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Word count: 2066
SHE COULD FEEL something serious was about to take place. There was tension in her muscles and a foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach. From the moment she woke up, her body had been bracing for something.
It had only been a day since Madeline had officially returned to living permanently at the college quarters. Having grown weary of the constant back and forth, she resolved that it was time to make a complete return. However, returning meant she was further away from her soul mates. The distance between them was painful.
Billie had noted her strange behavior not long after waking up, worried that something tragic had happened.
"Are you sure you don't know something already?" Billie had asked for the seventh time in a concerned voice.
Madeline stopped chewing on her food and shook her head, "No, I swear nothing's happened. It feels like something will happen soon."
Billie hummed thoughtfully, "Hmm, maybe it's related to your soul mates."
Madeline paused and flickered her dark orbs up to her friend. "You think this is related to my soul mates? How?"
This feeling was one she hadn't felt before. There was a horrible pit in her stomach. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't disappear.
Dread. What she was experiencing was dread. It made the food she ate taste like cement.
Billie leaned in closer as if she was about to share a secret. "Well, my friend went through something like this a few years ago. He woke up one day and felt like the world was going to end. Everyone said he was exaggerating. And then, later that day, his soul mate ended up rejecting him. It was out of the blue, with no warning."
Madeline's heart dropped to her stomach. Something like that couldn't happen to her, right? The boys showed no indication they were thinking like that. Plus they had been persistent in winning her over for so long.
Perhaps it was related to her soul mates but not in the way Billie was indicating.
Madeline sat back in her seat and pondered over what Billie had said. Now she was more nervous about seeing the boys later.
Sensing that Madeline was drowning in her thoughts, Billie swiftly changed the subject. "So, I have some big news."
Madeline pushed all of her negative, insecure thoughts to the side and gave Billie her undivided attention. She would worry about it later. Listening to Billie would serve as a good distraction.
"Big news?" Madeline cocked her head to the side. "Do tell."
Billie sucked in a big breath and inched closer to Madeline. Her dark eyes seemed to sparkle under the fluorescent lights. "I met my soul mate."
Madeline's eyes widened. She nearly choked on the food in her mouth, shocked to hear those words from Billie. "W–what?"
"So, I was at a party last week. We were hopping between bars, trying to get free drinks and...I found my soul mate."
"What? How? Tell me everything." Madeline demanded, excited for her friend. Billie had been a loyal roommate and friend. She was always good to her. So, she wanted to be there for her friend in return.
Madeline had always been outside when it came to friendships. She had never experienced what it was like to have a true friend. Billie had shown her what it was like.
"We didn't meet in the best of ways. She tried to kick me out of the bar for being too young. Since I was quite drunk, I decided to fight back. And then we touched and the connection was made." Billie explained, leaning her elbows on the table. "Once she found out we were soul mates, she took me to the office. Her name is Izzy and she admitted she wasn't fussed about soul mates. I told her I was the same too. We both decided to take it slow and see how it goes."
"You've both accepted the soul bond then but you're deciding to go with the flow?" Madeline summarized.
"You know what I'm like. I don't want to be held back by anything," Billie replied, gazing down at her food. Whenever they spoke about the topic, Billie always insisted she was content with how her life was at the moment. Madeline was starting to believe that there was more to it.
"If there is one thing I've learned since being with my soul mates, it's that they don't always hold you back," Madeline commented, smiling softly to herself.
Billie nodded her head, taking in Madeline's words. "Okay, we'll see where it goes."
"What is she like?" Madeline queried, arching an eyebrow.
"Headstrong. I could tell from when she tried to kick me out. And gorgeous. She's got this edgy vibe to her that I really like. She's quite intimidating though." Billie answered. Madeline watched her friend's face in amusement. The corners of Billie's lips twitched upwards. There was a dreamy glint in her eyes. It was obvious she was trying to hide how much she liked her soul mate already.
Keep resisting, Billie. Madeline thought to herself. Keep fighting it. You're already succumbing to the bond.
***
JIN, YOONGI, AND Jimin picked her up from college a few hours later. After receiving a text from the group chat informing her, they had arrived at the car park and were waiting in the car for her, she bid Billie goodbye and rushed over.
She located their car easily. It was situated at the back, far from the main crowds. She knew they were watching her through the tinted windows, eagerly waiting for her arrival.
A small smile adorned her face as she speed-walked the rest of the way over and entered the car.
"Hello, Madi," Jimin greeted her fondly, grinning from ear to ear. He looked just as handsome as usual. Madeline didn't sense any wariness or unease from him which calmed her nerves a tad.
