Dates to Remember

On the Merry Way

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Marqued by the mandalas. The Marqued Ones.

Those were the terms given to the people who were said to be ancient entities that were separated at birth but pushed back together by destiny. It was long believed that fate had smiled on them. And as proof, only they could see their insignia: a life mandala.

The entricate details and the colors in the mandala depended on the combination of their life experiences and choices. And once they meet and made physical contact, like a tattoo, the insignia that they created will automatically burn into their chest, permenantly signifying they were half of a whole.

Except, not everyone was born with it. Not everyone wanted it. Not everyone deserved it. And not everyone could fulfill its true purpose.

Nique once dreamt of discovering who was his fated person one day. But on the day he did, regret flooded in and he drowned in his own thoughts.

He could not shake the image he saw from where they were playing. It was just about five rows from the stage. Glowing in front of someone in the crowd was the same insignia he had been seeing on himself since he was young.

Each day, he noticed as it change its shape or when colors fade in and out. Lines sometimes traveled ever so slowly for months, only for them to disappear the next. With how beautiful their mandala was, it had assured him many times that both he and his partner had been living a good life so far.

However, ever since their group's popularity grew and their names became more well-known, his excitement turned into a fear. And his nightmare just became a reality.

She's a fan.

A quick exchange of glances and he knew she knew. She knew that he noticed her among the crowd. They both knew that they're a marqued match.

Though that did not mean that he will stop playing and pick her from the audience seat. That will be insane.

And she will not make a scene in that place and time. That would be boarderline mental.

So, Nique Baron continued to play his bass guitar, ignoring the bright colors that the insignia kept illuminating to catch his attention. Instead, he turned away from the crowd and played looking at their drummer at the back.

He felt some warm burning sensation on his chest but he knew that nothing will really start until they physically touch, skin to skin. And everything was just in his head. Still, the sensation he was feeling made him sweat, beading on his forehead and nape.

'You okay?' mouthed their drummer, Avery.

Nique slightly shook his head in response, pretending to rock his body along the music playing.

It had only been two minutes since he saw her and yet it already felt like a day. The song ended and their frontman shouted to their fans. Nique took this chance to grab a water bottle to calm his senses.

Relax, he said to himself. The fans wouldn't know. They can't see it anyway. It's not gonna show but this pain...

"Hey, what's wrong?" Avery approached him, keeping it low.

"She's here," Nique responded, trying to even his breathing. "I can't see facing on that side."

"Yeah!? Where there?" the other male smiled trying to pry from the general direction he pointed.

Nique and Avery bantered and was rough housing when they got called out by their lead guitarist and frontman.

"Yo, Avs, Nique! What's up? I'm talking here," Dax called using the microphone for everyone to hear. "You two want to say anything to the crowd?"