Watch the Clock

The sun was covered by thick gray clouds and there was a breeze that tempted my skirt to fly up. I walked down the sidewalk slowly, taking in the fall air. The trees were bright with warmth. The yellows, reds, and oranges danced in the wind as they fell from the branches. Fall has always been my favorite season because the colors fill in my heart and wake up my mind.

As I walked I glanced down at my clock. My time had been written on my wrist since birth, like everyone else. When I was old enough to understand, my mother explained what it was. She said, "the date and time written on your wrist is the moment you will see your soulmate for the first time." This came as a surprise to me because my date was so early in my life. I always wondered why the time would come when I was only seventeen years old when all of my classmates dates would come much later in their lives. It scared me but also excited some part of me. All my friends still went on dates with other people because they figured there was no harm since they were basically guaranteed to meet their soulmate. Maybe it was because my time came so much earlier than all theirs, but I didn't have any interest in anyone and never went out with anyone, even after being asked my multiple people.

My phone started ringing and I saw that it was one of my friends, Lucy.

"Lucy, what do you want?"

"Oh my goodness! I just realized that today is your day! Right? It's going to happen! You're going to meet them right?"

"Yes, it's about to happen, but I can't be talking on the phone with you when it does!"

"Okay, okay," she said with a sigh, "just tell me all about it afterwards okay? This is so exciting!"

"Okay, now goodbye," I said right before hanging up and stuffing my phone back in my pocket.

Yes, today was my day. I was supposed to see my soulmate in ten minutes! I didn't know if I should do anything different or if I should just keep with my usual routine but I figured it didn't really matter because whatever I decided to do would be how I see them. So instead of changing things up, I decided to go on my usual walk to the park that I do every day it's warm enough.

I looked back down at the time and each minute passed by excruciatingly slow. My pace quickened as I willed time to go faster. I'd been waiting years for this moment! Why couldn't it just happen already?

Only two more minutes now! My heart started to race as each second passed. I started fantasizing about what they would be like. Would they be a guy or a girl? Maybe they would have blonde hair and blue eyes. What if they were shorter than me? Would I be okay with that? Of course I would. They are my soulmate after all. I glanced back down and realized I could be seeing them at any second. I looked up and around in every direction before continuing to walk. There was a chill in the air that made me eager to find whoever I was looking for.

Then all of a sudden a boy rounded the corner about 20 feet ahead of me. He looked up at me and smiled, knowing I must be his. His hair was a warm shade of brown and it was nicely trimmed on the sides and longer on the top. His skin was light with freckles scattering his bare arms like stars in the night sky. As the distance between us decreased, I could see his smile spread to his eyes. They drew me in, and reminded my of the sky right before a storm, blue with speckles of gray throughout. With only a few more feet between us my heart was beating out of my chest. He touched my face and cupped it with his soft hands. My heartbeat slowed as soon as I felt that gentle touch. It calmed me and made me feel safe. I looked up into his eyes as he brought my face closer to his. We were so close that I could feel his breath on my forehead. I looked at his pink lips and wondered how they would feel against mine. As if he could read my mind he put his hand under my chin bringing my mouth up to meet his.

As we kissed butterflies flew around my stomach. My chest was full of a feeling I had never experienced before. It was like the world was more alive than it had ever been before. The wind danced around us the way his lips danced around mine. I touched his chest and felt his heart beating quickly. A feeling of pure joy overtook me as we pulled away from each other.

He looked into my eyes. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You're just stunning."