Chapter 17
Jasmine.
I arrived back at the college with Noah, still wondering why Mia had called and why she sounded so urgent.
I hoped that everything was fine with her and there was nothing wrong. Her urgency compelled Noah and me to abandon our anniversary celebration to rush down to school.
I hurried off to our hostel as soon as Noah parked his car. On getting close, I discovered that our hostel was super quiet, and nothing extraordinary was taking place.
After checking our room and finding it empty, my heart began to race as to where Mia could have gone.
Knowing fully well that Mia was not someone that kept up late at night, I picked up my phone to call her.
The phone rang and she didn’t pick up the call which further made my heart panic.
I came out of our hostel to go to find Noah so we can both go and look for her but as soon as I came outside, I saw a group of students beautifully dressed and heading towards the hall just beside our hostel.
Even though I had earlier heard music coming from the hall, I didn’t pay much attention.
Instead of going to find Noah, I found myself walking towards the hall and curious to find out what was going on and who was celebrating.
As I approached the hall, I noticed that more students were dressed in a celebratory manner.
Whose party was this?
Who was celebrating?
And how come I never knew about this party? I wondered.
While I was aware that students frequently held parties, this gathering seemed to be more significant since it was taking place in a hall and the crowd was significant.
“Jasmine!” Mia’s voice boomed, and a wave of relief washed over me.
“There you are, Mia,” I said, gripping her hands and looking directly into her eyes, which appeared rather troubled. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Is everything okay? And what’s happening here? Whose party is this?”
She gazed at me in silence for a few minutes, blinking repeatedly without uttering a word. I sensed her anger, though I wasn’t certain about the cause.
Frowning, I tried to decipher the issue, wondering why Mia might be upset with me. I squinted, attempting to recall any potential transgressions on my part, but I couldn’t identify any.
Could her anger stem from the fact that I hadn’t informed her before going to Noah’s place? That might be the reason behind her frustration.
However, it wasn’t entirely my fault; she hadn’t been around when I left, and I had left her a note and sent her a text. Yet, she seemed noticeably upset with me.
“There is indeed something wrong, and you should know what it is!” she snapped at me, her face and tone laced with anger.
I nodded, acknowledging her statement.
“Yes, Mia, I understand what you’re referring to,” I sighed. “I apologize for not informing you before going to Noah’s. I had intended to notify you, but I couldn’t find you. So, I left a note and sent you a text message.” I explained.
Hoping she would comprehend my predicament and let it go, even though I didn’t understand why my not telling her that I was going to Noah would make her this upset.
“I’m just so disappointed that you think that’s the problem, Jasmine,” she murmured, and her disappointment was palpable, etched across her face. “Don’t you know what today is? Are you unaware of the significance of this day every year?”
I furrowed my brows, puzzled by her words. What was she alluding to? What event happened on this day annually? I struggled to make sense of her statements. The only notable occasion that came to mind was my one-month anniversary with Noah. How could that be relevant?
Gazing into her eyes, it was as if a lost memory had suddenly resurfaced. In an instant, I remembered the significance of this day.
Realization hit me, and without hesitation, I pulled Mia into a tight embrace. It was her and her brothers’ birthday. I felt a pang of guilt for forgetting such an important date, especially for someone as close to me as Mia.
“I’m so sorry, Mia. I apologize profusely,” I said, pulling her closer to me.
She pulled back after a few moments and looked into my eyes, “How could you forget my birthday? You’re my best friend, Jasmine. I was alone the whole day, and you didn’t even call me once,”
“I know, I know and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for forgetting something so important,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t drag the issue too much.
“I forgive you, but just because today’s my birthday,” She said and I smiled.
“I’m sorry, Mia. I know I don’t deserve to be called your friend right now. I’m so sorry,” I murmured and held her hand, “I just have so much on my mind, and it slipped my mind. I apologize, Mia.”
