I think you can have a soul mate, and you can have a life partner, and they don't have to be the same person. Why does your soul mate have to be a romantic relationship?
If you only have one soul mate, there's no guarantee that you will meet them at the right time to be together. There's not even a guarantee that you'll both be the right genders for your sexual orientation. But anybody is capable of having a fulfilling, lifelong romantic relationship, and there are many different people who, depending on the circumstances, can fall into that role.
And I do think that some people are meant to have a romantic, lifelong partnership with their soul mate... it's just not necessary to lead a fulfilling life.
That's my take, at least.
