#oooh I’d be soo happy like my heart is melting

[djarinslover]

Countdown

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​! I hope you like this Secret Santa Max Phillips fic. He might be a little OOC because I wasn’t sure how exactly to write him. Just imagine he’s still an ass, just not an ass to you 🥰

Everyone has a soulmate. On a person's 21st birthday, a timer appears on their wrist. This timer counts down the years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds until you come in contact with the soulmate. The timer then disappears forever. It fills everyone with anxiety, because who wants to count down the exact time they’re going to meet the love of their life?

01:00:17

That was currently the time on your wrist. It made anxiety and giddiness spin in your stomach. You were so excited to finally be with your destined person and you couldn’t wait until they showed up.

You were hosting a New Year party at your apartment, sipping on a mocktail drink. You were also cheering on Tim, a college friend, who was shotgunning the nastiest combination of beer, whiskey, vodka and strawberry soda. 

‘He’s gonna have the worst hangover tomorrow,’ you thought.

Xenia, your roommate, bounces over with her soulmate, Zabeth, in tow. “Hey, we’re gonna play Just Dance. Wanna join?” Her words were slurred and she stumbled slightly as Zabeth reached to steady her. 

You laugh, nodding. “Yeah, I’m gonna kick your ass.”

“In your dreams!”

00:30:10

You were greeting Evan, Amanda and Frank at the door, letting them in.

“Sorry we’re so late,” Evan apologized. “Frank had to stop for more Redbulls.”

He points at the man chugging a Redbull, who gives you a thumbs up. You giggly, shaking your head. “It’s no problem. Still have a few more minutes until the new year.”

“Our boss, Max, is coming soon. We tried to be discreet about it but he has the hearing of an owl. I hope you don’t mind,” Amanda said.

“Not at all!”

You usher the group farther into the apartment, swiping your arm around to gesture at everything. “Please, help yourself. There’s plenty of drinks, snacks and games. I think Tim was just kicking Zabeth’s ass in Just Dance.”

“Oooh, sweet!” Frank bounces off towards the group of people watching the dance competition. 

Evan turns to help himself to a drink while you and Amanda talk.

“Soo, why is your boss coming?”

“Well, he heard about Tim talking about it, you know how loud he is. And Max decided he’d crash. He also said it just felt right, like he should be here.”

You frown, tilting your head. “Felt right? That’s odd.”

She nods in agreement, thanking Evan as he brings her champagne. You lead them to the balcony to talk without having to shout.

00:02:00

You were feeling so anxious you thought everything you had during the party was going to come right back up. It was two minutes to the new year and two minutes until your soulmate walked right through your door. Xenia popped over your shoulder, breath smelling of booze.

“Heyyy, you’re so close!” she slurred, grabbing your wrist.

“And you’re so drunk,” you laugh.

“Best way to party, babe.”

You roll your eyes as you nod, smiling. As everyone begins to crowd around the tv to watch the ball drop, you take a step outside for some fresh air. You needed a moment away from the sweaty, boozed up partiers. 

You look at your wrist quickly.

00:00:40

Your heart stops, the breath stolen from your lungs. Only forty seconds. You couldn’t wait. You look at the night sky, at the twinkling stars and glowing moon. You take the moment to savor the excitement you felt one last time. Everyone began to count down.

“10!”

You head back inside.

“9!”

Your timer was counting down as well.

“8! 7! 6!”

Your lip was caught between your teeth so hard, you were afraid it was going to bleed.

“5! 4! 3!”

The anticipation was killing you.

“1! Happy New Year!”

You were swept into a pair of arms. The person dipped you and pressed their lips against yours. You squeak, eyes wide and hands fisted in the person’s shirt collar. When the person pulled back, you saw the most handsome man you’d ever seen. He was grinning down at you, a twinkle in his eyes.

“Hello, darling. Sorry I was almost late.”

“You . . . are?”

“Max Phillips. The love of your life.”

Everything began to click into place. You felt so comfortable with this man, so warm and safe and cared for. You place a hand on his cheek, stroking it softly. You introduce yourself, not realizing everyone around you was staring. Max lifts you back up onto your feet and Xenia starts cheering. 

“I guess I put on one hell of a show,” Max said with a smug smirk.

You ignore everyone, pulling Max in the direction of your room. You pull him inside, locking the door behind the two of you. He crowds you against the wall, eyes dark and hazy.

“Moving pretty fast, aren’t we?” he asked. “Not that I mind. I want nothing more than to fuck you into your mattress.”

You flush deeply, cheeks hot and mouth dry. You shake your head, huffing out a laugh as you push him away gently. “No, Max. I’m not ready for that. I’d like to get to know you better. We have all our lives to make love.”

“Make love . . .” he muses over the wording, shredding his jacket. “Not what I would say it would be, but . . .”

Giggling, you gesture for him to turn around. With a raised eyebrow, he reluctantly turns to let you get into your night time clothes. You lay down in bed before letting him turn back around. He sheds his pants and shirt, leaving him in just his boxers. You blush but he strokes your face.

“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want.”

You smile, patting the empty space. He lies down, letting you curl into his arm and lay on his chest. He plays with your hair as the two of you just lay in silence.

“I do have something I need to tell you,” he said softly.

“Go ahead.”

“I’m a vampire.”

Silence rings loudly in the room. You don’t move for a while, just processing what you heard. Max was as still as a statue, not moving or breathing. You sit up slowly, shifting to look at him in the dim moonlight. 

“I’m sorry if that changes anything, if it makes you-”

You cup Max’s face gently, brushing a thumb over his bottom lip. “I don’t care if you’re a vampire or if you have one day left to live. You’re mine and I’ve been waiting too long for you.”

He seems to melt into your touch, reaching up to bring you down to his lips. He kisses you so softly, so passionately that you forget about anything else in the world. You completely forget about the party raging on in the apartment. The night was lost in the touch of your soulmate.

You wake up groggy and warm. Almost too warm. Your eyes open as you try to figure out why you felt so hot. As you roll over, a pair of arms tighten around your shoulder and waist. You come face to face with Max, who was sleeping peacefully. Right. You finally met your soulmate last night. You lightly touch his face, admiring his features. He’s the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen and you couldn’t believe he was all yours.

He stirs, eyes slowly opening to meet yours. A smile crosses his lips.

“Good morning, handsome,” you whisper as you stroke his hair.

He squeezes you closer to him, nosing down your neck and groans. “You smell so damn good in the morning.”

“Me or my blood?”

“Both.”

He nuzzles into your neck, making you giggle as the two of you just hold each other. You suddenly feel teeth at your neck, marking you up but never fully biting into you. You shove at him lightly, startling him.

“Sorry, got carried away.”

“Let’s talk about you drinking my blood after coffee.”

“Let’s talk about turning you, too,” he murmurs into your ear.

The thought of you being a vampire makes your heart rate kick up. Max kisses the top of your head, whispering, “Only if you want.”

Being together forever with your soulmate didn’t sound like much of a debate or a lose-lose situation. You snuggle further into his grip, brushing the thoughts aside. Those were a later morning talk. Right now, you just wanted to enjoy finally holding the person you’ve been waiting for.