Back to You

Drarry - Counting Down

I stared at the clock imprinted in my arm. 00:02:39. There were two minutes left until I met my soulmate. I had spent twenty three years waiting for this moment to happen. I had imagined thousands of scenarios for this moment. And it was finally here.

The hustle and bustle of the coffee house seemed to dim as the clock continued to count down. 00:01:11. I drank the last of the lukewarm tea and called for another one. The waitress nodded and poured the minty liquid into a fresh cup. The tea wasn't doing much to calm me.

00:00:10. The light blue digital numbers began flashing up at me. 00:00:09. I sat up in the fake-leather booth. 00:00:08. The waitress place my tea on the table and I took a large gulp, burning my tongue and throat. 00:00:07. I glanced at the door. No one had come in yet.

00:00:06. Only six seconds until I met my soulmate. I rubbed my hands over my black jeans. 00:00:05. A kind of giddyness took over me. I laughed under my breath. 00:00:04. Drinking carefully, I allowed the minty warmth to relax me. 00:00:03. I ran a hand through my blond hair.

My fingers caught the ends. 00:00:02. I tugged. 00:00:01. My fingers came free and I wrapped them around the cup. 00:00:00. The clock flickered and disappeared as the door to the coffee house opened with a chime. A boy with bright green eyes walked in. My shoulders slumped. I wasn't expecting my soulmate to be a guy. My father wanted me to be normal. My soulmate being a guy wasn't.

"Is anyone sitting here?" I looked up from the cup to the boy. Unruly black hair and light green eyes framed in glasses stared down at me. "Er . . . no. You can sit if you'd like." He smiled and sat on the booth across from me. He called the waitress over to order a peppermint tea and a slice of green apple pie. Once she left, he relaxed. "I'm Harry. Who are you?"

Shocked by the bluntness, I stammered. " I'm . . . er . . . I'm . . . uh . . . I'm Draco." Harry nodded. He seemed to be thinking. "What uni do you go to? I'm at Oxford." I was surprised. I went to Oxford University and I'd never seen him before. "Oxford. Literature and History. What's your major?" My voice was timid and quiet. I was afraid. Of what, I couldn't be sure.

His tea and pie came, delaying his answer. After taking a sip and bite, he spoke. "Law. Would you like some pie? You look like you had an exam earlier." I laughed. I HAD taken an exam earlier this morning. I had stayed up all night studying for it, skipping both dinner and breakfast. "Please. I did take an exam. In History." He grinned.

Harry pushed the plate toward me and stood up to get another fork. Using his, I took a small bite. It was really good pie. He came back with two spoons, a fork, and a small bowl of vanilla ice cream. Taking one look at me, he laughed and sat right beside me. "Good pie?" I nodded with a mouthful of it. He laughed.

"Did you know that we're soulmates, Draco?" Thrown by Harry's noticeable ease with the subject, I began choking on the pie. Several seconds passed in which I could barely breathe. He rubbed my back to dislodge the pie. I finally swallowed, with help from Harry's tea. "Yeah. I did know that." My voice was quiet, again.

A tentative smile played on Harry's lips. "I reckoned so. you kept looking at your arm. And you're the only person in this place by yourself. I seen you and the clock vanished." I laughed and drank some of my tea. "Mine vanished when the door opened and you walked in." Harry's smile turned into a grin at my words.

My hand, rested on the table by the pie plate, was suddenly enveloped in warmth. Harry had placed his hand on mine, "Is this okay?" His voice was gentle. Unable to speak, I nodded. "Are you sure?" I nodded again. Watching our hands, I laced my finger through his. "Is this okay?" My voice was teasing and soft. Harry nodded. "Are you sure?" I was mocking him. And he enjoyed it.