I walked through the crowd, excitement building in my chest as I followed the red string tied to my pinkie, the red sting that only I and one other person could see.

The string got tight, I was getting close. Then it went slack.

I looked up. Fuck, not him. his were eyes wide and lips turned down in a frown.

I dropped the string too.

As he opened his mouth I turned on my heels and started to walk away. Once I got out of the square I felt a tug on my right hand. I looked down. Shit.

I struggled to untie the string, when that didn’t work I tried pulling it off.

The string was up off the ground again.

I tried to pull it off so hard I thought I might dislocate my pinkie, but still to no result.

He placed a hand on my four arm and opened his mouth again,

“Get you hands off me!” I shouted, jerking away as much as I could with his tight hold on our red bond.

He lifted both hands in defense, the string held between his thumb and index.

“Can I please speak?”

I breathed heavily, honestly considering his question. I didn’t what to hear what he had to say. But if we really were going to be stuck together by this string, we should probably talk. At least until we find out how to get it off. But I was still mad at him.

I shook my head lightly and he let out a sigh rolling his eyes.

“Just, can we just walk a little bit? To somewhere more quiet.” I nodded to the loud group of people, all giddily looking for their soul mates. I silently hoped they would have better luck then I.

He agreed and we walked in silence, until the square became a distant memory and all we could hear was seagulls and the sound of waves at the docks.

We sat in a park not to far from the harbor.

He sat with his legs fully extended, with his arms behind him, looking very relaxed indeed.

I on the other hand was not. My knees were drawn up to my chest, my arms wrapped around my legs.

There was silence for a long time, before I asked,

“Did you know?”

“No.” He said with a slight chuckle.

“You find this funny?” I asked dropping my legs into a crisscross

He shrugged,

“You always did use humor to cover up you real emotions.” That wiped the smug grin off his face. He curled up slightly, his legs also going into a crisscross.

More silence.

“What are we going to do?” I broke the silence, again.

He took a long inhale, “I don’t know.”

“Surely you don’t want-“

“No” he interrupted

“Could there have been like…”

“A mistake?” He finished for me,

“Yeah.”

he took another deep breath, “I don’t think so. I mean, I don’t want this” he lifted our string. The only thing making us interact “but I don’t think Cupid is known for fucking up.”

“Fair” I said. “How have you been doing?” He gave me a look. “Well I don’t know!”

He leaned forward “Laya, we are not soulmates.”

“I know that! I was just trying to, I don’t know. Screw you.” I went to get up but he held the string again. “Do that one more time Rune and I swear to god I will strangle you.”

“I’ll stop pulling the string if you stop trying to run away.”

I sat back down. There was silence again and I was not going to be the one to break it.

“Better.” He said.

“What?” I asked thinking he was referring to my listening,

“You asked how I’ve been doing. I’ve been doing better.”

“Good… Do you ever wish.” He gave me a warning look “do you ever miss it? do you even think about it?”

“How could I not?” I shrugged, he sighed “I think about it every day, I think about it every time I see a group of friends, or hear someone arguing, every single I hear a loud bang, It doesn’t even have to be a gun. just a someone placing a jar on the counter. A car door slamming. Things you can’t avoid.”

I nodded, I knew exactly what he was talking about. I had the exact same thing, the smallest resemblance to James, someone with his curly black hair, or his thin structure or his red rimed glasses.

Lost in thought I hadent realized Rune had tuned away from me. I tugged on the tether connecting us.

He looked over his shoulder, he was crying. I moved towards him not knowing why, my arms out stretched, he buried his head in the crook of my neck, his cries, turning to sobs, his entire body shaking in my arms. I held him until he didn’t have anything left to cry. Tears prickling my own eyes. I haven’t really given myself time to feel the pain since that night.

Rune looked at me “I’m sorry.”

“don’t Rune. I can’t, open that wound again.”

“I’m sorry.” I gave him a look, a look he knew well. The one that said. Shut up. He listened.

We were quiet again, but it wasn’t an angry silence.

“What if it’s not romantic?” he asked.

“What?”

“What if it means soulmates as in friends? at least for us.”

“I don’t want to be your friend Rune. I don’t want you in my life.”

“Why?” I gave him a look. “ no it’s not because of what I did. It’s not, it’s something else.”

“what makes you so sure?” I asked

“I know you.” I scoffed at him, “I know you and you know me. So what is it?”

“Rune”

“What, what is it? Why don’t you want me in your life? Why are you so determined to-“

“Your too much like him!” He wasn’t expecting that. “every time I look at you it reminds me of him. Everything you do reminds me of him, even the way your sitting!” I gestured to his crisscross just slightly different from the normal way. He smirked. “And your upsidedown smile.” My breath was growing shallower “and the, the way your hair curls” my voice cracked “it falls just like his. And you have have his eyes. Even your personality like him. You two were always so alike it’s just more apparent when one of you is is gone.”

He nodded moving his mouth in a tight line, “ok” he whispered. “Well, then I‘m going to go.”

“Rune.”

“You said it your self, you don’t want me in your life.” Not Knowing what to say I stayed silent. Knowing that he couldn’t go far. That we would always be connected. By the little red string.

(Ps, this was a bit longer but a bunch of it deleted and I couldn’t remember it all. Sorry)