Soulmate

Episode 4-Fated Encounter

We stopped, and I paused to catch my breath. As I turned around, my heart skipped a beat — there she was. It felt like time froze. Her face was glowing in the fading sunlight, her hair gently dancing with the wind. It was as if a goddess had descended straight from the heavens.

I stood there, completely lost, staring at her flawless face. My mind blanked. Was I daydreaming? Everything else faded into the background until I was suddenly snapped back to reality by the sound of her voice.

"Can you stop staring at me?" she said, raising one eyebrow with a playful smirk.

“U-uhm... sorry,” I stammered, scratching the back of my head, feeling the embarrassment creep up my neck.

She giggled softly and then said, “By the way, I have to go. See ya. Thanks for saving me—and, um, can you do me a favor? Forget what happened today.” She gave a wink and turned away, walking off without waiting for my reply.

I stood there, completely dazed, my cheeks turning bright red. “Y-yes,” I managed to whisper, though she was already gone.

I watched her disappear into the distance and murmured to myself, “I hope fate brings us together again someday…”

Suddenly, a jolt of panic shot through me. Oh no, what time is it? I fumbled for my phone. 6:12?! I gasped. “I have to go!”

Without another second to spare, I dashed off, running like a lunatic through the streets. People stared as I passed, probably thinking I’d lost my mind. My legs burned, my lungs ached, but I kept pushing forward.

Finally, I reached my house. Panting like crazy, I barely managed to step inside before collapsing onto the floor. Within seconds, I was out cold.

When I opened my eyes again, the light of the morning sun hit me square in the face. I groaned and checked the time. “6:30?! I’m late for school!”

I jumped to my feet in a panic, scrambled to throw on my uniform, and bolted to the door — only to be betrayed by my own stomach. Grrr… it growled loudly. “Not now,” I muttered, annoyed.

I rushed back inside, grabbed a piece of bread, and ran to school while chewing like a maniac. As I reached the school gate, the bell rang.

“I made it just in time,” I whispered to myself with a proud smile, sweat dripping from my forehead.

“Noah!” a familiar voice called from a distance.

I turned to see Mark waving at me. “Hey there, Mark.”

He looked at me with wide eyes. “Why are you sweating so much? Did you run here?”

“Yeah,” I said breathlessly.

Mark burst into laughter. “You look like a drenched puppy!”

“Don’t laugh at me,” I grumbled, giving him an annoyed glare.

“Okay, okay,” he said, raising his hands in surrender.

I grabbed his arm. “We have to go. We’re gonna be late.”

“Oh right! I forgot!” he exclaimed. We both took off running toward our classroom.

Luckily, we made it just before the teacher arrived. We slipped into the room and quietly took our seats. The day dragged on, each class feeling longer than the last. I couldn’t focus—my mind kept drifting back to her.

Finally, the bell rang. I quickly packed up my things, eager to escape the classroom when Mark tapped my shoulder.

“Let’s eat at the cafeteria,” he said with a grin.

I smiled. “Yeah, just give me a sec.”

We headed to the cafeteria together. The moment I arrived, I realized I wasn’t hungry at all. I quietly sat beside Mark as he chatted and laughed with his friends. I leaned my head on the table, staring off into space.

That’s when my eyes landed on a girl across the room. She had long, flowing black hair, perfect posture, and a graceful aura. Her face was radiant, like it belonged on a painting. My heart skipped again.

“She looks just like…” I whispered. “Nah, it’s probably just my imagination…”

But then, she turned.

My heart stopped.

It was her.

I shot up from my seat in shock and shouted, “That’s her!”

To be continued.....