•Afterglow• || Book of One-shots

2: Dazzle to Dust

Description: Soulmate AU, where everyone is born with a ring on their left index finger. It changes colours according to one's soulmate's emotions. Like, red for anger, blue for sadness, green for disgust, and yellow for happiness. When one makes physical eye contact with their soulmate, both of their rings turn pink, and they stay that colour as long as they're together. If one of them dies, the other's ring turns black and then to dust.

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"I wonder when it'll turn pink..."

"This is the fifth time today that you've said this."

I rolled over on my bed to lie on my stomach and rested my chin on my hands.

"But I can't wait to meet him. Or her! I hope my soulmate feels the same about me."

Janice sighed. "Come on, you guys are soulmates! You're destined to meet someday. Don't be so impatient."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Easy for you to say that. You met Dean in 7th grade. You're not the one to have already spent 17 years without meeting your soulmate once!"

Janice smiled and patted my head. "Alright, alright, I'll pray for you. Mark my words: You'll meet your soulmate within one month."

I immediately sat up. "I don't trust you but okay!"

She smirked. "Oh trust me-"

"Hey!" I cut her off, noticing the ring on my left index finger slowly turn a bright yellow.

"Wha-mph!" I shushed her and raised my finger to be the same level as her eyes.

To my utter disappointment, she just sighed. "If it's not pink, don't show me."

I frowned. "But it's a brilliant yellow! I wonder what he's so happy about. Don't you?"

She gave me a sarcastic smile. "Absolutely not. He's your soulmate, not mine. I have nothing to do with him. Unless...", she smirked at me, "unless you guys meet and marry of course."

"And what about the falling-in-love part? What if I don't like him?" I gasped as realisation hit me. "What if he doesn't like me?"

Janice responded with a laugh. "Chill girl. That can't and won't happen. He's your soulmate. You were born to fall for each other."

I turned my head to face the open window. The sky brighter than ever today, as if it was rooting for me too. "I hope you're right..."

. . .

"It's red!"

"And has been for the past 30 minutes. Damn, he must be really mad at something. Or someone."

I frowned at Janice. "What are you trying to imply?"

She just shrugged. "Nothing." And continued to eat her pasta.

I looked down at the ivory coloured ring on my left-hand index finger and muttered. "What if it turns black even before I meet him?"

Janice slapped my right hand which I had placed on the dining table. "Don't be ridiculous. And what do I always tell you? Be positive. You're gonna meet him within a mon— nevermind, you know what? I'm gonna make you guys meet today. Right now!"

My eyes widened. "Wha—" , but Janice was too fast. She finished the last scoop of her pasta, grabbed my arm and forced me out of the house before I could even object to her proposal.

. . .

"I told you. It isn't as easy as you make it out to be", I sighed as I closed the door shut behind me. My legs felt oddly heavy after wandering around the town for almost an hour, with the intentions of 'finding my soulmate'.