Stephen
It was the night of the dinner, and as much as Stephen bullshitted himself, he was not ready for this.
It was a mix of Oh my god what if he isn’t my soulmate and I’ve been stalking him for the past three and a half months for no reason?? and Oh my god what if he is my soulmate?
So needless to say, Stephen was a nervous wreck.
Christine arrived, looking flawless as ever in her classic topaz evening gown, at seven thirty on the dot.
“I would’ve picked you up.” Stephen said. She laughed lightly and smoothed her dress.
“I know, but I’m here for moral support more than being your date.” She responded cheerfully.
“Yeah..so..I mean..what am I supposed to do if it is him? And if it isn’t? We didn’t think this through.” Stephen groaned.
“Aw c’mon Steph. If it is, than he’ll see your mark.” She gestured to his arm, where it was pretty apparent. “Rely on him to make the first move if you’re really nervous. But, all you have to do is be your normal, cocky self. You’ll fit right in with a bunch of rich people!” She chuckled and elbowed him playfully as he led her out to his car.
“Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence!” Stephen shot back playfully.
“This is Tony Stark we’re talking about. If anything, you’d be better off being an ass.” Stephen did have to admit, she had a point.
“What about you? Any desire to find your soulmate?” He asked.
“Nah, I’m not the hopeless romantic type. If we are truly “destined” to be together, then we’ll find each other. If we don’t, than I guess we weren’t, and I hope they don’t get themselves hurt too often.” She shrugged nonchalantly.
Stephen wished he could be as calm as her, but if it was Tony Stark he’s destined to be with, he needs to find out quickly.
They arrived at eight sixteen, and strolled into the room arm in arm. They truly appeared to be a couple at first glance, but if you looked really close, you could see Stephens hands twitching nervously and Christine giggling slightly.
“So, may I offer you a refreshment?” Stephen asked sarcastically. Christine rolled her eyes and smiled.
“You certainly may. I’ll take a White Russian, please.” She said.
“Of course. I’ll be back.” He said, and wandered off to find the drinks. He didn’t want to say hello to Tony yet, but he did keep his eye out for him.
Twenty minutes later, Christine and finished her second drink and Stark was nowhere to be found. Stephen was getting nervous but Christine just rolled her eyes.
“The event lasts until like eleven or twelve. Quit being such a worry wart and enjoy the party.” She responded. Stephen tried to take her advice, but he was constantly on edge, tapping his fingers against whatever surface he was leaning against or tapping his foot impatiently.
It wasn’t until nine- thirtyish before he arrived. Stephen had over an hour to contemplate what he was gonna say and he was still terrified.
“Only Tony Stark would turn up fashionably late to his own event.” Christine said. Stephen scoffed.
“I’ll go talk to him in a minute.” Stephen tried to seem casual, but he could see Christine trying not to laugh.
“Ooh-Kay. You do that.” She said. Stephen rolled his eyes and tried to keep from being too nervous.
He decided about fifteen minutes later, he would approach him. He casually strode over, champagne in hand, and nodded to him.
“Strange. What surprise.” He said. Stephen delicately raises an eyebrow.
“Whatever do you mean, Stark?” He responded.
“I’ve hosted my fair share of these and I’ve never seen you here. What gives?”
“Christine said I should come to this one, so here I am. Besides, I wanted to try something new.” He said. Tony adjusted his arm and he caught a glimpse of the number 3 on his forearm.
“Makes sense.” Tony replied.
“So, where’s the money for this event going.” He asked, casually taking a sip of his drink. His jacket sleeve rode up just a bit, enough to see the number 30 on his arm. Stephen saw Tony’s face pale momentarily, before regaining his composure.
“Oh, just to help fund a new school for the city.” He responded, voice steady.
“Ah. Well, I’ll leave you to it then.” He said, and nodded to Tony, before striding away to stand next to Christine.
“Chris. It’s him.” He said quietly. Christine looked shocked.
“Really? Are you sure?” She whispered back.
“I saw the number 3 in the exact spot it’s on my arm, and when he saw part of my mark, his face paled.” He responded. Stephen realized this wasn’t really definite proof that he was one- hundred percent his soulmate, but all of this together seemed like he was.
“So, how do you feel? Did you at least exchanged numbers or something?”
“Well..I’m not sure how I feel. As for numbers..I uh..” Stephen didn’t look at Christine, knowing she wouldn’t be happy with him.
“You’ve spent over three months trying to figure out if this guy is your soulmate, and you don’t even exchange numbers when you confirm he is?” Christine whispered incredulously.
“Well…” He sighed. “I work at a pretty large hospital. If it’s truly him, he’ll call.” He said. He thought he had a pretty good argument, but Christine was still glaring at him.
“You..are going to make me jump off a bridge.” She sighed, rubbing her temples. “Well, if your mission was a success, can we go home? These heels are killing my toes.” She said. Stephen laughed and led her back to the car.
“All in all, I think it was a success.”