Soulmate: Feel My Heart Beat Book 1

by Delmire Hart

  “I’ve heard your name before.” He spoke slowly, carefully picking his words. “I’m a photographer and do lots of different freelance jobs for cash but I’m mainly a criminal photographer.” He glanced up into the intense gaze of the other man, trying to gauge a reaction but nothing changed in his expression. So, Daniel took a deep breath and continued on.

  “I’ve been warned away from anything to do with your name, too dangerous apparently. I tried to chase down a couple of tip offs that had your name attached. I was curious to see what everyone was so afraid of but both turned out to be fake and if I don’t get a scoop, I don’t get paid. My curiosity wasn’t worth not being able to eat for a week so I left it alone after that.”

  “Interesting.” Before anymore could be said, the food arrived. The waiter put down a selection of dishes on their table along with a bottle of wine after filling up their glasses. He vanished off after a polite ‘please enjoy your meal’.

  Daniel stared at the food in front of them, mouth watering. It looked and smelt amazing. He honestly didn’t know where to begin. Presumably he should hold back and eat politely considering where they were but he wasn’t sure he could hold back once he got started. He wasn’t even aware that he had been ogling the food until a chuckle interrupted his thoughts.

  “Help yourself, you don’t have to hold back.”

  While they ate, or more accurately while Daniel ate and William watched him in amusement, William would ask the odd question and between mouthfuls Daniel chattered away about his life, work, friends, and family. The businessman seemed surprisingly interested in what he had to say, even with the most mundane of topics.

  “Seeing as you are a photographer, I assume you will need a new camera?”

  “Ah, yeah, at some point. I have an older model I can use in the meantime. They aren’t cheap, unfortunately,” Daniel replied with a grimace. “It’s a shame, I got this one for such a bargain. It performs so well too! Well, it did.” He sighed and stretched as the waiter came over to remove the empty plates.

  “Ahh, that food was good!” William gave him the slightest smile as he rubbed his stomach contentedly.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now if you aren’t in a hurry, I have one more place I would like to go with you.” William signalled for the waiter to come back and handed over fancy looking black and silver card to pay. A few minutes later the waiter came back for William to sign for the food and then they were heading out of the restaurant.

  “So, where to?”

  “Your camera store,” William said casually as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  “What?”

  “You need a new camera, yes?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t have the money right now-” Daniel tried to say was interrupted almost immediately.

  “That’s fine. I’ll pay for it.”

  “What?” William looked at him in amusement as he stopped dead on the pavement to stare at the man in consternation.

  “I said, I’ll pay for it.”

  “No.”

  “Excuse me?” The businessman seemed genuinely surprised at his refusal.

  “I said no. Look, I understand you have money and all but we’ve just met and I can look after myself. I get that you’re my soulmate but that doesn’t mean you owe me anything.” Daniel shrugged uncomfortably. “I’m going to use my old camera for a bit and save up for a new one. Although I did appreciate the lunch, you didn’t have to do that.”

  William was still staring at him with an unreadable expression.

  “What’s with that look? Do people normally come and try to leech money off you?” Daniel snorted when he got no answer. “Man, you need better friends. As I said, I can look after myself. It's fine, I don’t want a handout.”

  William seemed to come back to himself and narrowed his eyes at Daniel threateningly. “We are going to the camera shop and I am buying you a new camera.”

  “What part of ‘I don’t want your money’ did you not understand?”

  William started to stalk predatorily towards the photographer. He suddenly seemed far more intimidating and closer to the whispered rumours he remembered hearing at the police station.

  “You are my soulmate. I look after my things-”

  “I’m not a-!” Daniel tried to protest but William continued right over him. The other man was now standing only a few scant centimetres away and a deadly aura rolled off him in waves.

  “And I’m not about to let my soulmate go without something when I can help it. You need a camera for work so it’s important and as such, we are going to get you a new one. Do I make myself clear?”

  Daniel huffed. “You aren’t used to people telling you no, are you?”

  Golden eyes glared at him and the man didn’t move an inch.

  Daniel tried to match the glare, but he didn’t think he pulled it off as well and sure enough, it had no clear effect on the businessman. They seemed at an impasse until William raised a cool eyebrow and spoke with a distant aloofness.

  ***

  Daniel walked into his little run-down apartment and carefully sat his new camera and lenses on the coffee table. He threw himself onto his couch to bury his face into a cushion with a groan. He had accepted the offer of a ride home with little thought and had just been dropped off home in a limo. A limousine of all things.

  Seriously, who rides around in one of those like it’s nothing? “I have a business meeting to attend to after this, if you would lead the way?”

  Daniel gritted his teeth as he finally moved towards the store. As much as he didn’t want to go, they couldn’t stand there glaring at each other forever. Perhaps he could divert the man’s attention once they were there, it wouldn’t be the first time he had gone in to window shop and ogle all the flashy cameras. Still, why on earth did he end up with this obstinate man as his soulmate?

