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1.
How could someone not look at her? She was the living definition of beauty. Jake didn’t think he could take his eyes off of her if he wanted to. Not that he did, of course. No. He wanted to memorise every detail of her. He didn’t know why, though. He had a boyfriend, so he wasn’t interested in pursuing her romantically. She was just really nice to look at; satisfying, even. Maybe if he remembered enough details, he could have Harley draw her. His boyfriend was studying art and was always searching for inspiration. Although, nothing was better than the real thing…
He reached out to her, as if he could somehow stop time, but it was too late. She had walked around the corner, out of sight. And now someone else would get to look at her, to see what Jake knew would be in his dreams tonight.
It was strange. Jake had been staying in his dorm for almost 5 months now and this was the first time he was seeing her. And for all he knew, it would be the last.
“Oh well,” Jake said to himself, a slight smile on his face.
2.
There were a lot of things that Jake loved about his boyfriend, Harley. His looks, his huge heart, his smile. But sometimes, Jake preferred Harley’s artistic talent to his other qualities. Such as right now, because in his hands, sitting in the college library, Jake was holding a perfect drawing of the mystery girl.
“Well?” Harley asked, a bright smile on his face. “How is it?”
“It’s perfect,” Jake said. He lightly traced the pencil lines. “You did amazing.”
“I was just following your description. Who is she, anyway? I don’t recognise her.”
“Just this girl I saw in the hallway last week.”
Harley raised his eyebrow. “Should I be jealous?”
“Of course not. I don’t even know her.”
“Okay, if you say so.” Harley kissed Jake’s cheek then stood up from the table. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to the bathroom.”
“Okay.” Harley left the table and Jake continued to stare at the picture. It was remarkable. He held it up to the light, wanting to get a better view of the outline. “Amazing.” He slowly lowered the piece of paper and gasped. Standing there was the girl.
She stood in front of a bookcase, giving Jake a perfect view of her side profile. There was clear determination on her face- she was searching for something specific. Jake wanted to offer his assistance, but all that came out of his mouth was a choked, “Hi.”
She didn’t hear him- or if she did, she ignored him.
So Jake stayed where he was, staring, not understanding why he was so drawn to her.
3.
Jake wouldn’t go as far as to say he was a bad student- sure, he fell asleep in class every now and then and he wasn’t the best at turning in assignments by their due date- but when it came to assemblies, he was the worst. He would talk loudly over the teacher, throw pencils at his friends, and make rude jokes.
But today, Jake was a model student.
He sat up straight and kept his eyes trained on the girl standing on the stage. “It’s her,” he whispered to himself. The mystery girl.
“What?” Harley asked him.
“Nothing.”
The girl cleared her throat before addressing the audience. “Hi, I’m Amy Santiago. Today I would like to talk to you about the college library. I understand that due to exams, we may all be in a rush and forget simple things such as cleaning up. However, the library is a sacred place. It needs looking after. And I am very disappointed to say that currently, the library isn’t being treated with respect. Just yesterday, I was in the library and saw that 2 boys had left one of the tables a mess.”
“Amy…” Jake murmured. That name fitted her perfectly. Then his eyes widened. Yesterday, it was only him, Harley, and Amy in the library, and they had been in such a rush to leave they had forgotten to put their trash in the bin. She was talking about them .
Harley must’ve had the same thought because he gave Jake a guilty smile. “Hey, was that the chic you had me draw?”
“Yeah,” Jake said. “Amy.”
Harley stared at the girl for a few seconds before diverting his eyes away. “She’s pretty. I think I did a pretty good job drawing her, if I do say so myself.”
“You really did.” Once again, Jake couldn’t look away.
“Are you sure you don’t know her from somewhere?”
Jake nodded his head, though he was becoming more and more uncertain.
4.
The next time that Jake saw Amy, he felt a hint of heartbreak. He was at Starbucks- normally, he would go to his local coffee shop, but he needed to get to class early and it wasn’t open at this time. So, he had to go to Starbucks.
He was rehearsing his order in his head so he wouldn’t be awkward when he had to recite it and was about to take his phone out and ask Harley if he wanted anything, when he caught sight of the barista.
It was her. Mystery girl. Amy Santiago.
Maybe now, Jake could finally talk to her.
He was second in line. A guy who looked a few years older than Jake was in front of him, and he was talking to Amy.
Correction, he was flirting with Amy.
“What time do you get off?” he asked her.
“Oh, not for a while,” Amy replied without even looking at him, yet Jake couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
“I can wait for you.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Listen, princess, I’m doing you a favour-”
“Not. Interested,” Amy said coldly. “Now, are you going to take your coffee and leave, or shall I throw it in your face?”
The guy shook his head, accepted his coffee, and left the line.
Jake’s heart was pounding. Not only was this girl extremely attractive, but she could stand up for herself. And Jake was finally going to get to talk to her.
Without even looking up, Amy said, “Sorry, I’m going on my break. I’ll get someone to cover.” She left the counter and went into the back room, leaving Jake alone.
“Oh well,” he said to himself, “next time.”
5.
The next time they crossed paths, Jake was intoxicated. He was also throwing up into a toilet.
“There, there,” a soothing voice said. It sounded like a girl- a familiar girl. She was rubbing circles on his back. “How much did you drink?”
“A lot,” Jake muttered. He wanted some water. “It was a dare.”
“Idiot.”
Jake recognised the voice. Amy. He tried to say her name, but nothing came out.
“Shh,” she whispered, “don’t talk. I’ll go get you some water.” She stood up and left the bathroom, and Jake stared after her longingly.
She never came back.
+1.
Jake cursed under his breath as he ran down the hallway. “I’m so late, I’m so late, I’m so late, I’m so late!” As usual, he had forgotten his homework in his dorm room.
“Excuse me!” a powerful voice yelled. “No running in the hallway! Stay where you are!”
Jake froze. “I, uh, I’m sorry!” He turned around to get a look at the girl who had shouted at him. Amy. “Of course it’s you.”
“I’m sorry?” Amy walked towards him and narrowed her eyes. “It’s you. The guy who’s always staring at me.”
“You noticed?”
“Of course I did. It’s hard not to. What’s your problem?”
“I-I don’t know. I feel drawn to you…”
Amy frowned. “Drawn to me?”
“I can’t explain it…”
“What’s your name?”
“Jake.”
“Have you ever heard of soulmates, Jake?”