Through Mind

Chapter 8

Third Person's POV

After an hour and a half, when the bell rang, Ezekiel and his friends stood up, and they decided to eat at their cafeteria. He was still zoning-out, which is why he received a slap on his arm. "Where are you going?" Lewis asked. "At the cafeteria," he replied, "I didn't know that they had already changed the place where our cafeteria is." Azi said, and sarcasm was evident in his voice. "Oh... sorry." Ezekiel said, and his face turned red because of embarrassment, and he scratched his head. It's one of his mannerisms when he is embarrassed. That's why his friend said that it was okay.

"Am I that naive? I didn't know that they had noticed that I kept on zoning out..." Kiel said in his mind. He turned around now and they were walking down the pathway towards their cafeteria. When they arrive, they walk towards their usual place, the table near the window at the far end of the cafeteria. They were seated already, and they put their bags on their seats. They go to the counter to order their food. After ordering, they returned to their seats, holding the food and beverages that they had ordered.

Ezekiel had just ordered iced coffee since he made a sandwich before he went to their school; he believed that sandwiches go best with iced coffee. He unwrapped his sandwich and began to eat. "By the way, Kiel. Why do you keep on fidgeting in your seat? I kept getting distracted because I couldn't concentrate due to your nonstop movement." Felix whined while eating his fries. "Yeah, I also noticed it, Kiel. Are you sure you're fine? " Azi said, and you could hear the worriedness in his voice.

He put down his sandwich and sighed, "Ohhhh! That sigh was hella deep!" Felix frowns. "It's just that I received a text from my roommate. You know him, right? " Kiel started. "Of course, his friends are our soulmates." Lewis grinned. After he said that, he received a slap on the thigh, causing him to jolt and release a pained "Ohh!". And as a result, it knocked some sense into him. "It's okay," Kiel replied with a smile. "No need to say sorry, no biggies." Lewis pouted because of his answer. Ezekiel had always been like that. They knew it made their friend feel insecure, yet they couldn't stop the words from spilling out of their lips. Even if it was unintentionally coming out, it still made their friend uneasy and uncomfortable.

"We are already losing the topic. What's the message in the text that you received from him?" Azi asked. Due to his question, his hands started to tremble and it made him sweaty. He sighed again and answered, "He said that I was in our apartment, but the truth is, I was in the comfort room. It was the time when I excused myself. Remember it, Felix?" He said, and he looked at Felix. "Y-yeah, is that the reason why you are uneasy in our class?"

"Y-yeah. It honestly made me anxious." Lewis, Azi and Felix were worried about their friend, who the hell is it? Is it his doppelganger? "Is that all? I mean, is it all that he texted?" Lewis asked and held his hand. Kiel shook his head. "N-no, he said that the person he saw was wearing my favorite jacket. "The one that you guys gave me, the one that my name was on," he replied. It stunned them. That jacket that they gave to him, it had been almost a month since he hadn't seen him wearing it. "The truth is, it has been almost a month since I last wore it." Kiel confessed.

After hearing that, they were too stunned to speak. They are sure that Kiel didn't go home on time for class, and they know how hard-working a student Kiel is. Cutting his class was not his forte. If it's not Kiel, then who is it? When Azi was going to say something, the bell rang again. The next class was going to start at 5. They got their bags and they started to walk towards their next class. But the question "who it was?" was still lingers on their pretty little minds.

The last class ended. They say their own goodbyes to each other. Felix will meet Chris, Felix's soulmate and Andrew's best friend, to celebrate their 6th month together. same as Azi with Collin and Lewis with Sky. After saying goodbye to each other, they immediately went on different paths. Leaving Kiel alone, he was happy that his friend's soulmate was only from the same circle of friends. Only him and Andrew were left. They still hadn't met their own soulmate, but they knew each other and Andrew was sending his soulmate a message. He just felt it.

He knows that he shouldn't feel envious and jealous, but how? He honestly wants to kiss and cuddle his soulmate, but he doesn't know how. He can't even send his soulmate a simple "hi" and "hello," or a simple "good morning" and "good night." He is the problem. He doesn't know how to talk to him properly. He was guilty.

He had just decided to go to the café where he was now working. He likes preparing coffee for others, especially when it offers delight and pleasure to their clients when they take a sip of the freshly brewed coffee he was producing. He was motivated to improve and accomplish more because of the positive feedback he was receiving. Of course, he encounters some harsh and egocentric customers, but it doesn't stop him from cutting up the one source of joy in his life. Even though the words they were saying to him were below the belt, he was facing them with pride. He believes that with just a silencer and no rifle, he can win a battle. He believes that he can win a war without a gun, but just a simple silence. Silence bring peace. It was the greatest weapon he had.

He spotted someone as he was going onto the street where the café was located, but when he looked again, it was gone. He rationalized to himself that he was most likely hallucinating as a result of his stress and anxiety. When he looked behind him, he noticed someone wearing a jacket that looked precisely like the one he'd lost, but he shrugged it off, assuming they were merely the same design. That design was undoubtedly produced in large quantities by the firm that created the jacket. But he has no idea that the jacket was manufactured particularly for him. It was created only for him and no one else. This is what Azi wants to tell him, but that damned bell! It ruins the timing.

He went straight to the staff locker room after entering the café to change from his ordinary clothing to the café uniform. He wore a uniform at the café where he was working. He's already logged in and is in charge of the counter for today, although he can still assist in the preparation of drinks during peak hours. He noticed his friend Felix and his boyfriend Chris having a date here in the café when he was already at the counter. That is why, in honor of their special day, they were given a free muffin at their café.

When it was already time for the next customer, he was frozen in his place. The jacket. It was his. The customer was wearing his jacket.

"Why are you just standing there? I am ordering here!" the one wearing a jacket was already shouting and holding his hand already.

"Get off of me!" he shouted. "Stop holding me! I am hurting, Daddy!"