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Lumine didn’t expect to have a soulmate. And she certainly didn't expect to meet him in line for coffee at the local college cafe.
“Excuse me!” she called out, gently patting the shoulder of the fair-haired man in front of her. “I overheard you thinking out loud about ordering a caramel latte. If I were you, I'd reconsider! It's super sweet! You can literally feel the sugar crackling in your teeth and…”
She stopped as the man turned around and looked at her with widened eyes. After that, he cautiously stepped away, all the time gazing intensely at her.
Lumine noted that he was very handsome with delicate facial features, long eyelashes over eyes of a rare shade of teal, and medium-length hair tied in braids on the sides.
He would have been more handsome if he hadn't stared at her with disbelief and intrigue like she was an interesting specimen. From his reaction, she got the impression that what she said was an absolute absurdity, not only a piece of good advice.
“Or… if you like sweets, you can completely ignore what I just said,” she added with a frown.
“It’s you,” said the man unexpectedly.
Lumine raised her eyebrows.
“You know me?” she asked, trying to remember if she had met him before. The answer was no. He must have been new to the college, as she didn't recognize him even from his looks.
The man shook his head without taking his eyes off her.
“Not really. And I am indeed here for the first time.” Lumine’s jaw dropped at his sudden answer to her thoughts. “But since I've been around, I've noticed something intriguing…” He paused as if not sure if he should continue. “When I get close to a certain woman, I am able to overhear her thoughts. I don't know where this intriguing phenomenon came from, and I planned to investigate it.” He scratched his chin, pondering. “I didn't know how to approach it, but apparently the situation resolved itself, as the phenomenon turned out to work both ways.”
Lumine raised her hands to halt his speech.
“Wait! Slow down!” she called.
“Overhear thoughts? A certain woman? Both ways? Does it mean…?”
“I can hear you've already guessed,” said the man. “I didn't plan out loud what to order. You are also able to listen to my thoughts.”
Lumine froze, staring at him with utter disbelief.
“NO WAY!” she suddenly exclaimed. “ YOU are my SOULMATE?!”
Her shock was too great to be intimidated by the man's raised eyebrows and the gazes of the people in the entire cafe.
“Have you ever heard about soulmates?” asked Mona during one of the girls' sleepovers a few months earlier.
Eula snorted and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Soulmates? Isn’t this a trope from girlish literature?” she asked with a slight frown.
Amber, who was sitting next to her, laughed.
“Chill, Eula! Aren't girls' nights to talk about such witchy things?”
Mona rolled her eyes.
“This isn’t a ‘witchy thing’,” she said with slight indignation. “There are reports of people who were so well matched they could even hear each other's thoughts! There are very few of them, and the last report was from the nineteenth century, but such a thing happened!”
“Well, if it requires two people who could, for example, be born on the other side of the world to meet, no wonder it's so rare,” noticed Sucrose.
Lumine chuckled.
“Really? They were able to read each other's thoughts? In that case, I don't know if I'd want to meet my soulmate,” she said, amused.
Mona shrugged.
“Well, as Sucrose said, the chances of that are very low. But if it were to happen, I would certainly want to get to know that person.”
“Soulmates, huh?” said the man, who introduced himself as Albedo, when they sat together in the cafe. A cup of caramel latte was on the table in front of him. Apparently, Lumine's warning about its sweetness didn't prevent him from ordering it.
Lumine let out a displeased murmur. She had yet to mention her conversation with Mona on the matter — but, apparently, Albedo had read it straight from her head.
It wasn't fair. He could listen to her thoughts practically all the time, while she only heard his ones when he stood right next to her. Why was that? Was the hearing distance dependent on something? Or was it simply further evidence that the world was unfair?
“I hear you're wondering about that too.” Albedo casually sipped his oversweet coffee and looked at Lumine closely. “That's relieving, as I would like to make you a proposal.”
Lumine tensed, watching him suspiciously.
“A proposal? For his own good, it better not be anything shady! I know martial arts!”
Albedo raised his hands in a reassuring gesture.
“Nothing like that.” He made a short pause. “Simply put, I'm a scientist. Since this phenomenon is so rare, I would like to test and write down its symptoms.” He stared at her with the attentive gaze of his teal eyes. “Would you be willing to investigate it with me?”