"Hi," She replied and buckled her seat belt.
"We missed you," Jin spoke from the driver's seat. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror, sparking a jolt of electricity inside of her.
"I missed you too," She replied, shyly. All three of them stared at her intensely. She could feel their longing to touch her—to be with her always. She felt the same towards them and had for a long time. She just refused to acknowledge it.
"How was school?" Yoongi queried, shuffling so he fully faced her. He stretched out his pale hand and gestured for her to take it. She gladly did and relished in the euphoria.
Madeline mashed her lips together, "Same old. I have another difficult assignment."
Jimin snapped his head in her direction, "We're not keeping you from doing it, right?"
She frantically shook her head, "No, no. I have a few days." A smile bloomed on her face as she watched his worried face transform into relief.
Yoongi affectionately rubbed her hand, "Don't let us distract you from school, Madi."
"You're not, honestly. I'll promise I'll tell you if I have work to do." She said with sincerity. School was important to her. She didn't want to fail.
Yoongi nodded his head in acceptance.
The rest of the drive was spent with Madeline explaining what her assignment was about and hearing about the adventures the boys were having over the past two days. Hearing about the small pranks they played on each other warmed her heart.
When they arrived, Jin swung the car door open for her and helped her out. Her cheeks tinged a pink color at the gesture. It would take her a while to adapt to being treated like a princess.
Inside, the rest of her soul mates were lounging around. At her arrival, they all sprung into action and flanked her sides. Words expressing how much they missed her floated around the room. She truly felt seen and cared for.
Why did I ever think of abandoning them?
She was ushered into the lounge by them and lowered into a comfortable seat. The scene felt familiar—however this time she completely trusted them.
"Madeline, we have something important to discuss with you," Hobi began in a gentle voice. It was soothing and reassuring.
She licked her lips anxiously and waited for him to continue. Whatever he was going to say, she could face it.
"To be honest, none of us know how to say it. It's been a topic we've all been avoiding. But it cannot be prolonged anymore." Her sunshine soul mate said, trying his best to remain in control.
"Is it about you returning to Korea?" She questioned, flickering her gaze to each of them. Somehow, the idea just appeared in her mind. The dread she had been experiencing earlier was related to this. She was trying to mentally prepare herself for this conversation.
She received the answer almost immediately. They all averted their eyes away as if they were ashamed to even acknowledge it.
"We want to stay here as long as possible but we—"
"I know," She whispered. "Don't apologize. I understand it's your job. I'd never ask you to remain here and give it up."
"And in return, we'd never ask you to move over there," Jungkook murmured, glancing up at her with his innocent eyes.
She gazed down at her lap. As much as she would love to be around them, she wasn't ready to move abroad. She needed time.
It pained her. She felt like she was disappointing them. However, they also seemed to be on the same wavelength as her. They understood they couldn't move either and felt guilty for it.
She understood now what it meant to be selfish and selfless in a relationship. Sometimes, it was important to put yourself and your needs first.
"How will it work?" She asked, raising her head to face them again. "Will we get to see each other?"
She knew they had extremely busy schedules when they were working. They wouldn't have time for her. What if their relationship crumbled because of it?
Madeline was jolted out of her spiraling thoughts when a hand slid on top of hers. It was Namjoon. He sent her a comforting smile that told her everything would be fine. She was inclined to believe him because it was the Namjoon.
"We are going to talk with our manager about having more breaks so we can visit you. And we can always message or phone each other. No matter what, we won't lose contact." Namjoon assured her, firmly.
Madeline was never one to fully believe in promises. They could easily be broken. But this was coming from her soul mates. Somewhere along the way, she began to trust every single thing they did. She didn't doubt them.
"When are you going back?" She asked, nervous for their answer.
There was a moment of silence before they spoke up, "It might be in a week."
There was definitely a shift in the atmosphere after Yoongi's words. Knowing she had a week with them until they traveled back home for an unknown amount of time affected her. The last thing she wanted was for them to feel bad.
"Try not to view this as a painful thing. Instead, think about how you will be able to focus on college. And when you graduate, we can finally be together," Jin encouraged, plastering a hopeful smile on his face.
"I suppose. I—I'll just miss you guys a lot. I know we've not known each other for long and...there's been some misunderstandings in the past but you all mean a lot to me." She revealed, speaking from the heart. They had impacted her life in ways she could never imagine.
Namjoon intertwined their fingers together and squeezed her hand tightly. "You mean the world to us too. Never forget it."
She wouldn't. Not when they were all looking at her with adoration.
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