SEE YOU, SOULMATE [✓]

12:50

"Isn't it too hot to be wearing hoodies, Y/N?" Kazuha asked, the question seemingly innocent to him. "I'm getting warm by just looking at you."

   I smiled.

   "Are you saying that I give you butterflies?"

   His eyes narrowed to slits at my remark, and mine reduced to crescents as I beamed at him. He wasn't much of a jokester, I could tell that much after spending eight months with him as a deskmate. That didn't mean I wouldn't test his limits simply for the sake of it.

   Well. It's easier to leave him flustered than to answer his query, I sighed quietly.

   It had been three days, and they were far from healed ── my scars. Our scars. The only thing keeping my mind at ease was that my soulmate had not tried to hurt themselves again after the stunt I pulled that night.

   I wondered if it made them feel bad instead of comforted. I would never want to add to their pain, my conscience wouldn't allow me to.

   "Walk faster, you lousy fossils! You'll be late for P.E.!" Childe called out, already miles ahead of me and Kazuha.

   I stared at him until he turned into a distant speck, swift and agile with his movements. There was a ball of dread manifesting in the base of my spine, because I wasn't exactly wearing the best clothes to battle with the lethal summer heat. If anything, it would make it worse for me.

   Regardless, I forced myself to increase my pace. I wouldn't want to be yelled at by the coach on a fine Thursday, because those lectures soon changed their lanes from tardiness to 'Why are you wearing chapstick? This isn't a fashion show!'

   The ivory-haired boy's laughter rang in the now quiet hallway. "You're going to get an earful during the health check-up today. See how slow you are!"

   "Wait." I stopped dead in my tracks. "Health check-up? It's today?"

   His brows shot together in clear bewilderment. "Yeah? Don't tell me, you have a slow memory too?"

   I forced out a chuckle at his playful comment, ignoring the sudden dryness plaguing my throat. I had not predicted this situation beforehand, so I had to do something, anything, to escape the maze of horrors I was about to throw myself into.

   "Hey! You go up ahead," I cupped my hands around my mouth, speaking loud enough for Kazuha to hear. "I forgot something in class. It'll take me a while!"

   He brushed it off with a nonchalant wave of his hand, jogging ahead of me. One of the many great things about him was that he wasn't particularly invasive. I halted once he completely disappeared from my line of sight, creating a mental map of hiding places.

   Skipping classes was not something I did often, so it was likely that one of my friends might come to look for me. I wouldn't dare to take that big of a risk and pick an obvious spot, like the abandoned Art room, or the assembly ground. They were always occupied, with too many prying eyes to catch me.

   The rooftop? People never went there. Teachers, specifically.

   Head falling into a loosely tied reverie, I strode forward. The scraping sound of my shoes, the vague chatters of students in their classes, the singing of crickets somewhere outside, the rustles of the rubber pipe hidden in a patch of grass as it watered the plants ── they were the telltale signs of familiarity.

   Yet here I was, feeling completely out of place. As my mind got infected with disarrayed, melancholic thoughts, I found myself getting easily distracted by the smallest of sounds, scared, nervous.

   Three flights of stairs.

   I was drenched in sweat from head to toe, my heart lurching against my ribcage. With stilted breathing and ragged huffs, I sought the wall's support. The rough texture of the paint scraped the small of my exposed palm, but the burning was nowhere near as extreme as the cuts hidden underneath.

   A loud, screeching sound echoed in the eerily silent area once I pushed the heavy door, causing me to cringe.

   Before my startled reaction could subside, my attention anchored to a looming figure leaning close to the ledge. His dark, fallen strands flew with the breeze, illuminating under the afternoon sun.

   He turned around.

   And my gaze locked with the most beautiful amber hues I had ever seen.

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