“What?!” This time Lumine said it aloud. She felt her cheeks becoming hot. “But… you know soulmates are a thing between… lovers…” she murmured, looking away from him.
Albedo shook his head.
“Stories have attributed it as such, but we don't know much about this phenomenon. It's not certain it has anything in common with feelings or compatibility between people.” He scratched his chin. “If we don’t want to go beyond friendship, we don't have to do it.” He went silent for a moment before adding: “Personally, I can already say I won't be interested in anything more.”
“Oh…” gasped Lumine, shifting her gaze to him. “Okay.”
Why did she feel the sting of disappointment? Albedo was a handsome guy, but that didn't mean she would want to be with him! After all, she hasn't known him yet!
Albedo had enough tact to not comment on these thoughts.
“Should I take this as an agreement to participate in the experiments?” he asked instead, with a raised eyebrow.
Well, she herself was curious about what that was all about.
“Yeah. If you don't plan to do anything questionable, I don't see why not.” She shrugged slightly.
For the first time since they met, Albedo put on a little smile.
A few days have passed since the unexpected deal between Lumine and an odd stranger, Albedo. During this time, she became somewhat familiar with him. She learned he was a chemistry genius who came to Mondstadt to assist in difficult experiments. He previously lived in Khaenri'ah with his twin brother and mother. He was currently staying with family friends and sometimes took care of their little daughter, Klee. When he wasn't engaged in chemistry or babysitting, he enjoyed painting and reading novels from Inazuma.
She learned all this bit by bit as they experimented on their ability to hear each other. The results were mostly disappointing.
They concluded, for example, that not all thoughts were audible. Albedo wasn't able to guess what song was looping in the back of Lumine's mind. Lumine couldn’t reproduce the sketch Albedo had imagined until he started giving her step-by-step instructions on how to put down the pencil. It seemed that direct thoughts, akin to speaking to someone, were best heard.
They also tested the other person's hearing range. They quickly noticed the connection between the emotion behind the thought and the distance from which it was heard. It was greater when the person was happy or upset about something.
To Lumine's displeasure, in order to hear anything from Albedo, she had to come very close, almost touching him. It was so unfair, as she felt exposed while he hid everything for himself. Even encouraging him to get angry or happy, to test whether it would increase the hearing range, was difficult.
They had one of the meetings in an empty science laboratory when Lumine was trying to upset Albedo. He was staring at her with a doubtful look, sitting on a chair while she was walking around, trying to catch a glimpse of his thoughts.
“Oh, come on, just imagine something that would piss you off!” she exclaimed. “You mentioned there was a little girl you babysit, right? What if she, for example, destroyed your sketchbook? You’d be furious, right?” She looked at him expectantly.
Albedo raised his eyebrows and scratched his chin as if even such a simple scenario required some deep consideration.
“What leads you to believe that?” he asked after a while.
It was a time for Lumine to be surprised.
“Don't you have your sketches, notes, and information needed for your experiments there? I guess if you lost that, it would be rather frustrating, wouldn't it?”
Albedo pondered about that for another moment.
“Well, that would be quite unfavorable. I could redraw it all over again, but that would take valuable time. However, I don't think I would get enraged over such a thing. Klee is still a child and wouldn't have done it with bad intentions.”
Lumine groaned.
“That was just an example! If it's Klee that's holding you back, imagine someone else in her place! Like your brother! Or me!”
“Hmm…” Albedo scratched his chin again in thought. “No, I think I still wouldn't be upset.”
The woman sighed and rolled her eyes.
“You're terribly frustrating,” she said, sitting on a chair in front of him.
“But somehow I don't mind spending time with you.”
“Thank you,” answered Albedo, staring at her with slightly raised eyebrows.
Lumine snorted.
“It wasn't a compliment,” she pointed out.
“I know.” Albedo seemed unbothered by her annoyance. “I answered your thought.”
Lumine felt her face become hot from the blush. She looked at him with indignation.
“Don't you dare respond to my thoughts so casually! This is so uncomfortable! And so unfair!” She hid her face in her hands and groaned.
“I can’t give him this satisfaction!”
“I changed my mind. Spending time with you is a nightmare!” she murmured after a moment, uncovering her eyes.
