11:11

Liliana knew it was stupid. She did. Really. Still, every time the clock stroke 11:11, she couldn’t help closing her eyes and wishing to whichever greater force took pity on her that for once she would experience the love she so craved. Every dandelion, eyelash, birthday candle and penny had been wasted on the dream of a love that had overlooked her. And every 11:11 she would wish again.

Maybe it was immaturity. Stubborn as ever, she refused to give up hope. Holding on to the childhood fantasy that her first love was a meet cute away. He could be anyone. The cute barista that served her coffee every Friday. The geek in her Intro to English literature course. The breathtaking stranger that took the same train as her every Monday and Wednesday. What if she stopped looking and he passed her by, unnoticed? The thought made her chest tighten painfully. No, she just had to keep looking. Surely he’d turn up. The perfect guy. He would say all the right words, in the right order. Tell good jokes she wouldn’t have to fake a laught to. Buy her favorite sweet treat on a random day. Be cute and lovely in the most perfect of ways. The thought made her heart ache.

Twenty three years old and perpetually single. Might as well start adopting the strays near my apartment, Liliana thought bitterly as she sucked on the straw of her iced coffee on the way to the library, the soft hum of the cars passing by the street and the light song of the birds the soundtrack to her morning. It was 11:00 am on a Friday, and the cute barista once again made no indication that he was even a little intrigued by her. Despite the calm in her otherwise chaotic schedule, the pain of prolonged touch starvation was gnawing at her sternum, painting the day with a stroke of resentment. She would no doubt have to bear witness to a couple or two at the library, teasing each other in between their study session, being all sweet and in love. Ugh.

Walking into the building, she greeted the librarian with a warm hello, always happy to see the older woman, before making her way to the time punch and clocking in. She had worked at the library since her second year of college, finding comfort in the slow pace of everyday tasks, catching up on reading whenever she wasn’t busy. Sitting at the front desk, she pulled out her book, flipping over to the bookmarked page. As per usual, the flowery prose of a nineteenth century romance novel jumped out of the page, creating images of a charming man with a golden heart pursuing the skeptical, but secretly soft protagonist. Before she could lose herself in the pages of her book though, she watched the clock strike 11:11.

She almost succumbed. It was second nature by now; her eyes almost closed as soon as she saw the time. But she held back. What was the point? It had been twenty three years of the same ritual and it never worked. It wouldn’t suddenly work just because she was at the point of desperation. So, she watched as the clock ticked until it reached 11:12.

Except it didn’t. Liliana watched in confusion as both hands stopped ticking, frozen in place. She then took her phone and, with a furrowed brow, saw that the time also stood still. Odd, she thought as she turned on the monitor in front of her just to be met with the same time. Were it not for the fact that the clock on the wall was analog, she might have believed it was simply a technological glitch. But as she stared at the clock, willing its hands to move without success, she accepted that the reason might be a bit weirder. She looked around the library, the students continuing their studies as if nothing out of the normal was happening.

At that moment, possibly the most attractive guy she had seen on campus approached the counter. Kind eyes, sweet smile, and sharp features. WOW, she thought as he approached her.

“Hi, I need a book from the reserve?” He asked kindly, his smooth voice serenading her ears.

“Sure, what’s the name?” She replied in kind, doing everything in her power to not gaze up at him too much as he gave her the name of the book and she looked it up in the system.

“Wait here.” She said warmly as she walked towards the back were they kept the books that couldn’t be left on the shelves. She glanced at her phone, the time still stuck at 11:11. What is going on today? She walked back to the front, book in hand, the man leaning casually against the counter.

“Here’s the book.”

“Thank you. Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” He said with a slightly awkward smile.

She froze for a second. Oh my god, is he…

“Liliana.” She answered with a small smile, her heart racing in her chest as the very attractive man asked for her name.

“That’s a pretty name.” He said, his smooth baritone almost making her swoon.

“Thank you.” She said, face warm.

“Thanks for the book, Liliana.” He said with a disarming smile before walking away, sitting at a table a few feet away from her desk.

She stood there, frozen on the spot for a few seconds, trying to process the casual interaction with the attractive stranger. It took Liliana a few deep breaths to stop her racing heart, her face still warm to the touch as she sat back on her chair. She shook her head slightly, reminding herself that someone asking for her name was hardly a sign of interest. Despite what logic dictated, her heart refused to listen, feeding her brain the usual flow of ridiculous fantasies that would never come true. She sighed, taking the mouse in hand and closing the library page on the monitor. She looked up at the library clock, and to her surprise, the time read 11:12.