Chapter 2 - The Countdown Begins

I was minding my own business and was burying myself in an old book found at the bookstore when my phone chimed. With a notification. From HarmonyMatch.

I groaned, dreading opening the message, but I did anyway.

"Miss Vivienne Skye Harper,

Congratulations on your eligibility to join the Matching! The ceremony will happen on the 3rd of October at a local HarmonyCenter assigned to you after registration.

Your participation in this program is not only a personal opportunity for a fulfilling life but also a contribution to the greater good of our society. Strong families are the cornerstone of a prosperous and harmonious future, and your involvement will play a crucial role in achieving this vision.

Thank you for your commitment to building a better future through lasting relationships and strong families. We look forward to helping you find your perfect match and embark on this extraordinary journey together.

HarmonyMatch: Where Love Meets Science, and Together, We Build a Future of Love."

There was a link to the pre-registration site and all the necessary information needed for the Matching. I groaned again and contemplated on whether I should pre-register already, or wait until I see Finn tonight.

I groaned again, the anxiety building up within me.

"You okay there, Viv?" My mom asked from the kitchen. She was baking brownies for my younger sister's school fair tomorrow.

"I would be if that brownie baked faster," I groaned again, burying my face into my hands. "The Matching notification just came." I sighed.

"It's about time! It's usually around this time. When is it?" My mom huffed.

"On the third," I said, tilting my head back and looking at the ceiling.

"Good, just another week," she said.

I looked at her. Her wavy chocolate brown hair was tied into a bun on top of her head. I've been noticing the abundance of grays in her hair, but instead of looking older, she looked even more regal.

"Are you trying to get rid of me already?" I groaned at her and she just smirked and shrugged. I laughed.

She poured the brownie batter into a pan. Her skinny arms looked frail, but she has more strength than I will ever have, both physically and mentally.

I wondered how her Matching day was. I never really thought to ask her and dad about it. But now seems a great day to ask; and I need any advice I can get.

"How was your Matching day, mom?" I asked her as I turned my chair to look at her.

She was slightly slamming the pan on the counter to rid the batter of bubbles. As she did her last slam, she looked at me briefly, eyes full of knowing. "Are you nervous?" She asked back.

"I guess I am," I said, truthfully.

"Everyone had different opinions about the Matching back in my day. I guess it still runs true today. But back then, I just let fate handle it. It's all based on science, they say, but I know you'll be destined with who you're supposed to be with," she said as she danced around the kitchen, making a few more batches of brownie batter.

My mother has a way of making me feel comfortable, and she did just that even without actually answering any of my questions. I didn't press further, and instead, sent a message to Finn.

"HM sent the notif. You got it?"

"Yeah. Did you pre-register yet?" He replied within a minute.

"Not yet. Was thinking we could do to it together?"

"We're still on tonight, right?"

If I had laser eyes, I would have burned my phone looking at the three dots that meant he was writing something back, but it would be gone one second and back the next, which implies he might have been writing something and then deleting it, then writing something again. I wondered.

"Yeah, we could do that" he finally replied. "I'll see you later. Pick you up at 6."

– @ –

"You're seriously going to wear that?" My 18-year-old sister, Serenity, asked me after giving me a once over.

"Why? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I asked, panicking because I only have 5 minutes before Finn arrives to pick me up.

"You're going on a date and you chose to wear pants and a sweater?" She asked aghast, as if my choice of clothing was the worst thing I could do.

I rolled my eyes. "We're going stargazing, Ren. What do you want me to wear, a ball gown?"

"At least put some accessories on!" She half-yelled as she threw a pair of ruby earrings into my hands. "And put your hair up! And don't you dare go for those ugly boots of yours!"

I did as she asked because you can never argue with Serenity, especially when it comes to all things fashion. Although I admit I was a bit hurt about her calling my Ugg boots ugly. They weren't fashionable, but they were, at least, comfortable–and I needed everything to feel comfort. For some reason, my anxiety about the Matching is back, and I can't shake off the feeling that something wrong will happen and I don't like it.