Albedo sighed, gazing at her with doubt.
“Relationships are complicated, and with you especially, so I'd rather you didn't give me contradictory information. I am able to read the real ones from your head, anyway.” The corners of his lips lifted a little. “I like spending time with you, too. It's an interesting change from what I usually do.”
“He has a pretty smile. What a pity it appears so rarely.”
Albedo opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it after a moment. Lumine noticed a barely visible blush on his cheeks.
“He heard it,” she realized, feeling intense warmth on her face. “Oh, gods… what to do? Change the subject?”
“Have you wondered what else we can test?” she asked a bit too quickly, shifting her eyes from him. “I don't think there is much more we can do.”
The man cleared his throat before answering.
“That's right. The options we can execute without too much intimacy are beginning to run out.”
“‘Without too much intimacy,’” repeated Lumine in her mind, feeling it overheating.
Albedo coughed into his fist, regaining her attention.
“I still have some ideas. For example, I wonder if it’s possible to read another person's dreams while they are asleep,” he said and checked the time on his phone. “But that's a topic for another meeting. We have to go to a lecture soon.”
Lumine tilted her head, confused.
“‘We’?” she repeated.
Albedo looked at her closely.
“You're about to have a lecture with Professor Timaeus, right? I was told to assist him today, so I'll be there too,” he said.
Lumine groaned inside. It was one thing to meet with a person who can read your thoughts in private, but another in the presence of others.
“I believe I’ll be too occupied to pay attention to you,” added Albedo in a slightly reassuring tone.
Lumine reflected on his words and sighed.
“I guess I have no choice. Shall we go?” She took her bag and stood up, looking at the man expectantly.
Albedo nodded and joined her.
As they walked side by side down the corridor, Lumine realized they looked like a pair who had a rendezvous in an empty room. She felt her cheeks warming at the thought, but Albedo seemed to either not hear it or ignored it.
“Today we are honored with the presence of Albedo Kreideprinz, a genius in chemistry who revolutionized the field with his theory on…” spoke Professor Timaeus with obvious excitement.
“Hmm…” Amber, who was sitting next to Lumine, leaned her head on her cheek. “Timaeus seems over the moon. Is this Albedo guy really such a genius? He isn’t much older than us.”
Lumine shrugged.
“I don’t know,” she lied.
In fact, Albedo had given her a glimpse of his brilliance by trying to teach her chemistry as part of the “soulmates” experiment. Lumine was initially excited, but then she almost fainted when her brain was overflowing with complex formulas, combinations of elements, and chemical theories. The experiment had failed.
She sighed as she watched Albedo ask Timaeus to cut down on politeness and move on to the lecture. He seemed a bit tired of being admired.
Lumine sat at the desk farthest from the board so he couldn't hear her thoughts. The distance was much greater than when her emotions were intense, so she should be safe.
The class eventually moved on to explaining some complicated chemical issues that Lumine couldn't focus on. Her eyes kept moving from the board to Albedo, who was standing next to it. He seemed exceptionally handsome that day, wearing dark jeans and a black T-shirt with a white shirt over it. Perhaps he had made an effort to appear presentable while assisting in the lecture.
Oh, she accidentally called him handsome… not that it wasn’t true. Albedo was very handsome with his face resembling a marble statue, eyes of such an unusual shade, and a shapely figure that particularly caught her attention given his current outfit.
But she for sure would die of embarrassment if he overheard that.
Lumine glanced at Albedo, but he seemed completely focused on the board. Good, that meant the distance was indeed safe. She could think about him freely.
But why was she even thinking about him? She should focus on the lecture! It will definitely be on the exam!
Deciding to ignore Albedo's presence, she gazed intensely at Professor Timaeus, who was explaining something with commitment while writing on the board.
“If I may add something…” suddenly said Albedo, catching her attention again.
Did he always have such a pleasant voice? Probably yes, but this time, it seemed exceptionally breathy and deep. The very sound of it caused her blood to run faster.
Albedo continued speaking, practically taking over the lecture, and Timaeus listened to him eagerly, as if he was one of the students.
So it was impossible to ignore Albedo’s presence…
Lumine gulped, observing as he turned, facing the board. She now had a perfect view of his butt in slim, dark jeans. Her gaze automatically focused on it.
