SOUL DORM

43

Because I'm right behind you, baby...

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CHAPTER 43:

NEW SUITORS 

I wish the Dorm that had been so helpful with my flowers would extend its help to other areas too. It didn't. As if Theodor's incident wasn't enough, this time it had decided to throw a planet at me. And of course, that planet was none other than my dear soulmate, Mars. He was coming out of his studio. I was walking so fast from the scene of my escape that I didn't see him. Our collision was inevitable. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, on my butt.

"Oliver?" Mars said, a mischievous smile spreading across his lips as he realized I was the one he had knocked down. "No need to sneak up on me like that. Just say if you want to be close."

He offered his hand to help me up. I shoved it away and got up on my own. Mars chuckled. Leaving him with his annoying grin, I stormed into the music room. We were early. The chairs were arranged in a crescent shape facing the piano, all empty. I navigated through the music stands to the farthest corner and sat down. Defiantly, Mars came and plopped down right next to me. I glared at him.

"What?" he said. "First you jump on me, now you're giving me attitude because I sat next to you!"

"I did not jump on you!" I said, ready to burst.

Mars's grin widened, and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from screaming. Angrily, I got up and moved to another chair further back, but was Mars going to leave me alone? Of course not. He got up and sat not next to me this time, but right behind me. At least I didn't have to see his face, but before I could be relieved, he had leaned his arms on the back of my chair, resting his head near my shoulder.

"Aren't soulmates supposed to sit together?"

"This pair of soulmates doesn't need to sit together," I said, pulling my head away as if dodging a fly. But escaping his sweet scent or his laughter tickling the back of my neck, was impossible.

Mars leaned in closer. "You'll regret it when the class starts. After all, the strongest partner is right here."

I turned my head to retort, but no words came out. They couldn't. I hadn't realized he was so close. My nose was almost touching his. I could even count the yellow flecks in his eyes. It felt like we were back in the lake. I lost my voice. I lost myself completely.

Damn it!

Without even questioning why I was so panicked, I stood up. Like searching for a shelter from a storm, I found another chair and collapsed onto it. I must have been beet red; I could feel flames trying to consume my face. I prayed Mars would give up and stay put. Of course, he didn't. For the third time, he changed seats and sat down next to me again.

I deliberately didn't look at him. I deliberately examined the posters on the wall, looked at the instruments, read the notes on the board as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. But... Mars was looking at me from the side, about to say something... Ah! He was going to be the death of me. Unable to stand it any longer, I turned to him.

"Now what?"

He squinted. "Why did you reject that boy?"

I hadn't expected this. I hadn't thought he'd heard us. I didn't have a ready answer. "I..." I tried to find an explanation. Then I got angry at myself for trying to find an explanation. "What's it to you? Why are you eavesdropping on us anyway?"