  ***

  The trip to the flash camera store had started out fine with Daniel dragging William around the store exclaiming over all the things and pointing out all the useful accessories he would like one day. Camera’s and photography were his passion and he couldn’t help but fawn over the latest models on the market. He also hoped that by pointing out everything there was to see, he would distract the other man. What he hadn’t realised was that William had snagged an employee to note down what things he was pointing out. He had been gazing at the latest models of cameras on display when William called him over to the register.

  Daniel’s jaw dropped at all the things spread out over the counter being scanned and packaged. Turning to William in alarm, he opened his mouth to question what was going on when the man’s phone rang. His soulmate passed over the same credit card as earlier and excused himself to step outside to take the call. Panicked, Daniel took the chance to plead with the sales assistant.

  “So, I don’t need all this. While he’s out, we can put some of this back.” The assistant laughed in his face.

  “Sorry man, I listen to the person with the credit card.” He whistled as he held it up for inspection. “Especially when they have one of these babies. Don’t see a card like this very often. If it were me, I wouldn’t say anything. Seriously, just let daddy buy you your stuff.”

  “He’s not my dad!”

  “Who is he then?” Daniel looked away and fidgeted a little. The whole thing still seemed so surreal to him.

  “He’s my soulmate.”

  “Damn, dude! You got lucky! I’d kill to have that kinda money thrown at me. But anyway, just keep your mouth shut and let your sugar daddy treat you. You seriously don’t know how lucky you are.”

  Daniel choked at the sugar daddy comment but William returned before he could protest. He couldn’t throw a tantrum in the store like a child and refuse the purchase so now Daniel had more camera equipment than he ever imagined himself owning. He couldn’t get over the events of that day.

  “I have to get back to work, do you need a ride home?” William asked as he grabbed one of the large bags
.

  “I took the bus, parking here is terrible,” Daniel responded automatically while he tried to think of a way to return all the camera parts.

  “I’ll drop you off on my way then.”

  “Oh but—” he cut off as William turned and strode out of the store without looking back. With a small scowl of annoyance, Daniel grabbed the rest of the equipment and trotted after the other man. Clearly, he expected to be followed and the action was oddly grating.

  He couldn’t think of anything to say as they made their way down the busy street. A limousine pulled up to the curb in front of and William opened the door, gesturing Daniel inside. Staring in surprise, he moved on autopilot to accept the invitation in and slid along the leather seats to give the other man room to join him.

  After giving his address to the driver at the front, silence reigned once again. It was tenser this time, as though neither of them could find the words they wanted to say. What could you say in this situation? Their impromptu lunch date had quickly taken on a relaxed atmosphere but since their stare off, things felt strained.

  Thankfully, they arrived at his address quickly and he mumbled his thanks as he gathered all the camera bags. William caught his hand as he reached for the last bag.

  “I’ll call you,” he said firmly as he pulled out his phone. “What’s your number?”

  He rattled it off quickly and felt his phone buzz in his pocket as it received a message. In the whirlwind of events, it hadn’t even occurred to him that they hadn’t exchanged contact information. With another awkward goodbye, Daniel slipped from the vehicle and walked up to his little run-down apartment. Once inside, he carefully sat his new camera and lenses on the coffee table then threw himself onto his couch to bury his face into a cushion with a groan.

  Got in a fight, broke his camera, found his soulmate, had an expensive lunch, was given a new camera, and finally it was topped off by a ride home in a limo. He groaned again. Now that he was by himself and able to collect his thoughts he realised that all day he had been the one doing all the talking. So while he knew the name, face, and phone number of his soulmate, he knew nothing about the man himself. The rumours were clearly exaggerated as the man had seem civil enough except for when Daniel had tried to tell him no, then he got a glimpse of a very intimidating persona. Otherwise he just seemed to have that small smirk and amused glint in his eyes.

  The deep baritone of his voice would catch him off guard nearly every time he spoke. He didn’t know what to make of the man or the whole soulmate thing. Great, so this person was ‘meant’ for him.

  His perfect counterpart.

  But in what way? There was nothing that told him how they fit together, nothing gave a hint to what this all meant. He understood that was how it worked but it seemed far harder now he faced so many questions.

  When he had spoken with those he knew who had found their soulmates, they all seemed to have come to the conclusion about how they fit together fairly quickly. But he honestly felt like everything was still a mystery. Sure, he had enjoyed their lunch together and William had seem genuinely interested in what he was saying but the man himself said so little. Daniel felt like tearing his hair out in frustration.

  He remembered what he had been taught in school about soulmates: Each and every person on this earth has a soulmate, or perhaps soulmates, destined for them. Unfortunately, most people don’t find this other person. There are a lot of people on this planet to try to sort through to find just one single person and lots of things can happen in the meantime. People die every day, at all ages. Each time someone dies, someone else has lost a soulmate. But those that are lucky enough to find this other person, find someone who fills a missing part of themselves.

  Soulmates are broadly described as being one of two types, platonic or romantic, but don’t be fooled, that kind of bond is hard to define in such simple terms. The beauty of human nature is that the missing part is different for everyone. The very meaning behind soulmate is different for everyone and one of the great joys is finding out what that person means to you.

