Soulmates

Prologue One; Ariel

Ariel Domoto worked in a small coffee shop in Manhattan. It had been her dream to own her own coffee place, and recently her dream became a reality. She had opened "Domoto's Coffee", a simple name but she loved it anyways. She admired all her customers and treated her employees as best she could. After each customer, she would check the clock on her wrist. No where closer to the time. Well, besides the usual seconds passing. You probably think I mean a usual wristwatch, and in this case you would be wrong. In recent years, science has developed a clock that shows the exact time down to the second when you would meet your soulmate. She tried talking to everyone she could, hoping the clock could shorten. As the clock ticked down second by second, Ariel grew more and more anxious. "Am I doing something wrong?" Ariel would constantly as her best friend who she ran the shop with, Andrew, who's clock has gone up months ago. "You can't keep freaking out about this, A. The clock doesn't shorten or get longer. If it's still counting down, you just have to wait." He told her, which only made her panic more. "What do you mean 'if it's counting down'? It can stop?" She spat out. Andrew just sighed. "If your soulmate comes to a sudden... halt in uhm... living, as in they're not doing that thing anymore, both clocks break. They crack at the time it happens, and stay there forever." Andrew explained, making Ariel start breathing heavily. "So you're telling me I can not meet them at all?" She shouts, gaining her a couple odd looks from customers. "A, relax. I'm sure that won't happen to you." Andrew tries assuring her, but Ariel keeps shouting. "But it could! My soulmate could just be wandering out in the middle of a road and BAM! Shattered clocks!" She yells, breathing heavily. Great, another anxiety attack. She was already shaking and breathing heavily and it was a good thing the two were already sitting down. Andrew put his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him. "You're. Going. To. Be. Fine." He insists. "Remember, four seconds in, four seconds out." He then instructs on her breathing, their method of helping her calm down. "You'll meet them, don't worry." He rubs her back as she begins to calm down. Ariel goes to say something, but the bell on the front door of the shop rings. Ariel sighs and walks to the front counter, going to greet the customer but stops. This man was one of the most incredible she had ever seen. She grinned hopefully and checked her clock. 9 years, 7 months, 1 week, 6 days, 9 hours, 54 minutes, 13 seconds. Ariel dropped her head on the counter and groaned loudly. "Come ooonnnn..." she whined, making the man in front of her chuckle. "Sorry lil lady, I'm married to mine." He grins. "How much time ya got left?" He asks, trying to reassure the young girl as he used to be as anxious about this as she was. She just held up her arm and showed him the clock and his jaw dropped. "9 years? Jesus..." he said, then cleared his throat. "I'm sure it'll go by in no time." He tries, but Ariel only looks up at him in frustration. "It felt like this time 2 years ago." She responds, over-dramatically dropping to the ground behind the counter.  Andrew just sighs and walks up to the counter. "I apologize sir, what can I get you?" He asks the man. Andrew takes the mans's order and quickly gives him his coffee, all while Ariel remains in the spot on the ground. He simply looks down at her, shaking his head. Andrew grabs her by the arm, trying to pull her up. "No." Ariel simply says. "Let me sit here. There's no point in doing anything if it won't change anything about the clock." She insisted, receiving a beep from her clock. It wasn't going down anymore. Ariel and Andrew both stared at it in shock, until Ariel finally began screaming and shaking Andrew. "I TOLD YOU IT WOULD HAPPEN!" She shouted. "I TOLD YOU IT WOULD STOP!" She yelled through the beginning of her sobs. "Ariel, relax! Listen to me!" Andrew tried, but Ariel ignored him through her sobs. "Ariel, listen to me! I️f you give up and sit there, nothing will happen!" He insists. Ariel stands straight up. "You could've said that!" She yelled back as the clock beeped once again and the countdown continues, making Ariel sigh in relief. "So I just gotta keep going?" She asks. Andrew just nods. "There's a plan in life for everyone, and it's not gonna happen unless they keep going. If they sit there and wait, it won't happen." Andrew explains, wiping her tears away. Ariel nods and sighs. "But I don't wanna wait nine yeeeaaarrrrssss" she whined. "You'll live, A." Andrew reassures. Ariel groaned and turned to a new customer that had walked in, beginning to take their order.