Astrid Fraser has been looking for her soulmate since she received her soul mark at 10. After 18 years, she began thinking she'd never find him... until fate decided to step in.
Will he accept her knowing that she is different?
Will he accept her...
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I stared at her sleeping face resting on my chest. It's funny, I had done the same thing each day she was in the coma, but this time it felt different to watch Astrid sleeping. Gone were the feelings of hopelessness, dread and fear; instead they were replaced with love, hope and relief.
Since waking from her coma, Astrid had been really clingy – not in a bad way. Instinctually, I knew it was her soul needing to bond with mine again after coming so close to death. Any time I got about a metre away from my soulmate, she would rush to me, clinging onto me like I was a lifeboat in a rough storm. She'd only calmed down when I hopped into the bed with her, cradling her in my arms.
Sophie had been visiting each day, usually coming before school to say good morning to her mother, then returning around dinner time to eat with us. I could tell Astrid missed our little girl during the times she was not with us, but she had been the one to make sure Sophie wasn't missing any school and was doing her homework. Joon, Jimin and Iseul, the three who topped their classes in school, were on homework duties, making sure Sophie understood all the work set and had it completed before she came to the hospital.
One positive about all of this happening was that everyone was thoroughly making the most of the extra free time. I was brushing up on my English, along with whichever member came to visit Astrid and I; having a soulmate who was fluent in both English and Korean helped so much. So did the kisses when I got the pronunciation and words correct.
As I waited for my fiancé to wake up, my mind wandered. I wondered what the baby would have been like, if they would have been a girl or a boy, what they would have looked like. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I jumped when a hand came up to cup my cheek.
"What's got you thinking so hard, handsome?"
"Just thinking about the baby," I confessed, nervous about her reaction. While it had been three days since she'd received the news of losing the baby, Astrid still struggled mentally and emotionally about the fact that she was pregnant and it had been taken from us.
"I'm so sorry, Yoongi. I lost our baby."
"Shh, my love. It wasn't your fault." I wrapped her tighter in my strong arms, holding her as we both mourned what was so horribly stolen from us. It wasn't until she'd calmed down that I realised my hand had never left her stomach; the action both comforting and healing me, and her by the fact that she placed her smaller one on top of mine.
"I dreamed about him," she whispered through sniffles. I shifted slightly so I could lie on my side, still holding onto her tightly. "He was with my mum and dad. They smiled at me, told me how much they loved me and that they would look after him until we meet again."
"Him? He was a boy?"
She nodded, a soft smile on her face. It was something I'd missed, seeing her smile genuinely. These past few days, her smiles had not reached her eyes, but this one did. I knew that she was on the road to healing.
"Sophie asked me while you were in the coma if we could name the baby," I said softly, moving a piece of her hair behind her ear. "She wanted to be able to remember him."
"Byeol," I heard her voice out through sniffles. Seeing my confusion, Astrid gently rubbed her belly as she told me how she'd like to name our baby Byeol, meaning 'star'.
"Baby Min Byeol. Forever in the stars and in our hearts."
˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚
"How's the water?" I asked after positioning Astrid on the shower chair and picking up the removable shower head. Once she woke up, I'd elected to bathe her myself, knowing that both of us would be much more comfortable than having a stranger do it.
"It's good," her voice not holding the same zest as it did a few weeks ago.
I took my time, washing both her hair, massaging her scalp like how she does for me after concerts. It took a little while to get all the tangles out, but I could tell she appreciated my actions. Even though my naked body was pressed against her back as I ran my hands along her skin lathering it in soap, nothing about this was sexual. I was trying to comfort her; wash all the heartbreak away so we could begin to heal together.
"Thank you, baby," she uttered quietly as I picked her up and placed her on the dry seat. I cupped her cheeks, relaxing when she leaned into my hands, and placed a soft, gentle kiss to her lips.
As I was gently drying her with the super soft towel, I watched as she opened and closed her mouth, as if she was steeling herself to tell me something. I patiently waited until she was ready to talk. "You know, I've never been afraid of dying," she eventually spoke so softly I thought I imagined it. "But I was scared the whole time that I wouldn't get to see you ever again. I'm not scared of death, but I'm fucking terrified of not being with you."
I tilted her chin to look up at me and gave her the softest most loving look I had ever given anyone. "My love, even death can't stop me from being with you. We will find each other in the next life, and the one after that, and the one after that." I pecked her lips before placing my forehead on hers. "You'll never not be with me."
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