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„Do you remember how we met?” Laurent suddenly asked with a smile on his lips and looked up into the starry sky. His hands rested folded together on his stomach and he had his legs bent. Damen lay beside him in the field, he propped himself up on his elbow and had his head resting on his hand, looking dreamy at Laurent.
“Yes, very well indeed”, he said gently with a lovely smile as he thought back to it and Laurent also had a lovingly nostalgic expression on his beautiful face.
*
Ten years ago
“What are you waiting for?”, Nikandros asked curiously, who came into the room with two cups of coffee in his hand and handed out one to Damen.
“Nothing”, he said pushing the sleeve of his jacket back over his arm, which he had probably looked conspicuously waiting for the last ten minutes as if something were growing out of it.
Nikandros raised a questioning eyebrow, but didn’t follow it any further, instead he sat down at Damen’s desk and drew his college block to him.
„Did something came to your mind regarding our presentation?” Damen asked curiously and made himself comfortable on the windowsill so that he could look over at Nikandros.
“Yeah at least I think so”, he replied, frowning slightly as he looked at their notes, “Otherwise, when I see this here, I’m not so sure whether it fits our topic.”
Damen laughed softly, “But you have to be honest, our topic is just shitty somewhere.”
“That is true”, Nikandros sighed in agreement.
“Let’s just leave it there for today, I think we have already racked our brains enough about it”, Damen suggested and pushed back the sleeves of his jacket. It was getting a little warm under the thick fabric.
Nikandros nodded and closed the block again, leaning back in the chair with his cup of coffee when he noticed something on Damen’s arm.
“That wasn’t there before, right?” he asked, pointing a finger at Damen’s left forearm, which showed a beautiful black outlined drawing of a very detailed tree.
Damen looked down at himself and his eyes changed from curious to overwhelm. “Wow. That Person is so talented.”
“Your soul mate, right?” Nikandros asked.
“Yup”, confirmed Damen nodding, “The person behind this does this every day, at least twice and it is really the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. I like to see how these slowly form; it is so satisfying to watch.”
Nikandros look softened, “You don’t even know the person and you are already blown away.”
Damen nodded, still looking dreamily at the finely drawn tree on his forearm. He wished the pictures would stay there forever, but he knew that this tree would fade again in the next fifteen minutes.
"Nik, please give me a pen," he said, stretching out his arm. Nikandros leaned over the table and grabbed a ballpoint pen which he then handed to Damen.
"What are you going to do?" Nikandros asked curiously and Damen only grinned at him meaningfully, then he wrote under the drawing Thank you.
"I didn't know you could be so kind," said Nikandros in surprise and grinned broadly at Damen.
"Neither do I," said Damen jokingly, "But maybe that makes the person smile? Otherwise, it's just fair to say thank you from whom you can get such beautiful pictures on your body for free?”
"You're probably right," said Nikandros, humming happily.
*
Laurent sat cross-legged on his bed, laptop and books for his school project in art spread out in front of him while he drew fine lines on his arm; a big tree with detailed roots.
Laurent had thought of all the details, he had carefully drawn in the bark and the individual leaves and then shaded everything so that it looked more alive on his skin.
He smiled down at his own artwork on his arm.
Auguste would not be happy that Laurent had already used his body again as a paper and therefore there was not much left of the picture after the next shower, but Laurent didn't care, because somewhere out there would sit his soul mate and maybe would even be happy to see something like that, who knows?
He finally put the pen down and leaned back towards his laptop, then started googling his subject for the school project.
Renaissance of art and painting.
For Laurent it is an exciting topic because it goes back in history and he liked both very much.
Art and history.
After a long time of research, writing down information and marking it in his books, Laurent stretched out extensively and decided to take a little break from working.
He pushed the laptop off his lap and stood up, stretching out his legs, which he had fallen asleep from sitting for a long time cross-legged when his eyes fell on his forearm.
A small smile formed around his lips as he read the two simple words on it. He stroked it with his cool fingertips and then pulled down the sleeve of his sweatshirt before going into the kitchen.
"Hard learning session?" Auguste asked him with a smile.
"I’m preparing something for a school project this year," replied Laurent.
"What topic?" His brother continued to ask.
"Renaissance of art and painting." Laurent smiled slightly.
