“Well, come on inside,” she told us, “we’ll freeze to death if we stay out here any longer.”
“It probably doesn’t help that you’re wearing a dress,” Levy giggled, pointing to the light grey sundress she was wearing.
“It’s the weather that needs to change, not my outfit,” mom huffed, grabbing Lily’s carrier then leading us inside.
Levy looked at me before we both had to hold back our laughter. “She always does whatever she wants,” Levy sighed, happily.
“So,” Diane said, before I could respond, “tell me about your friends who just had their clocks hit zero. They were mutual friends, right?”
“Sort of,” Levy told her. “I was closer to the girls, and Gajeel was closer to the guys. The first time they met was when each of their timers ran out. Since we all have different schedules, it was hard for us all to hang out together, so they hadn’t ever had the chance to meet.”
“I see,” Diane nodded. “Well, I’m happy for them. Love is a wonderful thing.” She glanced between Levy and I, smiling.
I cleared my throat awkwardly, not liking the way her knowing eyes kept looking at me. “I’m gonna go get the rest of our stuff.”
“I’ll help,” Diane said, immediately. “Levy dear, could you brew up some tea?”
“Sure thing,” Levy smiled.
Diane followed me to the car, putting her hand over mine when I went to open the trunk. “What’s wrong, Gajeel?”
I met her eyes, deciding whether or not it would be wise to lie to her. Knowing it probably wouldn’t be in my best interest to lie, but not wanting to tell her everything, I sighed. “I’m just not a fan of all the countdown clock stuff, that’s all.”
“And?” She raised a blue eyebrow at me.
“And nothing,” I shrugged. “I think that stuff is boring.”
“Gajeel,” she smiled, putting her hand on my face, “I know something is bothering you. So tell me what it is.” Before I could react, she reached around and pinched my ear, still smiling. “And don’t lie to me this time, dear.”
“I wasn’t lying,” I snapped, wincing as she didn’t offer to release me. “I don’t like to talk about those stupid clocks.”
“Why?” She let go of my ear, frowning sadly. “The clocks tell us who our soulmate is and lead us to a lifetime of love and happiness with that person. That can’t be stupid.”
I stared down at the ground for a long time, not wanting to answer. Sure, I might have shared the same opinion if mine hadn’t been on zero for as long as I could remember. But it has, so I’ll never get to have what she describes. There isn’t a soulmate waiting for me to meet them. The only thing I have to look forward to is this damned zero on my arm, following me around until I die and reminding me that I can never have that kind of happiness with another person. An image of Levy flashed across my mind, and I had to fight back the impulse to curse and shake my head.
“You’ve grown awfully quiet,” Diane said.
“I—”
“Mom, Gajeel, the tea is ready!” Levy called.
“Coming!” I replied, quickly grabbing our things while silently thanking the excuse to escape. That damned woman can read me like a book. I could still feel her eyes on me as I went back to the kitchen.
“Did I miss something?” Levy asked, raising an eyebrow at us.
“Nothing,” Diane chuckled. “Gajeel was just telling me how lucky he is to have two beautiful women like us in his life.”
Chapter Seven
Start from the beginning
