ethan

After Amy left, I started getting anxious about what I just got myself into.

Then something dawned on me;

Did Amy see it?

I threw myself into my closet, shuffling through my boxes, my hands trying to find a very specific comfort. My fingers brushed against it, relief waved over me, and I pulled it out to reveal my tattoo-covering concealer.

I opened my life-saver, ran the wand along my wrist, dabbing the pad of my finger onto the product until it was dry, satisfied with the blank canvas on my skin.

I looked over to my desk, seeing the time was only 11:27, looking around to what I could occupy myself with.

After a while, I stood back, seeing half of my dorm room decked out with all my posters and games sitting on a shelf above my computer. Looking back to my desk, I panicked as my clock displayed 11:56.

I grabbed my room key along with my phone and sprinted down the stairs. I weaved through a sea of students, my final destination sitting across the courtyard.

The second I got there, Amy greeted me with a hug.

"Guys, this is my new friend, Ethan!"

I look to the people behind her; A tall buff guy, dark black hair, light stubble, a big, bright smile on his face.

"Hey there, names' Mark, put 'er there, pal!"

I could tell, I was going to like him.

The girl standing on the other side of Amy was a cute, short, petite, girl with big glasses, the same exact smile on her face too.

"Hi, I'm Katherine, but you can call me Kat if that's better."

We all started walking towards all the restaurants outside the main campus, and surprisingly, I had started a really strong conversation with Mark; He's a YouTuber already gaining a lot of fame for just starting off, and plays video games on his channel. He even invited me to do a livestream with him and Amy sometime. Amy and Kat were laughing up a storm, slowly drawing us into their conversation about some meme.

We were so caught up in the amazing meme, we almost forgot that we were going out to get food.

We decided on a small pizza joint, taking our seats, Amy barely giving me enough time to get comfortable before she dragged me to the fountain drink..thing. She went on a rant about what combos are the best tasting, but all she did was make me laugh and decide on a tame "combo" she recommended; Coke and Vanilla flavoring.

We all got a huge pizza, topped with too many things, but it was still the most delicious thing ever.

"So, Ethan," Amy swallowed her bite of pizza before talking again. "You should tell Mark about your future roommate, he might know him."

Mark turned to me, all I could do was laugh a little.

"I really don't know much about him."

"Give it a shot."

I thought back to the small sticky note the woman in the dormitory place wrote to me;

"The lady said '4th year of medical school

(already attended 4 years of under graduate)

Will be moving in August 22nd'"

Mark thought for a few seconds before asking me something.

"What is he moving here for?"

"She said that he's gonna finish his 4th year after he moves here and then 2nd semester, he'll be moving onto hands-on work in the hospital a couple of miles away."

Mark thought for little, and after a few seconds, he gasped.

"Amy, you've met Tyler right?" Amy had the same face after she was asked. "Kat, you've met Tyler."

Tyler?!

"Yes, Tyler is awesome! You're gonna love rooming with him."

"What's he like?" I tried to hide the nervous quiver in my voice, it didn't seem like they noticed.

Mark made eye contact with Amy and Kat, none of them could come up with an answer, that is until Kat spoke up.

"Tyler is very passionate about his work and his family and friends. He never gives up on anything. He's a good shoulder to cry on if you're struggling with anything, he'll never judge you for crying."

"Tyler and I go way back." Mark smiled as he looked back on his teenage years. "He hasn't changed at all ever since I met him. He's always been there for me."

"Tyler is really romantic. He likes chick-flicks, even though he will never admit that to you. He is such a loving person and will move heaven and earth for you."

I smiled to not be rude, but in my head, I was having a full on panic attack.

His name is Tyler?! Oh no! What if he's my soulmate?! What if he doesn't like me? I'm not ready for people to know what my soulmate's name is a guy's!

We all walked back to our dorms, Mark and Amy parting a really fucking cute farewell, Kat and Amy walking me to my dorm before walking to their own.

As my door closed behind me, I slid onto the floor, broken into a mess of tears.

I have less than a month to prepare myself for my potential soulmate, and I can't even tell him that because I'm so ashamed and scared of what could happen if it ever got out.

I'll just say I don't have one.

Hopefully, it works.