It didn't happen over night nor did it necessarily surprise her after she'd thought about it some more.
Alya wasn't one to consider herself prone to overreactions nor was she the sort that felt out of the loop among the whole soulmate thing; she'd just wondered how her soulmate had slipped by just under her eye without her ever noticing.
They were both Betas, so it wasn't an issue of whether they could be mates; legally as well as usually, Betas were mates.
Alya sighed as she pondered over all of the other Betas in her life; she had her best friend, Marinette, who tended to really, really like an Alpha even though they were both aware that that wasn't legal, and naturally the subject of her inner turmoil, Nino Lahiffe, other than herself of course.
Three Betas and yet of the three, Alya found herself massively crushing almost without noticing on one of the other two.
Nino smelled of blueberry pie and if soft music would have a smell, he'd have it; he also smelled like home.
He was the living version of her childhood and the most endearing factor of all of this was the fact that he was everything that she'd always cherished though never in quite this way and everything that she suddenly wanted at once.
It was like her hormones met her history, and somehow became a beautiful mixture of what her future could be like.
"So Nino." She ignored the bright smile Marinette sent her way, "What do you think about just you and I hanging out this Saturday?"
"That could be cool." He shrugged, but it was enough to set her heart ablaze with this still unfamiliar desire that licked her belly; she just knew that they'd be fine regardless of what happens here and out.
She sent a hopefully dazzling smile his way and genuinely looked forward to what could become their first date.