11 Minutes Novels & Stories

I glance around at the men, at the band on the stage, I turn and look at Fabiola, who is beginning to tremble, and a realization hits me. I look back at Donnie and slowly nod. “All right. Fifteen minutes.” He flicks his pocket watch around his forefinger and smiles. “Good. Good boy.”

He's a really goodlooking guy with light brown long shouldered hair, dark eyes and I just like how he looks good in jeans. Just like he is now as he comes my way. I'm currently at a diner that's just a walking distance from my apartment, I've been chilling here for close to 15 minutes now, not that it has been a surprise to see him here because he comes here often, it's that he's hinted that he wants to join me and now, I have to think of something to say and not act weird.

Like something that had been carried a long way and was deciding whether to put itself down. "You have nine minutes," I said. He blinked. "What?" "You asked for nine minutes before the unresolved things." I looked at my watch. "Race ended eleven minutes ago. You've used two. You have seven left. I'm being generous and rounding up." Something moved across his face. The thing underneath a smile that was realer than the smile. "You timed it." "I'm a racer. I time everything." "Audrey." "Six minutes fifty," I said. "Ticking."

Just the file, a send timestamp of five thirty-one AM, and a duration of four minutes and twelve seconds. I pressed play.

And I am tired of being so grown up. "What about the bus?" I ask. He checks his phone. "Ten twenty three. We have twenty seven minutes before the next one. That is enough time for pie." Twenty seven minutes. "Okay," I say. "Pie." He stands up first. He is taller than I thought. He must be six feet tall, maybe a little more. He holds out his hand to help me up, and I look at it for a moment. Long fingers. Pencil bump on the thumb.

Didn’t say goodbye. He ran. Past me. Past Bear. Out the door. _Thump. Thump. Thump._ Hallway. Elevator. I followed. Bear followed. *3:11 PM. [SFX: CAR. THEN CURB. THEN BACKPACK.]* PCH. 90 MPH. Adrian driving. 128 BPM. Hands shaking. On wheel. “9 minutes,” Adrian said. To no one. To himself. To me. “9 minutes late.” “Adrian—” I started.

Then I stuff my dirty things back into the bag, slide my feet into my trainers, and head out. Levi is standing by the door to the gym and he glances up as he sees me approach, then down at his watch. “Oh, wow. You really did mean ten minutes. I was expecting to wait like an hour.” I scoff. “Why would that take an hour?” He laughs. “Why the fuck would I know? It only takes me ten minutes, but girls always say they’ll be ten mins, and then they’re like forty to sixty.” He shrugs. I raise an eyebrow at him.

It was supposed to take approximately four to six minutes. Forty three seconds gone. A loud crash alerted me but I didn’t turn. He had dropped his glass, I could see out of the corner of my eye. His hand extended toward me, trying to signal for help. Just relax and let go, old man. No one’s saving you One minute and forty seconds. My phone vibrated. I glanced down. An upload from an anonymous account. I looked at the thumbnail. Oh, Raina was not going to be happy about this.

When it finally subsides, I'm trembling and gasping, still locked together with him inside me. "Twenty minutes." His voice is ragged. "That's how long the knot lasts." "Twenty minutes?" I'm so full I can barely think. "Plenty of time for the others to get ready." He brushes hair from my sweaty forehead. "You're doing so well, little mate. Three more to go."

Each mental note a stitch in a pattern only I could see. Seven minutes. That was all I needed.