01. My Mate(s)

  Leah is late to her first lecture and that is definitely not a good way to start her year at the university. Even though she wants to run, her feet feel heavy and she feels restless. As if she has walked across something important and should be running back to get it instead of going to her class. 
 

"Excuse me!"
 

  She flinches at the deep, loud voice behind her. The hair on her back stand  up when she looks over her shoulder.
 

  A tall man is running towards her, his eyes as big as hers. Wait no, way bigger than hers, like he has seen a ghost or something. Altogether, the thoughts of the lecture jumps out the window. Dang, he is handsome. With his long legs, he easily covers the gap and is now standing right before her, making it hard for her to breathe. His appearance is so royal and breathtaking.
 

  He is panting in front of her. Leah takes a step back but his hand suddenly comes up to hold her arm and keep her on her place. Leah's eyes widen at the touch of skin.
 

"Wh--How--What are you--"
 

  The guy tries to speak to her but it seems that he is so indulged in staring at her eyes. The antsy feeling rises to and the scent of this guy is so alluring it makes her want to ask for a hug.
 

Gosh, Leah. It's just your first day. Get a grip.
 

"Are you new?"
 

The guy finally asks after taking a long big breath.
 

Leah grins up at him. It can be that he just wants to be friends. She nods energetically. 
 

"Jeon Leah."
 

She extends her hand, making a much needed space in between their bodies. 
 

The guy takes another deep breath, looking away before raking his already messy hair. He shakes her hand, wrapping all of the tall, attractive, five fingers around her it.
 

"Park Chanyeol."
 

"Do you know where this p-place is?"
 

Leah shoves her schedule chart in between the two of them, pointing at the hall number 16 at the top of the Monday column. Chanyeol leans over to take a look and nods.
 

"I'll take you there."
 

He offers her his hand again. Leah chuckles nervously at the serious look on his face. As if sensing her reluctance, Chanyeol speaks again.
 

"I play soccer so I usually run fast. You wanna come?"
 

"Y-Yes."
 

  Leah hands herself over to the huge guy. Chanyeol smiles lightly before enveloping her fingers warmly in his. With the wind trying to knock them off, they make their way across the little opening in between the buildings. Leah cannot stop to notice the heads turning their way because it is already very difficult to keep up with her new friend whom she felt weird about. A safe feeling envelopes her as the fly up the stairs and finally reach the lecture hall.
 

  That was fast, Leah sighs. Chanyeol enters the room with her hand still in his hold. The professor isn't there yet and the students are enjoying the time leisurely, throwing paper planes at each other, flirting or studying the notes. Leah feels a little good after the sprinting session and also because she has a friend already in her class. She nervously pulls her sweaty hand out of his swiftly, following him up the stairs while the both of them look for empty seats. However, Chanyeol lightly pushes her in front of him protectively, keeping his hand on the small of her back.
 

"Do you...do you feel something?"
 

He asked her suddenly, his lips so close to her ear.
 

"Uhh, I feel very...nervous?"
 

She tries to smile it away. But she knows the nervousness has increased by ten after entering this specific hallroom. She can feel eyes on her. It is very prominent.
 

"That's it?" Chanyeol smirks. "Do you, like, feel like hugging me?"
 

Leah gasps, breath bundling up in . Chanyeol's smirk grows until it become a smile.
 

"How did you know?" She thoughtlessly mumbles.
 

"What? I didn't. I just guessed."
 

  Chanyeol laughs at her red face as they both find two empty seats side by side. Leah feels like it will be cool if she could disappear rightaway. She cannot dismiss this aura around him. So strong and so alluring. Leah weirdly wants to stick to him the whole day. Is that normal?
 

"You know, if you want to hug someone, you should just go for it."
 

  Chanyeol speaks, placing his bag on the space under the chair before pulling her chair out for her. Leah blushes again at the gesture and his attractive smirk. Chanyeol doesn't sit until she has sat down. The glimmering watch around his wrist  touches her skin and the cold metal makes her flinch again. It's like she is way too sensitive to her surrounding. Her tingly nerves carry the electricity around in her body and she knows instantly that she likes this guy. She also knows she is weird so she just looks away.
 

