“I just assumed I’d done something wrong, or said something wrong. I tend to do that with people without realizing it.” That was why I preferred to work on my app instead of meeting up with Amber. She was so sweet toward me and I couldn’t risk making someone as kind as her hate me. It was much easier to avoid her.
“No, no,” he hastily assured me.
I relaxed a bit knowing Iwasn’tthe reason. “Okay,” I smiled. “I’ve missed you.”
He gave me another awkward smile before replying, “Me too.” I beamed at that.
“Your natural scent calms me,” I admitted. “My nightmares got worse once your t-shirt lost its scent.”
“My scent?” he questioned, looking either confused or terrified. Maybe a mix of both?
“Yes,” I replied, calmly.
“Why?” he only seemed confused now, which helped my own confusion.
“I don’t know why,” I shrugged. “It just calls to me and calms me down.”
“Cool,” he said, fiddling with his comforter. “I’ll find you a new one.”
This was the best day ever! “Thank you!” I said, feeling my cheeks ache with how wide I was smiling. “Then I might actually get some sleep.” I felt the relief of that thought rush through me, and some tears started blurring my vision. I could maybe function again like a normal person. No more nightmares.Please,let there be no more darkness and shadows.
“I have class!” he blurted, likely just remembering he needed to be elsewhere.
“Wait!” I called after him, stopping him halfway through the door. “Some guy came looking for you.” I got up from my chair and handed him the note.
He took it and eyed it curiously. “What did he look like?”
“Blonde hair, blue eyes, leather jacket,” I replied, sitting back down at my desk.
Remi didn’t ask any further questions, seemingly glued to his phone. I decided to leave him to it; I had work to do and some research on how to be the best roommate to ever exist.
Chapter Four
Nolen
“It’s crazy, right?” Mint, one of my teammates said. Mint was older like me, not that being in your thirties meant you were old, but most of our team was in their early twenties and two were eighteen.
“I think it makes sense,” I replied, looking over the group messages between our team.
Juno had found his mate. I knew there had to be a reason for us all to feel the pull. Something we finally admitted to after learning about Juno’s mate.
“Guess so. You think we’ll be as lucky?”
I looked over at Mint, who watched me with intense eyes. Like somehow my answer meant everything to him. He’d lost his whole family in an accident when he was just a child. Finding his mate meant having a family again. I couldn’t lie to him, even if I knew he was hoping for it. “I don’tknow. I hope so. But I haven’t felt a pull in any direction since coming here, only that I don’t want to return home.”
“I feel like I keep being pulled,” he admitted, looking down at the stained carpet. We were in my rental, and since we had to live as cheaply as possible, it wasn’t as clean as I would’ve liked. But I felt more at home since coming here, so I would take my stained carpet over anything.
“In a direction?” I asked, feeling fascinated by his admission. I also felt jealous. I wanted to find my mate as much as anyone else. Finally having your person meant everything.
He shrugged. “More like… It’s hard to explain, but some days I feel like I can breathe easier, you know? And others, I feel out of it, like something’s wrong. I feel like I need to move in a certain direction and as soon as I feel my breathing come easier, I can relax.”
“Does it happen in a certain location? Or is it random?”
“I had to take the bus to the mall, and ten minutes into the ride, I started to feel uneasy and had to leave it.”
“Maybe your mate lives close to your place? And getting too far away affects you.”
“Maybe… But that hasn’t happened to you?”