"Sounds interesting," said Auguste.
Laurent nodded affirmatively and sat down at the kitchen counter, took the cup of tea Auguste gave him and gripped it with his two hands.
"You look so lost in thought, is there anything?"
"Hm? No, I think you're just imagining it, ”Laurent replied, but could not hold back a happy grin.
Auguste's eyes brightened. "Tell me, what happened, was it your soul mate again who wrote down some confused things?”
Laurent laughed, well knowing it was a mistake to tell Auguste about it after the words 5 packs of tea and a pack of sugar cubes. Tomorrow. Important! Had appeared on his hand.
"Oh my god Auguste, why are you always so curious? You're almost as bad as mom!" Laurent complained playfully.
"I am your big brother, I have to be curious and therefore significantly worse than Mom," said Auguste challenging.
"Well, if you say so." Laurent took a long sip of his tea: "But to answer the question - yes it was the person again, they even left me a simple message this time."
"A message?" Auguste looked at him in surprise.
"Yes." Laurent pushed his sleeve back and showed it to Auguste, who looked at the two words and had to smile, "It's kind of really cute, I don't know why."
"It seems the person is happy that they get such doodles on the skin," Laurent said only and then pulled his arm back.
"These are paintings Laurent! I still think it's a shame that you never keep such beautiful things on paper,” said Auguste with a heavy sigh.
"Don't be so, the person is happy, that's more important to me," Laurent said with a dreamy sigh.
"You are so selfless Laurent," Auguste replied theatrically.
"Me? Always. ”Laurent grinned mischievously.
*
The next day, Nikandros and Damen sat together at school. In the back row, so that nobody notice if they didn't follow the lessons, in front of them was a pack of donuts, two packs of candy bars and a pack of biscuits. Damen had taken a banana with him because he wanted to keep the picture upright and eat healthy. Somewhere in between they had their school materials for the current class.
"Did you get an answer to your little message yesterday?" Nikandros asked and looked over at Damen, who was playing on his mobile phone.
"No, but that's okay," he replied, sitting up a little more straight and putting his arms on the table before he put his head down on them. Nikandros reached out and scratched the back of his neck, causing Damen to close his eyes and doze off slightly.
"And we'll write the exam for that tomorrow," the teacher finished at the blackboard, and Damen startled.
Had he heard of an exam there? He almost didn't listen. He looked at the blackboard at the front where all topics for the exam were written down.
Fuck. He was lost.
How can he learn so much in such a short time?
He took out his mobile phone and photographed the blackboard, then looked for his pen and wrote it down on the back of his hand. Tomorrow exam! Learn!
"What if your soul mate sees that?" Nikandros asked, amused.
"Then at least the person knows right away that I'm not a perfect student," was the quick response from Damen.
"And probably you're forgetful too," added Nikandros.
"That too, especially after the last message where it was my turn to get things for our tea station here and I forgot about it two times in a row," he said, embarrassed and smiling.
Nikandros laughed out loud. "Oh my god, right, you wrote that hectically on your hand.
Damen only nodded at it and then looked back at the blackboard.
He would have managed it somehow, he had always been able to box himself through the exams, even if it usually ended with a grade of four, but a four was still better than a five or six.
"Do we want to learn the material for tomorrow together today?" Nikandros asked, looking at his notes for the subject. Nikandros also made a much destroyed impression on Damen when he had reconsidered the fact that tomorrow they would write an exam and only got the topics today.
Damen didn’t know how the teacher had imagined this, but obviously he had a very healthy optimism about the qualities of this class.
"Yes please, you are much better than me in this subject anyway, so it would only be wise if we would study together," answered Damen.
"Hey look," said Nikandros, nodding at the back of his hand.
Good luck.
Damen smiled and took out his pen, then wrote on his hand.
Thank you, again.
"I would really love to get to know this person at some point," said Damen with a sigh.
"I believe you, at least it is your soul mate so you have to meet some day," said Nikandros as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "But I would also be interested in who is behind it plus the person definitely seems to want some contact with you."
Damen had to laugh at the choice of words, "What that sounds like, like a ghost trying to contact the mortals with the Ouija board as soon as someone starts playing with it again."
"In principle, it's kind of the same thing," laughed Nikandros.
