Warnings: Mentions of abuse
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My heart was beating heavily in my chest. With shaking hands, I got up and walked over to the door. I hesitated with my hand over the doorknob. You got this. You can do this. Firming my lips I swung the door open. Phil was standing there, looking more relaxed than he had when he had left Starbucks. He wasn't looking around nervously, but that wasn't to say he didn't look nervous. His hands were fidgeting with the bottom of his coat and his smile looked rather weak. It wavered as it swept over my face, looking at the still dark and purple bruises.

Not quite sure what to do, I opened the door and stepped to the side, gesturing for him to come in. He muttered a small "thanks" and took his coat off. I took it and put it on the back of one of the chairs. There was an awkward silence and I stared at my feet. Should I say something? I mean, he's the one who told me to send him directions but maybe he's waiting for-

"I know I have some explaining to do," he said quietly. I looked up from the floor. "but also some apologizing."

"Apologize for-?"

"But first," he said interrupting me, "let's go somewhere comfortable. This is going to take awhile."

I nodded and led him to the couch. "One second," I said, and walked quickly to Pj's room. I opened it a crack and peered in. He was sitting at his computer, concentrated on whatever was on the screen. "Peej?" He turned to face me. "Would you mind not going near us for awhile? I feel like Phil might not want to talk if you're around to hear." I chuckled apologetically.

Pj nodded. "No it's fine, I'll steer clear for awhile."

I nodded and closed the door behind me. Walking back to where Phil was, I prepared myself for whatever he was going to say. I sat down next to him, waiting for him to sort out his thoughts. His eyes were darting back and forth, as if they couldn't decide between two things. Finally, he cleared his throat and sat up a bit taller.

"So.. uhm.. where to begin.." he chuckled nervously. "I don't even know where to begin. And just so you know.. I may at some point try to leave.. my brain is telling me not to tell you but my heart knows I should. So if I try, just grab my arm or something." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I gave what I hoped was an encouraging smile.

"I'll start from the beginning. A long time ago, about a year, I met a guy at university. He was kind and sweet, and we became good friends very quickly. We spent more and more time together, until we both realized we had developed feelings toward each other." I kept my face neutral, but really was freaking out that Phil was gay. "Both knowing of the others feelings, we started dating." Phil glanced up at me, but I just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "R-right, well.. after that, everything was fine. He moved into my flat. We were in love, we were happy, blah blah blah. But as time went on I found myself drawing away from him. Losing the connection, the spark we first had. I told him this and that maybe we weren't meant to be." My mind flashed to the similar thing Pj had said about me and Phil. "He.. didn't take it well. At all. That's when it started."

"When what started?"

He stood up suddenly and, thinking he was going to leave, I grabbed his wrist. I knew my eyes were full of fear. "Phil please don't leave. I promise whatever it is I-"

"No, follow me," he said, grabbing my wrist and forming a weird grip.

Confused I rose to my feet and followed him. He took me into the kitchen and turned on the water. He started splashing water onto his face and gently massaging it. Was he trying to clear his mind or something? Sometimes people do that to refresh-

My hands flew to my mouth as a large gasp escaped. Phil's face, his beautiful and smooth face, was covered in bruises.

Just like mine.

Going down the sink was a creamy color, the color of makeup.

"It started off as just pushing, harsh words." He muttered, not meeting my face. "Then it turned to hitting, kicking. He demanded I not move out or-or else he would do worse. So I stayed. And he said if I told anyone, he would escape and make me wish I had never been alive."

"How-how long has this been happening?"

Phil laughed bitterly. "No, 8 months."

I felt myself go slightly dizzy. "8 m-months?" I exclaimed in shock. Phil said nothing, just stared at the ground. "Phil! Why didn't you say something to someone? Does anyone know?" Phil shook his head no. "How-how can you just live with that?"

