Finding Time
"Oh, come on," I murmured as I spammed the elevator call button. My other hand worked out my tangled, unwashed hair. I'd run out of time to brush it, much less wash it. Though I had managed to find a mostly-clean pair of jeans.
"Bad morning?"
A grimace flitted across my face. My unreasonably handsome neighbor had the most annoying habit of appearing when I looked like shit.
"Running late is all. My phone didn't charge, so my alarm didn't go off. Now I'm going to be late for my niece's birthday. I'm never going to make it across town before 11."
His head tilted ever so slightly, and he opened his mouth. But the elevator chimed its arrival, interrupting his thought.
"After you." His voice was threaded with amusement as he gestured toward the door. He continued appraising at me as the doors slid closed behind him.
"Forgot about your clocks?"
"What?" I finally gave him my full attention. "Clocks? What are you talking about?"
"You know, daylight savings? Looks like you didn't adjust your watch either," he said, tapping his wrist. "It's not even 10am yet."
My mouth fell open of its own accord, but it refused to form words.
"Looks like you could use some coffee. Come on, I promise we'll make it quick. Tell your niece you were late because you finally met your future husband." He winked as he grabbed my hand and led me toward a café. The rest, as they say, is history.
NYCMidnight 250-Word Microfiction Challenge 2022
Round 1 Prompts: Romance | Adjusting a Clock | Most
Result: Did Not Place
