You miss us too. When I realize this a few weeks later, we're standing face to face at Barnes and Noble. I'm holding a new brown leather journal; you're gripping a paperback copy of To Kill a Mockingbird like your life depends on it.

"Hey." The greeting is a terse whisper, and coming from you it sounds so unnatural. From the way you're shifting back and forth I can tell you're uneasy—I'm making you nervous. Why?

Your eyes stare into mine, blue on hazel, and in those cerulean depths I understand. This is the first time we've spoken in months. The last time it was only a smile. A smile, for all its meanings, is relatively simple. It's a gesture, nothing more. Words though, carry the weight of the world. Ironic isn't it that both of us pride ourselves on being writers yet we are at a loss for words?

"Hi." I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear and glance down at the book in your hand. "Don't you already have three copies of that?"

You chuckle nervously and flip through the first few pages. "It's not for me. I've loaned out the ones I already have. This one's for a student who can't afford one."

My lips quirk up and my heart gives a little lurch. You're always generous, putting yourself before others. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. "That's nice of you."

You shrug like it's nothing. "I do what I can. What about you? Fill up another notebook?"

I can't help but grin. "Guilty. I've been working on a novel—it's almost done."

"Can I read it?" You sound so eager when you ask, and for a minute my mind flashes back to that day we met. It's like you're asking to know more about me all over again—though this time you already know more about me than anyone else does or ever will.

"Sure. I'll let you know when I'm finished. So…" I trail off as I feel your fingers reach up to push that lock of hair back behind my ear again. It never stays. It's like we're frozen in that moment, your eyes on mine again.

"Aria." You smile shakily and exhale. Your eyes are darker and I recognize the flash of uncertainty in them. I feel it too. I've always felt it. My hand closes over yours, and for the briefest of seconds we're palm to palm, and though it sounds cheesy, we might as well be heart to heart.

"Ezra!"

You jerk away as if you've been burned, and I glance up just in time to see the blonde from the coffee shop appear behind you.

"Are you ready?"

You glance from her to me and back to her again. "Yeah. Lily, this is Aria, a former student of mine. Aria, this is Lily, my girlfriend" You don't even stumble over the last word. She smiles and it's genuine and I don't think I've ever felt more helpless.

"It's nice to meet you. "

"You too." I've never really felt like the third wheel, but now I couldn't be more of an outsider. "Well, I better be getting home. Maybe I'll see you around again Mr. Fitz."

A sad smile crosses my lips and I head towards the checkout. A final glance over my shoulder reveals the two of you holding hands and talking animatedly. A mournful sigh escapes me.

Sometimes even soul mates aren't meant to be.