She shook her head and cupped my face, “Apology accepted, but only if you loosen up and have some fun!” She chuckled, “Come on in, the party started a few minutes ago.” she said
I took her hand, and we walked in. I had genuinely forgotten about this important day, mistakenly thinking their birthday was still a while away.
I positioned myself near where drinks were being served and observed as people indulged themselves to the point of oblivion.
I felt the urge to intervene and stop them, but I didn’t want to come across as overly serious and potentially ruin Mia’s day.
It was her birthday, but just cause I didn’t like what I was seeing, didn’t mean I wanted to ruin her day.
“This is such an amazing party!” I heard someone exclaim while dancing to the pulsating rhythm of the music.
I glanced around, and my gaze landed on Calix, Zane, and Ethan. Memories of that incident rushed back into my mind. I shook my head, attempting to dispel those thoughts, but they persisted, almost as if replaying right before my eyes.
Turning away quickly, I hoped removing them from my line of sight would help me shake off those memories. I shifted my focus to a group of girls who were engrossed in a conversation, giggling and whispering.
“Who do you think the three brothers will take home for the night?” one of them asked.
“I’m betting it’s going to be the hottest girl in the college,” replied another.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
I rolled my eyes as their conversation grated on my nerves, and I couldn’t quite figure out why. Even though I wasn’t keen on having Calix, Zane, and Ethan as my mates, the thought of them with other girls still bothered me.
Wait, if today is Mia’s birthday, this also means that her brothers would finally be able to find out who their mate is.
Oh my god! I gasped.
I placed my hand over my mouth as I moved back.
I hit myself on the head, wondering why I didn’t remember something so important. I could easily get caught if they picked up my scent.
I silently prayed that they didn’t pick my scent at least not that night and for that to happen, I needed to stay away from them.
While I sat there, my phone beeped. I retrieved it from my bag and saw a message from Noah, asking me to meet him outside the hall.
That was when I realized that I had forgotten all about him.
I slowly walked away, hoping Mia wouldn’t notice, and made my way out of the hall.
I saw Noah standing and waiting for me and I quickly walked to him to apologize.
I had run off on him as soon as we got to school and never bothered calling him. I can’t help but wonder how he got to know that I was inside the hall.
“Hey, I am so sorry for leaving you behind,” I said as I walked closer to him.
“It’s okay, I understand. How is Mia?” he asked.
“Yeah, she is fine, I forgot that today was her and her brother’s birthday,’ I said to him.
If he was in any way thrilled by the piece of information I just told him, he did well by not showing it.
“I was thinking we could go someplace quiet to sit and talk,” he said.
“Sure,” I answered as I too was desperate to get away from Mia’s brothers.
At the side of the hall was a garden, so we decided to go chill out there since only a few students were hanging around.
All the while, I kept thinking about my mates and what their reaction would be when they find out that I was their mate.
Are you alright? Asked Noah, who has been uneasily quiet.
“Yeah, sure,” I answered, while I contemplated if I should tell him about my mate bond with mia brothers.
But since it was still our anniversary and I didn’t want to ruin the special moment, I decided I was going to tell him in the morning.
As we both entered the garden, Noah spotted an empty bench that was kind of secluded from the other students, and we both went to sit on the bench.
“Jasmine,” he smiled softly, as soon as we sat down. “Uhmm…. I want to apologize again for what happened back at my apartment. I shouldn’t have rushed things,” he murmured, holding my hand, “I’m sorry, Jasmine,” he added and kissed my hand before placing a sparkling bracelet around my wrist.
I smiled, admiring the beautiful bracelet. He had already apologized, and now he was doing it again with a gift.
How could I not love him?
“Are we good now? Have you forgiven me?” he asked in a calm tone.
I nodded, cupping his face, “I’m not mad, Noah. I forgave you the moment you apologized to me in your room.” I said to him with a smile.
“Thank you, Jasmine. I love you,” he said staring deep into my eyes.
“I love you too, Noah,” I said, slowly locking my lips with his, giving in to the tension that had been building between us.