Chapter 2: Coincidences Aren’t Always Coincidence
973 Words
“The universe doesn’t shout. Sometimes it whispers—through broken elevators and small talk.”
It was one of those days when everything went wrong.
Alia had woken up late, spilled coffee on her white blouse, and barely made it to her 8 AM class. The air was hot, the kind of sticky humidity that made the whole campus feel like a sauna. Her planner, which usually gave her comfort, now felt like a burden—a list of things she was failing to keep up with.
By 3 PM, she was drained. Her phone buzzed with updates from her officers about an upcoming seminar, her inbox was flooding with unread emails, and her head was pounding.
She stood by the elevator at the south wing of the main building, waiting with four other students and silently praying for peace, even for just a minute.
The elevator arrived, and she stepped inside last, leaning against the cool metal wall as it began its slow crawl upward.
But then…
A jolt.
A sudden stop.
The lights flickered.
And then—nothing.
The elevator had stopped between the third and fourth floors.
“No signal?” a guy near the front asked.
Alia instinctively reached for her phone. “Nope.”
Of course. Of all days, this had to happen now.
“I think we’re stuck,” someone said, nervous laughter following.
She let out a sigh, trying not to show her growing irritation. She didn’t have time for this.
Then she heard it.
“Guess we’re all trapped in here until someone gets bored enough to fix it.”
That voice. Calm. Deep. Familiar.
She turned her head slightly—and there he was.
Him.
The boy from the bulletin board. The one with the hoodie and the eyes that made her pause. Now in front of her, real and close and far less mysterious in the bad lighting of a broken elevator.
He looked just as surprised to see her.
“You,” he said, blinking.
Alia blinked too. “Me?”
“You were… by the admin building last week, right?” he asked.
She tilted her head, slightly amused. “You remember that?”
Calix gave a soft chuckle. “Yeah. You kind of walked like you were late for changing the world.”
That made her laugh—an actual, relaxed laugh that surprised even her.
“Well,” she replied, crossing her arms, “I had meetings.”
“Of course you did.”
Their exchange caught the attention of the other students, who slowly started tuning into their banter. But the two of them didn’t notice. For a moment, it was like the elevator wasn’t broken. Time was.
“I’m Calix,” he offered, extending a hand.
“Alia.”
They shook hands, and it felt oddly meaningful.
“So,” Calix continued, “Is this where you tell me your five-year plan and I pretend to not ruin it?”
She smirked. “Actually, I usually wait until the second time I get stuck in an elevator with someone.”
They both laughed.
The conversation unfolded naturally after that. They talked about their courses, their favorite places to eat near campus, how much they hated the south wing elevator now.
She found out he transferred this semester and that he was studying multimedia arts, with a focus on photography and film. He admitted that he wasn’t used to the busy pace of the university yet but liked to observe people, to watch life happen through his camera.
She was intrigued by that—someone who watched instead of raced ahead.
He was surprised by her intensity. “You really do plan everything?”
“Pretty much,” she replied. “My life is color-coded.”
“I don’t even own a planner,” he confessed. “I just kind of… go with what feels right.”
Two people, built so differently. Yet, somehow, they made sense in that small, suspended space.
Twenty minutes passed before the maintenance team finally pulled open the doors and helped them out.
As they stepped back into the hallway, blinking at the light, Calix looked at her again.
“Well, this was… unexpected,” he said.
“Yeah,” she replied. “But not the worst thing that’s happened today.”
He laughed. “Agreed.”
Alia hesitated. For a second, the Alia that lived by rules and structure wanted to just say goodbye and walk away. But the version of her who had laughed for real in a stuck elevator... wanted more.
“You’re in Multimedia Arts, right?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“We have a leadership seminar next week,” she said. “We’ll need someone to take photos. Interested?”
Calix grinned. “Are you asking as the HRM officer or as the girl I just got stuck in an elevator with?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Does it matter?”
“Not at all,” he said. “I’m in.”
That night, Calix uploaded some of the photos he had taken around campus. Random scenes—sunlight hitting benches, trees swaying, shadows in the hallway. But one photo stood out: a blurred shot of the hallway where he had first seen her.
He stared at it for a long time.
He didn’t believe in fate. But he believed in moments. And today… was a moment.
Meanwhile, in her dorm, Alia sat on her bed, planner open beside her but untouched. She scrolled through her phone, then paused, considering.
Should she message him?
She opened her inbox and saw a new message request.
From: Calix Reyes
“Next time we get stuck somewhere, I’ll bring snacks.”
She smiled. And against everything she usually believed, she replied:
“Deal. I’ll bring the coffee.”
- Writer
