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Word count: 2573
THERE WAS SOMETHING fishy about Billie's demeanor. She had dragged Madeline into their dorm room and had searched their wardrobes from head to toe. For two hours, Billie helped her get ready for something. Madeline asked and asked but didn't get a single answer. All she could see was a smirk on Madeline's face.
When the clock struck seven, Madeline was pushed out of the room and dragged down the hall. Madeline passed several people who sent her strange looks and continued to follow Billie as quickly as possible.
A car that Madeline had never seen before pulled to a stop in front of them and a man with dark skin rolled down the window. He smiled and waved at the both of them.
"Hey Billie, your local taxi man is here," He joked whilst Billie winked.
"Right on time as well. That's surprising." She replied, checking her phone.
"Well you said it was urgent," He replied, glancing at Madeline for the first time. "Hiya, you look very pretty."
Madeline felt a blush crawl up her neck to her cheeks. She wasn't used to compliments and never would be. "Thanks."
Billie rolled her eyes, "We're on the clock, remember? We need to hurry. Don't want to be late."
Billie gestured for Madeline to get in the car. Warily, she did whilst Billie climbed in the front. The music playing did nothing to calm Madeline's nerves, despite it being soft and slow. Her brown orbs drifted from the seat in front of her to the window, where the dark sky was illuminated by city lights and stars.
Billie and the man—whose name she had yet to know—made small talk. Madeline listened in for a little bit, hoping to get an idea of what was happening. But they only talked about parties and people Madeline didn't know.
The luxurious BMW came to a stop outside of a bar. It was packed full of people who were cheering and having a good time. Madeline swallowed the lump in her throat at the sight. She hated big public places like this.
"What's happening? Why did you kidnap me?" Madeline asked in a shaky voice.
Billie and the mysterious stranger both glanced over their shoulders at her and smiled. "Well, I may or may not have set you up."
Madeline's brows crinkled together in confusion. "What?"
"Jensen is rather eager to see you again. It seems you left quite an impression." Billie revealed, her eyes glinting.
Billie had set her up on a date with Jensen.
She couldn't believe it. She wasn't interested in Jensen, not that way at least. She had literally told Jensen that she didn't see him that way. And now, he would be thinking she was sending mixed signals.
Madeline didn't know what to do. She wanted to yell at Billie for doing this but Billie was her friend. She didn't want to argue or lose her friend.
"I—" Was all Madeline could say.
"He really wants to speak to you. What's the harm of going in for a drink at least?" Billie suggested, shifting her body to face Madeline more.
Madeline weighed her options. Jensen was a nice person and she genuinely did enjoy his company. But this couldn't be a date. She didn't want that. Hell, she wasn't ready for that. Annoyingly, a part of her felt guilty for even thinking of being with someone that wasn't her soul mates.
She had to go inside the packed bar and make it clear that she didn't see Jensen that way. Hopefully, she wouldn't lose him as a friend.
"Okay, I'll go in. But how am I going to get home? Where are we?" She relented, hesitantly.
Billie waved her arm, "Me and Isaac will be across the street, getting food. When it's over, just message me. We'll drive you home."
At least she had a ride home. That made things a bit easier.
Pinching her lips together, Madeline grabbed her clutch and tried to gracefully get out of the car. The cold air nipped at her exposed skin. She cursed Billie for choosing an off-the-shoulder top without pairing it with a jacket.
A group of young adults passed her, laughing with each other. Once they were out of the way, she squared her shoulders and approached the bar. There wasn't a bouncer in sight which surprised her. Shouldn't they have to I.D. her?
It was a lot warmer inside. Shivering, she hugged herself and scanned the bar for Jensen's handsome face.
He was seated on a bar stool with a beer in hand. His eyes were trained on the football game playing, unaware of his surroundings. He didn't seem to notice the people gawking at him and his beauty. Or maybe he was just used to it. Madeline wasn't sure.
She approached him, breathing heavily. Stopping in front of the table, she cleared her throat.
Jensen's warm eyes snapped to her instantly and he shot up from his seat.
"Madeline," He called her name in his soft, silky voice. "Wow, you look incredible."
"Thanks," She replied, uneasily.
"Here, sit," He instructed, pulling out the other stool. Madeline hopped onto it and wrung her fingers together. Jensen observed her with dark eyes, deciding to take a moment to collect his words before speaking. "So, I assume you had no idea this was happening."
"Nope, complete surprise," She replied, biting her bottom lip. "I—I just want you to know, again, that I don't think this can lead to anything. I'm not ready to be in a relationship."
What she really meant was she wasn't ready to be in a relationship with someone who wasn't her soul mate.
Jensen leaned into the table, "I know. I'm not here for a date actually. I'm here to talk to you about your soul mates."
Her eyebrows rose in surprise, "W—what?"
"You told me you have complications with your soul mates," He started, staring deeply into her eyes. "Well, I think I know something that could help you."
Madeline squinted her eyes skeptically. She wanted to trust Jensen but she didn't know him very well. "Okay..." She dragged out slowly. "So, what exactly are you proposing?"
Jensen took a swig of his drink before he answered. "Well, since this university is one of the leading places for soul mates research, there is currently a study on stopping any type of soul bond."
Madeline's breath hitched. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure, she knew there were clinical studies happening around the world on soul bonds—including preventing one. But, for one to be in Minnesota, was pure luck.
She couldn't help but show her interest. "What do these trials entail?"
"Well, there's a drug that can stop the soul bond—stop you from feeling your soul mate if they are around. Whilst it can't make you forget them, it can at least alleviate the push to be with them." He explained, circling his finger around the rim of the glass.
