Serendipity: The Amazing Journey Of A Soulmate

17. Bloodlines

What the hell just happened? One minute we are fervidly kissing, the other he is running away from me like all hell is on his trail. Confusion takes over my features as I follow Namjoon's tall figure with my eyes, getting smaller and smaller, almost disappearing in the distance. He left his rented bike forgotten somewhere on the paveway and walked away fast, not even looking back once. I wonder what made him react this way. I know he's been spacing out all morning, deep thoughts eating at his mind. We talked about this earlier, but somehow, I feel like there is something I'm missing. It irks me that I just can't seem to grasp it. Sighing heavily, I recall everything that happened this morning; images of his dark stare or his plump lips crushing into mine invade my mind along with an avalanche of feelings in my chest. Namjoon kissed me. He kissed me hard and intensely, holding me tight in his arms for dear life. He makes me doubt my own heart, question everything, but I never felt safer than I did in that moment engulfed in his warm embrace. I felt so wanted, for the first time in my miserable life. I touch my lips with my index and middle finger, as if I can still feel his soft mouth on mine and an idiotic smile appears on my face, which then turns into a grin. Which then turns into a laughter from the bottom of my heart. What is this strange feeling? Maybe this is what happiness tastes like: cotton candy and stolen kisses, bare skin on bare skin, blazing souls. I'm sure he had his reasons to run away earlier. Perhaps there is something related to his work or the members or a busy schedule. I decide to trust him on this and let my worries fly away, as I sit down on the grass, resting my back and head on the tree trunk where only a few minutes ago he had me pinned. I close my eyes and pray. I pray to the sky and to the stars, to god or whoever wishes to listen to me: make it last! Don't offer me moments like this only to take them away from me later. Not this time. Not with this man. Just make it last.

This morning has been a rollercoaster of emotions and I feel like all my energy has been spent. My body suddenly feels heavy, my eyelids relaxing in the early spring breeze. I will rest here for a bit.

****

The sound of my phone's ringtone makes me jerk awake. Blinking fast, I look around me trying to understand what's happening. I recover quickly, however. I must've fallen asleep, the hangover from last night finally returning to claim. I grab the phone from my jeans' pocket and check the name on the screen. Mama. Shit. I totally forgot it's a weekend. Due to the different timezone and being always so busy, me and my family set a rule to only call each other on the weekends, when we have enough free time to catch up. We're still texting through the week, however. But why is she calling me now? I check the time. 10 am. Which means is around 3 am in Romania. They never call so early. Panic rises in my throat as I hurry to answer the phone. "Hi, mama!" I manage to say in an even tone. "Angelina, sweetie. How are you? Did I wake you?" Her tone is calm, no trace of concern or sadness in it. "No, I'm at a park for a morning walk. Did something happen? Why are you calling so early in the morning?" I am seriously worried that something bad might have happened, my heart tightening in my chest. "Oh, no. Everything is alright. We're just returning from a wedding and we decided to call you now since we'll be sleeping until late today." she explains. I let out a long breath I didn't realize I was holding and allow my heart to finally rest. Of course, now it makes sense. A while ago she mentioned something about attending the wedding of one of my dad's coworkers, but I totally forgot about it. Weddings in Romania are...extra: extravagant, extra long, extra useless. They start early in the morning with all kinds of ceremonies and customs, followed by the party which starts around 8-9 pm and lasts until the next morning. You can say that the romanians know how to party hard. This thought makes me crack a smile. "Oh, I see now. Well, my week has been quite interesting."

The conversation with my parents goes on for about an hour. Maybe more, while I ride around the park. I really enjoy spending time with them. These people. These two people who gave birth to me, them who would give their all so I can have everything, without expecting anything in return. These people whom I love more than life itself. Thinking about it, I believe they are the only reason why I am not completely shattered. They created a solid foundation of unconditional love where all my broken pieces would lie on. My soul is complicated, yearning for unreachable things. But as damaged and lonely as it is, it will never fall apart completely. Not as long as it has a place to return to. Not as long as I have them.