Sofia Hayes

~Sofia~

"This way!" I pulled Carl who raised his hands in surrender, "Nuhuh. It was your idea to pray to these doomed lovers, not mine. I will sit and wait right here on this bench while you go and remind these stone statues that they are meant to grant me a job and us a wedding." Carl sat on one of the benches that lined the lane leading up to the Two-Lover's point.

"What do you mean, you aren't coming? I pray for both of us." I said dramatically before my eyes widened and I joined him on the bench feeling suddenly excited, "You know, I read in the horoscope yesterday that this week my wish will come true. This means, one of your interviews this week is going to work. I know it!"

"Wow, that's some quick service by your stone statues." He said sarcastically. I knew he didn't mean it but I scolded him anyway as I gasped, "Shush, don't say it like that. Anyway, they're crafted from marble not just any stone."

I stood up, "Alright, I'll go throw the coin and you wait here, okay? Don't start roaming around. I don't want to have to find you in this crowd."

"As you say, Madam. This peasant shall wait right here for your majesty." Carl gave a mock bow making me laugh as I walked backwards, unable to keep my eyes from him.

"Watch where you are going," He warned with a laugh.

"All my paths lead to you anyway." I winked making him shake his head to hide his blush as I turned around. 

I went straight to the statues where I took my coin, closed my eyes, prayed for Carl's job and our marriage, and kissed it. I opened my eyes and walked around the statues of a man and woman hugging, the Two-Lover's point. I walked to the railing of the cliff and threw the coin with all my might. It was a folklore tradition that was supposed to guarantee wishes. 

Unbeknownst to me at that time, one of our family friends' son was there with a group of his rakish friends checking out foreign tourist girls. He saw my back and focused confused if it was me or not among the crowd. I was going to pay for being careless in public with Carl. I just didn't know it yet.

I walked back to Carl who had decided to lay on the bench while waiting for me. I smiled to myself and tickled his foot to make him sit up.

"Made your wish?" He asked as I took my place beside him.

I nodded in satisfaction.

"By the way, I was thinking. If wishes brought lovers together, wouldn't Romeo have gotten his Juliet?" Carl asked.

"Maybe. Or maybe, Juliet never prayed with my passion." I shrugged with mischief in my eyes.

"So, you are saying that your passion is more than Juliet's?" Carl raised his brows but I could see he was touched by my declaration of love as he asked slowly, "You sure about that?"

I turned to face him completely, looked into his hazel eyes, traced his face from his eyebrow to his cheekbones to the corner of his lips, and said slowly, "I am sure."

We were about to lean in for a kiss when we heard a passer-by say, "Palmists are nothing but tourist traps and scammers."

I looked up instantly searching for the said palmist. I spotted her at the corner, near the entrance to the site. 

"Carl, let's get our palms read." I stood up excitedly.

"Come on, didn't you hear that guy? Palmists are tourist traps and scammers." Carl said but started walking beside me, "Besides, you know that the lines on our palms shift with age, right? And I don't need to read any palms to know which part of life we are stuck at." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't be a buzzkill." I pulled him by the arm as the palmist noticed us approaching.

We waited for our turn as she let go of the hand of the young girl who also wanted her palm read. 

The palmist was wearing colorful printed clothes, lots of bronze jewelry, and had tattoos. She looked like a gypsy. She motioned for me to sit in front of her and I did, glancing excitedly at Carl once before offering my palm to the palmist.

She held my hand and I shuddered at how cold her hands were. Her grip was firm as she focused on the lines on my hand. After a while, she raised her head and looked at me with a serious expression. My heart sank. Every horoscope I read had been promising. Everything pointed at my happiness, then wasn't it so? She must've noticed my concerned expression because she finally asked glancing at Carl stating close by us,

"Who is he to you?"

I blushed and glanced at him through my periphery before answering, "My boyfriend. We're going to get married soon."

"The author of destiny has written the same fates for both of you." She said seriously, but I relaxed. Her serious expression had me worried for a second.

"But girl, remember, the lines on your palm are telling that whatever will happen to you, will also happen to your lover. Both your fates have been written with the same pen and the same ink. It's been written on the same scroll by the creator. Yes." As she spoke, my smile widened. I knew our fates were intertwined. Our love was too strong. All differences would be faced and all problems could be solved. 

But what she said next, puzzled me, "But, tell me, is he your first or second?" She asked about Carl making me blush harder. Carl was my first boyfriend ever. Since high school, there was never one before him and no one was going to be after him.

"Listen," the palmist said gravely, "Your first love will not survive for long. No. It will die." 

Carl laughed from behind us and I tried to contradict the woman, who was she to say spew such nonsense? But she interrupted me, "The second love will come when the first one will die. It's all in the lines of your hand." She was looking at me with that look that said I-know-something-you-don't and I didn't like it.

I pulled my hand away, "It's not real, all this palm reading." I whispered to make myself feel better and pay for the scammer's horrible service when I looked up and saw none other than Russell, the rakish son of a family friend.

My eyes widened. At that time, I didn't think he had seen me, so I turned around and pulled Carl will me before Russell could see me with Carl and make life hell for me.