Always Meant to Be

by Siobhan Davis

And Vander is no longer a kid. He’s eighteen. Six foot three inches of pure masculinity wrapped in the most tempting package. His quiet confidence, sharp wit, brooding manner, and keen intelligence is as appealing as his appearance and—

“Like he has a hotline to my soul and my innermost thoughts and feelings. Like he sees me.”

“Do you believe in soul mates?” I nod without hesitation. “Absolutely. But I also believe most people won’t find theirs in a single lifetime.”

“What if I said you have already met him?” she says, and I almost fall off my chair. “Already loved him, in successive lifetimes, because it’s a connection so profound, a love so complete, it cannot die.”

“In every lifetime, you find one another because the bond is so strong nothing can keep you apart. Not oceans or mountains or timing or other people.” Her eyes drill into mine. “Not age.”

“Vander is the other half of your soul, Kendall. It’s up to you what you do with that knowledge.”

I’m in love with Kendall Hawthorne. I love my best friend’s very married mother. I just don’t know what the hell to do about it.

The overriding thought in my head the first time I met him was “You have something belonging to me.” It’s as if some little voice was in my ear, chanting it over and over until it permanently lodged in my brain. It didn’t take much to convince me when I met her.

“My heart beats only for you.” I squeeze her hand. “Do you feel that? You sustain it. You make it grow. You fill it so fully that none of the other shit in my life matters. The only thing that does is you.” I rest my brow against hers, peering deep into her eyes as I admit the ultimate truth. “I love you, and there is absolutely nothing wrong about that.”

“Our souls are carved from the same entity. You are the other piece of me. I was meant to find you, Kendall. We were always meant to be.”

“That’s not your decision to make, and my age is irrelevant. Love doesn’t discriminate. I couldn’t give a flying fuck about our ages. All that matters is how we feel.”