Meanwhile....

The weather was lovely; it was not a scorching hot day but it was not a cold one either. Just perfect. Autumn had just been welcomed; one of her favourite times of the year. She did not really have a particular favourite season as she saw their own beauty in each and every one of them. However, autumn held a special place in her heart since her birthday lied in the beginning of it.

She let her hair down, so it kept on dancing along the slight breeze that was gracing the streets of Marseille. She was hugging herself while snuggling into her golden brown jumper at the same time. Despite the breeze being light, she still felt a little bit cold. Her golden ballerina shoes were tapping on the concrete street, as if adding a background to the sweet song that the birds were singing. The birds continued to lift her spirits up as she had already been beyond excited; it was her first day back in University as a third year student!

She was on her way there earlier than usual as she had promised one of her best friends to meet up an hour before their usual time. While walking softly, an orange crunchy leaf suddenly fell on Soleil's head. She felt it and as she took hold of it, her lips curled into a smile as she let out a small chuckle. Autumn gave her such a warm feeling, almost as warm as whenever...

she was with him.

Her heart fluttered at the thought of the dream from the night before. She still remembered the tears she had shed during the dream; they were warm due to the sadness that suddenly came over her.

Soleil could almost not believe it; she was always a positive person who saw the smallest source of light in the darkness. However, she was also a very emotional person; she loved too much and too easily. That was what had led to those tears. She loved the young man that she was meeting every night in her dreams.

What surprised her was that she had never seen this man in waking life. Soleil had always known that she was obviously conscious through those dreams unlike any other dream that she had ever had. She had not given much though into it at first, but curiosity got the best of her. Soleil then became aware of the legend. She knew that it was not a legend at all; it was indeed a fact.

All of her previous dreams used to be strange and weird but from turning nine till then, she was truly enjoying every second of each and every dream that she was having.

Shaking the memory of the tears away, her lips then proceeded to curl into another smile.

"We will do so, don't give up...I hope it's soon."

His words were so clear in her mind that she felt as if he was talking and walking just right beside her. His honeyed baritone voice was enough to ease her worries away; it was as if his voice was her remedy.

She reminisced of the warmth of his chest. His embrace was like no other and she longed for the dreams to come back just so she can experience them all over again. It was such a shame that they were only meeting through dreams; it would have been so good to have him in her presence.

Before actually realising, Soleil had arrived at the University's entrance. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she did not even realise that she was going to bump against the gates. The woman let out an airy chuckle as she scanned her student card. The University granted access to the students an hour and a half before the general starting time just in case any of the students wanted to visit the library beforehand. As soon as the gates opened for her, she spotted her best friend waiting for her by the small fountain that they liked to hang out by.

"Lydia! Bonjour!" exclaimed Soleil cheerfully from a distance while walking towards her best friend.

"Bonjour Soleil!!!" shouted Lydia even louder before continuing softer, "Are you ready to go?"

'I sure am," Soleil responded while flashing a smile.

As Soleil approached Lydia, they welcomed each other by a hug. They could not hang out much during the holidays due to the high number of coronavirus cases in France. Thus, they had missed having each other's company.

"So tell me, how was your dream last night?" Lydia asked. Her golden brown eyes sparkled with curiosity and her ears were perked up to make sure that she was not going to miss any details. With a grin plastered on her face, Soleil started to recount what had happened the night before.

"These words are still echoing through my head; 'You're so beautiful, do you know that? '"

"Ohhhhh Soleil~" replied Lydia with a wink. Soleil laughed at that and she could feel her cheeks' heat rising up at the thought of her soulmate.

"How was yours?" asked Soleil.

Then, it was Lydia's turn to recount her dream. It would almost sound impossible to you, but Lydia could also communicate with her soulmate through her dreams. The two best friends were always like this; alike at almost everything. From opinions to sense of humour to dreams, Soleil and Lydia could almost pass as sisters. They kept their dreams as secret in front of the others but would spill all the beans whenever it was just the two of them. 

Lydia's soulmate seemed to be very different from Soleil's in terms of physical appearance but both best friends knew that the boys were common in the fact that they were both compassionate people who cared genuinely for them and for those around them in their waking life. Another thing that they seemed to have in common was the fact that they both looked Asian, or at least were of Asian descent. 

While Lydia was sharing her part, the two were walking out of the University's entrance towards the nearest coffee shop. They did this every morning since they could not spend too much time together in University due to their different areas of studies. Soleil was majoring in French and English while Lydia was majoring in Nursing and thus, they hardly ever met during school hours. 

Lydia's eyes lit up while she was describing her dream and Soleil could not help but point it out, which resulted in her best friend blushing. 

As soon as they were about to step into the coffee shop after Lydia having fully described her dream, Soleil's heart came at peace after realising something. She should not be sad about the fact that she could not meet her soulmate right there and then. Although Lydia loved to think about the future and plan it, she wanted to let everything happen according to destiny. Soleil thought that she should too. After all, she and her soulmate were indeed soulmates for a reason.

Relationships take time and effort; it does not matter if the other is your soulmate or not. Both of them had to be strong for each other and both of them needed to believe in what the future was holding for them. Soleil was sure that if she waited a little bit more, she would eventually be in his arms before she would even know it. With his reassuring words echoing in her mind as well as her belief in the fact that good things come to those who wait, Soleil let out a soft sigh of content.

I am happy and I won't give up, soulmate, her voice reverberated through her mind while pushing the coffee shop's glass door and wearing a serene smile.