Original Sin

Epilogue

Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), 20 years later

"Oh, I am so late for Williamson's class!" Juliet stumbled over her own two feet running for the front door of Leonard Hall. Rain pelted scurrying university students and turned the dirt beneath their feet into mud, which caked on Juliet's new sneakers. There hadn't been time to grab an umbrella, so her blond ponytail became a frizzy mess and her make up was running. 

Juliet tried her best to stay upright, but the rush of students and professors was too much for her awkward clumsiness to handle. As she reached for the door handle, another group of obnoxiously large men pushed her out of the way and ran into the lobby and up the stairs.

"Shit," she muttered. Her pristine collection of Poems of Arab Andalusia was now drenched cover to cover in rainwater. As she stooped to pick it up, she noticed the rest of her clothes hadn't fared much better than the book.

"You okay?" a deep voice asked, echoing from above her.

When Juliet looked up, she met the darkest set of eyes she'd even known, deep abysses of onyx with strands of jet black hair falling in front of them. He offered her a hand, which she gladly accepted. How was his hand remarkably warm in the chilly rain?

"Are you heading in?" he asked, and Juliet could only nod in reply.

The lobby of Leonard Hall was busy with struggling Freshman undergrads all hoping to get into the good graces of their respective professors before final grades were posted.

"You're here to study for finals?"

The question caught her off-guard. Juliet was so easily distracted by the commotion. She momentarily forgot about the human being standing right in front of her. "Oh! No, I'm not," she responded quickly. "I figured out last year that studying for the finals doesn't really help you much."

He raised one beautiful, dark, curious eyebrow at her. "So...You're a Sophomore then?

"Um...Yes," Juliet said nodding her head. "You?"

"Same. What's your major?"

"English Ed.," she replied, and he half laughed, shaking his head back and forth.

"Somehow I just figured you were the teacher type."

"Oh really?" It was Juliet's turned to raise an inquisitive brow. "So, what's your major?" she asked, then quickly added, "And also, what's your name? So I can properly thank you for help me out."

His smile turned slightly playful. "The name's Roman. I'm a History major." Then he leaned in so close she caught a whiff of his cologne. Forest scented, maybe? "And if you really want to thank me, let me take you out for coffee later."

Juliet felt her jaw drop to the floor. "You're very forward, aren't you? You just met me, and already you're asking for a date."

"Yes," he said assuming a more typical standing position. "You're...intriguing."

The alarm on her phone signaled the start of Williamson's class. Juliet gasped, realizing she'd be even later than originally expected, and turned on her heel to get up the stairs.

"So, is that a yes then?" Roman's voice penetrated her laser focus enough to make her spin around and see his wicked smile.

"You're incorrigible," Juliet whispered. Though the only just met, she was already falling hard for this handsome stranger. The pull was so surreal and strong, a bit like trying to observe and analyze gravity. Juliet couldn't deny it- She needed to be near him again. "Java City, in the Library, three o'clock."

"It's a date then, love," Roman said, and then just stood there staring at her from across the hall.

Perhaps it's too much to assume there are ultimate, supernatural forces at work which govern every decision a person makes. Mortal existence seems to object to this- It craves independence, rebellion, and personal choice.

However, Juliet could not conjure another explanation for what just transpired, for these sudden, irrational feelings toward a man she just met. His dark as night eyes reeled her in and refused to let go. It felt like... 

Soul mates.

Destiny.

Fate.

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Author's Note: That's it, dear readers. Hailey and Alex's story has come to a finish. Thank you all for 1k reads and for your numerous votes and comments. You motivate me to keep going, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. More fantastical work to come, so stick around. ;)