Soulmates AU: Waited All My Life

Waited All My Life
By Misha

Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them and will return them when I am finished.

Author’s Notes- This is day 5 of the May Soulmates Challenge. This is Dante and Eleanor but it is not part of the The Path Least Expected universe. This is the first of my soulmate shorts that is a true AU. This is a different first meeting for Dante and Eleanor and a different life for Eleanor, in this universe, her parents never died and she never took a waitressing job and met a prince. This is set in a soulmates universe where soulmates are born with mirroring tattoos.

Pairing- Dante/Eleanor (MC/OC)

Rating- PG-13

Summary- Eleanor Sloane believed in fairytales and happily ever after and she’d spent her whole life waiting for her story, for her soulmate.

Words- 1328

“There’s my girl,” Michael Sloane said warmly, rising to his feet as Eleanor entered the restaurant.

Eleanor returned his smile and accepted the hug he offered. It was only when they pulled back, she realized that her father wasn’t alone.

“I hope you don’t mind that I invited Dante to join us for lunch,” Michael told her, motioning to the handsome man who had risen to his feet to greet Eleanor. “Our meeting ran a little late and since he’s alone in the big city, I would have felt terrible leaving him to fend for himself.”

Eleanor fought the eye-roll, sure that was the reason her father had dragged his young, handsome and presumably single associate to lunch with his daughter.

“I tried to tell him I’d been to New York plenty of times, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Dante, if that was his name, told her apologetically as he held out his hand, “I’m sorry to intrude on your lunch.”

“It’s no trouble,” Eleanor assured him, shaking his hand. His handshake was firm and warm and Eleanor tried not to think how nice it felt, she also ignored the pleased smile on her father’s face.

As she pulled her hand back, she noticed Dante’s gaze fall on her wrist, and the soulmark present there, and heard the quick intake of breath. He reached for her again, this time turning her hand in his to get a better look at the mark.

Eleanor felt her own breath catch in her throat as she met his serious gaze. Could it be? After a moment Dante released her hand and then rolled up his sleeve just enough to expose the mark that was the perfect match for Eleanor’s.

Oh. Wow.

“I think you two have a lot to discuss,” Michael commented, breaking the silence and reminding Eleanor that they were in public, “so if neither of you minds, I’m going to go back to my office.”

Eleanor’s gaze flew to her father, who was smiling and looking very pleased with himself. He knew. He must have seen Dante’s mark at some point during their meeting and put two and two together and then arranged this lunch to push them together.

“Good luck, Ellie,” Michael whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek and then he was gone.

“Would you like to eat?” Dante asked a moment later, “or would you prefer to go for a walk?”

“A walk,” Eleanor said instantly.

Dante nodded and motioned for a waitress, quickly settling the bill and then a moment later, he was offering his hand to Eleanor.

After a moment’s hesitation, she took it. Once more, his touch felt so right, which was crazy since they were strangers and yet, maybe not so crazy, after all this was the man the universe had picked for her.

“This wasn’t the outcome I was expecting from this business trip,” Dante joked after a moment.

Eleanor laughed, “I bet.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t even know your full name, how old you are, or where you are from.”

He had a faint accent, but she couldn’t place it.

Dante smiled, “I’m Dante Nevrakis, I’m 32, I currently live in London but was born in Cordonia, which is where my mother’s family is from. I spent my childhood going between Cordonia and Italy, where my father’s family is located.”

“I’ve never even heard of Cordonia,” Eleanor admitted, “where is it?”

“It’s a small island nation, off the coast of Greece,” Dante told her, “I can take you there sometime if you like.”

Eleanor contemplated that, the idea of just following this man to a country she’d never heard of. For some reason, it didn’t sound as ludicrous as it should. But she wasn’t ready to commit to anything.

“I suppose I should tell you about myself,” she said instead.

Dante laughed, “I have the advantage there, remember I spent the morning with your doting father.”

Eleanor blushed. “Oh no. Did he bring out the old pictures?”

“Just the ones on his desk,” Dante assured her. “I liked the one of you on the horse. I also heard all about you. How you graduated from Yale and Columbia, and that you are currently waiting on the results of the bar exam, and how proud he is of you.”

“And you still agreed to lunch,” Eleanor teased, “you must either be very brave or unable to come up with a good excuse.”

Dante shrugged, “I was going to refuse, but then something warned me not to and I’ve learned to trust my gut.”

Eleanor could believe that. She didn’t know this man at all, but she was intrigued by him, by the air of rebellion beneath the expensive suit. She had a feeling that there was a lot more to Dante Nevrakis than met the eye.

“I’m glad you did,” she said sincerely as they paused at a park bench and took a seat, their hands still entwined. She bit her lip. “What comes next?”

She’d spent her whole life waiting for this moment. Her mother, always the romantic, had assured her that as soon as she met her soulmates, she’d know. Not just because of the marks, but because of how she’d feel inside and her mother was right, she felt different.

From the moment her hand had touched Dante, something had changed inside of her. And the marks hadn’t even touched yet, the bond was still incomplete and yet Eleanor already felt changed by it. What would be it be like when the completed the bond? If they decided to complete the bond, that was, because it had to be a mutual decision.

“That’s up to you,” Dante assured her, gazing into her eyes.

Eleanor swore she could feel butterflies in her stomach. “You live in London, I live here,” she protested, trying to remain calm and logical. He might be her soulmate, but that didn’t automatically result in a happy ending, especially when their lives were on different continents.

“I’m in London by choice, not necessity,” Dante told her, “I can move my base to New York if you decide this is something you want to pursue.”

“If we decide,” Eleanor corrected him, once again stressing that it had to be a mutual decision. What did he want?

He grinned, “baby, I knew this was what I wanted the moment I saw you.”

She wondered if she should object to him calling her baby, after all, they are strangers, plus it’s not something she’s ever liked but from him… Somehow it felt right and she could suddenly picture him saying it while he made love to her.

The image made her gasp out loud. She wanted it. Wanted him. There was so much to talk about; histories to learn, details to figure out, and all that, but at the moment as she met his gaze, Eleanor knew that they were starting something.

The universe had sent this man to her and she was making the choice to listen. She leaned towards Dante and watched his eyes darken as he realized her intentions, his free arm wrapping around her as their lips met in the best first kiss Eleanor had ever experienced.

“I take it that’s a yes,” Dante whispered against her lips, his arm still wrapped around her.

“Yes,” Eleanor answered, “yes, yes, yes.”

Dante pulled away from her slightly, as they raised their linked hands, shifting them so that their wrists touched. Eleanor was filled with warmth and a sense of completeness she hadn’t known possible.

She stared at him in wonder, not caring that they were in public because it didn’t feel like that. It felt like they were alone in the universe. All that mattered was the two of them, and the feeling inside of her and everything that was going to come after.

This was it, the romantic story she had been waiting her whole life to live.

• End