Her cheeks lit up with heat when she realized what she was doing. Her eyes turned to something on the side, but it was too late to stop the running thoughts.
Albedo had a really shapely butt, further exposed by a waist that was quite narrow for a man. It almost seemed to be asking to put a hand there.
Lumine almost shook her head violently, trying to get rid of inappropriate thoughts. Her face was already burning with shame.
How could she think such things about almost a stranger? She wasn't the type who checked out guys, after all!
But on the other hand... Was he actually a stranger to her? If Mona was right, he was her soulmate — the person with whom she was best matched in the world. True, they promised each other to stay in a friendly relationship, but…
She recalled Albedo's words.
“The options we can execute without too much intimacy are beginning to run out.”
What intimacy was he referring to? Holding hands? Kisses? Sex?
Lumine bit her lip.
“What would sex with someone who can read your thoughts look like?”
Suddenly Albedo's hand with the marker stopped, and he froze in place.
Lumine’s eyes widened.
He couldn't hear it, could he? No, it was impossible! She was too far away for any of her thoughts to reach him!
“Is there something wrong, Mr. Kreideprinz?” asked concerned Timaeus.
“No, I just needed a moment to analyze,” answered Albedo in a neutral tone. Right after that, he continued filling the board with chemical formulas as if nothing had happened.
Lumine sighed with relief. That was probably just a weird coincidence.
Albedo finished writing after a while and returned to his spot near the whiteboard. He didn't look at her even once, which further confirmed he hadn't heard anything.
At that moment, she could see his face again. However, this did not help her imagination to calm down.
Visions of those teal eyes gazing closely at her or his long fingers gliding over her body began to circulate through her head.
“Lumine… ” He whispered in her mind with his soft deep voice.
That was bad. That was really bad.
She had to shift her thoughts to something else before the end of the lecture. Otherwise, Albedo would definitely know what she was doing. And then she would for sure die from embarrassment.
After the lecture, Albedo was asked to stay for a moment by Professor Timaeus. Lumine took advantage of this to sneak out of the lecture hall. Although she managed to distance her thoughts from the improper ones, she would rather not risk them coming back if she talked to the cause of them.
For the next few hours, she functioned fairly normally — busy with lectures, lunch, or hanging out with friends. Thoughts of Albedo kept coming back now and then, but she didn't mind them so much since he wasn't near her.
That was until she was getting ready to return home. She suddenly felt someone’s hand on her shoulder.
“𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬?” She heard Albedo’s voice in her head.
Lumine froze, not expecting him to use the ability outside of their meetings. She turned, facing him, and then her heart skipped.
Albedo seemed more serious than usual, with his lips tilted in a frown and sharp eyes observing her carefully. Whatever he wanted to talk about had to be important.
“Sure,” she automatically answered aloud. “What is it?”
Albedo shook his head.
“Let’s move somewhere private,” he said, with his voice oddly low.
Lumine thought of potential places at the college where one could talk, and the man, without waiting for her choice, led her toward the nearest one.
As they walked, Lumine wondered what it was all about. Albedo seemed very serious, which didn't match his usually indifferent attitude.
Did something happen? Did he discover something about their relationship?
“Yes, I think I did,” answered Albedo.
Lumine felt her heart sink in worry. What could it be? Was it dangerous?
Eventually, they turned into a corridor that almost no one ever walked down.
Before Lumine had time to react, Albedo pushed her toward the wall until her back hit it. She yelped in surprise and was ready to ask him what the fuck he was doing, but froze when his hand rested right next to her face. He stared at her gravely with his teal eyes seemingly glowing in the dim light of the windowless corridor.
“What have you done?” he whispered. She felt his warm breath on her face.
“W-what?” she asked, confused and shocked. What was he talking about?
“Your thoughts... The ones you had during the lecture…” Lumine saw Albedo's Adam's apple bounce as he gulped. “They’ve changed something in me.”
Her eyes widened, and she felt the blood leave her face.
Albedo was close enough to hear what he had in mind. And there were her words — about his handsome face, pleasant voice, shapely butt… and the spicier ones too.