"Basically. Yes. ”Damen grinned dreamily.
*
Laurent smiled as he read the words of his soul mate on the back of his hand. Something like that happened often, mostly on days during the week. He was pretty sure that his mysterious person was a very forgetful person who was not one of the perfect students in a class.
He took the pen out of his case and wrote under the note a Good Luck.
An answer appeared a little later. The person thanked again. Laurent's smile widened.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Lazar asked him as he sat down next to him and took out his snack.
"Nothing," said Laurent, putting his right hand over the back of his left hand.
"Sure?" Lazar asked again, raising an eyebrow skeptically before reaching for Laurent's wrist and releasing his hand. Lazar whistled appreciatively, "It almost crosses the line of flirting."
"How exactly is this flirting? I'm just nice,” Laurent fought back and pulled his hand back.
Lazar laughed, "You know, I'm just teasing you. Does your brother know about this affair? "
"What affair? Lazar, you exaggerate shamelessly again,” Laurent said with a laugh and slapped Lazar on the shoulder, “But yes, he knows about it.”
"And what does he say about it?" Lazar asked and backed off a little.
"Not much, just that he thinks it's cute." Laurent shrugged and then added, "It's better that way, who knows if I will ever really meet this person."
"Oh don't say something like that, this note testifies to a rather forgetful person, maybe you are lucky and at some point they will write down an address and then you can go looking for them," Lazar suggested with a broad grin, which suggested that Lazar was dead serious about his sentence.
"Hm, I don't know, doesn't that come across as strange or something? I don't even know what the person looks like, that would make the whole thing really difficult and uncomfortable”, Laurent said.
Lazar gave him an incredulous look, "Boy ... This person there at the other end of your skin is basically trying to be discovered by you, so please. When the chance is there, take it and look for it! Otherwise I will do it for you.”
"I see? How do you imagine doing that for me?” Laurent then asked seriously.
"Don't underestimate me, I'm creative with that." Lazar grinned confidently.
Laurent had to laugh and rolled his eyes before sighing, "You are impossible you know that?"
"But you love me for that."
"That is probably true." Laurent sighed heavily and Lazar looked at him indignantly, "You wouldn't get anything better than me."
Laurent stuck his tongue out at him, “I don't want to either. Oh before I forget Coffee date after school again tomorrow?”
“Count me in as always”, Lazar said winking.
*
Nikandros and Damen had settled down to study in the nearby café and spread their study items over the small round table in front of them. After two hours, full of frustration, a lot of "I don't understand this" and four empty coffee cups, the two friends finally gave up on it.
This subject would be a mystery forever and Nikandros had done everything in his power to teach Damen about his personal end boss, but his friend wasn't really going to understand the logic behind this subject so he left it by that.
Nikandros was just packing his things away when he watched as Damen looked dreamily at his right wrist.
"What's happening? Is the person drawing again?” Nikandros asked curiously.
Damen only nodded in response and watched as fine lines formed on the thin tanned skin and slowly turned into two roses linked by a laurel wreath. It was a beautiful ornament that was created and in Damen the desire grew to immortalize these drawings on his skin. They just looked too beautiful.
"Your soul mate definitely has an artistic vein," said Nikandros with a nod when he leaned over and also watched the drawing as it completed itself on Damen’s skin.
"Oh the person definitely has that. I weather he's doing something along those lines; maybe he's an art student or something. ”
“Or even go to school and chose the art course,” said Nikandros.
"That can be, yes." Damen sighed and turned to his friend, "I really wish I could get to know this person at some point."
"Maybe leave him a message from an address? If you're lucky, he'll even come looking for you and you can meet,” Nikandros suggested, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
"Isn't that kind of scary?" Damen asked uncertainly.
“Damen, believe me, if the person will have long ago figure out that you are completely forgetful, after all your notes that you leave on yourself, I think an address would seem anything but strange to the person," Nikandros told him serious and looked him straight in the eye. Damen knew that Nikandros was dead serious and in itself the suggestion was really tempting. Nikandros added, "Otherwise, after you're so forgetful, the person is unlikely to see it as a hint."
Damen nodded, that was also his thought, "That is true, but on the other hand you are right somewhere, maybe it works out and they comes looking for me on their own?"
