Summary: Allie learns that sometimes, fairytales can come true. A soulmates AU that takes place in Book 1, and featuring a reimagining of the waterfall diamond scene in Chapter 10.
Allie’s favorite books growing up are fairytales. Even as she gets older and knows that she’s probably never going to meet or marry an actual prince, there’s something about the stories that she still loves. Possibly, she considers, it’s because the princes in her books seem nothing like the egotistical, self-centered snobs her mother usually encourages her to go out with.
The universe is funny though, Allie muses many years later. Just the night before, she was waiting on tables and dealing with her angry boss and waiting for her shift to end. Now, she’s sitting on a private jet to Cordonia, about to become a suitor competing for a prince’s hand.
She’s not sure what convinced her to throw caution to the wind and get on the plane. Never in her life has she flown across an ocean for anyone, let alone a man she might not even end up with.
But she’s never been to Cordonia, and Liam had been incredibly kind and genuine the night before. The worst that can happen, she figures, is that she won’t be chosen and she’ll go home and back to her regular life. Of course, the neat, masculine writing that makes up the soulmark across her left rib cage reminds her that it could be worse.
Even if, by some wild chance, Liam is her soulmate, it won’t matter here if he doesn’t choose her. If he is, she knows, at some point, he’ll say those words decorating her skin. He’ll recognize the script it’s in as his handwriting. If he is, the words she says back will be on him somewhere too, in her curvy print. It’s an exhilarating but nerve-wracking thought, that she could very well be on her way to actually meeting her soulmate, but that it might come to nothing.
Before she can think about it too much more, the plane begins to descend, and she catches her first glimpse of Cordonia. She’s struck by how beautiful it is, and thinks that even if Liam doesn’t end up being who she’s meant to be with, at least she’ll still have this beauty to carry with her.
Parts of Allie’s time in Cordonia play out almost like the fairytales she loved so much, like when she catches the soft, hopeful way Liam looks at her, or the way he smiles when he notices that she’s caught him. She’s falling in love with him, she realizes, and while it makes her undeniably happy, it also makes her nervous.
Her soulmark is always hidden, and Liam’s is too. Part of her just wants to know, to find out, and part of her wants to delay the inevitable. She’s drawn to him, is falling for him, but that doesn’t mean they’re soulmates, or that she’s the one he’ll choose.
Liam invites her to join him in his private hot tub at Olivia’s, and while she wants to go, desperately, Allie tells him no. He looks a little crushed and disappointed, just for a moment, and then smiles politely.
“It’s not what you think,” Allie blurts out before he can say anything. “It’s just…I’m not ready for you to see my soulmark. Not yet.”
His smile turns a little softer, more sincere, at what she’s sure is the hesitant look on her face.
Liam reaches out and briefly squeezes her hand. “Of course, Allie. I understand.”
Although she’s ultimately glad she waited, she silently curses herself that night just before she falls asleep.
You could have known for sure, Allie, her mind taunts her. But now you don’t.
She gets another chance though, the day of the Regatta. Allie purposely sits on the beach with Maxwell, knowing if she’s in a bathing suit her soulmark will be on full display. But then Liam asks her to accompany him to the waterfall, and he looks at her so earnestly and hopefully and with a flare of heat in his eyes, that something in her decides to go.
Now or never, she thinks.
The waterfall is beautiful, though she’s almost too distracted to enjoy it. She hesitates before stripping down to her underwear, and notices Liam hesitate too. Then he smiles warmly and squeezes her hand.
“It’s okay,” he says quietly.
He keeps holding her hand, and steps closer.
“You’re wonderful, Allie. I never imagined I’d meet someone like you, and certainly not the night before the social season started.”
Allie swallows hard as he steps a little closer, and hesitantly reaches up to rest her hand on his shirt, over his heart.
“I never imagined I’d get to see you again. I never imagined I’d get to have you as more than a brief meeting between strangers. But now…now you’re here. Now that I have you-“
Allie sucks in a breath, and Liam stops, his brow furrowing. She lets out a choked half-laugh, tilting her head down and squeezing her eyes shut. Words come to her instinctively, without thought, without planning or worry. Opening her eyes, she glances back up. Liam is still watching her. His hand slowly drifts up to cup her cheek.
“I never want to lose you,” she murmurs, and sees Liam’s eyes go wide.
“Allie,” he breathes.
She lets go of his hand and unceremoniously pulls her shirt over her head. Liam’s gaze goes automatically to the writing across her rib cage. He reaches out, then hesitates. “May I?” he asks.
“Please,” she says softly, and sighs when he traces a fingertip over the words.
A soft, slow smile spreads across his face before he, too, pulls his sweater off, then undoes his blue button up and shrugs it off. Allie exhales slowly, taking in the words across his right ribs, the words she just said, the words on him in her handwriting.
“Oh, Liam,” she sighs.
He pulls her back against him, bare skin to bare skin, and Allie rises on her toes. Her skin tingles when the soulmarks touch. She hears Liam suck in a breath, then tilt his head down and gently press his lips to hers.
“I hoped it was you,” he murmurs. “I wanted it to be you.”
He kisses her again, soft at first, then more deeply as he holds her to him.
“I wanted it to be you too,” Allie says in between his lips meeting hers.
Liam looks inexplicably happy when he finally leans back, resting his forehead against hers.
“You know,” he says, “It’s said that if two lovers climb to the top of the waterfall and jump in together, they’ll get the blessing of the lady of the waterfall.”
Allie grins, raising an eyebrow. “Is this your way of telling me you think we should be lovers?”
Liam flushes, losing his composure for just a moment, before he looks at her with such desire and longing that any thoughts of teasing him further fly out of her head.
“Perhaps not right this second,” he says, his breath warm and soft on her skin. “But someday. Someday soon, Allie.”