Your name is John Egbert and the clock on your wrist is still counting down. It seems like it's been stuck at 6 h for... well hours. Your heart spikes a little when it slowly ticks down to a mere 5 h 59 m. And in this way you spend half the day. Rose has told you many many times that it isn't a big deal at all and there's no need to be so nervous. Obviously she doesn't know what she's talking about because, well how can it not be a big deal? It's the Clock! Just because hers had a super short time on it doesn't mean it isn't something totally amazing to look forward to! In fact most people save their clock when they fall off for like, memories or something. You know that Dave is excited for his to fall off. He hasn't told you what time is currently sitting on his clock, and you haven't told him yours. It was almost like...

Against the rules. It's not like you totally hoping it's him or anything.

You decide to set up certain time hurdles around the apartment. You play Con Air in the background of your nervousness so that when it's over you know tha have passed. It goes by agonizingly slow. You also start the laundry. You microwave mexican food. Fight with your dad about cake. Everything you would usually do on a sunday morning.

Except it isn't just any sunday and you know it! You have Jade coming over in 20 m, and Rose in 45. Dave was supposed to be here half an hour ago but he's late, as always. The time will not pass fast enough! Instead of terrorising yourself over your clock, you tie a blue scarf around it. You look like a hipster dork, but it's something. You are being such a nerd about this!

Your dad strolls into the room and "casually" asks how long you have left on your clock. You tell you won't be looking until again until everyone is here. He says that's fine, but son I'm proud you made it so long. His stern Fatherly approval is almost palpable. In fact you can almost taste it. Once he leave the room you sneak another peak. 4 h 45 m.

Rose's clock has already counted down. She fell in love with Kanaya the moment she saw her (which wasn't unusual), and Jade still had 5 years sitting on hers. Although sometimes it twitched, and backed up a year or two. Twitches weren't uncommon either, it happens when your soulmate make a decision that could change the time printed on the clock, like moving to a different city.

You had lived in the same house your entire life, so you doubted your soulmates clock ever twitched at all. You wondered what they would be like, if they were nice, if it was Dave, if they had good manners, if it was Dave, if they liked Nic Cage, if it was Dave. You wondered a lot of those things.

Sometimes you wondered what would happen if your clock hit zero, and there was no one there. It was a terrible fate, without the person you were meant for.

Rose shows up and watches the slim rest of Con Air with you. She throws a few streams at you while waiting for Jade, just to get the you into the party mood. You were far too nervous for any type of partying. Jade shows up, sees the scarf on your wrist, nods and resumes her party mood. Everyone has a party mood but you right now. Dave was supposed to be there by now, but he wasn't and you're starting to wonder if he was ever going to show up. He did this sometimes, he was one of the most unlucky guys when it came to traffic.

Hours go by. You lose hope in finding a soulmate while just sitting in your apartment. Dave hasn't even shown up and it's nearly time. 30 m sits on your clock.

You announce that you're going for a walk. No one questions it. When the clocks time shortens at your decision you mind is made up. You jog down the stairs and the clock ticks by at 2 seconds per second. This wasn't supposed to happen but fuck it! you can't wait any longer. You're practically running down the stairs, and you untie the dumb scarf, just to be sure when you meet them.

30 s

Why isn't Dave here yet? He was supposed to be here hours ago.

20 s

time sure does go by fast when you're running down a flight of stairs...

10 s

You reach the ground floor and decide to take a seat. It feels right.

5 s

Your face breaks into a grin. It's what you've always been waiting for, your whole life.

And there it is. A blonde 19 year old with dumb ironic shades, and a dumb ironic smirk when he sees you look at him while your clock falls off. You knew it all along, how could it have ever been anyone else?