Eleven Eleven

by Micalea Smeltzer

“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.”

He’s very much giving Luke from Gilmore Girls.

“Sometimes, even if you don’t know every detail about a person, they can light up your soul.”

“Sometimes,” I begin, “when you’re in it, you don’t see the toxicity for what it is.”

“That’s true.” There’s that chuckle again. “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.” He sounds vulnerable, like he didn’t mean to admit that much.

“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.”

“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.”