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You should have known better that at some point in the countless of lives you’ve shared together that you’d eventually be the same age. But dear god, you never thought that it’d come like this, with a meeting as ridiculous as this.
Here you were, pinning Karna to the floor of the hallway of your college dormitory after you had somehow bumped into him when you bringing up your empty laundry basket after dumping everything into the washer. Those beautiful turquoise eyes of his were filled with surprise and disbelief, and it didn’t matter how many timelines would pass - you’d recognize him without fail.
Though a small part of your brain is screaming at you to get up and get off of him, you can’t help but feel as though this was okay. His eyes searched yours, as though trying to confirm that it was you, and suddenly there’s a soft smile on his lips as though he found the answer he was looking for. His hand suddenly reaches up and cups your cheek, causing your eyes to widen in surprise.
There was a rush of electricity. A familiar warmth that you haven’t felt since the last time you saw him in your last lifetime, but then the realization dawns upon you. The situation you were in, the way things were and you shot away from him. Immediately detaching yourself from him, you found yourself backing away and out of the hallway until you hit the living room couch and toppled over the back of it.
An ungodly groan leaves your lips and the blinding light of the living room is cut off when his shadow looms over you. There’s concern written all over his features and he asked, “Are you alright?”
He offers his hand to you, and you hesitantly reach up. Your fingertips brush against his and, there it was, that same thrill ran through you, eliciting goosebumps along your arms and down your back. Your gaze flickers away from the his hand to his face, and there was unreadable expression lingering there.
A mixture of fondness, disbelief, and relief swirled in his gaze. The familiar tightness in your throat was present again as you attempted to answer him. Say something, anything. But no sound escapes your lips as he pulls you up.
That was the first time you met him.
Now, Karna struggles to even get a single moment of your day. He’s not too sure when things changed, or how it ended up with you avoiding him every time he tried to approach you. Weren’t the two of you destined to be together? He knows that you are, he had felt the undeniable pull towards you, and he’s certain that you felt the same.
Otherwise he wouldn’t catch you sneaking glances at him during meal times, or how you would purposely work in the same area of the library as he did. Yet despite how you wanted to be close, you kept your distance. And it wasn’t because of him, of course it wasn’t. It was you.
Karna has always been sweet to you. His words were as sweet as chocolate and as smooth as butter. Every intonation and way he said your name left you dizzy and distracted, and it definitely didn’t help that he was always so handsome regardless of what lifetime you were in. A sigh escapes your lips. Honestly, how did you do it before? How did you manage to talk to him when the two of you had such age gaps back then? If there was an age gap back then, shouldn’t it be easier now that you two are the same age?
But for some reason, you’re beyond scared. Scared that somehow, somewhere, you’ll just mess everything up and blow everything that the two of you have worked hard to cultivate life after life with just a simple mistake. You sighed and this time the warmth of a hand on your shoulder causes you to look up.
Karna’s eyes are filled with concern and he softly asked, “[Name], what’s ailing you?”
Your mouth opens and closes like a fish and before you can scoot away from him, his grip tightens ever so gently and he mumbled, “Is it me?”
You? Your eyes widened and you frantically shook your head, “No, it’s not you! You’ve been nothing but kind to me and I just-”
Your words die at the tip of your tongue when you see the relief on his features. A small smile grows on his lips and he softly smiled, “I’m glad.”
He gently tucks a strand of hair behind your ear and continued, “I feared you would no longer want me after all those lives together.”
“That couldn’t be farther from the truth!” you blurted out without thinking. His eyes widened and you frantically explained, “I just- I was so scared that I’d mess up somehow. It’s the first time we’re the same age, and I didn’t know what to say or what to do. I was never this age when I met you, you know? I was always younger, or older, but never the same. I was just so scared of messing up.”
Your voice slowly trailed off as you neared the end of your explanation. And during the frantic explosion of your insecurities, your head lowered until you were just staring at the ground. This was embarrassing, yet at the same time you felt like there was a heavy burden suddenly relieved off your shoulders. The warmth on your shoulder was gone though, and replacing it was his gentle touch as his hands gently cupped your cheeks, bringing your gaze away from the ground and towards him.
No words were exchanged, but you can see it in his eyes - fondness, mirth, and love. The furious blush you attempted to fight off your cheeks was now evident and he softly admitted, “And all this time I thought I had wronged you in some way.”
“No, you… didn’t,” you responded and then smiled, “I was being dumb wasn’t I?”
Karna hesitated before nodding once, eliciting small giggles from you. You place your hand over his and asked, “Give me the chance to start this over again?”
“As many as you need, [Name],” he softly smiled and answered, “I’ll be here, waiting for you.”