Page 19 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

Two girls wearing string bikinis appeared. The brunette with duck lips, obviously made possible by fillers, and sparkling blue eyes gave Treasure a peck on the mouth before sitting on the edge of her chaise longue. The other one, blond and super skinny with spectacular brown doe-eyes, gave Treasure the same kind of kiss before sitting on the foot of my chaise longue without asking.

“These are your new dorm mates,” Treasure said, pointing her hands at them as if she was presenting a showcase on thePrice is Right. She said their job was to keep my social life from becoming a dry bag of bones.

For the most part, Dandi, the brunette, and Eden, the blonde, have done an okay job of making sure I have a semblance of a social life. I’ve allowed them to drag me to several parties, and they’ve never let me be a wallflower. I’ve learned from Dandi that if I find myself getting bored, I should hit the dance floor and shake my ass. That’s how I met Boyles Bellingham, my boyfriend. At a party seven months ago, he appeared out of nowhere and started dancing with me. Two weeks later, after many lunch and dinner dates, he became my first-ever boyfriend. Boyles is the reason why I couldn’t sleep last night. Something he said yesterday has me wondering if we’re on the verge of breaking up.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I creep out of our building under the veil of a purple morning sky. My feet hit the sidewalk, and then I’m off. I try to force myself to think about anything except my last interaction with Boyles. But he’s all I can think about right now.

Boyle’s has that boy-next-door looks and is always displaying a charming smile, and I mean always. He smiles when he talks and eats and even while he listens. And everything rolls off his back. Sometimes I find myself comparing him to my fantasy of what Hercules might be like today. Even in my imagination, Hercules and Boyles have nothing in common.

I squeeze my eyes shut tightly and then open them wide. I’m not supposed to be thinking about Hercules Valentine yet again. Whenever he’s in my thoughts, I forget to regulate what I’m doing in the moment. I’m running too fast, and now, my legs are cramping and my breaths are strangling my lungs. I’m petering out early, so I slow my pace as I have flashbacks of me and Boyles in the dining hall yesterday.

“Aren’t you bored?” he asked.

“Bored of what?” I replied.

Then he stared into my eyes as if he was trying to send me a message. After several seconds, he said, “Forget it,” and then his eyes shot up over my head as he watched someone pass. I could smell perfume. It was a female.

Out of steam, I stop, bend over, and clutch my knees. The thing is, approximately eight days ago, I let Boyles finally take my virginity. Suddenly, my legs grow weaker, and I can't stand, so I drop my bum on the concrete.

The sex was at first uncomfortable and then simply meh. We banged all day long and through the night. It was like he couldn't get enough of me. He kept asking, “Do you feel that, baby?”

I said yes, but truthfully, I never felt much of anything.Is he too small? Maybe he just doesn’t know what he’s doing.

However, I'm now afraid he overindulged and is no longer interested in me. My smart watch beeps, which means time is up for my run. It’s a chore to rise to my feet. Instead of running back to my dorm, I walk and think about how to make sure I see Boyles today. He’s been avoiding me, and actually, I’ve been avoiding him too. I should just ask him straight-out.

I close my eyes, inhale deeply, and then release the tepid air in my lungs. “Are you not interested in me anymore?” I whisper, getting that one question out in the open.

And then something strikes me so hard that it hurts. I hit the concrete, and when I look up, I can’t believe who I see.

***

“Are you okay?”Hercules Valentine asks.

I look first at his extended hand and then at his face. He’s still as handsome as ever. He has light dustings of hair on his chin and above his top lip, which makes him look more like a man and sexier than before. I hesitate, waiting for him to show that he recognizes me.

Of course, he doesn’t recognize me. Not only is my hair blunt cut at neck length but half of it is yell and the other half, growing from my roots, is brunette. Several months ago, I let Dandi talk me into coloring my hear blonde. I looked like I was wearing France’s King Louis the Fourteenth’s wild wig in blonde.

Also, because I run twice a day, I’ve lost a lot of weight. As I’m often told, I look more like Heartly Rose than I used to. Treasure says losing weight has given me the kind of makeover women pay thousands of dollars for. I can’t see it. But, whatever.

“Um, yes,” I finally say as I take Hercules Valentine by his large hand. With one tug, I’m on my feet.

His forehead puckers. “You stepped in front me.”

Did I?That’s right—I wasn’t paying attention. “Sorry,” I say.

“No need to apologize. Just be careful. I could’ve hurt you bad. Your arm is bleeding.”

I follow his agitated eyes to my arm. I have an abrasion on the outside of my bicep. The wound starts stinging when I look at it.

“Do I know you?” he asks.

I press my palm over the broken skin. Oddly, I don’t want Hercules to see me bleeding. I also don’t want him to think that after three years, I’m still walking around as if I don’t have my act together.

I shake my head. “I don’t think so. Sorry. Thanks,” I mutter and run away from him as fast as I can.

Chapter Ten

Surprise!