Let It Be

Chapter 24: The Truth, Part III

"Abby, I need to tell you something. Something important."

It'd been almost a month since we first got together. "What?" I asked with an involuntarily smile. I always seemed to be smiling around Sam. Not that I minded.

"On Halloween, when I was explaining everything to you, I mentioned that immortals have a weird way of falling in love."

Oh. I had forgotten about that. "Oh."

"I need to explain it to you now."

Anxiety rippled through my stomach, and I put my hand to it, trying to calm it. He paused for a moment, before continuing. We both stayed where we were, lying on our backs in the grass, staring at the sky.

"Love is a one-time-deal for us--"

"You had Eleanor," I whispered in fear.

"No, Abby, that is not what I am trying to tell you. Just listen, alright?"

Really? My heart lightened ever so slightly. "Okay."

"For immortals, soulmates exist. Part of being immortal means you find the one person whose soul fits perfectly with yours."

Soulmates?

"We all have a stone," he said, sighing. "Every immortal has a piece of stone we've collected from the bank of the stream of the immortal water. When you meet your soulmate, the one person you are destined for, their name etches itself into the stone."

He reached into his pocket and I knew what he was pulling out. He placed it inside my palm. I took a deep breath and brought it to my face. His stone.

Abigail Renee Shea

"Me?"

"Yes. You are my soulmate, Abby."

I didn't know what to say, or how to act, or how to feel. All I felt was sadness. "Oh. Oh my."

"But you, Abby," he continued, having turned on his side to look at me intently, "you are not tied to me the way I am to you. You are not immortal."

I shook my head. "I don't understand."

"What I am trying to say is, you get a choice. You can chose to deny this bond between us, and find it somewhere else. I will never love another, but if you chose, you can walk away and find someone else to love just as deeply."

I sat up. "Are you saying I'm your soulmate, but you're not my mine?"

He sat up as well, turning to face me. "I am saying mortals do not have them. Mortals chose their partners, while immortal partners are predestined. I am saying, Abby, that you do not have to accept me. You do not have to be in a relationship with me, you do not have to love me. You are my soulmate, my Beloved, but if you would rather find someone else, then you are free to do so. You can get out, Abby."

I met his eyes. "But Sam, I already do love you."

"And I love you, too, forever. But there is more I must say."

What more could there possibly be beside forever? "Tell me."

"Being my Beloved, you also have a chance to become immortal. Mortal Beloveds—the mortal soulmates of immortals—are given the choice to accept the immortal love, and become immortal themselves. The soulmates are given eternity together."

"What's the difference between mortal and immortal love?"

He searched my face with his beautiful eyes. "The guarantee forever. It is the main draw, anyways. Immortal love is also deeper, more satisfying, more unifying than mortal love. It is a chance to heighten our experience, deepen our love. Etch our souls upon one another."