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Ever since Albert was six, he had had the words on his wrist.
Um, you’re not Jack.
When he reached puberty and soulmates started to become a topic of interest among his friends and classmates, and having one became something to brag about, he’d figured he’d be among the first to join them. The only thing he had to do was find the Jack his soulmate was looking for, and he would be all set. After all, how many Jacks could Albert be destined to meet? Turns out, all too many. There was his distant cousin Jack, his partner-in-biology-class-in-8th-grade Jack, the used-car-salesman-who’d-sold-him-his-first-car Jack, his college-roommate-during-his-freshman-year’s-girlfriend's roommate’s-brother Jack, and his coworker-turned-friend Jack, the last of which he’d grown to become quite close friends with.
They’d met working at Starbucks, and had bonded over their words having each other's names. Jack’s was Oh, Albert? Yeah, he lives here, and after Jack had hounded Albert quite unsubtly about his roommate (or rather, his lack of one), they had decided to become friends. In fact, they both found the coincidence rather funny, and made jokes about how their meeting seemed meant to be.
And although Albert hadn’t yet found his soulmate, he wasn’t the type to let that stop him from having fun. Plenty of people don’t meet their soulmate until later in their lives, and sure, maybe Albert was biased in the fact that he had a tendency to fall in and out of love in an instant, but he had a feeling that his soulmate probably wouldn’t mind.
In fact, Albert was infatuated yet again right at this very moment, and even if his soulmate was there, he wasn’t sure they would be able to tear his gaze away from the pretty blonde boy with the laptop sitting near the entrance to the Starbucks. His name was Racetrack (at least, according to his coffee cup), he’d been a regular here for at least three weeks, and Albert still hadn’t managed to strike up a conversation with him yet.
Every time he entered the establishment, Albert was either A, still a minute or two from finishing his ten minute break and would return to see Jack and the boy engaged in lively conversation, or B, struck mute by his beauty (no, that was not an exaggeration), and Jack would end up having to take his order anyways. Either way, Albert found himself completely smitten with a boy who he had never even locked eyes with and, as far as he knew, had already found his soulmate.
In addition, Racetrack seemed to not have a schedule when it came to getting coffee, and was just as likely to drop by at six in the morning when the store opened as he was to, according to the guy who worked the shift after Albert did, attempt to order, looking like a dead man walking, just as they were about to close, leaving Albert helpless to even anticipate his arrival. In a nutshell, Albert considered himself hopeless.
-----
Albert was standing at the register, utterly exhausted. Jack had taken today off, citing a fever and a really bad cough, and he had been unable to find any coworkers he was on good enough terms with to replace Jack in a pinch.
Today was a particularly busy day, and as Albert heard footsteps walking towards the counter, he rubbed his eyes. He had already dealt with an unusual amount of difficult customers today, and he wasn’t sure what he would do if he had to deal with one more.
Albert put on his fakest customer service voice. “Hi, welcome to Starbucks. What can I get you?”
“Um,” He heard an unfamiliar voice say. “You’re not Jack.”
Jack? Albert looked up in shock. It was the blonde boy- Racetrack- he had said his words. But that would mean that- Albert’s hand flew up to his mouth.
“You-” He started. “You’re my soulmate.”
Racetrack looked just as shocked as Albert did, now. “I guess I am.”
Albert slowly removed his hand from his mouth, and tried to calm his beating heart. “So. Do you want to, uh, maybe go on a date with me, sometime?”
“Okay!” When the other boy grinned, his eyes crinkled at the corners. “My name’s Racetrack, by the way. And I still need my coffee.”
On the verge of laughing from disbelief, Albert smiled. “No problem. I’m Albert. Oh, and Jack’s sick today. Why, were you expecting him?”
Racetrack seemed embarrassed. “No, it’s just that he’s usually the one who takes my order. Well, that, and also because I thought he was my soulmate.”
Albert burst out laughing, and after a moment or two, Racetrack joined him as well.
-----
Minutes later, Albert smiled down at the cup he was writing on. Racetrack, it read, along with his number. After a moment’s hesitation, he scribbled down a heart next to it.