Never Love Again

21. The Stalker

Elric and I had been sitting at the cafeteria for sometime. This guy always wanted to have me around and it was exhausting to be with him. Additionally he kept a group of fans sticking by and some of them would crowd around me too.

"Stan, you seem always distracted these past couple of days that we wondered if you were having problems with the campus loner." One of Elric's fans asked.

"Careful, he has a real name now. Stan is sensitive about calling him that so from now on we're going to dress him by his name, Yeon." Elric responded meekly as he wore a mocking look on him.

"What a simple name he has, don't you think so Stan?"

I couldn't be bothered to find out who'd made the remark so I excused myself and walked away only to hear one of them ask Elric to confirm if I was indeed dating the campus loner.

The past couple of days, I'd looked for Yeon but couldn't find him. I went to the school registry to check if he'd deferred...well, lately that had been my constant fear but he was still actively registered with the school. After asking around some more, I was able to get in touch with Niel, despite detesting having a conversation with him.

"Why are you asking me about him instead of just giving him a call?" He'd complained, irritated with the sight of me.

"I don't have his number." Somehow I felt embarrassed by the fact that he was right but even if I was to give Yeon a call, what are the chances he'd pick up. It's not like we were friends. I'm the guy that helped him jerk off... I wouldn't pick my call either if I were him.

"You know, you're acting as if you care about him but you want to play it off." When I remained silent, he sighed aloud then added. "Yeon will either be in class or at home. He has no friends and he seems to like it that way. If you want to see him, you may catch him grabbing a bite at the cafeteria which I doubt he's been there since lately considering the number of people always staring at him. The only place I can think he may be is at the school library sitting away from everyone or he's probably gone to his parents house."

Niel had been right. I found him studying and sitting alone at the library's secluded section. I sat hidden from his sight. The librarian had informed me he often came here to hide from everyone and was always by himself. Yeon had earphones on and was completely engrossed in what he was reading.

Looking at him now, he seemed at peace and often times smiled as if what he was listening to or reading something intriguing. I'd only seen him smile once but I was glad to see it once more. After a while, he lay his head on the desk and fell asleep. I couldn't tell how long he'd been here for him to be that tired.

Then an idea hit me. What if I were to test my scent on him? Our spiritual essence was in synch anyway that's why we'd scent manifested as fateds. Besides, never in my life would I have thought I'd meet my fated mate. It had just seemed like an unachievable dream to me unlike for Elric who always hoped to meet his. I was also curious to find out first hand if really fated mates reacted to each other's scent.

I walked towards him quietly and squatted to his eye level. Could he feel it? Did he sense me at all?

The same smile returned on his face once more and I admired how at peace he looked, then I remembered how he'd appeared all lustful in my dreams.

How many times had he already bothered me already?

I wondered if underneath the clothing he wore, if he look as tantalizing as he did in my dreams. If I were to take him now, right here, would he accept me, yearn for me the way he'd desperately clung to me?

I felt myself get hard at my thoughts and saw him flinch after which I started to smell his scent getting stronger. However, it was mixed with something else, as if he was trying to cover his and the more he scented out, the more his scent pushed out this familiar unwelcome scent.

It infuriated me.

Reaching carefully for the blazer he wore, I sniffed on it and there it was, the scent from someone else covering Yeon's.

So this is how he's been hiding it. I'd thought he was using suppressants that's why I couldn't sense him around campus, or maybe he was using both? I felt irritated and decided to leave quietly. I'd already gotten my confirmation of him reacting to my scent and also discovered he's been hiding his too.

Afterwards, I got my hands on his class schedule and it became easier to follow him. Soon enough, I found out how everyone had been mistaken about him. Yeon seemed to enjoy his own company. If he wasn't at the library, he'd go to the campus garden and spent time with the agriculture club which had very few members. They appeared to like him a lot too. They often tendered to flowers among other things and then he'd go to the arcade, play around for a while before going to the movies. I also discovered his love for sweet things. He'd smile as soon as he had a taste of ice cream, salted caramel flavor to be exact.

He looks pretty.

That thought dawned on me and somehow, I wasn't repulsed by it. Yeon was slowly drawing me in towards him that even now, I wished I was there with him.

I wished I was the one who'd bought him that ice cream, or taken him to the movies, gone to the arcade with him, or sat in the library with him where we'd pretend to study until he'd fall asleep and I'd watch over him until he woke up.

I wanted to kiss him...

A few days later, I registered in all activities he was involved in campus. Luckily, they were only two, the agriculture club which afterwards, I found out he always went there to help out and wasn't actually an active member and secondly, the support group that was formed on behalf of the victims drugged at the party that had left him prematurely marked. Luckily, they had one meeting coming up and I made myself available, hoping to see him.

I was surprised to find Elric and the rest of the team at the meeting, which was also surprisingly full of people. Just then, Yeon walked in and everyone started clapping, welcoming him cheerfully.

"I did good Stan right?" Elric asked me and I couldn't comprehend what he was talking about. "When you left me at the cafeteria that day, I felt bad for the poor guy so I made sure everyone I know showed their support to him and what he's going through so congratulate me."

"Why would you go to such extremes?" Of course I knew why but I wasn't going to praise him for it.

"I told you I plan on asking him out. I love his scent and I'm sure there are a lot of people eying on him but are too scared of his cute grumpy face, however, I believe behind that mask of his is a sweet guy begging to be loved."

Elric's efforts appeared to bore fruit for people wanted to sit next to Yeon. I watched him looking around, as if surprised by how welcoming everyone was of him.

"You're scenting out Stan and your staring a but too much. I know you aren't doing much to discourage everyone from thinking you two are dating but if you keep glaring at him like that, I will start thinking you want to be my competition....though looking at him now, someone else might win his heart before any one of us have a chance."

"Stop spouting nonsense Elric." I replied absentmindedly, wondering who that girl reaching out to him excitedly was as I watched Yeon extend his hand to bring her towards him. They shared the same seat and were very jovial with each other.

"Look at him laugh Stan. This is probably the first time I've witnessed this side of him, makes me like him even more."

I don't remember much about what happened in the meeting but if anyone was to ask me about Yeon, I could write a whole book about it. Soon enough, people started dispersing yet Yeon and that annoying girl were still chattering on with such familiarity it made me jealous.

They must have been discussing about us since Yeon and that girl both turned to look up at us. We had been sitting at the back the entire time and the smile on his face disappeared as soon as he set his eyes on me. He stared at me for a while then stood up to leave with the girl and I wondered to myself.

Did he hate me that much?