Eleven Eleven

by Micalea Smeltzer

11:11 I close my eyes and make a wish. I wish for this move to be the right thing.

That makes him eleven years younger than me. Ironic. That it’s my lucky number.

“Come on, Via, what do you say?” He leans in, his mouth pressed to my ear. “Don’t overthink it. Everything is temporary anyway. Me. You. The stars in the sky. We’re all just a blip. Take the risk. I’m worth your while.”

“Because you were sitting there with this lonely look in your eyes.” He brushes a thumb along my jawline. “I wanted to be the reason you didn’t feel that way anymore.”

That dimple, I’m certain, is going to be my undoing flashes at me, and his eyes glimmer behind his glasses.

As I turn out of the lot, I catch sight of the clock on the dash. 11:11 Dammit.

I need to be comfortable on my own. There’s a certain level of loneliness that comes with picking one’s life up and moving away from everything familiar. And that loneliness only makes me more determined to get out and do new things.

“Did he cheat on you? Real men are shit. Gotta stick to the fictional ones. They’re great.”

if being people-sick was a thing, I’d definitely fall into that category.

“This doesn’t have to be a big deal.” He leans in and presses a gentle kiss below my ear. “Night, Via.” He pulls back, but with an “oh,” he quickly ducks close again and brings his lips to my ear. “I can fuck you better than my dad ever could.”

“Unknowingly or not, I want to mark you so you remember which Crawford you belong to.”

Reid Crawford knows what he’s doing to me, and he’s using it to his advantage.

“You can talk about him. I don’t mind. He’s in your past, and I fully plan on being your future.”

“Because I don’t want to have to tell our future kids that I fucked their mom on the first date.”

sometimes parents have the tendency to forget that they’re raising brand-new individuals, not copies of themselves.

“But it takes a good friendship to establish a solid foundation. I don’t want to only be your lover. I want to be your person. The one you go to first. The one you think of when you wake up. The one … just the one.”

I could fall in love with Reid Crawford. It’s what I think to myself, fighting tears once more. I could love him harder than I ever loved Chase. This man could ruin me in the best way.

“I never knew you could be such a bitch.” Once, those words would’ve cut me like a knife. Now? I smile. “If sticking up for myself makes me a bitch, then so be it.”

Dreams are a scary thing. So is the risk of failure. But I won’t know if I don’t try.

“The night I came to Parkerville, I wished on 11:11 that this move would be the right thing. I think that wish came true when I met you.”

“You brought color back into my life. Everything was dull before you. You’ve made me so unbelievably happy, Reid. When I thought of Color Me Happy, it felt right.”

“You did it.” “I did.” Tears prick my eyes, a buildup of emotion from all these months of working on it amid life’s changes—the biggest being finding my person.

“Hey,” Reid says, winding his arms around my waist. “It’s 11:11.” He nods at the clock hanging above the doorway that leads to my office. “Make a wish.” I can’t fight my smile. “I don’t need to.” “Why?” “Because,” I look around at my store, at my new friends and neighbors, my sister, and, most importantly, him, “I already have everything I’ve ever wanted and more.”