“So you heard it…” she said weakly, feeling like she was going to faint. “But how? I was sure I was too far away…”
Albedo hesitated before answering.
“I have a theory that thoughts under... arousal… have the farthest range.” He shook his head. “But that's not the issue. The problem is, I noticed something alarming.”
Lumine froze when Albedo's free hand began to move carefully across her cheek as if he was examining her with the tips of his fingers.
“I can't stop thinking about you,” he said with a breathy voice that made her blood boil. “Since hearing these thoughts from you, I have had almost identical ones. I want to touch you… I want to kiss you… I want to…” He halted his words, but she was able to read the rest from his mind. Her face burned even more. “Why is that? I have never experienced anything like this before.”
Lumine gulped when his thumb rested dangerously close to her lower lip.
“Albedo…” she started. “Aren’t you… simply attracted to me?”
Perhaps that question was too forward, but the man seemed oddly lost in his thoughts. It was as if he did not suspect the solution could be that simple.
Albedo froze, staring at her with widened eyes.
“𝘈𝘮 𝘐? 𝘕𝘰, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯. 𝘛𝘰𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭. 𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.”
The certainty with which he stated that surprised Lumine, but she couldn't deny his reason.
The attraction she had to him didn't seem normal. It was too sudden, too intense, and so different from her usual way of getting interested in others.
As if something was forcing her feelings toward him.
Yes, this had to be it. Forced feelings.
Disappointment squeezed her throat.
She froze when she suddenly heard:
“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳.”
“Please do,” she answered in her mind immediately, but her rationality controlled her lips.
“You don't want to kiss me. It's just this strange bond between us that tells you to do it.”
Albedo pulled slightly away from her, staring into her eyes.
“𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴.”
“Please, just kiss me already!”
Lumine took a big breath and said aloud:
“I don't want to be kissed if you feel forced to do so.”
Albedo's eyes went lower and his thumb gently brushed her lips, as if exploring their softness. For a split second, Lumine thought he would decide to kiss her after all. However, immediately after that, he withdrew his hand and stepped back even further.
“You’re right,” he said, shifting his gaze from her. “This situation has gotten out of control. My theory that what connects us applies only to thoughts turned out to be wrong. Involving feelings is dangerous and immoral.” He looked into her eyes again. “For this reason, I suggest stopping these experiments immediately. This also means avoiding each other's presence.”
Lumine froze, her pulse ratcheting higher.
“You mean we won't see each other again?” she asked with her throat squeezed.
The thought made her dejected. It wasn’t like Albedo was close to her — she had only known him for a few days. But completely losing that relationship was disheartening.
Albedo nodded with a serious face.
“That would be the most appropriate. Even now, this strange bond is trying to take control of my rationality and cancel my decision.”
“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦,” his voice reached her mind. “𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳.”
“I don’t mind,” thought Lumine, while staring into his eyes.
Albedo gasped quietly and took another step backward. He shook his head.
“I should… leave before any of us does or says something they don’t mean.”
“Yeah…” Lumine pressed her back against the wall behind her. “Yeah… let’s part our ways now…”
“𝘐'𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦.”
“Albedo!” Lumine groaned with frustration. “Just leave already!”
The man sighed and started slowly moving backward while looking at her.
“Goodbye, Lumine,” he said and finally turned to walk away.
“𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.”
When he disappeared from her sight, Lumine sighed heavily and sat down where she stood, leaning against the wall. She was so tired from fighting with her own feelings and desires.
After a moment of calming down, she realized something.
After all, the distance of audibility of Albedo's thoughts increased when he was full of emotions. It seemed that the same rules applied to him as to her.
What a shame she wouldn’t be able to tell him.
The sound of a vial hitting the floor rang through the quiet chemistry lab. Those closest to it raised their heads from above whatever they were working on and looked at Albedo, who was staring with absent-minded eyes at the spilled liquid.
That was the third time in two days that something slipped out of his hands. This time at least the glass didn't shatter, which saved him from picking shards and sweeping. And the liquid was neutral. He didn't want to think of all the cleaning procedures he had to perform if it was a strong acid.
Albedo sighed and bent to pick up the vial. When he straightened up, he saw a figure standing before him.
