The Soulmate System

27. A Theme of Reunion & Letting Go

It was closer to 7:30 that evening when Bryce's family slowly descended on the house in flocks. The yellow living room turned golden as the sun disappeared, the kitchen turned almost blinding white. People spilled through the living room, into the dining room, through the kitchen and into the back patio.

Despite the back doors and all the back windows opened, the perspiration rose slowly, and the front windows stubbornly refusing to open. The smell of warm roast lamb wafted through the air, but added to the humidity. The smell of bodies slowly made the house unbearably awful.

Despite trying to remain in the corner, Bryce was sucked into the void of family, much to his dismay. Dylan remained in the corner, drinking water from a coloured plastic cup. But he kept his eyes on Bryce quietly, watching the strangers gather around his Soulmate to enquire about his life in his absence.

From the looks of it, Bryce almost enjoyed catching up with select relatives, conversing with them while keeping an eye on his corner with Dylan.

It was after a specific point where Dylan lost sight of his Soulmate in the crowd and the anxiety began building in him. He took two steps out from the corner and was accidentally swept into the motion of people headed for the kitchen or back garden.

And before Dylan knew it, he was alone with the shorthaired Mrs. Houghton.

"Hello, honey," she began, withdrawing a tray of something Dylan didn't recognise from the oven. "Need more water? We have pop if you'd like something."

Dylan's mouth hung ajar, unable to find words to speak. "Just needed a breather," he suddenly found himself saying. He reclined into a kitchen chair, which creaked quietly under his weight. "When Bryce told me this was just immediate family, I thought he was talking about brothers, sisters, immediate relations."

"This is immediate relations," Mrs. Houghton replied, placing down the tray and removing her oven mitts. "We Houghtons are a large family, and we hope the same for Stephen, Allen, Bryce, and Thomas."

"Who?"

"His brothers." Dylan glanced out into the sea of people. Phone buzzing, Dylan noticed his Soulmate's frantic text –

where are you ???

which he didn't reply to, slipping the phone back into his pocket. He watched the crowd intently, hoping to find glimpses of the man he was in love with.

Unbeknownst to him, his Glow lightly sighed in his chest.

Mrs. Houghton clenched her jaw and pulled up a chair next to him. Clicking her tongue, she asked, "Who's your Soulmate?"

"Bryce," he answered without thinking. She lightly chuckled and looked out at the mass of bodies in the dining and living room; Dylan panicked and attempted to explain himself. "N-no, I, I-I didn't mean – "

Mrs. Houghton put up her hand. "My wife already told me about you. You don't need to defend yourself." She turned her head slightly towards him, eyeing the longhaired Mrs. Houghton and Bryce suddenly emerged from the crowd. Bryce had a panicked look on his face as the longhaired Mrs. Houghton pulled him into another conversation. "What's it like, being with him?"

Dylan folded his hands gently in his lap. "It's all right, I guess," he whispered. "I mean, it isn't particularly exhilarating, nor is it all that boring. It's like...being friends, but with kissing benefits."

Mrs. Houghton chuckled. "That's an odd way to describe it," she replied, standing to put back her oven mitt.

Eyes dropping to the floor, Dylan turned back to her. "Why doesn't Bryce talk about you?" The shorthaired Mrs. Houghton paused, and Dylan elaborated, "I ask, sometimes, about where he grew up, and things like that, and he gives me dodgy, vague answer."