“She said lots of people fight it, but you can’t deny what’s meant to be.”

Holy crap. My once-upon-a-time fantasy is actually my worst nightmare. Gavin holds out his hand to me. I grab a slice of crispy bacon and hold it up like a sword. He looks at the bacon and lets out a short laugh.

“That’s awesome. En garde.” He plucks the bacon from my hand and takes a bite.

I back away. “There’s a misunderstanding. I’m not your soul mate.”

“This is really good.” He grabs another slice of bacon and takes a bite. “Heck. I’ll love you just for your bacon.”

I sputter. “You don’t love me and I don’t love you. At all.”

He nods and takes a sip of the orange juice.

“Hey! That’s not yours,” I cry in indignation.

“Course it is. You came here to make me breakfast because you can’t resist fate. Just like you always stared at me when we were kids-”

“I didn’t!”

“Did. It’s because we’re soul mates. Same reason you invited me to dinner and out biking. Because I’m like the flame to your moth. The love of your life.”

I shake my head in denial. “You have a fiancée. You’re getting married.”

He scowls and I think I’ve put some sense into him, but then he shakes his head.

“I was bound to screw that up. It’s what I do. And clearly it’s because you’re the one for me. You can’t screw up with a soul mate.”

I let out a frustrated sigh. “You’re delusional.”

He grins at me. “We’ll go to South Africa on safari, see the sunrise on Mount Fuji, dive the Great Barrier Reef—”

“I don’t dive. I don’t climb. I don’t safari. I’m not doing those things with you. I have a few weeks of vacation a year and I’m spending those here, in Romeo.”

He wrinkles his forehead. “That’s weird.”

I throw up my hands. “We have nothing in common.”

“Opposites attract,” he says and nods sagely.

Oh my gosh. Is this what I was like? So blind?

“Look, Gavin.”

“Yes?” He smiles and steps closer.

“We’re not soul mates,” I say slowly.

“Call her.”

“What?”

“Call the lady, see what she says.”

I shake my head. “No. Because it doesn’t matter to me.”

He gives me a skeptical look and I sigh.

“It’s because you know it’s true. We’re meant to be,” he says.

A week ago I would’ve rejoiced at those words. Now I just want him to take them back.

Then, Gavin gets that funny look on his face, like he’s leaping out of that plane. He steps toward me, tips my chin up and swoops down.