“I-I’m sorry, mister Albedo, but m-may I suggest you go home and rest?” asked a green-haired woman, nervously playing with her fingers. “You seem very tired and distracted for the past few days.”
If he remembered correctly, her name was Sucrose and she was doing a research paper in biochemistry. She was also a friend of Lumine.
An unpleasant cold feeling squeezed his heart at the thought of the person he had to part ways with.
Lumine…
He would never have thought that such a brief acquaintance could change his life to such a degree. Ever since they decided to avoid each other's presence, his thoughts have been with her over and over again. To the point, he had trouble concentrating and falling asleep, which in turn affected his motor coordination.
“Yeah…” he said, more to himself than to Sucrose. “I think I'll call it a day.”
After leaving the lab, he walked slowly through the corridors of the college. Memories of Lumine kept his mind busy once again.
Passing the vending machine reminded him of her dilemma of what flavor of soda she should choose. Seeing the bench outside the window made him think of when he noticed her there cheerfully chatting with friends. Walking down a hallway, he recalled her waving at him with a big smile, despite other people around.
How entertaining it was to listen to her random but adorable thoughts or tease her to make her cute blush appear on her pretty face. How he missed their careful experimental conversation in their minds, which allowed him to see her warm smile or cheeks puffed in indignation.
He had to finally admit it.
He really missed her.
Astonishingly much for how relatively shortly he had interacted with her.
Was it some kind of external magic that guided his emotions? Possibly, but...
He caught himself not caring about it anymore.
“𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦…”
His legs seemed to pick the direction on their own.
“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
Lumine sighed heavily, gazing mindlessly out the window of the cafe. She was watching people walking on the sidewalk, but none had medium-length fair hair and teal eyes.
The coffee on her table was almost completely cold, forgotten while its owner was busy with her thoughts.
Suddenly, the chair opposite her was pushed back, and a figure slid into it. Lumine shifted her gaze to the intruder, feeling a sudden surge of hope that quickly faded away when she recognized who it was.
Mona watched her with attentive eyes with a frown on her face.
“If I ever come up with the idea of fighting my destiny, I’ll remind myself of you,” she said, sipping from a takeaway cup in her hand.
Lumine sighed again, trying to ignore the disappointment that stung her heart.
“Mona, I am not in the mood for your bizarre bullshit,” she murmured, looking again behind the window.
“‘Bizzare bullshit?” Mona snorted in indignation. “How can you call it bizarre bullshit after, thanks to me, you learned about soulmates? Aren’t they the reason you've been upset lately?”
Lumine twitched and looked closely at her friend.
“How do you know that?” she asked suspiciously. She didn't tell anyone about her and Albedo’s situation.
Mona put on a smirk.
“Did you forget you yelled about soulmates to the whole cafe? Others may have found it funny and forgotten about it after a moment, but I knew immediately what was going on.” She took another sip from her cup. “But I even knew beforehand you’d meet your soulmate. I did a reading of your future, and it came out quite evidently.” She waved her hand as if it wasn't a big deal. “That's why I mentioned it at our girls' night — so you’d be ready for it.”
Lumine raised her eyebrows, feeling amazement at Mona's skill. Perhaps without knowing about soulmates, if Albedo had said he could read her thoughts, she would have considered him a weirdo and ignored him. She might never have gotten to know him at all.
But maybe that would have been better. She wouldn't have felt that dull ache in her heart.
“However…” started Mona, gaining Lumine’s attention. “...for some reason, instead of enjoying the blessing of finding your soulmate, you are here. Sitting alone in the place where you first met him, drinking coffee you don’t like and looking like you’re waiting for someone. You seem like after the worst breakup, and as far as I know, you weren't even dating. Fortunately, you have me to talk about it.” She put on an encouraging smile. “So, what happened between you two?”
Lumine didn't answer right away, instead taking a sip of her almost-cold caramel latte. It was as sweet as she remembered, but for some reason, she could taste bitterness.
“I suppose... the whole situation started getting out of control,” she said after a moment. “Everything happened strangely fast. As if something alien wanted us to be together.” She sighed. “Albedo said from the very beginning he wasn't interested in being more than friends, so we decided to part ways.”
“Is that so…” Mona seemed intrigued. “Why is that? Does he already have someone? Does he prefer guys?”
