"Spencer, please don't make me leave." Brendon looked up at his best friend with pleading eyes. 

"Bren, you've been here for hours." 

"I know, but I have to stay here. This is where we were supposed to meet like the other times." 

"They're closing." Brendon turned his head to look at the employees obviously talking about him. He turned back to Spencer.

"Spence," he gave one last plea. Spencer took his arm, carefully lifting him from the chair. Brendon didn't protest, only hung his head low. Spencer wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder. He was all too familiar with handling Brendon like this. 

They were both in this same situation two years ago when Brendon's timer ran out the first time. They were confused when the timer flashed a new number and began counting down again. It became a reoccurring thing after it happened two more times later that year. Each time Brendon became less excited and more desperate. The only difference now was Brendon's clock still have thirty minutes on it.

"Cheer up Bren. We still have time. Let's go meet Jon at the bar and have a couple drinks." Brendon's first reaction was to shake his head and tell Spencer he just wanted to go home. Spencer knows how Brendon gets when his timer nears zero. He couldn't help but feel bad for Spencer having to take care of a defect. Well Brendon wasn't defective, his timer was, but that didn't stop him from feeling like everything about him was wrong.

Brendon looked up at Spencer's worried eyes. He was trying so hard to cheer Brendon up. Not wanting continue to worry Spencer, Brendon forced a smile and nodded. The smile that spread across the boy's face told Brendon that he made the right choice. They walked to bar quietly. 

They took a seat at an empty table near the back, but it had a perfect view of the stage. Jon joined them not long after they got there. Brendon kept his head low, watching his timer. Jon wrapped his arm around Spencer and kissed his cheek. Brendon didn't see them do it, but he didn't have to. Jon did that every time he saw Spencer ever since the first time the two met and their clocks timed out together. 

Jon gave Brendon a sympathetic smile like he did the previous times his clock repeated. "Hey Bren." Brendon gave a subtle nod, not wanting to completely ignore him. "You'll meet them tonight. I can feel it." He gave another nod. The small crowd in the bar applauded as a spotlight lite the stage. Brendon had his eyes on his wrist. 

30 seconds.

"Hey everybody. Thank you for coming out tonight. If you don't mind I'm gonna play a few songs for you." Brendon shut his eyes as he felt the vibrations from the guitar run through his body. The man on stage strummed a simple melody before singing into the mic. The voice wrapped around Brendon, making him feel safe and calm. When he opened his eyes again, he saw his time flashing. 

5...

Brendon snapped his head up.

4... 

His head darted around the room. 

3...

He looked for someone who was looking around just as frantically as he was.

2...

He heard the man's guitar falter, grabbing his attention.

1...

Brendon's head whipped to the man on stage. The man stood, hands frozen over the guitar strings. His breath caught in his throat. A soft murmur hovered over the crowd. Brendon's breathing became quick and his hands started shaking. 

"Brendon?"  Spencer's voice full of concern. Without saying a word, Brendon got up and rushed out the bar, feeling too overwhelmed to stay in the bar. When he made it outside, the cool air hit his face as he took a cleansing breath. He walked down the street, trying to get away from what he felt back there. 

He stopped and leaned against a building, working on slowing his breath. He looked down at his wrist and felt his nerves building up again. The numbers were stuck on zero. They hadn't restarted yet. He waited for this moment for two years and now that it was happening, he wasn't sure he could handle it. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Brendon shut his eyes tight, too scared to keep them open. He was only dreaming. He was going to wake up and feel the disappoint he'd been experiencing the past two years. "I'm sorry." Brendon opened his eyes and looked up at the man confused. "I shouldn't have kept you waiting." 

Brendon looked down to see his wrist still read zero. He turned to look his soulmate in the eyes. It wasn't hard for Brendon to get lost in the brown color. The man looked upset, almost disappointed. Brendon knew it wasn't for him though. He couldn't say how he knew, he just did.

"Why now?" Brendon couldn't stop himself from asking.

"I couldn't watch you get upset again." Brendon nodded. "I never actually saw you up close. I  just guessed by reading your body language. When I saw the excitement leave your body when you were looking around everywhere, I knew it was you. I'm so sorry." Brendon stood silent. 

"You didn't deserve who I was back then. I was really bad and you needed better. I understand if you don't forgive me. I kept you waiting too long, but just give me a chance. I'll try to make it.."

"Brendon." Brendon interrupted the man. He saw hope shine on the man's face.

"Ryan," he breathed in reply. They smiled at each other. 

"Don't you have a show to get back to?" Ryan shook his head.

"I have two years of lost time to make up for." Brendon's smile became impossibly bigger. 

"I think you do." Ryan took Brendon's hand and led him down the street. Brendon loved the feeling of Ryan's hand in his own and the smile on the boy's face. He knew now that the two year wait was worth it.