that you’re seeing me twice a week?” Bonnie laughs.

“It’s busy at year-end,” he replies.

“I can imagine. C’mon, let’s see if we can work out some of those knots.”

Therapy is hard. He quits a hundred times a week between appointments, vowing to never return. Only the thought of his soulmate keeps him coming back.

“Let’s continue our conversation about your parents,” Dr. Benson says.

Kai closes his eyes and chants her name in his head like a prayer. Bonnie. Bonnie. Bonnie.

“Are you doing anything fun for the holidays?” Bonnie asks after his last session of the year. He won’t see her for two weeks.

“Family dinner,” he replies.

“Same. Are you going back home to Portland?”

“No, surprisingly most of us have settled here so no traveling.”

“Convenient. Well, happy holidays, Mr. Parker. I’ll see you in the new year?”

“Please, it’s Kai.”

She smiles easily, and it sends his heart pounding. “Merry Christmas, Kai.”

“How often do you see cases like mine?”

“I've never met someone born colorblind before, but the situation with your soulmate isn’t unheard of. From what I’ve seen, this usually means that one or both parties involved are on the cusp of a transformation. In your case, this woman is well-suited to be your companion, but you cannot serve that role to her as you currently are.”

Kai leans back. “Wouldn’t the opposite be true too? She may be great now, but there’s a chance that I’ll be back to black and white in the future.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“What’s the point of having a soulmate then?”

“What is the point to anything?” Dr. Benson taps his pen against the desk. “I have been in this practice for seventeen years, Malachai.” His full name still pricks his nerves, but it’s easier than before. “The only answer I can give you is that everything changes. It’s a risk to live. There is a misconception that when soulmates meet for the first time, they are bound together for life. This is false. Nothing is guaranteed in this world: not your life, your health, your money. Why would this be any different?”

“It’s all a lie then,” Kai murmurs.

“Your soulmate may leave you colorless one day, but there’s a possibility she will not.”

“This hardly seems worth it.”

“Are you deciding to give up on this girl then?” At his silence, Dr. Benson adds, “Love is many things, Malachai, but it is not lazy.”

Kai takes over Jo’s kitchen and whips up a feast for Christmas dinner. He laughs at his siblings and mocks everyone at the table, but there’s a noticeable lack of malice in his words. He goes through the whole evening without casually making an attempt on Joey’s life too.

“Are you dying?” Joey asks.

“Josiah!” Jo snaps, glaring as she holds a spoonful of apple sauce to her baby’s mouth.

“Probably,” Kai says around a mouthful of ham. “I might’ve had a stroke a couple of months ago. Maybe some internal bleeding in the brain is making me actually enjoy your company.”

“Alright you two, can we bring things back to lighter topics?” Alaric asks with a sigh.

When the dishes were cleared and everyone moved to the living room for the annual boozy holiday movie, Jo pulls Kai into the kitchen.

“Seriously, is there something wrong with you?” She presses the back of her hand against his forehead.

“I thought you said that was I was perfect as I am,” he teases.

She shoves him away. “Ugh, nevermind. You’ve just been acting weird all day.”

He shrugs. “Just trying something new.”

“Being nice?”

“Yeah, let’s go with that.”

“How was your holiday?” Bonnie asks as she enters the room. Kai is already face down on the table underneath the sheets.

“Oddly enlightening.”

“In a good way or a bad way? I can’t tell by your tone.”

He shrugs, anticipation running underneath his skin like a livewire. She peels the sheet off his back and tucks it around his waist. “Just enlightening.”

She hums, but drops the subject. “Made any new year’s resolutions?”

“Just one, but it’s a long term goal.” He hears her oiling her hands.

“Care to share?” she asks lightly.

“I’m going to open a restaurant.” Her hands pause over his back for a moment, close enough for him to feel a phantom touch.

“That’s so cool.” Her hands make contact with his skin and he melts. After two weeks without her touch, he finally feels at ease. “What made you want to leave your cushy office job for this?”

“I love cooking and I’m good at it,” he mumbles, already lost in the sensation of her firm fingers pressing into his muscles. “It was something I learned from my dad.”

“That’s nice.” He could hear the smile in her voice “Good luck with that.”

He walks out of the room, dressed but disheveled, and sees the familiar sight of her holding a glass of water. She probably does this with all her clients, but he likes to think this is their routine.

“How do you feel?” Bonnie asks.

“Good as new,” he grins.

She laughs, extending the glass toward him and he takes it, fingers brushing against hers. The smile trips off her face. He watches her green eyes widen and sees her leaning forward.

“Woah there! Bonnie?” He winds a arm around her waist, pressing her body to his in order to hold her up. “Are you alright?” Her hands shake as she reaches up to cup his face.

“Kai,” she breathes in wonder, her eyes darting around his face.

His heart pounds painfully against his ribs. “Yes?”

“I can see you. The colors...!”

#bkss2017 #fuckitimfangirling #goldscribbles #bonkai

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