Lumine looked at her with slight annoyance.
“As far as I know, it's neither of those things, but why does he have to justify not wanting to be with me? He may have many reasons.”
Her friend shrugged.
“It's true. Although from what Sucrose says, he's not in the best shape after the separation either.”
“What?” Lumine's eyes widened as the warmness she didn’t dare call hope spread in her heart.
“Didn’t you know Sucrose had assignments in the same lab where he does experiments for our college? Apparently, he used to be more like an emotionless robot, doing one thing after another without paying attention to people around him.” Mona took another sip of her coffee. “But since he met you, he has started acting more like a human and sometimes asks for assistance. The most interesting thing is that in recent days he hasn't been able to focus at all. He seems down and things keep falling out of his hands. Why do you think that is?” She chuckled.
Lumine didn't know what to answer. The thought that she wasn't the only one for whom this separation was hard was strangely uplifting.
“But enough about him.” Mona leaned toward her across the table, staring at her closely. “What about you?”
“Huh?” Lumine felt her cheeks becoming warm. “W-what do you mean?”
“Why don't you want to be with him?” asked her friend in a prying tone.
“Ah…” Lumine looked away from Mona’s watchful eyes. “About that…”
She recalled meetings with Albedo. His gentle voice as he explained what the experiment would be about at that time. His smug face when he teased her. His patient smile when she tried to make him laugh. His soft gaze as he stared thoughtfully at her.
Why wouldn't she want to be with someone like him?
“To be honest…” started Lumine, nearly whispering. “If we met under some normal circumstances and our relationship developed like any other... I wouldn't mind being with him.”
Mona raised her eyebrows in slight confusion.
“So the problem is that you are soulmates, not a normal pair?”
Lumine felt her cheeks burning even more.
“Yeah, um… I don’t want him to be forced to like or love me.”
Mona went silent for a moment, seeming to analyze the whole situation carefully. Finally, she asked:
“Are you forced to like him?”
That simple question took Lumine off guard.
She didn't feel forced. Albedo was exactly the kind of person she would want to be friends with, no matter if he was her soulmate or not.
“No… I think I genuinely like him.” She hesitated before continuing. “He is handsome and intelligent. He cares about his family and the girl he babysits. He tends to talk a lot but listens to me too. He sometimes irritates me with his teasing but can also make me laugh.” Lumine suddenly realized she was smiling. Her lips involuntarily stretched into a smile only from thoughts of Albedo. “Oh… Oh no…” She gulped. “I'm already in love with him, aren't I?” she asked weakly, feeling her face burning.
To her surprise, Mona seemed strangely distracted and didn’t pay too much attention to her words. Every now and then, her gaze went somewhere over Lumine's shoulder.
“Um… Can I ask a weird question?” she asked.
“Huh?” Lumine raised her eyebrows in confusion. “Yeah, what is it?”
“Can your soulmate's mind-reading go through glass?”
“What?” The blonde blinked. “Yeah, I think so, why…” She froze when the sudden realization of why Mona behaved that way struck her. She slowly turned her head to look through the window behind her.
Albedo stood there, staring at her with widened eyes and slightly opened lips. His cheeks were covered with a red flush that contrasted with his usual porcelain skin.
Lumine felt the blood drain from her face and her heart stop. She quickly turned back to Mona.
“How long has he been there?” she asked with a squeezed throat.
Mona seemed a bit amused by the situation.
“I'm not sure. I guess from around the time you started saying you wouldn't mind being with him.”
“Oh my archons…” gasped Lumine. “Quick, give me the best methods to disappear from the world!”
“I have a better idea,” Mona smirked while narrowing her eyes. “Go to him.”
“But… but…” Lumine desperately looked around but froze when she suddenly heard a voice in her head.
“𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦… 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬?”
Albedo sounded so desperate and regretful that her heart trembled. She momentarily gave up on trying to escape.
“Yes… Just… give me a moment.”
She looked at Mona.
“You’re right. I can’t run away from him forever.” She sighed and folded her hands in an apologetic gesture. “Sorry, I have to go.”
Her friend waved dismissively and chuckled.
“Are you kidding me now? Go, follow your destiny.”
