The lecture hall smelled faintly of chalk dust and polished floors, mixed with the faint aroma of lingering coffee from students who had arrived early. Amara sank into her seat, notebook open, pen poised but unused. Her mind wasn't on the circuits and magnetic fields the lecturer was outlining—it was tangled around the shimmer beneath her sleeve and the word that had haunted her since yesterday: Bound.
Tolu nudged her gently, smirking. "Stop spacing out, Amara. You're about to float off the desk."
Amara blinked, startled. "I'm fine," she murmured, forcing her eyes toward the front. Her heartbeat betrayed her, thudding faster than usual, each pulse echoing in her ears. Focus, she told herself. You have to focus.
The lecturer's chalk screeched across the board, drawing diagrams that meant little to her today. Amara's hand moved automatically, jotting down notes she barely read. Her thoughts kept drifting to Kael—where was he? Would he show up today? She could feel the faint warmth of the bond responding subtly, almost impatiently, under her skin.
"Amara, are you listening?" Tolu whispered again, elbow digging lightly into her side.
"Yes!" Amara said, a little too sharply, immediately lowering her voice. "I'm… paying attention."
Tolu smirked knowingly, nudging Zainab beside her. Zainab's dark eyes crinkled with amusement. "Sure you are," she said softly. "Bet you're thinking about him again."
Amara's cheeks flamed, and she buried her face in her notebook. Don't even look up. Don't let him see you like this. He'll know.
And then, as if summoned by her racing thoughts, Kael appeared. The lecture hall door creaked open, and sunlight spilled across his figure, highlighting the faint copper strands in his dark hair. He moved with calm, precise steps, scanning the room with sharp, calculating eyes. And then… he stopped. His gaze landed on her.
The warmth beneath Amara's sleeve flared in response, tingling through her veins like electric fire. She swallowed hard and looked down, pretending not to notice, but she could feel him watching her, sensing her reactions. Every glance, every subtle movement of his wrist, sent a pulse through her that was impossible to ignore.
After class, as students filed out, Amara lingered, adjusting her bag and pretending to tie her shoelace. Her heart thumped violently when she caught sight of Kael moving through the hall. He didn't look away this time. Their eyes met for the briefest second, but it was enough. The world seemed to tilt slightly, and the bond flared again beneath her sleeve.
Her friends noticed her distraction later in the cafeteria. Zainab and Tolu had saved her a seat, smirking knowingly as she slid in.
"You're late," Tolu whispered, grinning. "Don't tell me you were dreaming about the new transfer student."
Amara groaned. "I'm just… tired, okay?"
"You look suspiciously tired," Zainab teased, munching on a sandwich. "Admit it, Amara. Kael was in your dreams."
Amara's stomach flipped, and she buried her face in her hands, wishing she could disappear. Every instinct screamed to keep the secret of the bond hidden. But her pulse betrayed her, and the shimmer beneath her sleeve throbbed faintly in time with her racing heartbeat.
Tolu leaned closer. "So… what's going on between you two? We saw him holding your hand yesterday."
"It's not like that!" Amara hissed, shaking her head. "You wouldn't understand."
Zainab raised a skeptical brow. "Try me. He's new, mysterious, and gorgeous. And you're… clearly affected."
Amara's thoughts drifted to Kael—his calm certainty, the way he seemed to know without being told. She sneaked another glance toward the entrance, scanning for him. Her pulse quickened at the thought, and she could feel the faint glow beneath her sleeve respond, almost like it was impatient.
The lab session that followed was torture. Each spark from the circuit boards, every tiny flicker of the voltmeter, made her jump slightly. She tried to focus, jotting down data, but the shimmer beneath her sleeve pulsed in time with her nerves. It reacts to him. Always him.
By the time she left the lab, the world felt heavier, more suffocating. Kael had not approached her yet today, and the bond's subtle pulse had been enough to keep her on edge. She hurried back to her hostel, heart still hammering. I need to understand this. I have to ask him.
Sitting on her bed, Amara whispered to herself, "I have to ask him. I need answers." But a shiver ran down her spine. Something about the bond was larger, stranger, and more dangerous than she could imagine. Her fingers brushed the shimmer beneath her sleeve, and it pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat in sync with her own.
Outside, a breeze rustled the leaves of the neem tree, carrying with it faint metallic echoes, and somewhere distant, a soft whisper seemed to hum in the air: Soon.