"So... You only confessed because you found out we were soulmates...?"
"No." Zaelek immediately refuted, "That's not why. The confirmation was what I needed in order to have faith in my own feelings."
Akira's expression faltered almost immediately after hearing those words.
The confusion in his eyes did not disappear. If anything, it only deepened further.
Uncertainty crept into his chest.
He stared at Zaelek for several long seconds before finally speaking again, "So what does that mean…?"
"Do you really love me…?" he asked quietly. "Or do you feel obliged to love me after learning everything that happened?"
Zaelek's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Akira lowered his gaze for a moment before continuing, unable to stop the thoughts that had already begun clawing through his mind.
"If you never knew about our past…" he muttered, "would you still have confessed?"