"Just listen to your best friend." Nikandros laughed and patted him on the upper arm, “I know what's good for you."
Damen laughed heartily, “Maybe you know, yeah.”
*
The days passed. At some point Laurent had also started talking to his soul mate over his skin. Basically, his soul mate had started the conversation.
It had started with the typical small talk, until eventually it went over to smaller texts, but the space was not particularly good on the skin, which is why the two kept their "conversations" rather short.
In any case, it was certain that Laurent's heart was now beating faster with every new appearance on his skin and the smile on his lips was getting wider and sometimes there was also a small blush on his cheeks when his soul mate gave him compliments to his drawings.
It was all very much to his chagrin somewhere, because Auguste used every opportunity to incite him to make a meeting, especially where the notes have become small talks, but Laurent refused to do so.
Until the day an address appeared on the back of his hand, with a time. Laurent was unsure whether that would mean that his soul mate would be waiting for him in this place or not.
He decided to google the address, only to find out bitterly that it was a doctor's office.
It would have been too nice too.
Laurent sighed heavily and set the laptop aside on his bed. He lay back on his pillows and looked at the ceiling.
He didn't know why he was so sad about it but somehow this made him really sad.
And that confused him if he was honest with himself.
How could he feel so much about someone he had never met before?
At some point his annoying thoughts about it became too much for him and he sat up, took his pen and started to draw a new picture on his thigh to distract himself and clear his head again.
Out of an impulse, he decided to draw a lion in geometric shapes, which was framed by a snake.
*
"Are you sure you don't even want to try writing down an address?" Nikandros asked and threw up a grape to catch it with his mouth again.
"I don't really know. What if my soul mate has hoped for something different from what they ultimately get?" Damen doubted himself and visibly the whole universe.
Nikandros gave him a look that left questions as to whether Damen was fine.
"Bro, honestly, did you ever look at yourself in the mirror? If your soul mate is unhappy with the overall package, then this person definitely has no taste or doesn't know how to be happy,” said Nikandros, building him up.
"That's nice of you." Damen smiled slightly and slipped his hands into the pockets of his hoodie as he slid deeper down the chair. "I mean, I wrote down an address yesterday, but that was because of my doctor's appointment."
Nikandros slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand, but still asked, "Did you see anything special?"
"No, unfortunately not."
Damen sighed heavily and considered how it should ever work and what to say when they would see each other. "Hey, I'm sorry for all the forgetful notes, you can draw really nice by the way" - Damen didn't think it was what he should say. Or should he? But what else would he have left?
Nikandros finally got up from his seat and said to Damen, “Let's go back to class. Lessons start right away.”
Damen was thus taken out of his thoughts and looked at the clock in the cafeteria, “They had already started."
"Oh. Then before the teacher writes us down!”
"As if they would write us down at all.” Damen grinned, grabbed his bag, and then followed Nikandros back to her classroom.
The teacher had written them down this time.
The two troublemakers sat in their seats and remained silent for the rest of the lesson. That had never happened to either of them, otherwise the teachers always let them go to their places inconspicuously and everyone acted as if nothing had ever happened, but this teacher seemed to be different.
Damen kept looking back at his arms during the lesson, waiting for a new picture to appear. That would at least distract him from the boring lessons and raise his spirits.
Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened until the end of his school day, which annoyed Damen a little.
The last teacher they had in class had finally told them that they would go on a trip the next day and Damen wrote the address of the place and the time on his forearm so that he couldn't forget it.
*
"Auguste?"
"Yes Laurent?"
"Can I ask you something?" Laurent asked uncertainly.
"You already did when you said my name," Auguste replied teasingly.
"Ha ha, very funny," Laurent said dryly, sitting in the armchair across from the sofa and looking at his brother, then without a word he extended his arm to Auguste.
Auguste leaned forward and read the address. "Hm. This is the address from the town hall but what do you want to tell me now? Do you think your soul mate is so cryptically inviting you on a date after all the small talk? "
"Listen Auguste", Laurent interrupted him and didn’t answer his questions, "Recently addresses and times have appeared, sometimes I google them to make sure which addresses they are. And I'm so unsure about whether my soul mate is really so forgetful and that he has to do something at the town hall or if he tries to get me on a date,” Laurent explained his thoughts, which sometimes seemed a bit confused but Auguste nodded understandingly, "Hm, I would give it a try? Just dive in there and look around for a few minutes? If you can't make out anyone, go back and try again when. At the next address, for example?”
