Hey, Soulmate!

The cards on the table

"Hello," Leon said. "Do you know how to get to the Principal's office?"

Raihan's muscles tensed as he heard him speak, his chest felt a sudden lack of air and his throat was even more dry than it usually was. Hardly a day had passed, but he couldn't forget those dull and boring words that appeared on his skin when he turned eighteen.

Those were the words of his soulmate.

"It's on the second floor..." Raihan babbled after a while, just being able to say those words.

"Could you accompany me...?" Leon asked. "I still get a little lost in this school."

...

Even if he was trying his best to ignore that fact, even if he tried so hard to convince himself that soulmates were just a waste of time, Raihan couldn't avoid that feeling of uneasiness that grew bigger each second. Now that he knew who was his soulmate, what was he supposed to do? It was a guy that he neither knew nor liked, so it made everything even more difficult. Everytime he looked at Leon during class it was awkward, because it seemed like he was the only one aware of what was happening.

Nessa was the only one who noticed Raihan's sudden change of attitude, like the way he anxiously tapped his foot every time they went out or how he looked like he always had something on his mind. Worried about the wellbeing of his friend, she invited him to the local mall on the weekend. Raihan agreed reluctantly, which was something that Nessa was used to—after all, Raihan always preferred to hide his problems from the world and bottle them up. That was his way of being, but Nessa couldn't handle it anymore; Raihan was acting even more weird each passing day so she had to do something, at least find out what was troubling him.

Saturday arrived faster than everyone expected, and the first week of school ended in the blink of an eye. Nessa arrived early to the mall, dressed in a skirt and a stylish crop top—she always had that model look that made everyone else stare in awe. In the central area of the mall there was a beautiful and elegant fountain, in which Nessa had taken a seat, crossing her legs and scrolling through her social media. The sound of the water was relaxing, just the type of sounds she'd like to hear after a long day. Even if she was paying attention to her phone, she still noticed the silhouette of a man in front of her. When she stared at him, Raihan's tall presence made her smile—she knew he could be noticed miles away thanks to his height.

"Hey," said Raihan, putting his hand on the pockets of his hoodie.

"It was about time, Raihan."

"Oh, come on," Raihan grunted irritably. "Give me a break."

"I'm joking," said Nessa while getting up the fountain. She put her phone on her purse, small enough to fit only that and maybe something else. To look at Raihan, she had to have her head tilted up. "Let's go buy something to drink, shall we?"

Raihan nodded. At least during the weekend he didn't have to deal with the pressure of seeing his soulmate all the time. He didn't like to see Leon and immediately remember those stupid words written on his ankle, and the thing he hated the most was that Leon didn't stop being near him—but he wasn't to blame for that, after all, Leon was a new student in a classroom full of strangers, of course he'd like to hang out with the only person he barely knew. Nevertheless, Raihan couldn't stop wondering why him, out of everyone else in that classroom. They didn't even share hobbies or interests, how could he be his soulmate?

The mall was several stories tall, with many alleys and corridors that lead to many stores, able to please any person's needs and wants. Raihan accompanied Nessa to the third floor, in which there was a popular cafeteria, frequently visited by teenagers, and she bought two coffees. The foam cup was too small for Raihan's big hands, and it also looked comically tiny because of Raihan's height.