(Not) Soul Mates
It’s the tail-end of summer when New York gets hit by a heat wave. 100 degrees and Nate can see it in the air, the way the light ripples and makes everything feel like a Salvador Dali painting. Kate didn’t plan on needing central air conditioning, so Bishop Publishing is a miserable steam bath of kids who will put up with anything if it means not going home.
Nate escaped to the basement, where it’s cooler by fifteen degrees and quieter by five less people. He has his over-shirt shucked to the concrete, but he’s stubbornly still in his tank top because Cassie followed him down here and he doesn’t want her to see his chest. It’s not muscular like Eli and Teddy’s, or lean like Tommy and Billy’s. It’s undefined with visible tan lines and some fat that peeks out at the belly.
They’re sitting on the floor, Cassie cross-legged and Nate hunched over the detached arm of his Iron Lad suit. He’s got a panel open and a screwdriver wedged in it, tinkering with the neuro-muscular response. Cassie is leaning toward him, watching him mess around with the tech. She’s wearing jean shorts and a green plaid shirt cuffed to her elbows and unbuttoned over her white tank top. She’s sporting piggy-braids, but the humidity has made them frizz and she tucks a stray stand behind her ear. She draws in a breath. “You ever, like, think about soul mates?” she asks suddenly.
Nate glances up from the arm. “You mean in fiction?”
“No,” Cassie giggles, shaking her head like Nate is a puppy. She punches his arm lightly. “I’m talking about you and me. Soul mates.”
Nate scrunches his brows. “Cassie,” he says, concerned, “you do know soul mates are a myth, right?”
Cassie seems to take a couple seconds to absorb this. Then she pulls back and Nate immediately backtracks. “I mean, I’m sure we’re as close as it gets –”
“I think they’re real,” Cassie argues. Her voice is soft and her face is less open now. She looks confused, or conflicted. Her fingers drum on her bare thigh, eyes focused on the ground. Nate doesn’t know what to say to that, so he goes back to working on the arm.