Laurent tilted his head and reconsidered Auguste's words, then shook his head slightly, "I don't know Auguste. It's kind of weird to show up and hope to find someone else who is supposed to be somehow made for you. ”
"Isn't that what all the soul mate stuff is about?" Auguste asked confused.
"Yes. No. But somehow. Oh, I don't know either.” Laurent was upset and helpless.
"Laurent, let me recommend you - do what you think is right and if you think that could be something, then do it. What is going to happen big?” Auguste said with a gentle smile.
Laurent shrugged indecisively. "I don’t know either. I just kind of think too much again.”
"You generally think too much," said Auguste with a smile. "I'll make us something to eat and you google how you get to the town hall, okay?"
"Okay. I can think about it until tomorrow whether I really go or not. "
"Do that little one."
"Don’t call me like that!"
Auguste gave his brother a loving grin and then disappeared into the kitchen.
*
Damen had rushed to the town hall early in the morning and although he was leaving early, he still arrived too late, which he was so sorry for, as he told his teacher, but public transport had conspired against him. The teacher only accepted this with a nod and noted it.
Damen could already see what would be in his half-year report and that would make his parents less happy.
"Hey man, where have you been?" Nikandros hissed and stood by Damen, while her teacher checked the presence again before they started to go.
"I didn't even oversleep this time, I was really in time, but the subway then spontaneously failed," Damen told him.
"I understand that can only happen to you," said Nikandros, shaking his head.
"The world is against me. Oh, before I forgot” said Damen and took out his pen, then wrote the address of a café on the back of his hand and a time.
Nikandros raised an eyebrow, "Have you really just?"
"Yep. I thought I would listen to your advice and give it a try,” Damen replied naturally.
"I've never been so proud of you," said Nikandros with a sigh and put a hand on the shoulder of Damen.
"Yes, when I wrote one in the exam," remarked Damen.
"Yeah okay but that's something school-ish, that doesn't count," Nikandros just said.
"Well, thank you. I would never have dared to do it without your input,” Damen replied honestly.
"Glad if I could inspire you."
*
Laurent had actually gone to the town hall the next day, standing a little further away from the small group that had already gathered there. He suspected it was a class that met for an excursion?
Laurent looked at his watch for a few more minutes, and if nothing happened then he would leave. He lowered his arm again and looked up when a boy ran frantically towards the group. He seemed to be running late. The boy hurriedly talked to the teacher, who noted something on his clipboard, and was then greeted by another boy who spoke to him.
Laurent blushed. He had to admit that the boy looked extremely good; he had tanned skin, dark eyes and dark wild hair. From the distance he was, he could see that his face was sharp and angular and that he was relatively tall and well built, at least he thought so, but it just seemed logical to him that a boy with such an attractive appearance had to be built that way.
He saw the boy dig something out of his pocket and slide his sleeve back to write on his skin. Laurent immediately looked at his arm and hoped somewhere that a text would appear.
And he wouldn’t be disappointed, because a text actually appeared on the back of his hand.
It was the address to a cafe nearby and the time was 5 pm today.
Laurent's heart skipped a beat, only to keep beating so much faster. He had found him, his soul mate. A good looking imperfect student who forgets a lot and is late. For Laurent, however, he was already perfect in all terms.
He turned away from town Hall, put his hands in the pockets of his trench coat, and then went back to the subway. A big grin had formed on his lips.
He had to tell Auguste about it.
When he got home, he did so and Auguste's eyes widened with every word and started to shine even more than they already did.
"Oh Laurent! This is a date! It's a date, isn't it? ”Auguste asked high-pitched.
"Yes, I guess? I hope so. I just go to the café and wait and see what happens and whether it was really for me,” said Laurent, smiling shyly but dreamily.
Auguste walked around the kitchen counter and hugged his brother tightly. "Oh that's so incredibly cute! I'm really happy for you and don't be stupid, of course it was addressed to you. Why else would he write something like that?”
