Accidental Soulmate (H2O) [VeeMark]

11~

Trigger warning for implied self-harm in this chapter ❤️‍🩹

In which Mark loses it.
~~~

Mark has already packed most of his travel bags for tomorrow's trip to Bangkok, so there's nothing much else for him to do than dwell on stupid, mental arguments in the lonely silence of his apartment. Vee's broad, denim-clad back as he briskly walked away across campus, abandoning Mark, flashes through his mind. It's like a scene out of a movie, playing dramatically on repeat before his eyes. Mark's fingers twitch with unfinished actions where he stands forlornly in the middle of his messy living room. He needs closure. He should've ran after Vee, chased him down and tried to clear things up between them, and for once dared to bare his cowardly heart. Sex is easy, Mark thinks, however feelings are not.

It doesn't help either that the estranged conversation with Yiwaa and Nuea lingers on Mark's mind too. The blasé way, with which they handled the topic of Vee possibly cheating on his girlfriend, renders him dumbstruck, spreading unease twisting trough his lower belly.

What if–?

No.

Mark finds it hard to believe that Vee would break up with his soulmate just to be with him. In the very end, say, if the two of them were bound and thrown into deep water, Vee would come running to save his soulmate without a second thought. He was a faithful puppy like that. He just wasn't Mark's puppy. Fuck. A tremor goes through Mark's hands and he almost drops the bag with swimming goggles that he's holding. The plastic pieces clatter noisily in his grip.

Unfortunately, there's nothing he can really accomplish by sulking alone in his dull apartment like a shut-in. Thinking too much isn't too good for him either and so, having enough of these miserable thoughts, Mark decides to go outside to touch some grass before he loses himself to the downward spiral of palpitating anxiety. With an airy sigh, he stuffs the swimming goggles into his carry-on with the rest of the swimming apparel and pulls on a beige hoodie over the plain t-shirt he plans to wear to sleep, steps into a pair of gummy flip-flops and heads downstairs. Mark decides to get some late night snacks, hoping to catch one of the food stalls lining the bustling street outside the apartment complex before they close shop for the evening.

The heavy door to the spiraling stairwell shuts closed with a soft thud behind Mark and he's just about to round the corner in the obnoxiously bright lobby when he hears their voices, before he even sees them.

Mark freezes instantly in his tracks, tiny hairs standing on end at the back of his neck. His heart misses a beat, unprepared for the sight of Vee and Ploy standing in front of the wide, double-door entrance, their silhouettes cast in splintering hues of burning orange and grayish black of the setting sun that paints the city skyline a fiery, gradient color. Mark gawks stupidly at the pair, one hand pressed against the smooth wall for support, knees going weak. Their reflections are merely two fuzzy shapes in the dark panorama glass that spans the length of the scenic wall, but it still grants Mark a cursed opportunity to see them from several angles simultaneously.

Ploy looks adequate enough, wearing a flowing, sheer dress with the light brown hair framing her small, doll-like face. What stuns Mark the most is however how nice Vee looks. The senior has ditched the ripped jeans and one of his checkered shirts in favor of a neat pair of dark slacks and a loose, short-sleeved shirt that has a soft collar, with the lapels thrown wide open against his chest. His hair is carefully styled, the dark bangs parted and curling slightly inward against the middle of his forehead. He's wearing plain, matching hoops in his ears, with a silver chain curling around his wired neck. The setting sun glints blindingly off the jewelry, almost bewitching in a way.