Phil shrugged, finally meeting my gaze. There were tears in his eyes hurting eyes. I quickly stepped forward and enveloped him in a hug. He tensed up, but relaxed after a few moments. I felt moisture on my shoulder, but I didn't care. I rubbed his back soothingly, holding him tightly. "I'm never going to let him touch you again, Phil," I whispered, "I promise."

Phil let out a sigh, as if a greet burden had been lifted off his shoulders. And it probably had; living and knowing that you couldn't escape from being hurt for 8 months.

"That's why I didn't hang out with you until a week after I said I would tell you when I could," Phil said, his voice breaking occasionally. "The bruises were so fresh I couldn't cover them with makeup. And-and why I said I had been busy with classes, even though it was Saturday. That was my go to excuse for when I didn't respond quickly. I couldn't because he-he had been going on one of his rants. Yelling, arguing, and ending in.. hitting."

A though occurred to me. "Phil?"

"Yeah?"

"Why were you scared when you saw the bruises on my face?"

Phil drew away from me with his mouth dropped open slightly. I guess he didn't think I would have been able to read his expressions. "I uh... Shoot Dan.." He ran a hand through his black hair. "I wasn't.. wasn't planning on telling you that.."

I furrowed my brows. "Why?"

He sighed and tightly gripped the counter. "To-to protect you."

"Protect me?" I exclaimed, getting more and more confused, "from what?"

Phil sighed and bit his lip, once again having an internal battle. "From-from him. My ex."

"Why would I need protecting from him?"

"In case he thinks about coming after you."

"What-?"

"Dan don't you see?!" He cried, whipping his face up to meet mine. Frustration and despair were clear on his face. There were fresh tears now falling down his bruised cheeks. "He monitors my every move. I can't go anywhere without him following me from a distance. If he sees me hanging out with you, especially romantically, he'll hurt you!"

My eyes shot open at the word 'romantically'.

"You-you like me in that way..?" I squeaked timidly.

"Yes!" He cried, "how can I not when we're soulmates?" His hands shot to his mouth and covered it, but it was too late. I had heard.

My thoughts were whiring around, not sure if I had heard correctly, but I knew it was true. The mysterious bruises; the article about the lady; the strange feeling I got when we hugged. It all had to go back to soulmates. It had to.

"Soulmates," I repeated. "Is that why bruises mysteriously appeared on my face? And why I felt a-a strange feeling when we hugged?"

Phil pressed his lips together and nodded, staring at the ground. "That feeling you got.. that was our first romantic action. That's why you felt that. You've probably never heard of soulmates being a real thing, but they're starting to happen. After that touch, any marks or injuries I get, you would also get, and vise versa. That's how I got this," he said, showing me a cut on his finger. My eyes widened. "That was when I accidentally cut myself cleaning."

Phil nodded, still staring at the ground. Suddenly he leaped forward with a sob and flung his arms around me. "Do-do you mean it?" He cried out with hope in his voice. "That-that you won't l-let him hurt me a-again?"

"Of course Phil," I said gently but with determination in my voice. "He'll never lay another finger on you as long as I can help it."

"Thank you," Phil sobbed into my neck, "thank you thank you thank you."

I didn't say anything but continued to hug him until his sobs subsided. He drew away, cheeks wet and eyes red, but still looking beautiful. He gave a shy smile. I smiled back and put my arm around his neck. I pulled his head towards mine and captured his lips in a soft kiss. If you had asked me to describe it in one word, I would've laughed. No amount of words could describe the feeling of kissing the one you love. You couldn't put it into a cage of words. It was its own emotion, it's own thing. And as I drew away and looked into Phil's beautiful eyes, I felt words fail me, even if there were any to say. His eyes were the most beautiful things I had ever seen. They were like diamonds sparkling in the sun. Like the ocean on a clear day. I could get lost in them forever.

"Phil," I said, giving him a fond smile, "I've only known you for a week and I'm already in love with you. I can't wait to get to know you better."

Phil returned the smile. "Me either."

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Aaaannnddd that's the end! Sorry if it didn't line up completely. That's the end of that little series. I hope you enjoyed! :)