"Don't know, I mean he talked to someone else, can it be that he had agreed that meeting with him?" Laurent explained and somehow it seemed logical to him, which gave him a little stab in his heart.
"Laurent, shut up. You go there later and enjoy the meeting, okay? ”Auguste said warningly.
"Okay. Right.”
After a short while, Auguste was still grinning happily at the news, Laurent looked at him and asked, "What about you? Why don't you have anything in that direction yet? "
"Uhm. I honestly don't really know why, I've never had a situation where I had to scribble something on my arm,” said Auguste embarrassed and rubbed his neck, he blushed slightly and Laurent knew exactly that it was certain there was a situation where he had this experience, he was just too embarrassed to tell.
But Laurent left him and did not continue to ask, instead he said only with a gentle smile, "Try it out, it can never hurt."
*
It was 5 p.m. and Damen came around the corner to the café. He tried to be as inconspicuous as possible and stopped a little further away from the front door. He pretended to be waiting for whom, which he was actually doing but he didn't know who exactly. Nervousness rose inside him and he unobtrusively pushed back the sleeve of his jacket when he found a new note on his wrist.
Found you?
Damen lifted his gaze and looked straight into the blue eyes of a boy who seemed a little younger than himself. Blonde wavy hair framed his face and he gave Damen a shy smile, which he only replied with a broad smile before he approached him, "So you have to be the little artist who keeps beautifying my day and my body?"
Laurent nodded cautiously, "Apparently I am, and then you're probably the forgetful student who permanently smears everything on his skin to remember the simplest things?"
Damen nodded in surprise and had to laugh, “Yes,guilty. I am that student."
"Nice. My name is Laurent,” he said, holding out his hand.
"Damen,” he introduced himself and took Laurent's small hand. He had a good handshake; he has to admit.
"So, Laurent, could I invite you for coffee or tea?"
"With pleasure."
Damen was happy about that and held the door open for Laurent, first letting him go into the café before following him inside. He ordered the respective drinks for both of them and then sat down with him in a small corner with two armchairs and a round table in the middle.
"This is the place where my best friend and I always sit when we meet," said Damen grinning, "It was he who gave me the idea of leaving you an address and a time, hoping you understand the hint."
"Really?" Laurent's eyes widened in disbelief, "I'm glad that I gave in to my curiosity." It was better not to mention that Laurent needed two people to push him into this direction.
Damen grinned broadly, “Yep. I am also happy about it, very happy. "
Laurent hummed contentedly.
*
"Your forgetfulness has not improved over the years," said Laurent with a laugh.
"But we owe it to this that we found each other," replied Damen with a soft smile and leaned forward to give Laurent a quick kiss on the lips.
Laurent hummed and returned the kiss, "Yes, you are right."
Damen lay back on his back and looked up at the sky covered in stars.
"Why do you think there is such a thing as a soul mate?" Laurent then asked out of nowhere and Damen tilted his head.
"Hm. I already told you the myth Platon had about this topic, which I believe in”, Damen said.
“Yeah you did, but I want to hear it again from you”, Laurent simply said.
Damen smiled and gave in to it. He told him again about the spherical humans from ancient Greece, they each had four arms and legs, a spherical torso with necks and heads that looked in different directions. They were quick to move and Zeus feared them, which is why he consulted with the other gods. They finally decided to split up the spherical people, which resulted in the two halves being separated from one another and falling into a void because the halves were missing their other halves, so they were looking for their former counterpart.
"Somehow cruel but somehow beautiful when you found yourself to be complete again," said Laurent as Damen finished telling the myth again. “I am glad we have now that nice feature in drawings that appears on the skin to find our other half.”
Damen nodded, "That's true." He traced the lines of his wrist tattoo, two roses linked by a laurel wreath.
He turned his head to the side and looked at Laurent with warm brown eyes that were so full of love for him, he reached out for Laurents hand and intertwined their fingers together and said, "You are half of my soul as the poets would say.”
Laurent fell silent and Damen could see a red glow spreading across his cheeks and he turned his head in his direction.
"I feel complete with you" Laurent said softly, turning to lean over Damen, "I love you."
"I love you too, my heart," replied Damen with a smile and put a hand on his cheek, Laurent leaned down to him and then kissed him tenderly.