  Her surrounding is everything but peaceful. Perhaps it is the jittery feeling in her nerves that is making her so restless but it also can be the many pairs of eyes staring right at her. Why does she feel like something is succumbing her? She decides to talk with Chanyeol to distract herself from the feeling. 
 

"Do we have any exam coming up?" She wants to know so she can prepare.
 

"Not that I know of. Actually, I just enrolled some days ago and had to stay home because I got sick. You can say this is my first class."
 

Leah smiles. That's just great. "By the way, why were you calling after me?"
 

Chanyeol passes her a smile too, "Y-You just seemed familiar."
 

"Oh?" She curiously leans towards him, and the guy leans closer too. It makes her blush again. "Who did you think I was?"
 

"Hmm. I thought you were my...sister's friend's...nephew's girlfriend." Chanyeol says, as if making it up but Leah knows he is making it up, judging his expression. When she raises an amused brow, he ends up laughing and giving up. "You seriously don't feel anything?" He asked with emphasis this time.
 

"Uh, I feel good talking to you...?" Leah shrugged, eyes asking him what he really wanted to ask.
 

"Oh, that's a relief." He whispered but she had heard it.
 

Okay okay okay
 

Does that mean he likes me too?
 

  Leah curls up in her seat, listening to his deep voice as he says he is not a very good student and thinks he'll fail at Biology this year. Oh, that voice. It makes her stomach flutter. She is a good student, one shouldn't brag about oneself, but yes she considers herself good enough. She didn't like the university she had been in just some weeks ago so she had deemed it appropriate to enroll somewhere else. Here she was, most probably sitting beside a popular guy (judging the eyes on herself and him). However, they have to soon cut the chat off as the professor walks in, late.
 

"Maybe it's not as hard with the right company," she tells Chanyeol when the professor turns his back to them.

Chanyeol smiles down sadly, "What else do you feel?"
 

"Chanyeol, you're weird."
 

"Oops, sorry."
 

"But it's fine. I'm weird too."
 

  She will not lie. The attention on her is almost not there anymore. Almost. Meaning she can still feel eyes on her. She looks over her shoulder at the back benches. Two grave eyes are staring at her with no emotion at all. It sends chills downs are spine, but the chills are rather delicious. His perfect eyebrows rise up in a frown, like he has something against her. His intimidating aura shakes her but she can't look away. That same restless feeling. 
 

  The guy looks away, pulling Leah out of her daze too. Leah feels her breaths shorten when the guy lets the girl beside him kiss him. Why the does she feel that way? Leah tries to dismiss the thoughts of the guy with perfect eyebrows and looks front. Chanyeol is staring at her and it catches her a little off guard. He smiles and looks away. Wordlessly, she scoots closer to him, as if scared of something.
 

  And then she meets another pair of eyes, the person innocently blinking at her through his golden rimmed glasses. He is cute, his face makes her smile. Curly hair and a lazy sweater, that's just so cute. His puppy eyes fill up with awe and he keeps looking at her like she is some sort of goddess with white rays coming out of her body. So Leah stares at him too, unable to pay attention to the class.
 

  When she is packing her unused stationary with Chanyeol after the class, a hand slaps her desk. Her quivering eyes meet intense ones. "H-Hi," she manages to squeak out. She has never seen this guy before.
 

"Hey, what's your problem?" Chanyeol shoves the shorter guy away from Leah and the guy shoves him back, making Chanyeol curse. "What the hell are you--"
 

"Shut up, I'm talking to her," the other one said.
 

  Now, it would be crazy right? If she says she feels the same for this new guy who had appeared out of nowhere? Her insides shake from the intensity of his gaze. Chanyeol reluctantly lets his arm go and the guy heaves a sigh. His eyes soften bit by bit. "You," he points at her, "You're my mate."
 

"What? No!" Chanyeol yells at the top of his lung. It's just good nice luck that the hall is empty except the three of them. "She is my mate," he tells the other guy.
 

Okay what? Mate?
 

Leah's eyes widened with alarm. "W-What?"
 

" no," The shorter guy growls, "I know my mate when I see her--"