Madeline stewed in his words for a moment. Drugs could be dangerous but she assumed they had tested it before they dished it out to humans. If it really worked, perhaps she would stop feeling so heavy in the heart. Maybe she could feel the way she felt before she turned eighteen.
Her heart clenched nervously at the thought of blocking the soul bond. Her body didn't want that at all. The mere thought of it sent her heart racing.
That was why she had to stop the bond. Even if it meant there would be risks.
"Why type of people are they looking for?" She wondered, hoping she'd fit the criteria.
"Anybody who has a soul mate that they don't want to meet. The one crucial rule is that they have to be certain that is what they want. Taking the drug can have permanent damaging effects on the soul bond." Jensen told her, reciting the words as if he was reading them off a pamphlet.
Sucking in a breath, she pretended to be thinking about it. In reality, she already knew what she wanted to do. She was going to take those pills and pray that her life went back to normal.
After a minute of sitting in silence, Madeline crossed one leg over the other, "I'll do it." She declared, confidently.
Jensen nodded his head, "Cool, I'll let them know. You might be able to meet with one of the lead researchers tomorrow if I tell them in the next hour."
Relief coursed through her body. She might finally have a chance to forget about BTS.
It was then that her cell phone rang. Excusing herself, she looked at the screen, not at all shocked to see Freya's name pop up. Sighing, she reluctantly answered the phone.
"Hey," She greeted, jabbing a finger into her free ear to hear better.
"Something crazy just happened, Madi. You'll never believe it. I just got an email from—" Before she could finish speaking, Madeline's cell phone died. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the screen in confusion. Freya's voice sounded urgent but also ecstatic. What was her news?
Shaking her head, Madeline returned to the table, sending Jensen an apologetic glance. She tried to forget about whatever happened on that call but the excitement in her voice was hard to shake.
"You okay?" Jensen asked, concerned. Madeline plastered a convincing smile on her face, wanting to move on. It was probably nothing, she told herself.
But her churning stomach begged to differ. Whatever Freya wanted to say, it was important. She didn't know how she knew this but she did and she was certain.
"Yeah, it was a wrong number," She lied, clutching her drink tightly. Jensen believed her and asked her about how she was finding college. He was a year older than her so he knew what it felt like to be alone. She wondered if he ever felt lonely—whilst he seemed to have a lot of friends, that didn't mean he didn't get lonely spells.
Surprisingly, Madeline didn't feel homesick. Perhaps it was because she was less than an hour away from her home or maybe it was because she had always been independent.
Her family checked in on her regularly so she knew she could depend on them if she needed to. Not that she would—Madeline didn't like being dependent on others. She had come so far by herself. She had gone through a lot alone. That was why she knew she would manage without her soul mates.
She was strong. Stronger than her family knew.
The two of them stayed for another hour, chatting like they were old friends. The more time Madeline spent with Jensen, the more she saw him as a close friend. If she wasn't fated to other people, she could see herself falling in love with him. It would be as easy as breathing air. He was the kind of person that drew people in.
But, in this world, that wasn't possible. People who had soul mates and rejected them or were rejected struggled to find happiness with another person. Many records suggested they felt like there was a part of them missing.
There was a slight chance she would find some sort of peace with another person. She pretended it didn't bother her that she would probably end up alone.
What made it worse was that eventually the personal lives of BTS would be leaked over the internet and she wouldn't have to read about who they were with.
For all she knew, some of them could be married.
That would tear her apart. She could act like it wasn't a big deal now because the pain was too intense to think about but in the future, after taking the pills to block the bond, she would have to face the truth.
Acknowledging the truth was hard. How could she admit that she did want to be with them—that for all her talk about living a life in solitude, what she truly wanted was to be surrounded by love. She didn't want to live the same life as her mother.
However, how could tell herself that she was doomed to live a miserable life alone?
Madeline said goodbye to Jensen, who asked if she would be okay getting back. After assuring him she had a ride back, she pulled out her phone, only to realize it was dead. Sighing, she clutched her arms, feeling goosebumps rise on her shoulders.
Thankfully, Billie and Isaac were still in the restaurant, laughing at a joke. At her arrival, Billie smirked at her new friend. Madeline slid into the spare chair next to her, noting the several dishes of food on the long table. "So, how was it?"
All Madeline wanted to do was go home. She would tell Billie about everything in the morning.
"It was okay. Can we go back now? I'm so tired."
Billie glanced at Isaac who was already grabbing his jacket and signalling the waiter for the bill.
"Yeah, sure." She muttered, pinching her lips together. A crease formed in between her well-plucked eyebrows. Whilst Isaac was distracted by the waiter, Billie leaned in closer to Madeline, her brown orbs soft. "Are you okay? Did I cross a boundary?"
Even if the way she went about tonight wasn't the best, Billie did care for Madeline and wanted the best for her. Madeline could see that.
"No, it's not that. It was nice seeing Jensen again. Maybe next time you shouldn't kidnap me though. I don't like being kept in the dark." She murmured back. Billie immediately nodded her head, promising to tell her if she had planned something for Madeline.
Isaac graciously paid for the bill and extravagantly stood up, stretching his thin arms. "Shall we head back then?"
"Sounds good," Billie replied, fixing her dark hair. "I really need to shower."
The car ride home was peaceful. A calming late-night driving playlist was put on, causing Madeline to lean back in the seat and close her eyes. She replayed everything that happened tonight in her head. Tomorrow she would meet one of the soul doctors conducting the trial and be one step closer to losing the bond.
A part of her wished she didn't have to do it. But she was angry and so sad. Those two emotions paired together led her down a path that made her desperate to feel anything else.
What Madeline didn't see at the time was that her anger had led her down a path that she might not be able to leave.
She was walking a dangerous path that could destroy her.
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