Lumine felt like her legs were made of cotton as she walked toward Albedo. He was waiting in the park across the street from the cafe. His gaze was on her all the time as she was approaching as if he was afraid of losing sight of her.
“Hi,” she said shyly while standing a small distance from him.
She was aware he still could hear her thoughts, but she didn’t know if he wanted her to listen to him too.
“Hi,” he answered in an even softer voice than usual. Her heart squeezed at the sound of it. “Long time no see.”
It wasn’t a long time — just a few days — but for Lumine, it felt like forever.
“Wh-what you just heard…” she started, feeling her face burning. “How much have you heard, anyway?” She groaned, placing her hand over her eyes. “Ugh, it's so unfair. You always discover my most intimate thoughts!”
She twitched slightly when Albedo extended his hands toward hers, inviting her to hold them.
“Then I'll show you mine as well,” he said in a gentle tone, as if afraid to scare her off.
Lumine looked at him with doubt, unsure if he really wanted it. If she touched him, any defense of distance that usually protected him would disappear.
“I’m sure,” he responded to her thoughts. “Please... I don't want to hide anything from you anymore.”
Lumine took one hesitant step toward him and carefully caught his extended hand in hers.
And she gasped as her senses were suddenly filled with a warmth that seemed to envelop her entire body.
“𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦…” she heard Albedo’s voice inside her head. “𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
“𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
“𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
“𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
“𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦…”
“𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦! ”
Lumine let go of Albedo’s hand and stepped backward, staring at him with widened eyes.
What she just heard... No, what she just felt. A warm sensation like liquid honey was spreading throughout her body and soothing her like a thick quilt in the middle of winter. A sense of closeness with another person, of safety around them, of joy in their presence. Something she was missing without being aware of it.
Love.
Albedo loved her with such clarity it seemed impossible.
He was observing her with a gentle smile on his face, waiting patiently for her to process that.
“I'm sorry it took me so long,” he said after a moment. “The reason why I didn't want us to be close was… I didn't expect myself to be able to do that. I've always had trouble figuring out emotions and establishing relationships, so...”
“I don’t care,” Lumine interrupted him. She sighed and made a hesitant step toward him while taking his hands into hers again. “Even if the past was like this, now…” She gazed deeply into his eyes. “Now I know what you feel for me.”
“𝘠𝘦𝘴…” replied Albedo in his mind. “𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
“Say it,” Lumine requested, standing so close to him she could feel warmness radiating from his body. “Say it aloud.”
She didn't even need to hear his thoughts to notice how his gaze desirously stopped on her lips.
“I love you,” he nearly whispered.
“Good,” she answered with a slight smile. “Because I love you too.”
It wasn't certain who was the first to lean for the kiss — their connected minds wanted it at the same time, anyway.
In a moment, they forgot who they were and where they were — all that mattered was the other person. Soft lips. Warm bodies. Gentle hands. Addictive waves of delight after every touch.
So that was the feeling of kissing a soulmate - a massive amount of pleasure and sensation, a double shot of endorphins. Something impossible to achieve with anyone else.
Lumine couldn’t believe they were so stubborn to try to prevent this from happening. That was the best she had ever felt, and she knew it only started.
After they finally had parted to catch their breaths, Albedo gently stroked her cheek while looking at her tenderly.
“I never considered myself to be lucky. And yet fate smiled upon me.” He tenderly kissed her forehead. “To think that not only soulmates really exist, but I also found my own…”
Lumine giggled happily, feeling the warmness spreading on her cheeks.
“Although I must admit that hearing your thoughts can be quite troublesome. What if I wanted to surprise you?” She smiled teasingly. “Like with an engagement ring…”
Albedo raised his eyebrows, and after a moment, laughed. It was probably the first time Lumine had heard him laughing genuinely, and she loved it already.
“And I thought I was too forward,” he said after calming his breath. “Perhaps there is a way to block some of the thoughts. After all, our experiments have only just begun.”
“Hmm…” Lumine reached to him to kiss him. “In this case, I look forward to continuing them.”
Albedo's eyes narrowed and his mouth curved into a smirk.
“Is that so? How about starting right away, then?” he asked, and his thoughts clearly indicated what he meant.
Lumine felt her face burning from blushing, but it didn’t stop her from taking his hand.
“Lead the way.”