Audrey had always thought that there was something thoroughly unromantic about kisses shared before the end of a timer. In her mind, it had always seemed like a way of saying, "I don't think I'll want you forever."

As a child, she'd imagined that the first time would be with her soulmate. Then life would be like her favorite TV shows, where people who had met their soulmates had loving marriages and happy homes, and problems were never bad enough that they couldn't be fixed within the length of an episode.

But while the men she wound up dating all had their good points, or at least she told herself there were good points, patience had never been one of their virtues. And more than that, it seemed she was supposed to find it flattering that they couldn't wait for the end of a timer before they wanted to start fooling around.

Enough men seemed to hold the same attitude that Audrey eventually decided that she must be the one who was wrong. So she gave in and did what they wanted, because no one liked to listen anyway if she tried to say that she'd rather wait for her timer to run out. And she learned to wait until they left and she was alone before she could show any sign of how upset she was that another boyfriend had made it clear that all they wanted was a bit of fun in the moment.

Her relationship with Orin had taught her to get even better at hiding things. She'd worked out a whole routine of what needed to be done every time she left her apartment after a date. A couple minutes with an ice pack to reduce any swelling around her injuries to a manageable level. Cuts and scrapes thoroughly bandaged. Powders or concealer hiding anything else she couldn't let anyone see. Concealer had become a very, very important part of the routine.

She didn't know how much longer she could take this, but she also didn't see what other choice she had. She was very much stuck now. How could she possibly try to leave him after showing him her blank wrist the morning after their first kiss? That meant she was supposed to be his, and it was far too late for her to even try to take it back now. He'd get angry. And nothing was worse than Orin when he was angry.

More than anything, she just wanted something to make him go away forever. She wanted a miracle to come along and make it so she never had to see him again. She knew it was terrible to think such things, but she couldn't help it anymore.

But it never even occurred to her that her wish might be granted, not until the morning when the police knocked on her door.


1 hour, 2 minutes, 57 seconds

It was not going to happen. Seymour didn't care that timers were supposedly never wrong. He refused to believe that it was about to happen.

He hadn't been able to catch a moment of sleep all night. He had too much racing through his mind to even try laying down and attempting to drift off. He'd spent the whole night sitting in the chair by his bed, bouncing his leg anxiously and alternating between checking his timer and staring at the wall.

45 minutes, 26 seconds

The time seemed to fly forward every time he glanced at it throughout the sleepless night, but he simply couldn't accept that it was about to happen. He was already grappling with the fact that he'd just chopped up a man and fed him to a plant. He could not handle adding a whirlwind romance into the mix of his things to worry about.

33 minutes, 48 seconds

Maybe he was going to work himself into a heart attack and it was going to be someone from the hospital trying to save him. Did CPR count? He'd never heard of anyone meeting their soulmate that way, but he couldn't think of any other reason for it to happen so quickly.

17 minutes, 12 seconds

There was some small part of his mind managing to stay a little rational, and it told him that he should try to be prepared for whatever strange meeting was about to occur. Maybe get some breakfast ready, or at least change out of his pajamas. But the rest of his mind had no desire to listen to that part.

15 minutes, 31 seconds

Nope. This was definitely not going to happen. Or if it was, he wasn't got to make it easier for it to occur. He was staying right there wrapped up in his blanket until the time had passed. If fate wanted him to meet someone right then, fate was going to have to break down his basement door and get someone down there all on its own.

14 minutes, 52 seconds

Everyone always said that fate knew what it was doing. It didn't matter where you went or what you did, it would happen when your timer said it was going to happen. That had been good news back when he had worried about screwing it up, but it was definitely not good news when he was hoping to avoid it.

14 minutes, 30 seconds

Okay, he was definitely checking too often now. He really needed to find something else to do before it drove him crazy.

As if by chance (though this close to the end of his timer, it might very well be fate trying to push him to the right place), it was at that moment when a noise coming through his window caught his attention.

Police Officers.

And when he got up to look out the window, he saw that they appeared to have just finished talking with Audrey, and she was looking very shaken.

His plan to stay holed up in the basement was quickly cast aside. He desperately needed to get out there and talk to her. He rushed to splash some water on his face and throw on a clean pair of clothing as quickly as he could, so eager to be out there with her that he had nearly forgotten the numbers ticking down on his wrist.