As Serenity gave me the shoe of her choice, which were chunky leather boots, I heard a knocking at the door and was fairly certain it was Finn, right on time, as he usually is.

I quickly kicked off my Uggs and replaced them with the leather boots, then ran down the stairs to find Millie, my 12-year-old sister, talking animatedly to Finn, who was on the doorway, laughing.

"Hi," I said as Finn finally saw me in the hallway.

"Hey there. Millie's just telling me her new joke," he laughed, pinching Millie's cheek to her delight. "See you, later, Mills. I'll be expecting a new joke."

We bid mom and dad goodbye, and I gave Millie a little kiss on her head. Then, we went into the twilight into Finn's car, the passenger door even before we crossed the lawn. Finn then helped me get into the passenger seat before taking his place on the driver's side. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek as we were buckling ourselves.

"So, you ready for dinner?" He asked and smiled his charming lop-sided smile, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes, please. I'm starving after inhaling mom's baking all day," I said, remembering the scrumptious smell of mom's brownies. "Can we go somewhere with some good brownies? All I got from mom was a little piece I had to share with Ren."

Finn laughed and said okay, then drove off without telling me where he's bringing me.

He has always done that. Just tells me we're going somewhere, and then picks me up and drives me to dinner in places I never even thought I'd go to. Then, sometimes we would walk around parks, or play in arcades. But most of the time, we would just sit somewhere and talk, or make out, or both.

"It's your turn today," he said, pointing at the music player. We take turns playing our weekly playlists, and now it's my turn, so I connected my phone to the car and clicked on the playlist I made yesterday.

We drove in silence as catchy lo-fi music filled the entire car, an unreadable tension in the air as soon as the music came. And just like earlier, it's a feeling I can't seem to shake off. Suddenly, I felt as anxious as I was this morning when I received the HarmonyMatch notification, and I can't say if Finn's feeling it, too.

"So, we're going to register for the Matching, tonight, right?" I asked, just to say something. I don't know if it was the right topic to choose since Finn pursed his lips, clearly feeling the same anxiety as I was.

"Yeah, but let's not talk about it until later after dinner, can we?" He asked.

"Okay," was all I said.

After three songs, we pulled into the parking lot of a diner. A hologram of a giant heart-like being with antennas beaming from the roof, beckoning customers. There were several cars parked, and it seemed like the diner was fairly popular.

We get out of the car, with Finn rushing to my side to help me out. Then we walked into the diner…and everything just seemed a little too quiet. We weren't really talking a lot, and although he did smile and kiss my cheeks and my hands a few times, it all felt like he was trying to hold back, and I don't understand this weird tension between us.

As we were seated by the waitress droid, I asked, "Are you okay?"

He looked at me quizzically, not expecting the question. "I'm good, just a little tired, I guess," he said after a moment.

"It's just that…I don't know. You're hot and cold," I said, looking down at the menu on the table but not really reading.

"Hot and cold?"

I sighed. "There are moments that you act like good old Finn, then you suddenly act cold and distant. I don't know what's happening or if there's something I need to know."

"You're overthinking," he said and looked down at his own menu.

I am overthinking. About us. But I don't tell.

I tried to read the menu of burgers and fries and brownies and sundaes for dessert. I was hungry, but now, I can't get myself to think about food. Instead, I think about the past few days of feeling like I have a knot in my gut and spacing out, dreading the waiting but wanting the Matching to be over so I can stop thinking about it.

But I don't tell. And neither does he.

I tap on the menu, putting in my order of brownies and a strawberry milkshake and give it to the waitress droid making rounds.

"Are we still going to the planetarium?" I ask, trying to hide the bitterness in my voice.

"Do you want to?" His head is still down, looking and tapping at the menu.

"I wanted to, but if you're tired, we can just go another day." We still have a week left, I wanted to add, but did not.

"Sure. Let's go another day," was all he said as he handed the waitress droid his own menu. He didn't even ask what I was having.

And then, we just sat in silence, surrounded by the buzz of conversations and the smooth vibrations of the machines and droids around us, the thoughts of the Matching heavy in our minds and hearts.