Work Text:
Places are so important to us human beings. Our lives are centered around where we are. Sometimes, we’d like to think we’re better and somehow can transcend space and time and are perhaps some sort of omnipresent entity trapped in a body, but that’s a lie we tell ourselves. We are defined by “where.”
Everyone is born with a tattoo on either their left or right shoulder blade. A place is etched in their skin. When they are old enough to understand, parents tell their children that that place is where they will meet their soulmate. The tattoos range from ones in elegant, flowing script, to ones with words that look like they were hastily scribbled down whilst the writer had a gun held to their temple. Some people have places that are as vague as can be, “university” or “shopping center”. Others are unbelievably specific, “leftmost table in the outdoor dining area of Tatiana’s Cafe.” Perhaps the vague ones are in a way more poignant, but it certainly makes the process of finding your soulmate a lot harder.
Phil Lester was born with “library” in dark grey on his right shoulder blade. He had heard about soulmates and whatnot but never really worried himself with finding his soulmate until one day in Year 12, he realized he was strangely drawn to libraries. Maybe it was just because he liked to read or maybe it was him subconsciously being a hopeless romantic.
~
After working in the university library for five hours, Phil completed an essay, two lab reports, and studied for three exams. University wasn’t easy, but at least he was staying on top of all his work. He gathered all his stuff, said goodbye to the librarian, whom he had become familiar with, and walked out the glass double doors and back to his dorm.
Two minutes after he left, a tall man with brown hair came into the library asking if they had the copy of The Lord of the Rings trilogy he had on hold.
~
I was just the first year of uni and Dan was already swamped, and instead of working on his essay due in two days, he decided to meet Louise and Chris at the coffee shop down the road. Coffee shops are such a cliché, but maybe that was why Dan liked them. They held the promise of something new in a place so familiar.
The little bell above the door jingled and the warmth of the shop enveloped Dan. He ordered his drink as well as Louise’s and Chis’ from the barista so they would be ready by the time they arrived. He looked around the shop and saw that the only thing different from the last time he was there were the people. There was an old man reading the newspaper, a woman perhaps around 30 with the greenest eyes anyone has ever seen typing away on her laptop, and a man around Dan’s age with black hair styled almost exactly like Dan’s with his nose buried in a book.
“Dan!” a voice called to him from behind. He recognized it immediately as Louise, and behind her was Chris.
“Hi guys!” Dan greeted, sliding their drinks towards them as they sat down. “So how are you guys, I haven’t seen you in a over a week.”
“Oh you know, busy as always.” Louise replied.
“Alright, I’ve got an awful philosophy teacher though, I thought that class would be at least somewhat fun.” complained Chris. “What about you Dan?”
“Law isn’t the most interesting, I’ll tell you that. I’ve actually been thinking of transferring majors and maybe doing something like film.”
Louise knew this was coming. Dan was never really interested in law and chose it because it sounded smart. She knew Dan’s creativity would be much better used if he majored in the arts. “Dan, if you don’t like law, you really should pursue something you do like. Don’t waste your time with something that doesn’t interest you.”
“Yeah alright, I’ll think about it.”
The conversation continued into the afternoon until it was past lunch and Dan realized he had gotten no work done that day. Reluctantly, he said goodbye to Louise and Chris and began walking towards the university library.
~
Dan usually avoided the library ever since he was told what that tattoo on his left shoulder blade meant. It’s not that he didn’t want to meet his soulmate or anything like that, he just didn’t want to be hung up on something like that all the time. But the WiFi in the dorms was down and he had no choice but to go to the library.
Walking in, he saw that it was packed. Students were everywhere, most likely driven there because of the WiFi issue. He looked looked everywhere for a seat and some space to get his work done, but alas, he had gotten there too late. He might as well check if there was any room upstairs although that was unlikely given the sheer amount of students there. He climbed the stairs and tried to cover the fact he was slightly winded after a flight and a half. I should really start exercising more if I don’t want to get a coronary at 27.
There were no empty tables, but there was a spot at a table that was already partially occupied by someone who looked quite familiar. He had the black fringe and tall stature Dan was sure he’d seen before. Not having to talk to anyone he didn’t know in the library would have been ideal, but karma or bad luck must’ve caught up to Dan because the only open seat was next to this oddly familiar (and attractive, Dan admitted) stranger. It seemed so silly to let such a small case of human interaction bother him, but Dan just wasn’t cut out for talking to strangers.
He walked of to the table and set his bag down on the chair, “Is anyone sitting here?”
The stranger looked up with a friendly smile that left Dan just a little bit in awe for a moment, “Nope, you can sit there.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m Phil by the way.” he extended a hand.
Dan shook his hand, “Hi, I’m Dan.”