  But that didn’t help him sort out his emotions about this intimidating man. He couldn’t see them being platonic soulmates. Just a friend for a man like that? He wondered if William even had friends. Real friends, not people after his money. He wasn’t too sure judging on the reaction he had gotten when he tried to turn down the gift. But that left a soulmate in the romantic terms and Daniel wasn’t too sure about that either. Sure, the businessman was very attractive, and that voice sounded like sin but that didn’t mean that much, did it? He hadn’t expected to fall for a man either. Why was this all so hard?

  A familiar ringtone interrupted his thoughts. Daniel reluctantly pulled out his phone and checked the caller ID. Looks like his mother was finally making that call she had messaged about earlier. With a small sigh, Daniel picked up the phone.

  “Mom—” He was immediately interrupted by an excited squeal.

  “Dan! I have the best news!” His mother all but yelled down the phone line. “You remember old Tammy from next door? She found her soulmate today! There’s this new older couple that moved in nearby and the wife joined Tammy’s knitting club and that’s how they found each other. I’m so excited for them! They are both married with kids and grandkids and it looks as though they will be thick as thieves and getting into all sorts of mischief together. She said they clicked right away and immediately knew they were platonic soulmates.”

  Daniel winced when his mother squealed again. As she chattered on for a bit, Daniel let his mind wander. How come they got it so easy? How come they knew straight away and Daniel was stuck here with more questions than answers?

  “Dan, dear?” his mother’s concerned voice jolted him back out of his thoughts.

  “Yes?”

  “Are you okay? You’re very quiet.”

  “Ah, I’m just a bit distracted is all. It’s been a crazy day,” Daniel said as he slowly let out a breath, trying to steady himself.

  “Oh? Did something happen? Is everything okay? Or did you get a date?” She said teasingly. Daniel didn’t reply, he couldn’t even form the words.

  “Dan?” When she got no response, Naomi squealed. “You did, didn’t you! I always told you that you would forget to tell me these things! I’m so excited for you, Dan! You have to tell me everything! How did you meet? What are they like? Oh, are they male or female?”

  “Male. He’s…older. I didn’t ask him his age actually. He’s a businessman, although he didn’t tell me exactly what he does, it seems like he’s done pretty well for himself considering where he took me out for lunch. He’s my soulmate.”

  Another squeal sounded out through the phone speaker.

  “What’s his name? Oh! What does he look like? Is he handsome? Do you think he’s going to be a romantic partner or a platonic one?” Daniel struggled to keep up with the onslaught of questions as his mother threw at him in her excitement.

  “His name’s William Hunt and he’s attractive,” he replied tentatively. “But I don’t know yet. Honestly I have no idea what to make of this whole thing.”

  “Tell me how you met!” she exclaimed and Daniel explained about the fight, broken camera, lunch and finally the trip to the camera store.

  “Mom, I don’t know what to do. The stuff he bought for me is enough to cover all my expenses for at least 6 months! He wouldn’t take no for an answer when I told him I didn’t need him to do that. He went on about how he wouldn’t let his soulmate go without if he could help it and when I tried to tell him I had another camera I can use, he still wouldn’t listen!”

  “Oh, that’s so sweet!”

  “No, it’s not, he wouldn’t listen to me!”

  “Maybe he just wanted to buy something for someone who would appreciate the gift?” Daniel groaned at his mother’s well-meaning response. She was completely missing the point.

  “I don’t know what to make of this whole thing, I just got dropped off home in a limo. I mean, who
rides around in a limo?! I just…I just don’t know what to do.”

  “It’s okay, darling, don’t stress so much. You’re both clearly coming from very different backgrounds but you have all the time in the world to figure things out. You must bring him to visit sometime!”

  Daniel tried to imagine that tall, intimidating man standing in his parent’s sleepy suburb surrounded by clucking old ladies and groaned. Why was this happening to him?

  Chapter Three: Confusion

  William sighed as he ran a hand through his damp hair. He reclined in his bathrobe on his couch at home with a tumbler of whiskey in hand trying to sort out his thoughts. Whatever he expected from today, finding his soulmate wasn’t it. William had been genuinely shocked to feel that shortening of breath and see the soft pulsing of light emanating out from both their chests. He had always assumed that he would never find this person.

  Why would he, someone with a soul stained by sin, find his destined person when people far more deserving never did? Somehow of all people, it was this little brat, bright blue eyes full of innocence and honesty. He lit up the room with his bubbling laughter and exuberance, full of life and passion. A shining angel compared to a dark demon. Yet this was his ‘other half’. A person who was supposed to fill a missing void. William had watched him during lunch, fascinated with his wild gestures and expressions that held his thoughts open like a book to be pursued. This Daniel Miller surprised him more than once during the brief few hours they spent together.

  “What’s with that look? Do people normally come and try to leech money off you?” Daniel said with a small snort. “Man, you need better friends.”

  Upon seeing that passion and enthusiasm, particularly when photography came up, William had decided to buy him a camera to replace the broken one. Even getting the most expensive one in the store was pocket change to him. He didn’t think twice about it until Daniel tried to refuse him.